Last month we looked at some of the Heresies in China. In this post we will consider ways to prepare returnees to face heresies when they return home.
Know the truth of the gospel
We often have limited time to prepare returnees, and there is so much to learn. However, it’s important that they be clear on basic gospel truth. Who is Jesus and what has he done for us? Ensure your Chinese returnee friend is clear on these points and can back them up from the Bible. Encourage them that if they are in a discussion with someone who seems to be saying strange things from the Bible that they should go back to these foundational truths. If the person or group doesn’t agree, then they should stop interacting and walk away.
The “creeds” were designed to counteract false teaching in the early Church, so having access to them and learning them is helpful protection against false teaching (Apostle’s Creed in Chinese https://cprc.co.uk/languages/apostles_chinese/ Nicene Creed in Chinese https://cprc.co.uk/languages/nicene_chinese/ ).
Be aware that cults can be deceptive and manipulative
Most cults teach that it is OK to lie to those outside their group. They will often use tactics and strategies to trick or coerce people into staying with them. Many will pretend to be Christians, trying to build rapport, but later when a relationship is established, they start pushing their own beliefs. Chinese people are very relational and respond to someone friendly who shows concern for them. Heresies can exploit this to gain trust and lead young Christians away. Returnees should be wary of those who are overtly friendly or pushy and seem “too good to be true.”
Most true Christian groups are happy if a person has connections with other Christians and Christian groups. Heresies on the other hand are very exclusive and claim to be the only ones with the truth. Returnees should be wary of any group that wants them to cut ties with all their other Christian friends.
Go through trusted relationships
Going through relationships is the best way to avoid tangling with a heresy. It’s important that a returnee is referred to a suitable church or fellowship when they return and they should be guided by the leaders of their group.
预备迎战异端
上个月，我们探讨了中国的一些异端。在这篇文章中，我们将思考如何帮助海归基督徒做好准备，在回国后面临异端时能够有正确的应对。
认识福音的真理
我们用来装备海归的时间往往有限，而他们需要学习的属灵知识又太多。然而，让他们明确福音的基本真理至关重要——对诸如“耶稣是谁？”“祂为我们做了什么？”这样的问题的回答是信仰的根基。请确保你的中国海归朋友清楚这些关键点，并能从圣经中找到依据。鼓励他们，如果他们在与他人讨论时，发现对方似乎在用圣经发表一些奇真理怪的言论，他们应当回归到这些核心的基要真理上。如果对方或其群体拒绝认同这些基要真理，那么海归们就应该停止与他们互动并果断离开他们的群体。
早期教会设计“信经”的目的就是为了抵制错误教义。因此，学习并记住这些信经对于防范假教师的教训是非常有帮助的保护措施：
- 使徒信经中文版： https://cprc.co.uk/languages/apostles_chinese/
- 尼西亚信经中文版： https://cprc.co.uk/languages/nicene_chinese/
警惕异端邪教的欺骗性与操纵手段
大多数邪教都宣称，对群体之外的人撒谎是被上帝允许的。他们往往会使用各种策略和手段，诱骗或强迫人们留在其组织内。许多人会伪装成基督徒，试图拉近关系，等建立起信任后，再开始强加他们自己的信仰。中国人非常注重人际关系，很容易对那些友好且关心自己的人给予积极的回应。异端往往会利用这一点来骗取信任，从而带偏年轻的基督徒。海归们应该对那些表现得过于热情、纠缠不休、或者看起来“好得不切实际”的人保持警惕。
绝大多数真正的基督徒群体，都乐见其成员与其他基督徒或教会保持联系。相反，异端邪教则极具排他性，并声称只有他们才拥有真理。如果任何一个群体要求海归断绝与其他所有基督徒朋友的联系，他们应当对此保持警惕。
值得信赖的人际网络
通过可靠的人际关系抵御异端，是避免陷入异端诱惑的最佳途径。海归回国时，需要被引荐到合适的教会或团契中，接受信仰正统的教会领袖的引导，这一点至关重要。