"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Hebrews 4:12

Wow.  This just hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was reading something about how being a sold-out Christian separates us from everyone else around us (everyone who isn't sold out to Christ), and it made me think about persecuted Christians in places labeled as hostile or restricted countries regarding Christianity.  Christians in those countries really know what it means to love God and follow Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Many of them lose their jobs or are disowned by their families because of their faith, and Jesus is all they have, so they pursue Him with their whole lives.  They have to meet with other Christians in secret in order to avoid persecution, and even then they aren't totally safe.

As I thought about that, I asked myself, "What would I be like if I went to one of those countries for a time?  What if I had to face persecution like that?  What if I had so little access to the Bible that I became so thirsty for the Word that I spent hours at a time studying with my brothers and sisters in Christ?"  But I never got to come up with any possible answers because another question came up: What would happen if/when I came back home to America?  How would I readjust to life here after spending time in another culture?  How would I get used to not having to keep my beliefs a secret anymore?

Then I realized something.  Christians in hostile/restricted nations have to keep their beliefs secret to protect themselves, so their lives are their only testimony.  They live in such a way that people would wonder why they live the way they do.  They live in a way that would lead people to ask them what motivates them, so that they can tell them about Jesus.  Christianity grows in hostile/restricted nations because people see the impact Christ has on their lives.  Their daily living makes them the walking gospel.  That's why Hebrews 4:12 says that "the word of God is living and active."  The gospel comes alive in them, and their actions show what the Bible teaches.

And that's the way we should be living here in America, where Christianity is still legal.  Even though we are free to talk about our faith in the open, a profession of faith shouldn't be necessary for people to recognize that something is different about us—in fact, in a culture where the teachings of the Bible are so widely recognized, our daily lives should make it obvious that we are wholehearted followers of Christ, not just different.  That's what Saint Francis of Assisi meant when he said, "Preach the gospel always; when necessary, use words."

Of course, that doesn't mean that words aren't necessary.  We still have to share the gospel of salvation through Christ, and we have to teach Jesus' commands.  But in a culture where we are free to do so, it seems that we have come to understand that that is all that's necessary.  Since we're allowed to preach the gospel verbally, we don't have to live it out because people only need to know what the gospel says.  Actions serve only to draw people to Christianity in cultures where a public profession of faith can get you killed; if you're able to speak about your faith openly, then actions have no purpose.  But that's not true at all.  Our actions show the truth of the gospel.  Our daily living shows the impact Christ's saving grace has had on us.  If our actions don't change when we accept Christ as our Savior, there's reason to believe that we haven't really been saved.  After all, Jesus taught us how we should live, and if we don't obey Him, we're basically saying that we don't need to and that we don't believe obedience will make things any better for us; and if we don't believe Him on that topic, how can we claim to believe Him about anything else?   As the last part of Hebrews 4:12 says, "[The word of God] judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Our good deeds prove that we have been changed by saving grace.

So to answer my question about readjusting, I shouldn't really have to adapt that much.  I should continue living in a way that preaches the gospel without words.  And in hostile/restricted nations, there's such an urgency attached to the gospel, that I should feel compelled to tell everyone I know about the good news of the gospel.  So if/when I came back, I would rejoice in finally being able to openly share my faith verbally, and I would do it as if I would be killed if I didn't.