When Spreading The Gospel Becomes A Crime - How Do We Respond?

The Guardian recently published a sensationally worded article with the headline, "Missionaries using secret audio devices to evangelize Brazil's isolated peoples." The subtitle sounded equally ominous: "Solar-powered units reciting biblical passages have appeared in the Javari valley, despite strict laws protecting Indigenous groups."

One would think, from the tone, that the world's last untouched civilization had been subjected to some dangerous biochemical weapon. In reality, these "secret devices" are nothing more than small, solar-powered radios loaded with Bible passages and gospel presentations--tools that have been used for decades by missionaries to reach those in remote corners of the globe.

Christian ministries often distribute such devices in places where entering physically is difficult or even impossible. They can contain audio Scriptures in local or trade languages, allowing someone who has never seen a Bible or met a Christian to hear about Jesus for the very first time. Yet to those with a secular--and, frankly, anti-God--worldview, even the idea of an Indigenous person hearing the gospel is a threat.

The Guardian quotes Brazilian officials calling these efforts "stealthy" and "under the radar." The nation's policy, in place since 1987, forbids evangelism among certain tribes unless the Indigenous group initiates contact. In other words, the Brazilian government has granted itself the authority to decide whether a soul gets the chance to hear about Christ. And some officials even boast that the new "sophisticated" methods are "almost impossible to combat."

From a purely biblical standpoint, this is nothing new. Governments and rulers have been trying to silence the gospel for 2,000 years. In Acts 4, the apostles Peter and John were arrested for preaching about the resurrection of Jesus. The religious leaders commanded them to stop. Their reply was simple and unflinching: "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."

This is the heartbeat of Christian mission work. We are called to obey authorities--but only so long as those authorities do not demand we disobey God. And Christ's command is crystal clear: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19). The command does not exclude dangerous regions, hostile governments, or tribes "known for their deadly expertise with war clubs." It includes them.

Here lies the worldview divide. Secularism views every culture as morally neutral, equally valid, and untouchable. In their eyes, it is "imposing" Western religion to share the gospel with a people group, even if that group remains in spiritual darkness, bound by fear of evil spirits, tribal warfare, or generational cycles of violence. Better, they say, to leave them alone--forever.

The Christian worldview begins with the truth that all people--whether in London, São Paulo, or the remotest jungle--are created in the image of God, but separated from Him by sin. That separation carries eternal consequences. If we truly believe that Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), then it would be the height of cruelty not to share the good news.

This is not cultural imperialism. It is not Westernization. It is love--love enough to take risks, to endure government opposition, and to face possible death to tell someone about the Savior who died for them. When Paul wrote that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15), he did not add, "except for the ones behind government borders."

The Guardian's article frames this missionary work as covert, almost sinister. But Christians understand it as obedience. Solar-powered Scripture players are not weapons--they are lifelines. They bring hope into places where there is no hospital, no school, and no written word. They speak of a God who entered human history to rescue us, even at the cost of His own life.

History shows us that the gospel is unstoppable. From the underground church in China to the house churches of Iran, believers have found ways to proclaim Christ despite every effort to silence them. If missionaries are now using discreet technology to reach the unreached in Brazil, they are simply carrying on the same mission the apostles began two millennia ago.

And so the choice remains for every Christian: will we let earthly powers determine who can hear the gospel? Or will we stand with Peter and John and say, "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard"?

No government decree, no hostile policy, and no physical isolation can erase the reality that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. The Great Commission is not a suggestion--it is a command. And until every tribe and tongue has heard, faithful believers will find a way to speak His name... whether the world approves or not.