Who is in more trouble? The believer whose faith is threatened by persecution or the one whose faith is barely breathing? The openly persecuted believer is like someone with a knife in their arm. They know exactly what the cause of pain is and have been instructed on how to handle it. The believer whose faith is on life support may barely be aware of any problem at all. It's almost like they are in a coma. Every once in awhile there are signs of hope but those moments are few and far between.
In both of these cases the outside forces are acting differently. Those persecuting the believer must go to extraordinary lengths to inflict pain. The true follower of Christ must not be allowed to be seen or heard. For the believer who is barely breathing spiritually, the System of torture is subtle like a slow moving soul cancer. There is a gradual breakdown resulting in apathy, doubt, denial, and acceptance that life "with Christ" really isn't any different. Christianity is really just a social experience and another mode by which a person can extract a sense of belonging and purpose.
The prayers of the persecuted typically deal with asking for strength, endurance, compassion, quickness of death, forgiveness, and salvation for others. The prayers of the degenerating Christian deal with escape, reasons, solutions, protection, health, and prosperity. God is the aim of all these prayers and yet both believers respond differently to his answers. The faith of the persecuted takes them beyond the pain and has a foundation that is deeper than experience. Any form of inconvenience disrupts the coma Christian and they believe either God doesn't love them or maybe they just need to have more faith.
When a person has a knife shoved into their arm the natural process of the brain increases endorphins and adrenaline that help deal with the pain. As they seek first-aid and time for recovery the natural system of the body improves stability and alertness. The Christian whose faith is under duress has been given God's Holy Spirit to guide and direct them to the source of true recovery, God himself. Since the coma patient Christian is on life support they need…life support: Church, small groups, books, t-shirts, inspirational music, speakers, television, Christian doctors, and more. These all become replacements for the Holy Spirit just as an oxygen machine is a substitute for lunges. And if the Christian rejects any one of these artificial treatments, what then? Where do they turn?
The persecuted believer is not the one who is in trouble. Yes, they will face indescribable torture, pain, and loss of everything they care about. A death sentence may in fact be carried out because they believe in Jesus Christ. On the surface it appears as though the persecuted have it bad but in reality the exact opposite is true. As the coma patient Christian drifts farther into numbness their faith becomes weaker and more fragile. Should there be a day when true persecution comes chances are good they will buckle under the pressure. And then the true faith of that individual goes into question.
A person cannot lose their salvation but they can know it is real. How? By how their life demonstrates a transformation of the Holy Spirit. Persecution is overwhelming confirmation. Because without transformation no one can endure persecution and "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2Timothy 3:12)