DAWN Fridayfax 1998 #43

China: "One more Christian is one more good Chinese"

During the colonial era, a proverb said "One more Christian is one less Chinese". This view has almost completely changed, according to an observer of China's Christian movement (name and address withheld). The following is his report: "The situation changed completely under Mao and Communism. Today, people hunger and thirst for the gospel and to meet and experience the living God. God has moved astonishingly, confirming his Word through many signs and wonders, healing, raising people from the dead, demonstrations of supernatural power and revelations. Today, it is often said 'One more Christian is one more good Chinese.'
The simple leaders
"A leading brother from a house church movement told me that God has called above all simple people, who are not intellectually particularly gifted or even educated. In many cases, it is 60, 70 or even 80 percent women who have been called by God. Very often, God has called despised, uneducated, weak or ignoble, and frequently illiterate, people to demonstrate his Word is power and spiritual authority. All or most inhabitants of a village regularly turn to Christ. Today, there are probably at least 100 million, perhaps even 120-130 million Christians in China. Many of them, particularly the older generation, are illiterate. The middle aged are often called 'the lost generation' because they suffered so much during the Cultural Revolution, including not receiving any education.
One of the keys: itinerant preachers
"Itinerant preachers are one of the keys to the local revivals in the Middle Kingdom. As in the Apostolic times, they often travel without spare clothes, food or money, trusting alone in God and his provision on their way to the lost sheep in China's various people groups, where they preach the gospel simply but with power. In recent times, actually only in the last few years, the Chinese house churches have started taking the news of eternal life to the national minority groups. They are visibly successful: many thousands and tens of thousands among the minorities have turned to Christ, so that we can truly speak of a revival.
Mission from the Middle Kingdom
"If you consider that the Chinese traditionally distrust foreigners, even tending to racism, and always saw themselves as the center of the world, then what has happened can only be the work of God and his Spirit. The sick are frequently healed, demons driven out, and in some cases, the dead raised. God has used very varied means to call the Chinese to repentance and belief in his Word, including spiritual, political, sociological and cultural factors and changes. Many, many people have come to believe in Christ through the ministry of the national Christians. Above all, though, the success is due to permanently planting new churches where the new believers are spiritually taught and cared for, which is an important sign of a true revival.
Martyrdom
"Just as there is no revival without repentance, there is no glory in China without the cross. Martyrdom is certain in the house churches. Every leading house church leader has spent at least three years in jail. Recently, members of leaders' families have also been arrested by the Security Service, probably in revenge for the fact that they cannot find the leaders themselves, so that we can really speak of family imprisonment. For this reason, many relatives of house church leaders must also live in hiding.
Don't pray for our release
"One example moved me greatly. In recent months, five house church leaders were arrested and subjected to terrible torture during interrogation. They were all sentenced to several years in labour camps. That means that they have to work in mines 12 hours per day, seven days per week. They want people to pray not for their release, but that the spirit of God's glory would rest on them (1 Peter 4:12-14), that they can be a witness of the living God in their surroundings, and that they can live a victorious life. Some of these Christians were forced to eat coal by their torturers; as they refused, their front teeth were torn out.
Speak about God, not us
"The committment and readiness for sacrifice is very impressive. The willingness to suffer for Jesus, to be imprisoned, possibly to die as a martyr may sound shocking to Westerners, including Christians, but is seen as an honour in many Chinese house churches. The Christians are in no way fanatical, extreme or immature; quite the opposite, they may be described as simple, humble, gentle, spiritually mature and modest. As already mentioned, they talk as little as possible about themselves - so that they take none of God's glory - and as much as possible about God's great deeds, praising His name for what he has done."