Waiting patiently was an indispensable part of the process of the exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land....Staying still in the wilderness was God’s way of refining his people.
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This waiting is a sort of a fast. We are not doing nothing, but wait expecting something good to happen. Fasting is not comfortable, so we must pray and help one another.
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We pastors, as well as all those who are willing to serve, need to explore together how we can follow the Lord in the midst of China’s present situation and our own weaknesses. We do not follow him alone, but live within a grand story that covers all of time. By faith, one can lose everything, even one’s own church… In the midst of unpredictable days, we know our future is secure.
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Now Elder Zhou has been charged with “criminal fraud,” and I cannot be ashamed for what they bring against me. If it is not fraud for a teacher to be paid a salary, how can it be fraud for a pastor to receive the free offerings of brothers and sisters?…Elder Zhou was a former provincial official. He left all this behind, willingly taking up his cross to follow the Lord. His testimony either shows the honor of his Lord, Jesus the Son of God; or it shows that he (and all of us) are crazy, sick, and stupid. If Jesus is not more honorable, then we ought to be imprisoned, locked up in an insane asylum for being part of a madhouse operation!
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The Lord helped me put what I learned into practice when I was detained for thirty days… During the first three days that I spent at the detention center, I had high hopes that God would deliver me and that I would be able to leave after a few days. But when I finally received a note that said that I would at least be detained for a month, I made my peace…Praying the Lord’s Prayer really helped me recognize who I was and what God’s will for me was in placing me in that situation.
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In the last decade, it has become a trend for Chinese Christians to study overseas (mainly in North America) at various Western theological education institutions. This new wave of overseas students has two distinctive features: first, they are mainly urban intellectuals, and second, most of them have been deeply involved in pastoral service in China before attending overseas seminaries. As a member of this wave, I have benefited a lot from it, but at the same time, I am also deeply concerned about the various shortcomings. Therefore, I offer the following as my own personal humble opinion, in an attempt to analyze the benefits.
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Suffering for or with Christ can easily become legalistic. Instead, we are suffering the suffering of Christ, suffering as Christ, and suffering in Christ. This concept comes from a very deep biblical structure and has had a great impact on me. When I say this I feel very ashamed, because I often forget this and feel very weak, but this is very important.
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The purpose of adoption is not because we need a child, nor to satisfy ourselves. It is God’s calling for our family to take this child in and bring this child to God. Many have shared with me about the challenges and difficulties of adoption. I know it is not easy. But we believe that, as God has called us to adopt, he will also provide the strength and grace we need. I also believe that this child, including our family, will become a walking witness. When people see this child, they will be reminded that we were all orphans, but now we are taken-in by God, becoming his children.
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In the midst of such challenge, I could not pray, "Thy will be done.” I was anxious I would become bitter and resent God. I was afraid I would not be able to bear the call of suffering. I was like a warrior trembling on the battlefield with a sword. I tried to cheer myself, but God only showed me my own cowardice and how scary the enemy is. Yet, when I finally confronted the enemy with fear and trembling, I found the trumpet of victory had been blown, and the enemy had turned into clouds of smoke.
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The Lord sanctifies us through his Word, the Spirit, and the Church. God tells us to care for one another, encourage one another, build one another up, love one another, and exhort one another. We need others to help us when we are weak, and we need their counsel when we are prideful. We usually react in two ways to suffering: either we are extremely weak and discouraged, exposing our true nature, or we might think we are strong and consequently look down on others, judging them and feeling self-righteous in our heart. While the Spirit can give us supernatural peace, God prefers to comfort and help us through our brothers and sisters whom we can see. This is because when we love one another, others will recognize that we are his disciples.
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