Through their blows, the persecutors and the persecuted came to know one another. This is an important gain for both of us, as we continue to walk through persecution. This is what it means when we Chinese say: “Out of blows, knowledge grows!”
There will always be conflicts for people who grow up in a traditional Chinese education, because a Chinese education is an atheistic education. But I never doubted the existence of God. The existence of God was as natural to me as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. It was as natural to me as getting up in the morning.
I am a subversive patriot because, despite the progress we have made as a nation, America is not my best hope for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." My ultimate allegiance is to a King who gave up his own life, liberty, and happiness to redeem us from the tyranny of sin.
The kingdom of heaven has been here since Jesus’s incarnation…The church is the embassy and outpost of the kingdom of heaven, a part of the territory of heaven. Members of the church are ambassadors of the kingdom. Psalm 15 should first reflect every church member, and the culture of Psalm 15 should become the culture of the church.
Read MoreEven as I write, guns rumble in Ukraine and bullets shatter the ordinary lives of families and their hopes of eternal happiness. Violence and persecution continue to hurt brothers and sisters. Heartbreak and desolation occur in every corner of the world. Can our hearts still touch happiness? Yes! Indeed!
Read MoreJoy is found in that truth, not in pleasant circumstances. I am praying, this March, for the Xuzhou woman, for bereaved families, for war, and for God’s mercy on COVID cases in China. I am praying that joy will break through, but that it will be joy much deeper than mere happiness, that it will be joy that clings tightly to hope because there is indeed hope to be found in this world.
Read MoreJesus’s name is praiseworthy and memorable. Because of his name, we can turn from sorrow toward joy. Because of his name, we receive the smile of God, and our relationship with him is reconciled. We turn from weeping in despair to rejoicing with peace and joy.
Read MoreLet us willingly believe in the reality of God’s providence, sustaining us as we await the return of Christ. There will be songs of joy, but only when the tearful task of sowing has been done and the crop has matured for harvest.
Read MoreRight now, many brothers, sisters, and churches are experiencing snares and fire. It seems the enemy is trampling on our vineyard, and our burden is so heavy that we are unable to carry it. Where is the hope of our salvation?
Read MoreThrough Jesus Christ, we now have the power to face death, and the confidence to face the future. Life and death are not in opposition; suffering and joy are no longer contradictions; this world and eternity are not cut off from one another. Instead, these things have great continuity, echoing and melting into one another. Through Jesus, every difficult situation becomes another opportunity to, in faith, draw on the riches of God’s grace.
Read MoreIn this month of lament, I am praying that God will “grant us the surprising peace of Christ.” As Psalm 88 shows, we can come to God in our despair and with troubled souls. As one person, I can do nothing to solve the problems of persecuted Chinese Christians. But I can share their sorrow, and I can bring that anguish to the Lord.
Read MoreFacing the weight of the cross, Jesus was so troubled in spirit that he nearly died. In fear and grief, he turned to God in prayer and sang a cosmic lament as he waited for deliverance. However, just like in this psalm, even death did not bring him deliverance. “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.” Death is not the end of history: resurrection is.
Read MoreIn the face of the uncertainty and confusion of the COVID pandemic, some brothers and sisters will feel uneasy in their hearts. Bring your inner tumult to God: he knows you and accepts you. Faced with the deterioration of the faith environment in this country and the winds of persecution, some brothers and sisters will be weak and fearful. Bring your weakness and your fear to God: he knows you and accepts you.
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