Many people in the church expected 2018 to be worse, with more persecution, because many signs pointed that way. I expected that, and as I read the first several days of reports on the convention, that feeling remained very strong.
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In the end one fact remains: we are united together in one body, in one Spirit, in one hope, in one Lord, one faith, one baptism, with one God. Understanding this in principle is not actually hard – but in practice, what do we do? Today, this is the church's challenge.
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The social, spiritual, and even physical struggles expressed by Chinese women are both familiar and foreign to their Western sisters.
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When you have a focus on the gospel, its power itself is transforming. Whenever we hear the gospel, whenever you taste the sweetness of the real, true gospel – the resurrection, the cross, the ascension – you are looking for the eternal rest [that comes] after his return. Once you taste that, you cannot return. You reach a point where you can never return. That sweetness will always attract you in that direction.
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For me, there has to be certain, non-negotiable, core values in place when I decide whether I’m going to be a part of something. The first is the gospel — is it gospel-centric? The second is cities, and the third would probably be leadership development.
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As we work with churches in China, they continually ask for prayer because they have seen the power of prayer in their ministry and lives. So why wouldn’t we in the West want to join them in prayer when that is what they are asking for? At China Partnership, we want to raise up a great cloud of witnesses to pray – people from different time zones lifting up prayers throughout each day, all praying in unison over the same needs, requests, and praises.
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I had always heard how vibrant the church in China was, but had never had the opportunity to see it up close. So when I arrived in Hong Kong for Reformation 500, I was looking forward to rubbing shoulders with these hearty saints. I don’t want to idealize them as we are all sinners being saved by grace together. Yet the astounding growth of the church against such large odds is certainly one of the great events of church history. Reformation 500 did not disappoint.
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The gospel of “grace alone” brings church leaders to think hard about true grace: Jesus Christ has accepted who we are, even while we were sinning against him. We do not need to earn our salvation; we do not need to earn our sanctification. We already have them in Christ. For church leaders, this is the source of power to imitate our Lord and serve the local church. Change in the lives of leaders brings about change in local churches. The culture of “saving face” can be replaced by the culture of grace. All fake dragons are exposed by the light of the gospel, and the Real Dragon, Jesus Christ, reigns in the ancient land of the dragon. He will set his people free!
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These stories help highlight why CP exists and why we pray the Reformation 500 convention has an impact. We desire to equip pastors and church leaders in order for the Chinese church to be renewed in the historic gospel of grace, because through such gospel renewal, churches become better able to engage and love their neighbors, opening their doors to those seeking answers in Christ.
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Later in my study of doctrine such experiences increasingly made me feel deeply about this question: why was the impact of the gospel was so powerful at the beginning of the Reformation, but the same doctrine passed down to us today makes no similar impact on the church? At the time of the Reformation, every doctrine was clear and lively expressed in the lives and ministry of the people. However, in today's church, the doctrines are often abstract and not easy to accept and grasp. We spend a lot of time teaching the content of the doctrines, but believers only get abstract knowledge, and in real life their intuitive focus is still on what to do and how to do it. They are very earnest in doing things and learn a lot of knowledge, but what is reflected in their behavior is not the vigorous response brought about by studying the doctrines. The doctrines do not genuinely shape their lives. So why? I think maybe it is because they do not really understand these doctrines. Those who teach Christian doctrine may give a complete presentation of theology, but it is still alien to how the doctrines are actively applied in practical life. Our teaching of doctrine is merely intellectual recitation, and so naturally people’s responses are not the intended transformation.
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