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.
When I look around the world and I see what Jesus is doing in all of these different places, it is not even that I feel encouraged, it is that this is an amazing moment. Even if we are discouraged about what is happening in our corner of the world, if I look at the big picture, all I can do is worship Jesus and be amazed at how much he is on the move in this world.
Read MoreThis rope of love has a beginning and end, and for Li, the rope passed through the valley of the shadow of death of Jiabiangou [a labor camp]. What is left in our lives is not a chronicle of suffering, but rather a journey of grace. It should also be our vow when faced with suffering: we will follow the loving and faithful Savior into the depths of the waters. This is a journey of perseverance and of grace.
Read MoreThe Bible tells those of us who are now alive that we must be crucified. Yet the gospel becomes comfort to those who are hopeless in this world and those who are prepared to die. God says, “Let those who are hopeless in this life, live.” This is the dangerous gospel I bring to each of you.
Read MoreIn the den of the lions, Jesus died for us, that we could be reversed. To brothers and sisters experiencing persecution, please listen: meeting God in the lion’s den is even better than leaving the lion’s den. God turns defeat into victory. To meet God in persecution is better than to leave the persecution.
Read MoreSuffering and persecution come in ways we cannot anticipate. You think you will be able to reason with your oppressor—but what if he slaps you across the face? You think that, since you have done nothing wrong, you do not need to be afraid—but how will you react if they threaten your parents and children?
Read MoreWe all face the same challenges, at different levels. This is not something that is happening, but something that is looming and could happen. This is the perfect time for discipleship, for growth, and for learning. Dependence is the perfect time to live out the reality of the early church: which king is the true king? What matters most? What is true life? We definitely do not have the freedom we enjoyed two or three years ago. That time is over. In this new reality, God will do things. I think it’s an even better situation.
Read MoreOne has to seriously reflect on what the Lord is teaching his church about developing local leaders through the conditions of the pandemic. The task of global outreach no longer falls on the shoulders of missionaries from traditional sending nations in the West, nor does it fall on the shoulders of the “younger churches” of nations like South Korea. As the global community of churches envisions the future of missions and missionaries, wise agencies ought to begin to wrestle with the implications of the growing number of Christians in the global South and East. These changes should be reflected in policies and strategies within mission agencies.
Read MoreMarriages, whether healthy or failing, show our faithfulness to our covenantal promises or our complete disregard of them. Tracing God’s promises through redemptive history, we discover a story about small families, great families, and big institutions like nations or the church. Whatever we see within the church is related to the relationships between family units and the church. Problems and blessings can both be traced to our relationship to God’s kingdom.
Read MoreNow 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!
Read MoreHouse church Christians in China face many challenges in their daily faith journey. Dilemmas arise from broader societal issues, such as cultural incongruence and a pervasive spiritual vacuum, as well as issues specific to the house church identity, centered around a posture of resistance. Both these areas need to be addressed; all create powerful disorienting features. These challenges also present an opportunity for house church Christians to learn, grow, and be transformed. Theological education in the house church context must factor in these contextual elements, encourage students to theologize within their communities, and find biblical solutions.
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