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.
Honorable Mayor, I am just an ordinary citizen who believes in Jesus. I am raising my children according to the teachings of Jesus in a small corner of this city over which you govern. It is my hope that they will grow up to be good citizens. We love this city, but when I encounter these illegal things, I cannot help but be concerned. I don’t know when the door of my house will suddenly be illegally pried open and my personal safety and that of my property threatened…May you be a ruler who rewards good and punishes evil!
Chinese culture emphasizes good works. Believers have a tendency to focus on works but ignore grace, and so undermine the importance of our relationship with God. Counseling is helping them to ponder how their theology is connected with God…How can we understand our struggles—our situation—in a more biblical way? How can we use what God has given to us to address marriage, parenting, depression?
Their life is not richer or deeper or better than mine or than yours. But it is different, and the challenges they face are not ones the Lord has laid before those of us in the free world. Learn from them. Know them. Support them. Most of all, pray for them. Love them.
They are my sisters, and they are yours. May your life, as mine, be deeper and richer for its intersection with China.
My passion is to walk with other people and be an instrument of healing for other people. I know most Chinese have similar family wounds. That affects their relationship with their spouse, with God, with their children, all of it. I expect God to use it—somewhere.
I realized it is all the Spirit’s work, it has nothing to do with me. But how exciting to be the person, to be the tool, in the middle of this process. I thought, “I can share the gospel with people. God can use me, and it doesn’t have to be too complicated.”
It was a step of faith to decide not to worry about the future, about China. I thought, “God is the ruler of the universe, and he’ll protect me. Christ died for me on the cross. If I don’t receive that gift, that is the ultimate insult to him. How can I not love him?”
As I was searching for my life, I took philosophy classes as an elective. We studied modern philosophy, and they all said there is no purpose to the universe; you must make your own purpose. That depressed me even more. I was seeking, really, for eternal life.
When my mom and dad came to get me after two years, they were like strangers to me. I didn’t know them and called them “uncle” and “auntie.” I still remember leaving on the train with them. I was really excited in the daytime, but when night came, I said, “I want to go home.” Gradually I realized I was not going to go home; the train just kept going.
When we are willing to remove the cultural hindrances, obey God’s teachings, and enforce discipline in the church, we will clean away all the “leaven” from us, so that the church can become a holy offering presented to God.
When I learned that the Son of God died on the cross for me and God was willing to pay such a huge price to save me, I truly experienced forgiveness from God. As a result, I gradually sensed the freedom and liberation in God. I began to appreciate the dignity and glory that God gave to humans along with the authority that God gave to his children.
