As many of you know, I just returned from another mission trip to China. Every time I go there, I’m amazed at
the believers. In spite of severe persecution, opposition, and difficulty, they
continue to follow Jesus with their whole heart.
While it is not fair to compare the Church in China and
the Church in the West, we can learn valuable lessons to improve our own
spiritual journey. We don’t have to invite persecution or hardship into our
lives, however, we all should be New Testament believers. Here are some of the trademarks of Christianity in China.
1. Christians in China are joyful. In spite of severe persecution and limited freedom to worship, believers
in China exude this fruit of the Spirit. They travel long distances, sometimes
up to three hours one way, to get to a meeting where their civil liberties taken
away and even thrown in jail. However, instead of complaining about the tiring
journey, the inconvenience of walking, or taking multiple modes of public
transportation, they jump right into the praise
and worship wholeheartedly.
2. They love and care for each other. Unlike our churches in the West, the believers in China are connected with
each other. If one doesn’t show up, they all go to that person’s home to make
sure they’re ok. When believers come with concerns in their hearts, they’re not
hastily sent away by the leaders. They take the time to pray and minister to
their needs, both spiritually and physically. We had one sister crying bitterly
for the healing of her four-year-old son. I was so touched by the way the whole church responded. They cried with
her, hugged her, and made her feel like it was their own child who was sick.
Wow, what empathy and compassion! People really don’t care how much you know
until they know how much you care.
3. They are a giving church. While China
continues to prosper, most people in China are poor. The Christians have even
less because of discrimination in the workplace. We went to many homes where
they fed us their best, even when it cost them half a month of their salary or
more. One lady, with a little cell phone shop, came to us twice and put a substantial amount of cash in our hands. It wasn’t
much in American money but to her it was a huge sacrifice. We found that
churches often eat together after the service even though it was just rice and
wild vegetables and mushrooms from the village. They don’t get hammered every
Sunday to bring their tithes and offerings but they give far more than 10% of
their income to the church.
4. They are grateful. The church in
China is quick to give thanks to God for everything. When we gave them your
Bibles, they acted like we gave them a brick of gold. Of course, the Word of
God is that precious to a believer but they were so thankful that many were
kissing the Bibles. One of our teams was intercepted and thankfully everyone
was released by the authorities without much hassle. Now the family/church has
to relocate because it is not safe anymore. They’re grateful that they’re not
in jail! We heard no complaints, only praise.
5. They pray. The Church in China doesn’t
just talk about prayer but they actually pray. You cannot fall asleep during
prayer because after every sentence the whole congregation agrees in unison
saying, “Amen.” Often for security,
we’d ask the believers to keep their voice down. We’d start off softly but within
minutes they were praying at the top of their
lungs. It’s wonderful to see their fearless petitions to God and He hears them.
While it is not wise to compare cultures and
congregations, it is good for us to learn from each other. All these qualities
in the Church of China are actually from the Book of Acts. When we love and
serve God with our whole heart, our lives and church should reflect the New
Testament Church. Today, instead
of saying, “Oh that’s good for China,”
I want to encourage you to have a closer relationship with our Lord. Let us not
just seek His Hand but also His Face. Jesus
said, “You must love the LORD your God
with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” When we do, like the
Church in China, His blessings will overtake our lives.
“When you come
looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and
want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed” (Jeremiah
29:13 MSG).
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