John 6:33 “In the world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.”
Over the last sixty years, the Chinese church has experienced both extremes of persecution and explosive growth. A friend of mine was ministering in the underground church. He was with a group of seasoned followers – and by seasoned that meant they had spent at least three years in prison for their faith. He’d been speaking to an impressively fiery evangelist when one of the leaders took him aside and said: “That young man shows great promise… but we don’t know how much we can trust him, because he hasn’t been to prison yet.” By that he meant that only once people had endured prolonged mistreatment in prison could their faith be recognized as genuine. He went on: “In the West you go to seminaries for three years to learn about God. Here in China, the prisons have been our three-year seminaries!”
Thank God that the persecution nowadays is less severe than it used to be in China – although one pastor cautioned believers in the West: “Please don’t pray for an end to persecution in our nation. Persecution is not our foe, it’s our friend. More persecution means more growth.”
How can he say that? How did this situation evolve? Tony Lambert writes: “The reason for the growth of the church in China and for the outbreak of genuine spiritual revival in many areas is inextricably linked to the whole theology of the cross… the stark message of the Chinese church is that God used suffering and the preaching of a crucified Christ to pour out revival and build his church. Are we in the West still willing to hear? The Chinese church has walked the way of the cross. The lives and death of the martyrs of the past have borne rich fruit.”
Lord, I ask that you comfort and sustain my brothers and sisters in the persecuted church today. And teach me here to walk the way of the cross rather than seek comfort. Amen!
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