The highlight of the trip for me was hearing from a dear saint who had endured injuries, imprisonment (altogether 22 years), and hard labor for preaching the gospel.
A Chinese pastor (features blurred for security), who has suffered greatly for his faith and convictions, autographs a book about his life for the women on the trip.When we entered his house, we were hot and tired. I thought it was a restaurant; people were coming and going all the time. It was the most amazing church – with pews, video cameras, Bibles, tapes, and a baptismal pool as well. I was amazed at the number of printed materials that this man had to distribute, as well as the number of people who heard his message every week – up to 3,000! Then I wondered if what I had seen in the Middle East in Jordan might also be true here.
As Jordan became more westernized, religious freedom also developed. As China is allowing more free enterprise to exist for financial gain, maybe the openness and avenues for the gospel are coming as well. It appeared to me that China, although ruled by communism, has a veneer of capitalism.
As I said at the beginning, this was not what I expected. Hong Kong and Macao have both maintained their religious freedom, and maybe that one student standing in Tiananmen Square did more to change things than I thought. Christian work in China remains on the cutting edge. Although the government still clings to communism, communism appears to be more of a veneer as capitalism flows through her economic veins. Fellowshipping with our dear brothers and sisters in China makes somebody like me question my own faith. It makes me wonder if I am worthy of the gospel. Here in the U.S., we are spoiled and not used to having to pay a price for our faith.
One major difference between the U.S. and China is that China still has 90 percent who have not had the opportunity to hear the gospel, and the vast majority in the U.S. have heard it so many times that many have become immune to it. I was impressed with the sincerity and dedication of our workers that we met and spent time with. I hope that we were an encouragement to them. They were certainly an encouragement to all of us. I left feeling that God’s time for China is now.