What God is doing in China is no longer hidden from view. During the Cultural Revolution, the church was forced underground as all buildings were confiscated, closed, destroyed or used as factories, and thousands of people were imprisoned or killed. For a couple of decades little was known about what was happening behind the Bamboo Curtain and many prophets of doom predicted the church would be wiped out! Some predicted without missionaries present, everything would fall apart.  Some claimed the Chinese were “rice Christians” who would desert Christ without the beneficial aid from missionaries. Some even predicted that with churches closed and Bibles burned, the Communists would succeed in wiping out the church. Well, everyone was wrong! When the door to China finally cracked open a little in the late 19780s, amazement swept the Christian world. The church had not only survived, it had flourished.  Without Bibles, church buildings, missionaries, Bible Schools or any of the tools we believe are essential for growth, it was discovered that the church was alive- not just struggling to survive- but very much alive and vibrant! In the decade that followed, the church exploded with new growth and vitality and missionary fervor. The church was far from dead- actually it had become a model for growth under the harshest persecution of modern times because the believers simply yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit who empowered them and set the land on fire for God.  A new astounding chapter in Acts was written, and thank God it is continuing to be written today.

A Little Child Shall Lead them

Dr. Carl Moeller, President of Open Doors USA writes in his February letter, "The secret police burst into an illegal (unregistered)  Sunday School class where 30 young students were eagerly learning about Jesus. They were herded into a police van and taken to police headquarters for questioning. As the children emerged from the van, they began to sing as they fearlessly marched into the station, ‘In the name of Jesus, In the name of Jesus, we have the victory!’ In an effort to persuade the children to give up their faith in Jesus, the interrogator ordered them to write 100 times “I do not believe in Jesus.”  All 30 of them wrote, “I believe in Jesus today! I will believe in Jesus tomorrow! I will believe in Jesus forever!”  In frustration the children were finally released after being threatened!  This is the reason the church is growing at the rate of 10,000 a day!

Pastor Makes Soccer Balls in Prison

Voice of the Martyrs reports that Pastor Cai Zhouhua was forced to make Olympic soccer balls for 10-12 hour work days during his three years in prison for holding meetings in an unregistered church. Although he had been threatened with imprisonment, he refused to stop holding services and preaching. If you purchase a soccer ball any time now as a memento of the Beijing Olympic Games, purchase it because it is a memento of a brave pastor who suffered three years of harsh imprisonment rather than turn his back on Jesus. It is reminiscent of Acts where it is recorded that the believers went everywhere preaching the gospel. It is impossible to threaten a man or woman filled with the Holy Spirit. Voice of the Martyrs will supply free gospel storybooks called “He Lived Among Us” for distribution in China. Contact VOM at the voice@vom-usa.org or call 800-747-0085.

Alliance Radio Celebrates 30 Years of Ministry

After China was closed to active Christian ministry in the 1950s, The Christian and Missionary Alliance began preparing gospel messages to be aired over the facilities of FEBC in Manila. 2008 is the official 30^th anniversary of those early efforts to penetrate the darkness of China then gripped in the Communist Cultural Revolution. These broadcasts started humbly with a few hours of programming that have significantly increased in number of hours and variety of programs. As a result, those programs have enabled faithful pastors and Bible Seminary students in Hong Kong to be spiritual mentors to thousands and thousands of new believers, especially in remote and inaccessible areas. Today, the church in China is growing stronger because of these programs and those of other Christian radio messengers.  Thousands of Christians in Hong Kong and around the world are supplying the funds to make it possible for these programs to be beamed into China. Using the new technology available today, the outreach is stronger and more effective than ever before. Thank God, Alliance Radio flourished in 2007 as many believers around the world contributed more than $500,000 for this outreach! What a beautiful example of churches helping churches!  See www.cmaradiohk.org  

Christmas Comes To China

Thousands of churches in the USA and Canada have joined forces with Samaritan’s Purse in Operation Christmas Child to provided thousands of shoe box gifts for children in many countries. Christmas came to China recently as hundreds of boxes were distributed at an elementary school in South China. Wen Jing’s eyes grew wide as he was handed a colorfully wrapped shoe box with special gifts and a gospel booklet inside. Everyone had to wait to open their box until all had received one. Placing them on the ground before them where they were sitting, all the children looked with excitement and anticipation at their box, wondering what was inside. Finally, all the boxes had been handed out. It was time to open them.  The teacher began a countdown:  “One … two … three!” Shouts of joy erupted as they tore off the paper and found pencils, pens, stuffed animals, toys, toothbrushes and toothpaste, writing pads and a great many other items. Wen Jing exclaimed with joy: “I had no idea what would be in the box.  I like everything! Thank you for giving me such wonderful gifts.” More important than the gifts was the story of the Christmas Child who came down from heaven to give them the gift of eternal life. Please note that the Chinese government has allowed these boxes in to the country as part of a cultural exchange program!  The church is growing in China because Christians around the world care enough to send a shoe box of gifts to a child.

Some people call the great missionary movement in China by the slogan that has become quite popular: “Back To Jerusalem.”  A Chinese correspondent called to remind us that this term refers to one particular group who popularized it, but hundreds of other churches and mission agencies also have the same vision. Some have been seeking another title to avoid confusion, and as of moment, this publication is using “Jerusalem- Our Goal” until we have a better term. You are urged to participate in any group that is working to train cross-cultural workers to be sent out as messengers of Christ. The important thing is to saturate this general movement with prayer, and as God leads, give for the support and advance of this historic movement. These missionary workers come from all backgrounds: middle class and working class, rural and city dwellers, young and old, men and women. They are forming the backbone of a new breed of Chinese Christians who dare to suffer and even to die for Christ in the 21st century!` They will face unbelievable hardships and persecution as the lands they must penetrate are Muslim lands that violently oppose Christianity. They are being trained in intensive Bible study, a trade, language study, and cultural studies that will enable them to live and work in a totally foreign environment. Like any missionary, they will face the trauma of leaving family and country to risk their lives for Jesus’ sake. They will have need of finances to carry on their work, but this will be a difficult challenge in a strange land. The church in China will also be challenged to give sacrificially to keep these workers on the frontline. More training schools are needed to prepare these thousands of workers.  This is a united effort by the church in China and outside of China. Together we will advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through prayer, finances, and even assisting in the training of these students. The task is so big it can’t be accomplished in anyone’s own strength. This is something only the God of the impossible could accomplish in a time of great danger and opposition. Write for more information on how to support this ministry. 

China Clipping’s Growing Outreach

Have you looked at the Cluster Map on the web site www.ChurchInChina.com recently? You will be amazed that China Clippings is making an increasing impact in Asia and around the world. The map indicates that people in 32 cities in Asia including a very large number from China have logged on to this site. The Mid-East shows that people in 4 cities including one in Saudi Arabia and approximately 21 cities in the South Pacific and Australia have logged on. A large concentration of people in at least 21 cities of Europe have logged on.  To meet this growing outreach, two new pages have been added: Truth Seekers  and Prayer for China.

TRUTH SEEKERS is the page that will be used to explain the way of salvation and offer people an opportunity to come to Jesus. PRAYER FOR CHINA is a special place where anyone may request prayer for China. Take a look at these pages and then join in prayer for God to use them to reach many people for Christ. On the prayer page, anyone may list a prayer request related to China. If you are planning on traveling to China, let us know. We want to pray for you. If you are teaching in China or engaged in some other kind of work that is helping China develop, let us know. We will pray for you. If you know of any pastor in China or individual who needs special prayer, let us know. We will pray for those needs. Only first names or initials will be used and specific cities or other identifying terms will not be listed to protect the privacy of all individuals. We urge everyone who prays for China to check out these pages regularly so that men and women and children will find the help they need from the Lord.

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