When the gospel is allowed to grow naturally in China, without forcing processes of development, the “church in the house” is usually its first form of organization.
God grant us faith and courage to keep “hands off” and allow this new garden of the Lord’s planting to ripen in the rays of the Divine Love, free from human interference! (Lottie Moon, 1890)
Hudson Taylor, C. T. Studd, Eric Liddell, and Lottie Moon are a few foreign missionaries that labored in China around a century ago. Marie Monsen was a Norwegian missionary who served in the province of Henan in the early 1900′s. Miss Monsen’s primary message to the Chinese (and even to fellow missionaries) was: “Repent and surrender yourselves totally to God.” Though her message was forceful and sometimes confrontational, Marie Monsen saw no benefit in preaching any ‘gospel’ that would produce ‘lukewarm’ Christianity.
Watchman Nee, Samuel Lamb, and Brother Yun are three Chinese Christians that have blessed my life. These (and multitudes of others) received Christ, preached Christ, and suffered for Christ by spending time in prison for the sake of the Gospel. Brother Yun, from Henan Province, credits the strong witness of those who benefited from Marie Monsen’s ministry as giving a foundation for the type of faith needed to serve Christ in the face of intense persecution.
Born in 1958, Liu Zhenying (or Brother Yun as most call him), speaks all over the world about God’s power and love. The Heavenly Man is a book that tells the story of Brother Yun’s life in China. It reads like the book of Acts, which chronicles the mighty works of God and the persecution of believers soon after Jesus left the earth.
The early disciples, and those from every nation who have boldly spread God’s Word these past two thousand years, understand that the Holy Spirit longs for every soul to know Jesus and receive salvation. The apostle Peter wrote, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Peter also explained that the devil always opposes the plans of God. Our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world understand this and show us how to persevere with faith, hope, and love.
I have seen God transform my country and have seen countless men and women, boys and girls experience streams of living water flow out of them after the Holy Spirit came into their lives. I have seen hardened criminals and persecutors of the church fall on their knees like children and repent of their sins as the Holy Spirit swept them into the kingdom of God. The river of life — which was once a dry creek in my country — has become a series of mighty waterways. Millions of people are being cleansed from their sin. (Brother Yun, 2008)
This New Year, let us pray and give and speak and live to shine the Light of Jesus wherever we go. May His Kingdom be of far more importance in our hearts and minds than anything else in this world. “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.”
“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5:41-42
“Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same
kind of sufferings.” I Peter 5:8-9
(Yun quote from Living Water, by Brother Yun, edited by Paul Hattaway, published by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, p. 125)