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Deceitful mask of freedom
If you were vacationing in China, you might be surprised to
see Christians openly worshipping in churches without fear
of punishment. You might be puzzled to learn that the government,
infamous for its religious restrictions, recognizes 17 million
Christians. You might even conclude that religious freedom
exists in communist China. But you
would be mistaken.
“I will build my church”
The real number of believers is probably four
times what the
Chinese government claims. That’s because many Christians
won’t obey the mandate to register with the government-authorized
church: the “Three Self Patriotic Movement.” They
don’t want to join a church that’s controlled—and
censured—by the Communist Party. Instead, believers
worship in a network of underground house churches—small
congregations that secretly gather in the living rooms of
believers.
But the Chinese government is cracking down: Recently, the
National People’s Congress launched a “Strike Hard” campaign
against all “unauthorized” groups. That’s
when they declared unregistered churches “illegal cults.” To
enforce the campaign, Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers
may at any time disrupt a house church, close it down, and
arrest its leaders.
“The gates of hell will not prevail”
Despite such threats, Bible League-trained church planters
are establishing churches at ever-increasing rates. By partnering
with local churches, the Bible League
is faithfully training church planters and helping to establish
even more churches in this carefully-controlled country.
In addition, the Bible League equipped many of these church
planters with the materials to train others in how to plant
churches. In fact, the news of Jesus has already begun penetrating
unchurched minorities in China through this “train-the-trainer” approach!
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To send Bibles and help establish churches in China, click
here.
A Bible League trained national shares how, by caring for
one ill, elderly woman, the seeds of a church were planted
in China. Read
more…
Read more about the Bible League’s work in China.
Read an account of the Persecuted
Church in China.
Whatever you ask in my name!
Pray for the protection and leadership that the Bible League
needs to continue its work in China.
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