The Friday Fax - China

China: what God can do with farmers' daughters

nospam@example.com (Friday Fax) — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:00:00 +0100

"Sister Ling is a simple, plain-looking farmer's daughter, but Christ's beauty and grace shines in her eyes," in the words of a report from Revival Chinese Ministries International (RCMI). "In 1991, the house churches in the central Chinese province Henan suffered heavy persecution. Sister Ling's family was torn apart. She and her husband had to leave their 7-year-old daughter in the care of another Christian. In the midst of this terrible time, Sister Ling's church decided to send her and another believer to far north-eastern China as spiritual pioneers. At 2 a.m. the night before she left, she and her husband sneaked into the village where their daughter now lived. The little girl woke, and cried when she saw her parents. After the traumatic goodbye, Sister Ling set off on her 2,500 km (1,600 mile) journey. It looked like it was going to be a difficult job; two years previously, several young believers had been sent to the region, but they had not been strong in their faith. Their work had resulted in eight new groups. The two women's job was now to choose a few key people from each group and train them in Biblical truths. Four months later, the Christians were filled with God's love for the lost, so they went out to evangelise. Many came to faith, because the Holy Spirit was with them. Sister Ling's home church decided that the two women should stay longer, so they discipled ten Christians who subsequently each went to different places to pass that which they had learned on to others. More and more people came to faith in Jesus. Ling declared January 1994 to be "Gospel Month". The churches fasted and prayed, and covered the streets with tracts, going from house to house evangelising. Over 4,000 new churches were planted in the surrounding towns and villages. Countless signs and wonders happened, and the believers were filled with joy; their experiences reminded them of the book of Acts. Sister Ling and her team prayed for more leaders and workers for the growing flock; God answered by speaking to thirty people who then worked full time for the Gospel. They travelled in pairs, training new leaders and giving the rapidly-growing church a Biblical foundation. Sister Ling's leadership team has no pastors or elders, and nobody has any theological training. Everything they teach they have heard from God themselves. The team now consists of 120 full-time staff, working in three provinces in north-eastern China, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Shandong. 300,000 people have come to faith in Christ, and gather in 5,000 churches."
Source: RCMI, Dennis Balcombe

China: church grows from 70 to 5,000 members in 3 years

nospam@example.com (Friday Fax) — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 14:04:00 +0100

If a Western church grew from 70 to 5,000 members in only three years, the Christian media would be all over it. In China, though, churches are experiencing growth considered almost unprecedented in the West. Here's one report:

"Guangxi is a province in south-western China, on the Vietnamese border. The city of Guilin, with its unusual cliffs, has become a symbol of China's beauty," reports Dennis Balcombe, leader of Hong Kong's Revival Christian Church. Spiritually, though, Guangxi was until recently a desert. Idol worship was the normal religion, and the few Christians could not imagine revival. Now, though, the light of the Gospel is burning brightly, and the churches are growing rapidly. Only 3 years ago, a house church in one region had 70 members; today, it has 5,000! The movement is led by a middle-aged couple; he is a simple and uncomplicated man, she a strong character and conscientious. They were both expelled from the state church in 1998, so started a house church, where they met, sitting on the floor in simple surroundings. Signs and wonders started to happen: the lame walked, the deaf heard, and people were healed of cancer. Everyone in the area recognised the believers' love for one another.

Three days after funeral: raised from the dead
An elderly Christian woman in Sichuan Province became sick and died. Three days after her funeral, the Holy Spirit revealed to another Christian that the dead woman had just returned from Eternity. The woman hurried to the cemetery with her relatives and the church leader. They opened the coffin and saw the dead woman return to life. The woman continually told of how God had raised her from the dead from that time on until she again went to be with Jesus some years later. Through her testimony, many came to faith and remained staunch under persecution. That church grew the fastest of any in the region.

Source: Revival Chinese Ministries International

China: how 12-year-old Li rescued 3,000 miners

nospam@example.com (Friday Fax) — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 14:23:00 +0100

China is one of the nations in which God most often gives his followers the privilege of experiencing suffering and persecution - but also absolutely breathtaking miracles and demonstrations of His presence. Although Western Christianity has spent a lot of energy to prove that you can have the one without the other, it is generally the combination of cross and resurrection, suffering and God's triumph which have the longest-lasting effect on a nation. Asia Harvest's Paul and Joy Hattaway report about another of these experiences:

As another wave of persecution swept through China in the 1950's, pastor Li was arrested in the southern province Guangdong. He was convicted of "counter-revolutionary activities" and sentenced to work in an iron ore mine in farthest north-eastern China. Li's wife and five children, including a new-born baby, had no other means of support; they decided to join pastor Li on his 2,000-mile journey to Heilongjiang, where they would perhaps be able to visit him occasionally, and would be close by should he be miraculously released. They sold everything they owned and bought tickets for the week-long rail journey. When they arrived, they used old boards and a tarpaulin to build a rickety hut on the road to the labour camp. Pastor Li worked as a slave for 14 hours every day, with miserable food, in temperatures well below freezing. He died after three months. When the family heard the news, they were desperate and deeply depressed. His wife saw no future, and wanted to die. She neglected the children terribly. Finally, she told the children that she would have to look for a job. The eldest daughter said "No, mother, you cannot go to work. The baby needs you. He cries for you the whole day long. I will go to work." The 12-year-old girl went to the Director of the labour camp, and told him "My father was sent to this God-forsaken place because of his love for Jesus Christ. That was his only crime. He was a good man, who loved people and helped them. Now he is dead, and we have no food, no money and no place to live. We can't even return to the south. I would like to know whether there is some work I could do in the camp." The Director remembered pastor Li, and recognised the girl as his daughter. He gave in to the tiny glimmer of compassion in his heart, and said "I have a job for you, but it is boring, and pays badly." She took the job immediately.

The Director took her to the place where 3,000 prisoners worked in the iron ore mine. He asked her "Do you see that red button? Your job is to stand next to the button all day, and if someone tells you to press it, you must do so immediately. That is the alarm button, which sets off a siren deep underground. When they hear the siren, the miners get out as fast as they can. You must never press the button by accident, but only when one of us tell you to." So little Sister Li stood next to the button day for day, week for week. She and her family were overjoyed when she was paid for the first time, although it was only a few dollars. One afternoon, she suddenly heard a voice saying "Press the button!" She turned around, trying to find out who had spoken, but there was nobody there. She heard the same voice again a few moments later, saying "Quickly! Press the button, now!" There was still nobody to be seen, and she started to think she was losing her mind. She should only press the button in an emergency, and everything looked normal. Seconds later, she heard the voice again, saying "Sister Li, press the button, now!" with great urgency. Only then did she realise that it was her Lord speaking to her. She did not understand why she should press the button, but she knew she had to obey. The siren sounded, and 3,000 men came up to the surface as fast as they could, confused and curious to find out what had happened. The Director came running out of his office, demanding to know why she had pressed the button. Only a few moments after the last prisoner had left the mine, the area was shaken by a large earthquake. The whole mine collapsed, and nobody has been able to return to it to this day. An eerie silence spread when the earthquake was over, everyone looking at the fragile figure who had pressed the red button. Finally, the Director managed to ask "Comrade Li, how... how did you know that you had to press the red button?" Li answered as loud as she could, saying "The Lord Jesus Christ told me to press the red button. He told me three times before I did it. Jesus Christ is the only way you can come to know the true and living God. He loves you, and has just demonstrated his love by saving your lives. You must turn from your sins and give your lives to him!" All 3,000 prisoners and the director knelt and prayed that Jesus would forgive them and come to live in their hearts.

Source: Asia Harvest Newsletter #80