I am so excited to be a part of what God is doing in China and cannot wait to see what doors He opens for us to serve Him. I am overjoyed in anticipating what we're stepping into: a forward moving Kingdom, of which we are a part becuase of Christ! Praying for more to know the Life that comes from Him alone...
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1
Jesus in China
"We [had been] taught not to learn from God, that God is a fake," said Wang Qingying, a 37-year-old member of Jin's church who grew up the daughter of a Communist Party member. "After I started to believe, I realized that everything that happens is a part of God's design.
Great Leap Forward
In April 2007, 70 leaders of the urban house-church movement gathered in Wenzhou to discuss their common identity and challenges.
The Hong Kong–based missions agency Asian Outreach, and particularly its former president David Wang, have taught many of these new urban leaders. At their conference last year, the leaders identified seven core values:
• Practice "kingdom first." They acknowledge and work with other churches in each city and across China. Urban Christians, like most Chinese believers, are intentionally nondenominational.
• Be "Bible based." Theologically, they are conservative and evangelical.
• Believe in the "five-fold ministries." They acknowledge the roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers as spelled out in Ephesians 4:11.
• Equip the saints. Rather than relying on the emergence of charismatic leaders, they follow a mentoring model to disciple people.
• Receive the "abundant life." While rejecting the prosperity gospel, they believe God can bless Christians materially, and that blessing can be used to influence others to build the kingdom.
• Desire to "establish the church." They are missionary, including a strong desire to take the gospel "back to Jerusalem."
• Seek "to bless the society." They are newly engaged in social ministry.
DesiringGod Blog
While many challenges still exist for Christians in China, God is growing his church and bringing about a major missionary movement through it. The Chinese church is poised to play a significant role in future missionary endeavors. Some of China’s Christian leaders have a vision to carry the gospel “Back to Jerusalem” through some of the most gospel-resistant lands which lie between China and Israel.
Despite this increasing interest in spreading the gospel, the one consistent thing that we have learned from our partners working in China is that there is a significant need for God-centered, Christ-exalting resources and teaching.
Please pray that God would provide all the teachers and material that the Chinese church needs to continue growing. And pray that Christ would be the fuel and sustainer of this amazing missionary calling he has given to the Chinese church as he seeks to gather worshipers from all the peoples of the earth.
