MINISTRY//Our God is greater than unbelief

Our “15 Days of Prayer” effort begins on February 5.

In preparation, we will share several short articles about Christianity in China over the next Mondays. The believers in China need prayer. So do the 1.2 billions souls there who are not Christians. So do the missionaries that work there as they try to avoid the attention of the government. 

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Meet my unbelieving friends

 In one city we visited, our Bible institute students are bold evangelists. They brought a steady stream of loved ones to meet me so I could witness to them.

One couple included a husband is struggling with cancer. I spoke openly with him about his sin and about God’s gift of grace. I urged him to repent and put his faith in Christ.

I looked at him as I spoke, but my eye also noticed his wife. Tears were falling down her cheeks as she heard the gospel. I could see that she understood what Jesus had done for her.

Later she confessed her sins and faith in Jesus as her Savior. She wanted to be baptized. It made me so happy. I am not sure about her husband. But the gospel of Christ has come to him. May the Spirit use it to bring him to faith.

Meet my troubled friend

Another woman is a member of a church where the pastor taught that, since Jesus has taken away our sins, we Christians will no longer sin. Therefore, if we do sin, we are not Christians. That troubled her because she knew her sins.

I reminded her that Christians are both saints and sinners. But more important, we live under grace. I taught her that justification doesn’t mean that God has made us righteous, but that God has declared us righteous through Christ. She left feeling relieved, glad to have a Savior who even loves and forgives us sinful Christians.

Meet my daughter

We visited with a daughter of a church member. She was defensive, afraid that we had come to pressure her into believing. We assured her that was not the case. I shared the message of God’s unconditional love for her, her husband, and her baby. She was grateful to learn that God loved her enough to send his Son to pay the punishment for her sins. At the end she wanted to join us for supper. That day the Spirit led her in the direction of Christ and his Church.

For two days I heard, “Meet my friend. Meet my daughter. Baptize this child. Share the gospel.” That is why I came to China. That is why 316NOW exists. May the Spirit use us to win more hearts for the gospel throughout China.

Our God is greater. (We have more information at 15 Days of Prayer.)