Instead of an Easter greeting, last Friday I sent a spring greeting to my Chinese friends. You should know that the understanding my friends and I have is that any message they receive from me -- even messages that don't mention Jesus -- is intended to remind them of God's grace.

I did not expect any of my friends to send me Easter greetings in return.

The reason: Since March 1, China has banned any religious content on the internet that it has not approved. After that date, messages from friends in China about God's grace and promises plummeted from a full-faucet stream to infrequent drips.

But starting on Holy Saturday (which would have been Easter Sunday in China), the messages began arriving. Many of my friends chose not to respond to my "spring" greeting. But I was surprised by the number of them who did respond. Their Easter greetings include these words:

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He is risen. He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
He is risen!
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish" (John 11:25-26).
May God bless you. Thanking you for your continued greetings in recent years.
He has been resurrected!

One dear friend sent me a mini-devotion: The stone has been removed, my Lord has risen. He is not in the grave. How can the grave and death hold the Lord of life! The night has flown by, and the morning is all over the earth. He is not in the night. How can the night imprison the dawn? He is not in the shadow. How can the shadow and cold swallow up the warmth and light? Why lament the weakness of yesterday? He is not in weakness and failure. The strong and victorious Lord rose from the dead! Why dwell in pain and sorrow? He is not in pain or sorrow. He's faithful and hopeful, resurrected from the dead! Why do you do nothing in trouble? He is not in trouble and inaction, he is the risen Lord of life and creation!

I thank God for the fearlessness Jesus' resurrection-grace gives persecuted Christians. These Christians are my heroes.

Jim Aderman, Executive Director

What you can do: Ask the Spirit is continue to use 316NOW and other Confessional Lutheran groups to proclaim grace across China so growing numbers of Chinese souls are brought to treasure Jesus as Savior.

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MINISTRY / Easter surprise