MINISTRY / In God we trust
You may wonder if religious persecution is still going on in China.
Sometimes, to ensure that people remain anonymous, we cannot share details. Sometimes, we at 316NOW don’t know the details ourselves because the transfer of any information might be limited or intercepted. We are careful to use secure communications. We are not seeking to promote foreign ideas or drum up political discussions. We want to teach the truth from Scripture: by faith alone, by grace alone, by Christ alone—our message centers on the person of Jesus, who brings peace.
Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. (Ephesians 2:12-14)
Is persecution still an issue in our modern world?
While assembling newsworthy stories last week, I stumbled across information reported openly on news sites about authorities detaining and interviewing the leaders of cell-sized churches. This is not about our people or our connections. However, it causes me to pray fervently for all Christians in the homeland. This could answer the question most frequently asked at our presentations: Are believers being persecuted?
During the past two weeks, top religious regulators cracked down on one of the largest online Protestant church groups in the eastern part of the country. Vowing to implement strict law enforcement, officials have banned unauthorized online preaching or religious training by clergy. The overt reason for this is to guard the people from outside influences or promote the Sinicization of religion in China.
The founder and many of the pastors of this prominent underground church have been detained on suspicion of the illegal use of information networks. This appears to be part of a multi-city suppression in recent days.
China’s official statistics say that there are forty-four million Christians registered with the Three Self, state-sanctioned churches. Most of these are Protestant. Yet millions more are estimated to be part of house churches operating outside the control of the ruling party.
In Christ we find our answer
When the early Christian church was persecuted, the family of faith prayed. They were not intimidated by threats but strengthened by the Spirit to give testimony, like Peter and John in Acts 4. Formerly an adversary of Christians, Saul was transformed by Jesus into Paul on the road to Damascus. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Amazingly, even an enemy of the cross becomes a person of interest for Jesus. The Apostle Paul, who stood before King Agrippa, described his experience, God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles. (Acts 26:22-23)