China House Churches—Extreme Devotion, Extreme Faith

In recent months there have been increased incidents of persecution in China. Local Christians believe the Communist Chinese government has stepped up their crackdown on the house church movement in efforts to get rid of them before the Olympics this summer. A few days ago, we just received news that 21 senior house church leaders were simultaneously sentenced to a labor camp by the Linyi City Re-education Through Labor Commission.

China Aid Association reported, “The leaders were detained on December 7, 2007, when they gathered for leadership training with 249 other leaders in Hedong district, Linyi city, Shandong province. After paying fines and finishing detention ranging from a few days to a few weeks, 249 leaders were released. The 21 most senior leaders were sentenced to three years to one year and three months.” What continues to bless and challenge me is the resilience of our brothers and sisters in China and other restricted nations around the world. Despite what we see as hardships and trouble, they remain faithful and count it gain to suffer for the sake of Christ.

What a great testimony of Christ’s love. I count it a privilege to read and learn from their experiences. What I value even more is the opportunity to serve, pray and thank God for their dedication and faithfulness. Pray house churches in China will stand firm in God’s promises, despite the government’s efforts to shut them down. Let us believe God that through witnessing the faithfulness of these believers suffering persecution; many will come into the knowledge of Christ Jesus