Bible devotions: 84 Million - Exodus 1:12-13

Exodus 1:12-13          But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. 

Sometimes when people are oppressed because of their faith, they grow in numbers. Christianity in China is a good example of this. In 1949 when the Communists took control of China, there were only about 500,000 Christians in the nation. After persecuting the church for more than sixty years, how many Christians are there in China? 84 million.

It appears that when Christianity is backed into a corner and almost annihilated, it finds a new way out and grows. Perhaps at some future point in our decadent and deviant Western society, we will see a real re-emergence of the church because Christians will once again stand up for their beliefs, instead of embracing the culture which is causing a passive church to wither and decay.

Long ago, the Egyptians used a form of genocide in an attempt to wipe out the Jewish community in their midst. It didn’t work because God’s will could not be thwarted by mere politics, no matter how powerful the leader of the Egyptians appeared to be. Moses was predestined to be born and become a great leader of his people. God desired this, so human wickedness would not prevail.

In years to come, missionaries will be sent from Africa and Asia, India and China to Europe and the Americas in order to reclaim churches and Christians for Christ. God’s work will not be undone and Christ’s words will always endure. Our role in our churches today is to be faithful to God’s Word and serve Christ truly, even when it is unpopular. If we do that then a people yet unborn may be reclaimed for Christ and His Kingdom.

Questions for personal reflection

Has my faith grown in times of adversity? Have I personally shared my Christian beliefs with the upcoming generation?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, all over the world people are praising Your Name and believing in Your Words. New churches are springing up in hostile areas and Your mission is being accomplished across this planet. Help us to strengthen our faith, in the good times as well as the bad. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to make a comment or ask a question of today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is another of John’s 2012 Advent drawings simply called “Advent.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8192865892_9d85b325b4_b.jpg

Gospel devotions: Sharing the Gospel - Acts 26

Acts 26:28       Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" 

I really admire Paul. He never wasted an opportunity to tell the people that he encountered about Jesus and how to be a Christian. Even when he faced leaders and governors, kings and an emperor, he used the meeting to talk about Christ and not his own precarious situation. That’s what makes Paul such a hero in my book. His Christianity is undaunted by circumstances; his faith in Jesus never falters.

This is why I also admire the Christian Church in China. Each day, Christians over there face harassment and opposition, injustice and imprisonment, and yet they keep meeting secretly for Bible studies, worship, and prayer. They are remarkable Christians and put us Western church goers to shame. If we were faced with one percent of the opposition that Chinese Christians encounter on a daily basis, we would back down and make our faith private. We consider it as being impolite and even bigoted to share our Christian beliefs with others of different faiths; Chinese Christians cannot afford that philosophical luxury – nor would they ever want to.

So, here’s the challenge for us today: if God grants us an opportunity to share our faith with the people we encounter, whether it be in the street, at our work, in our homes, or even online via Facebook and Twitter, will we boldly witness for Christ or fearfully choose to ignore it?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we will encounter and meet up with many people today, some of whom You have placed on our path so that we might share Your Love, Your Gospel, and our faith with them. Keep us from being afraid and help us to apply our faith in loving and effective ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is of Graystone Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. When John and his family first came to Knoxville, he preached there for six weeks. In October, Graystone celebrates its 120^th anniversary. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link:  http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5002097480_6095c74e91_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: Prisoner of Faith

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

About every six months, I get an update on a Chinese Christian who has been imprisoned by the Communist regime in China since January 2008. Alimujiang Yimiti has been held without trial since January 2008. He has been accused of leading an unregistered house church and has been charged with breaching national security. If he is found guilty, he will be sentenced to death.

Alimujiang converted from Islam to Christianity which caused resentment in the local community. His enemies fabricated the charges against him, but to date there is still no substantial evidence to make the charges stick. However, the Chinese Communist authorities won’t release Alimujiang because they continue to persecute Christian leaders.

On April 20, his family was allowed to visit with him for the first time since his arrest in January 2008, according to China Aid Association. The family reported that Alimujiang was noticeably thinner but in good spirits.  Despite the horrendous conditions and injustice of the situation, Alimujiang and his family still hold dear to their Christian faith. God is their refuge and strength, as well as their ever present help in a time of trouble.

When we compare the hardships that we face with those of Alimujiang and his family, we should feel thankful to God for the religious freedom that we have in our respective countries. His faith is so much stronger than ours; his Christian beliefs have cost him everything.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, sometimes we take You for granted and put our faith to the side. Instead of placing You at the center of everything we do and praising You for everything we have, we serve ourselves first and leave You with what’s left over.

Remind us that there are Christians in the world like Alimujiang who suffer for the same faith. We pray for his family and for his freedom, in Your Holy Name. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

If you would like to read more about Alimujiang and other prisoners of faith, please click on the following link: http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_185_profile.html

Post-Olympics: China Oppressing Christians Again

So much for the promises of freedom, dignity, and tolerance that the Chinese Government promoted at the Summer Olympics

From Spero News

The missionary church of Wanbang, located in Shanghai, will be forced to close. The community of 1200 people is an unauthorized domestic church, and had rented a a hall in the city for its gatherings. The police have forced the property owner to cancel the rental agreement within 30 days. The missionary church of Wanbang has been under surveillance for some time.

On February 10, the police and members of the State Administration of Religious Affairs ordered pastor Cui Quan to cancel a meeting among evangelization leaders, which was to be held in Shanghai. The annual meeting gathers only a small number of pastors to study ways to live evangelization in the cities.

Pastor Liu Tongsu, a witness to all of these events, says that "terminating a civil agreement that is completely in line with the legal process, through the use of a state compulsory organ (the police) is already a violation of more than one law."

Shanghai, a cosmopolitan city, has always been more tolerant toward Christian communities, including the underground ones. In other regions and cities, the policies toward unauthorized Protestants are much more harsh, with arrest and the demolition of churches. It is likely that the fear of social revolts is prompting the authorities to exercise much tighter control of every kind of gathering.

Read the rest of the story here...

4 Minute Devotions: Beijing Boycott

The Olympic Games in China are about to begin, but I cannot watch any of them. China is still persecuting and imprisoning Christians, even in the city of Beijing itself.

Podcast version here

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

It’s almost time for the Olympic Games to begin and it will soon seem as though the whole world is standing still. Athletes from many nations will be traveling to Beijing to compete in the Games. They will proudly carry their nations’ flags at the opening ceremonies and do their utmost to win medals for their countries. All of them will pursue the Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, and Stronger” to attain their personal bests, so that they can go home, proud of their attempts and achievements.

As much as I have loved to watch the Olympic Games in the past, this year I cannot bring myself to do it. As a teenager, I loved participating in athletic events and was even a member of the High School sprint team. Throughout the years, I have been enthralled by the speed, skills, and success of modern athletes. This year, however, I cannot enjoy any of their performances.

My heart is heavy because the Olympics are being held in a nation that still arrests Christians and puts pastors in jail. As recent as Sunday May 25, Chinese police authorities in Beijing raided the Beijing Gospel church and disrupted worship. The pastor was arrested and interrogated; he was eventually released but is still under surveillance.

This happens every week, all over China. When the Olympic Committee chose Beijing as the site for the 2008 Games, they were assured that China would clean up its Human Rights and stop religious persecution. They never kept that promise, and so I will not be watching the Games. Instead, I will take time to pray for a young woman called Li Ying. She was arrested for producing and distributing a Christian newsletter in 2001, when China was awarded the Games. She is still in prison and will not be released until 2016.

As the world’s athletes run toward the finishing tape to secure their gold, silver, and bronze medals, be aware that just a few miles away from the sporting events, Christians are being harassed, persecuted, and imprisoned. They are running the real race that matters and their prize is a crown in Christ’s Kingdom. The Olympics are a world-wide, short-lived delusion. Winning souls for Christ and running for His Team are the eternal goals that we should be accomplishing. China may imprison Christians for years, but Christ keeps the persecuted free for all of eternity.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we get so caught up with the world’s dreams that we sometimes forget the vision You have for the entire earth. Afflict our hearts and minds so that we will remember those poor souls that are languishing in prison in Beijing and throughout China just for believing in You. Shame us into remembering the cost of being Christians and help us to pray for those who are imprisoned just for praying, preaching, and practicing their Christianity. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Why I’m Boycotting the Olympics - Reason #3: Christians being targeted

Breaking news from China reveals that authorities are clamping down on Roman Catholics who wish to worship at a Marian shrine during the month of May. The xenophobic Chinese leaders fear Christians mingling together for worship because they are afraid that it might lead to protests.

Here’s what Bernardo Cervella had to write in yesterday’s edition of Spero News

There is a subtle war underway against pilgrimages to the Marian shrine of Sheshan, the national Chinese shrine that is typically visited during the month of May. The war is being waged by the government and by the Patriotic Association (PA). Both "recommend" (meaning: order) that people not visit Sheshan for the entire month of May.

The government cites safety problems, while the PA does not give any reason, but wants to block any mingling among official and underground Catholics, who meet each other every year at the shrine, above all on May 24, the feast of Mary Help of Christians, to whom the church of Sheshan is dedicated. Moreover, this year Benedict XVI has asked Chinese Catholics to celebrate May 24 as a Day of Prayer for the Church in China, praying for its unity and for its persecutors (cf. Letter to the Chinese Catholics, no. 19).

For the entire month of May, the local government of Shanghai has placed restrictions on traffic and the movement of the faithful on the roads to Sheshan, about 50 kilometres southwest of the city.

According to reports sent to AsiaNews, the authorities have also asked the various dioceses, especially Shanghai, Wenzhou, Ningbo - the dioceses closest to the shrine - not to go on pilgrimage this month.

Read the rest of the report here…

Pray for China

By: George Conger.

A COALITION of Christian advocacy groups has issued a call to prayer for the persecuted Christian Churches of China following a meeting in Zurich on March 28.

The Zurich Statement “reaffirms the solidarity of the international Christian community with the Chinese faithful, especially the persecuted house church” movement, Bob Fu of the China Aid Association said. “We pray the true religious freedom in China will finally be realized soon.”

The members of the Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) noted that since the dark days of the Cultural Revolution there had been “advances in religious freedom in China” and that the Communist Party’s recent affirmation that “religious believers have an important role to play in the development of society” were welcome steps forward.

China’s burgeoning Christian population could not be considered a subversive foreign element, the Zurich Statement said, as Chinese Christians were “law-abiding citizens” committed “to the development of the nation of China.” Official statistics published by China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) state there are 10 million Protestants and 4 million Catholics in China. However, China Aid reports the number of unofficial Christians being 10 times as large.

In a briefing for Community Party cadres and academics held last year in Peking, SARA director Yie Xiaowen reported there were 110 million Protestants and 20 million Catholics in China at the close of 2006. In 1949 there were an estimated 750,000 Chinese Protestants, many of whom subsequently fled to Taiwan and Hong Kong following the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist forces.

Read the rest of the report here…