Family Foundations: The Gospel in the Family
Editor’s note: Gu Junqing grew up in a Christian family and came to believe in the Lord at an early age. This is the fourth part of his story, and he shares how he and his wife are trying to establish a Christian home where their children can learn to follow Christ in their early […]
Misconceptions About Discipleship: Part Two
Editor’s note: In 2022, a Chinese pastor wrote this letter to his congregation, encouraging them to take discipleship seriously, both in their own lives and in the life of the church. The article was first published in Chinese on the Grace to City website. Today, we are publishing the second half of this letter, after […]
Misconceptions About Discipleship: Part One
Every Christian is called to discipleship. Every Christian is called to encourage faith and love in other believers. God wants every single Christian to learn how to build deep, encouraging relationships with one another.
How to Face Persecution: Caring for the Persecuted
It is very important we visit believers who have just been released from jail. Most of these people live in fear, and don’t talk much when they get out. It is important for us to encourage them, listen to them, and help them to return to the church. Although a few are beaten, for most people the hurt is not physical, but emotional and spiritual.
How to Face Persecution: The Whole Church’s Response
Our church is not as prepared as we thought. People still have many fears. As pastors of the flock, we must first acknowledge our weaknesses. I want them to fix their eyes on Jesus’s grace. Victory does not lie in wisdom or courage, but in the grace of Christ. We need to communicate the power of this grace to those who persecute us.
Practices Of Our Parents: Baffled by Unconditional Love
I have been baffled by unconditional love, this idea of loving and accepting someone unconditionally. Even though I have been a believer for many years, I am still sometimes perplexed by this.
How To Face Persecution: Pastoral Care
A church under persecution is in great difficulty. Communication among members is limited. Believers face great pressure, and many spiritual challenges… Under persecution’s pressure, the weaknesses and struggles church members experience are very real.
Very Much Against My Faith: Baffled by Unconditional Love
After I came back to China, they started to show strong opposition because I was now in China, not in America anymore. Yes, they were very much against my faith. I was already an adult, but they wouldn’t let me go to church.
Across Borders
As I got clear on the gospel, I became much clearer on my identity. I began to grasp that if I followed Jesus Christ as my Lord, then being a Christian was my primary identity. Being ethnically Chinese or nationally Scottish wasn’t how I should define myself.
High Expectations: Baffled By Unconditional Love
Because of the one-child policy, she could only have one daughter. My mother’s coping method was to prove to my grandmother that even though she had only had a girl, this girl would be better than a boy. In that way, I could feel the pressure she put on me.
