Two Weeks in a Chinese Detention Center, Part One: “Ignite the Fuel of the Gospel”
The next morning there was a big debate. “If you are not a cult, why did they arrest you?” When you go inside, the hardest thing is not that the police say you have a problem, but that the prisoners also think you have a problem. The hardest thing is not that the people in power don’t understand you, but that average citizens also think the same about you. This debate is necessary for a basic reason. If they identify you as a cult, the testimony of faith has failed. Christians willingly follow the Lord even if they are imprisoned and arrested; but what is more difficult and important is to present the testimony of the gospel and to ignite the fuel of the gospel. After the debate, people did not think of me as a cult member anymore. They called me a missionary, and later they called me “father,” according to their understanding.
The Voice of Chinese Sisters: “The Lord Suffers With Us”
The Lord sanctifies us through his Word, the Spirit, and the Church. God tells us to care for one another, encourage one another, build one another up, love one another, and exhort one another. We need others to help us when we are weak, and we need their counsel when we are prideful. We usually react in two ways to suffering: either we are extremely weak and discouraged, exposing our true nature, or we might think we are strong and consequently look down on others, judging them and feeling self-righteous in our heart. While the Spirit can give us supernatural peace, God prefers to comfort and help us through our brothers and sisters whom we can see. This is because when we love one another, others will recognize that we are his disciples.
