Editor’s note: Through the end of March, we’ll continue praying for Guilin. A beautiful Southern China city of mountains and waters, several Guilin pastors told us how to pray for them, their churches and their families. They also shared that they often use Guilin’s beauty to point to the Creator, and to show people that this breathtaking place was designed by God, the ultimate master artist.

Busy Shepherds Who Need Care

China Partnership: How can we pray for your church and your family?

Tan Yexuan: Pray for the spiritual growth of our brothers and sisters. Growth has been slow. We try to promote growth through discipleship, but two of our three elders are bi-vocational, busy with their jobs, and don’t have much ministry experience. When spiritual growth is slow, ministry is less effective. Pray for God to lead us. May believers grow and become zealous for the gospel, and fan into flame the gifts they have been given.

Pray I will not neglect my own need for shepherding, even while I pastor God’s flock.

For my family, please pray for my wife and I to better live out Christ’s example. May we lead family worship well, and lead godly lives.

Du Panhe: Pray that our church will faithfully preach God’s word, and uphold Christ-centered preaching. Pray we will passionately preach God’s word, for only his word can build his church and bring true spiritual growth and revival. Pray that brothers and sisters will not forget the Great Commission, but will live it out in their daily lives, workplaces, families, and marriages. May they witness to the power of the gospel, and impact those around them. Pray for our church to raise up more brothers to serve in the ministry.

Pray I will not neglect my own need for shepherding, even while I pastor God’s flock. Pray for my personal time with God: reading the Bible, devotions, prayer, and holy living. Pray for me to stay away from sin and temptation, and to spend less time on my phone.

Pray that I can disciple my wife and children, and lead them in family worship. May I have wisdom to raise my children according to God’s instruction. Pray for my wife, who serves our family full-time – pray she will have patience, wisdom, and joy in her responsibilities.

Yang Xi: Our church is grateful we ordained new deacons in December, and are currently evaluating candidates for eldership. Pray God will reveal and raise up more elders and deacons.

Our senior pastor is taking a sabbatical. We are thankful he has time off to rest and be physically and spiritually renewed. Pray God will strengthen our current pastors to serve the church.

Ministry is busy and we are short-staffed. Pray God will give us enough energy and resources.

In the past, we’ve held pastoral training seminars a few times a year. Pray God will guide us whether or not to continue this program, because ministry is busy and we are short-staffed. Pray God will give us enough energy and resources.

Our church has a church plant that has been facing some challenges. The leader resigned from full-time ministry last year, and is now serving part-time. We need to pray for God to guide that church plant’s direction. If someone else is better suited to lead, we pray God will raise them up. But if this brother is willing to continue to lead more effectively, we pray God would empower and encourage him. Pray for God’s guidance over our church plant.

Also pray for my family. I’ve been busy lately, and need God to give me time and wisdom to manage my schedule so I can spend more time with my wife and kids. Our children are young, and we plan to homeschool in the future. We’re not sure right now what resources to use, but we trust God will guide us to raise our children in the right way.

Heights and Depths Are In God’s Hands

CP: What passage of Scripture do you feel is representative of Guilin?

Yang Xi: Guilin is such a beautiful place, with mountains and waters, stunning peaks, and landscapes – all of it created by God. It reminds me of Psalm 95, especially verse 4. Verses 1 – 7 go like this:

¹ Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³ For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
⁷ For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice…”

This passage represents Guilin and its Christian community. We come together to worship our God, to praise him for his amazing creation and salvation. We hope that here in Guilin, with breathtaking mountains, rivers, and landscapes, the sounds of praise to God will ring out and draw all people to him.

We hope that here in Guilin, with breathtaking mountains, rivers, and landscapes, the sounds of praise to God will ring out and draw all people to him.

Du Panhe: I often use Guilin’s scenery to share the gospel. I say, “Look at Guilin’s mountains and rivers. They are like a painting. And if a painting can be so beautiful, there must be a creator, an artist. Guilin’s scenery is more beautiful than any painting, so there must be a Creator, an Author behind it.”

This reminds me of Rom. 1:20: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

When you see Guilin’s beautiful scenery, you know there must be a Creator.

Yang Xi, Du Panhe, and Tan Yexuan are all pseudonyms for Guilin house church pastors.

Pray that the beauty of Guilin will draw its local people to search for and find the Lord God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.