Editor’s note: We are pleased to publish this short excerpt from a longer piece which originally ran at The Gospel Coalition on how persecuted Chinese Christians are serving their neighbors. Chinese house church believers face many barriers as they seek to practice mercy in their cities. But despite these obstacles, many house churches are actively looking for ways to serve their neighbors and show Christ’s love to their society. The gospel frees these Chinese Christians to love those who persecute them, and to serve their neighbor even when it’s difficult to do.
If you’d like to find out more about how and why Chinese Christians are pouring themselves out to be present with the hurting, check out season 3 of our podcast, The House Church in China!
“Who is my neighbor?”
Two thousand years ago, a young Jewish leader brought this question to Jesus. The query still resonates today: In a world of such great need, how can anyone make a dent in the scale of suffering? Whom should we serve?
They pray and sing; they clean vomit; they hold hands and brush hair. They do all this with the blessing of hospital staff—even though as house-church Christians, their churches are illegal and any ministry could get them in serious trouble.
A few years ago, Sean, a house-church pastor in a major Chinese city, asked almost the same question. But instead of “Who?” Sean asked, “Where is my neighbor?” The answer: “Right next door to the building where our church gathers, there was a hospital.”
Before long, Sean began visiting the hospital. Soon, other believers joined him. Now, a team actively serves in hospice ministry at area hospitals. They pray and sing; they clean vomit; they hold hands and brush hair. They do all this with the blessing of hospital staff—even though as house-church Christians, their churches are illegal and any ministry could get them in serious trouble.
Telling Their Story
I work for China Partnership, a ministry that resources Chinese house-church Christians. We also try to motivate global believers to pray for and learn from their brothers and sisters in China. This past year, as I worked on a podcast about mercy ministry in China, I spent hours talking with Chinese Christians sacrificially pouring out their lives in mercy work. Sean is just one of those people. Some, like Sean, serve the ill. Others work with abandoned children, while teams of women reach out in red-light districts.
These believers don’t serve out of an abundance of time, resources, or money. Many are persecuted. All are marginalized because of their faith, with some facing additional social stigma because of the company they keep through their charitable work.
These believers don’t serve out of an abundance of time, resources, or money. Many are persecuted. All are marginalized because of their faith.
Yet many Christians continue to engage in these labor-intensive, deeply relational acts of mercy and presence. Why are they doing this when their own position is so tenuous? What does it look like for the persecuted church to serve its communities? Is it worth the high cost when Christians are limited and powerless to enact large-scale change?
To find out more about the theology of mercy these Chinese house church believers are trying to live out — and the freedom and joy they experience as they serve their neighbors — check out the rest of the article over at The Gospel Coalition.
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To protect the identity of Chinese Christians, all names are pseudonyms.
Pray for Chinese Christians who are sacrificially seeking to serve their neighbors — even while they themselves are persecuted.
