Editor’s note: How can people in today’s China understand what the church is? How will Chinese see and understand the church’s role? House church pastor Zhang Fuyou believes the Chinese church has an important role in today’s world: to show those around it what the kingdom of heaven looks like. This is not an easy task. But as Christians come together to display community and live out an unwavering commitment to truth, people will be attracted to the Chinese church — and to the God who established that church.
This article has been translated from a video transcript, and lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.
The Heavenly Kingdom Made Visible
The church is not an entity we in Chinese culture can understand very easily. There are several reasons for this.
First, the church is a tight-knit community with a clear confession of faith. Within Chinese culture, both of these things are pretty unfamiliar to us. Our culture highly values pragmatism. On the other hand, we do not put as much importance on truth for its own sake.
The church is a tight-knit community with a clear confession of faith. Within Chinese culture, both of these things are pretty unfamiliar.
Second, we Chinese are naturally repulsed by groups that are highly organized and institutionalized. For these reasons, generally speaking, perceptions of the church are superficial. A lot of times, people’s perceptions of the church are tinged by suspicion or rejection.
Yet the church is the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven on earth. As such, the church has special significance in the Chinese cultural context. As the church becomes the salt of the earth and the light of the world, she shows people the gospel in a tangible, visible way. I believe this is especially important.
Opportunities: Relationships of Truth and Love
As far as material things, today’s Chinese society has made great progress compared to where we were before. Yet there are two things lacking in this world. The first is truth – truth that comes from Scripture. The second thing lacking is relationships of love grounded in that truth.
The Chinese church must continuously and deeply proclaim the truths proclaimed in the Bible. This is our first and most important task.
We must show the world community relationships based on the truth of the Bible. These sorts of relationships are rare in Chinese society. They are also deeply attractive.
Second, we must show the world community relationships based on the truth of the Bible. These sorts of relationships are rare in Chinese society. They are also deeply attractive. As we go about our lives and build relationships with our families, our friends, our colleagues, and with the broader world, we must seek to build loving relationships based in the truth.
If we can do all this, I believe the church has a powerful opportunity to shine before the world, and to become the light and salt of the earth.
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Challenges: The Message and the Medium
But the church also faces challenges.
First, there is the difficulty of communicating our message. Although the truths of Scripture are clear, it’s not easy to express these truths in a way that this generation can understand. Every Christian has a crucially important calling to communicate biblical truth both clearly and deeply. This is especially important for pastors and preachers. I believe this is our first and most important work.
Our faith should not merely be a message of truth. Our faith must be displayed as a vibrant life.
Our second challenge is to show the world what our relationship with God looks like. As Christians, our relationship with God is vibrant and living. Our relationships with other humans should convey the reality of this relationship with God. Only then will people be able to see what a life transformed by faith looks like. I believe this is especially important for China today.
Our faith should not merely be a message of truth. Even more importantly, our faith must be displayed as a vibrant life.
Zhang Fuyou is a pseudonym for a Chinese house church pastor in eastern China.
Pray for the Chinese church to show those around it what a heavenly community is and how it brings God’s kingdom to earth.
