The Effects of Pandemic and Persecution on the Church
We pastors, as well as all those who are willing to serve, need to explore together how we can follow the Lord in the midst of China’s present situation and our own weaknesses. We do not follow him alone, but live within a grand story that covers all of time. By faith, one can lose everything, even one’s own church… In the midst of unpredictable days, we know our future is secure.
The Night Watch: Psalm 134
The church today is the Night’s Watch of this generation, for her head is Christ. Only if Christ keeps watch for the church will the church be able to keep watch for this generation, lest it drift further and further away from God. No matter how corrupt this generation is, the prayers of the church are a clarion call through the night sky.
Way of the Cross, Way of Resurrection
Although they know Christ is with them now, they still live under a grim reality. They are still marginalized, still face police harassment, some of them may still go to jail….What sustains them in China is not just knowing Christ suffers with them, but knowing they suffer in Christ.
What I Learned: Refuge from Our Fears
These words are a compassionate gift, written by saints who find refuge in Christ amidst great suffering. Their words challenged me as a pastor, and pulled me further away from my fears. I hope that we would come to see even suffering as a great invitation. Although none of us may ever sit down with Gabriel and Bao En, we can hear them say: “Come, let us together find refuge in Christ.’“
To See the Gospel Advancing: Gospel-Centered Legal Practice
When we talk about the law in church today, we do this to return to the gospel… When you treat something as higher than the gospel and use it to judge everything, it will create problems. We must return to the gospel. But how do we testify to the gospel when we are in the process of defending our rights?
We Cannot Stay in the Ivory Tower: Gospel-Centered Legal Practice
As Christians, we are to have knowledge, but we do not stop there. We are to be honest, but we are also to have the wisdom to discern and respond. We need to be equipped with information, and also to manifest these things in a clearly defined life of faith occurring amid specific historical events.
Boundaries and Filial Piety
The Bible clearly teaches, “a man shall leave his father and mother, and they shall become one flesh.” My wife and I are different from my parents. We try to respect and care for them to the best of our abilities, but I struggle determining the boundaries.
We Will Follow
This rope of love has a beginning and end, and for Li, the rope passed through the valley of the shadow of death of Jiabiangou [a labor camp]. What is left in our lives is not a chronicle of suffering, but rather a journey of grace. It should also be our vow when faced with suffering: we will follow the loving and faithful Savior into the depths of the waters. This is a journey of perseverance and of grace.
The Worst News Becomes the Best: Dangerous Mission
The Bible tells those of us who are now alive that we must be crucified. Yet the gospel becomes comfort to those who are hopeless in this world and those who are prepared to die. God says, “Let those who are hopeless in this life, live.” This is the dangerous gospel I bring to each of you.
How Christians Ought to Face the New Media Era
Whether or not you like it, every Christian who has something to say to the world ought to hold him or herself to the standards of an evangelist. If you go online, you must be a “missional Internet user.” If you talk about the gospel, you must be a committed and discipled Christian. If you start a Weibo account which you use to post daily sermons, then you ought to consider applying for a seminary certificate program.
