40 Days of Praying - Day 18

China: Ask God to bless the church in China as they serve under persecution. Ask God to lead us into what role we can play in helping the church in China.

Revelation 3:7-13 These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars — I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure , so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Philippians 1:18-22 ...and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

I had a strange experience two Sundays ago. I sat behind Sara in during worhship. Sara is a beautiful, four foot nothing, precious believer from China. She was brought out of the country a couple of weeks ago because she is wanted by the government. It is not immediatly apparent why they don't like her. She seems quiet and shy. She doesn't say much. But she does smile an awful lot. At first glance she seems harmless to anybody. I had been told that she spent 6 years in prison for being a follower of Jesus with the underground house church. They said she had endured loneliness, deprivation, beatings and torture. It is really hard to imagine why someone would want to hurt her. She smiles alot.

So it was pretty powerful to me when Ronnie preached about the cost of discipleship. He talked about following Jesus no matter what. We even sang, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back." Sara sat in front of me the whole time. I got choked up.

Then Wednesday I heard her tell her story in Joe Coffman's living room. We were with a group of people planning to plant churches. We had asked a small group of chinese believers to tell their story. She went first.

I thought it would be difficult for her. I was afraid that we had put her on the spot. She was in a group of strangers. She had to use a translator. She was being asked to talk about something deeply personal and painful. But what happened next was transforming. There was a powerful, beautiful, peaceful presence that came over her. She was electric. She wanted badly to tell us her testimony, she said. She told us about how, as a hopeless 19 year old, she came to faith in Jesus through her mom's life and teaching. No one else in her family believes. She had been a christian less than a year when she went to prison for the first time. Because of her influence as an evangelist and church leader, since the mid 90's she has been in prison six years.

The hung her by her fingers for hours. She told us how they put her feet in shackles. The chains hurt so badly she asked God to take her away. But she remembered how they hurt Jesus' feet and she was able to endure. They took her hands and melted plastic bags on them and then electocuted her fingers. But she remembered how they hurt Jesus' hands and she held on. Then they stripped her naked. The only time she dropped her head and couldn't look us in the eye was when she talked about how ashamed it made her feel. Then she remembered that they had stripped Jesus and she was able to keep going.

The coolest part? Every time she said the name of Jesus she cried. Every time. She was overcome with emotion when she mentioned his name. When she pointed to the rug on the floor that looked like one she had made in prison she laughed about it. When she said the name of Jesus she cried. It was then I understood how the underground persecuted house church movement in China has grown from 800,000 believers to 100,000,000 in twenty five years. It is because God has called people like Sara.

What can we do physically to help? I don't know, but let's ask God to show us. In the meantime, let's pray for the thousands 0f Sara's who are faithfully serving and proclaiming Jesus in China. May God continue to cause explosive growth.

Dear Lord, have mercy on our brothers and sisters in China. Show yourself faithful to them. Perform miracles, signs and wonders for them. Add daily to the church. Sustain them in persecution and let your joy continue to fill them. We ask that you do whatever is necessary to stop the persecution of the church. And we ask you to show us what we can do and what we need to do. Give us willing hearts to do it. Let us join them as brothers in arms for the sake of the kingdom. Thank you for their example and witness. For Jesus, because he suffered and died for us. Amen.

Grace.