THEY BURNED THEIR BIBLES

 

“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’…(Matthew 25:35)

When the Nepal earthquake hit in April of 2015, it left over 9,000 dead, over 20,000 people injured and hundreds of thousands homeless, as well as displaced in this small area that sits next to China. If our gospel is not Christ centered or shown in such a way that benefits the people equally in such a way that denotes a true and genuine expression of love toward those who are hurting, then we are merely paying lip service about a God that we do not know ourselves, and we become more of a hindrance than a help. Yet that is exactly what has happened in this area not long ago when a disaster took place, which left thousands dead, and even many more with no home. When American missionaries came into Nepal as well as western China to preach Christ, but in the end left little in regards to solving the more serious issues that those who were stricken by the earthquake were experiencing. Yet worse, never actually meeting the desired need of the people, instead, only giving out bibles (no food, no warm blankets, no water – nothing but bibles).

Recently I was sitting with an individual who had been part of a humanitarian relief group for Nepal, who is now back in this part of China, as he began to explain to me his experiences (good and bad) with Christian missionaries from the U.S.. The event which challenged his perspective on American Christianity for the most part was the fact that the only image he saw, as well as the hundreds of others in this little remote village where he was stationed, had been when a large group of missionaries showed up in a large van and began to do “outreach” to the people. At first the people were thrilled that help had come, but instead of help, what came was a form too often seen these days under the guise of “mission work”, where teams would venture into a remote area and preach the gospel, but never actually meeting the physical needs of the people. The people of Nepal, as well as western China told the tale as this large group of U.S. missionaries came into the area that had been ravaged by a natural disaster, and never offering any service of help to restore what had been lost. Instead, they offered bibles. Bibles. Not clothes, or warm blankets, or food, or even bottled water – but bibles. Then, when they finished ministering to the people by handing out the word of God, they left. And with that they were gone.

I asked my friend what did the people do with all those bibles that the missionaries handed them, which were in the hundreds, if not a few thousand? His answer both shocked me, but as I pondered on it later that afternoon, it made perfectly good sense – they burned them. No, the Nepal people, nor the Chinese locals burned those bibles out of some sort of hatred for the gospel, they actually appreciated the care that these well intended (albeit misguided) young men attempted to do. Yet in the end, the people burned their bibles to keep warm during the night.

While there are certainly many good and sincere Christian organizations working in Asia who do have a heart for the people, not just in mere words, but also in demonstration, still, I’ve seen an increase of those who come to Asia with the least bit of desire to work with the people, meeting their needs where they are at, and instead, giving them religion disguised as faith. It never works. The apostle Paul stated it like this, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. “ (1 Cor. 2.4,5)

Paul not only met the spiritual needs of the people, he met their physical needs as well. It was the same as Christ, who fed the 5,000+ who came to him hungry. How shall we then show the love of Christ if we neglect the very purpose of Christ and God’s message to man if we care not for the needs of the people? We not only reject the commandment of our Lord, we prove that our claim to Christ is nothing more than a false declaration, not merited by a genuine love for others, but a love to be seen and nothing more. If mission work, or even evangelism for that matter is not founded on the central core of the love of Christ, the message of the cross, which is salvation, followed by the demonstration of that same message, then we have failed in whatever purpose we had to begin with, and we’ve become nothing more than a cheap imitation (religious), a counterfeit.

My heart broke today inside as I listened to how the gospel which could have been used to reach untold numbers of people for Christ, become nothing more than a religious symbol of pride and nothing more. Yet as I look at the work my wife and I do here in China, the churches we establish, the lives that are being changed, the children being educated, people who need medicine paid by and from this ministry, it sets us apart from those who only see the lost as a mere symbol of prideful gain, but a people who need to not only hear that Jesus loves them, but see it in action as well. That is what separates those who preach Christ for all the wrong reasons, from those who preach Christ out of a genuine love for them. That’s the difference.

The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity but a new demonstration.  ~Leonard Ravenhill

From my desk in China,

Christopher

Email: christopher152@gmail.com

http://www.chinamissions.org

 

CHINA JOURNAL: THE SPIRIT OF BUDDHA

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. – Arabian proverb

I have an enemy in China. He is tall in stature that might reach 8 ft tall in height, yet on other days he might stand only 8 inches in height. This enemy of mine is not only popular among the people, to many he is a god. His fame is only outdone by his enormous appetite to be the center of every home and every workplace throughout China. His name? Buddha. And he is a powerful foe.

Gautama Buddha lived between 563BCE or 480BCE in India. Most believe Buddha died around 400BCE (80yrs). Buddhism is a direct branch of Hinduism. In and throughout China it is almost impossible not to see a small or large statue of Buddha along the many street venders or shopping stores one might venture in. The reason is simple, although China is for the most part Communist and adheres to a form of atheism, the truth is, even atheists believe in a god of sorts. In other words, many claim there is no “god” in speaking terms, however, they are and do participate in praying to Buddha or one of the many idols found throughout China. When asked if this is a contradiction of ideology, they have no answer. The truth is, the power of the Buddha within China is a stronghold that is only masked by the real source of this idol worship – Satan.

Currently (at the time of this writing) I am staying at my present hotel in one of the most powerful spiritual areas in Chengdu, for within just a mere 5 minute walk from the hotel I can venture to one of this areas most oldest and known Buddhist temples in China. I have actually been inside this large temple, and it is indeed impressive, with over 12 different types of idols, all covered in gold, are placed within this large complex of idolatry as people regularly go inside and worship the temple gods. The problem is, what they are really worshiping is demons.

I recall sitting in the hotel lobby Sunday morning waiting for my friend to arrive to take me to the church I would be speaking at that morning. Before Alec had arrived, I was seated next to a small table, when suddenly there was a knock on the table itself, as if someone (or some thing) had walked up and simply tapped it. 3 times this occurred and 3 times I felt in my spirit “ignore it” come to mind. The word says if we resist the enemy he will flee from us. There is no question in my mind and spirit that what was occurring was a spiritual contention being waged, it was as if a spirit was informing me “I am here too, this is my area.” Yet the truth is, and while it is true strongholds of demonic activity do have certain “rights” when it comes to territories, still, we as believers have the full right by the power of the word to bind  those same spirits as Paul explained in his word to the church, that because of the cross, what Christ did, we have the authority to bind and even cast out demons (Mark 16:17-18). The problem is, not enough Christians either want to or know how to.

That particular morning I preached a message God had given to me for the people, and as people came up for prayer, many were bound by spirit beings (demons), when pressed for understanding, the fact is, many were all once Buddha worshipers. They practiced the worship of Buddha and his idols. This led them to become spiritual victims to the enemy, thereby giving Satan the spiritual legal right to come into their lives, and if desired, even possess them. Yet how great is was to lay hands on many of them and literally speak to those demons and in the name of Jesus, cast them out and off the people.

The power of the cross, the work Christ did on the cross is a powerful thing and one the church needs to re-claim if they are ever going to move within this world as the early church did. Too long the church has rejected the anointed preaching of the word and instead, focused on gimmicks, intellectualism – everything  but the cross (the gospel). The church has sadly done more to defeat itself than anything Communism could ever do, all because for the most part, the church has found a way to substitute the gospel for man made theology. Friend, man made theology will never save anyone, it will never heal anyone, it will never deliver a single soul from the bondage of sin and the power of the occult. The only answer to the world, to the power of idol worship, the worship of Buddha or any other worldly attraction is the cross. We’ve written enough books, we’ve got enough degrees, we have reached great intellectual heights, and the result is that the church has become more powerless, more prayer-less, less anointed than at any other time in our history since the formation of the early church. The reason? We have forsaken the cross and instead, replaced it with foolishness that will never touch a single life today.

But there is good news. That good news is, Christ is raising up a new generation of believers who have realized their mistakes, realized that without prayer, without a steady diet of the word daily, without the anointing, we will never make a difference in this life, but they have realized the true meaning of their power source – the cross. It is by the power of Christ and what he did on the cross which will challenge the spiritual darkness of this world, put demons to flight and heal the sick and set free the broken hearted. The only answer to the idolatry in China, the blindness in Islam, the foolishness of Rome is the power of the cross and what Christ did there. That is the answer, that is the source of our strength and the only thing we can ever present to the rest of the world – the cross. Anything other is another gospel, another way and another Jesus.

Christopher

christopher152@gmail.com

CHINA JOURNAL: TELL US ABOUT PENTECOST

There is a genuine hunger taking place in China. It’s not a hunger for food, nor drink, nor other enticements, the hunger that is occurring within the Chinese church is the complete full and overwhelming thirst for Pentecost. I had met with a new couple who have only been saved for about 2 years now, we met in a coffee house and as I sat and began to share my faith with these new converts in Christ, they began to speak about how much they have desired more of the Holy Spirit. Theirs are not the only Chinese people I’ve met whom have inquired about what Pentecostalism is, but more and more within many of the Chinese churches have begun to seek questions as to what exactly is Pentecost and how can they receive it?

For almost 20+ years, many of the churches who are led by certain types of pastors have never desired nor even wanted to share with the people all of the Bible, the truth is, much of what is occurring within the Chinese church is a tragic example of what happens when people are not fed the full word of God, but instead, are given nuggets, or crumbs of God’s word, leaving them spiritually starving for all of God’s word. Then word began to leak out over time about Pentecost and how that Pentecostalism swept not only America, but the rest of the world, where men and women not only become baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, but signs and wonders, miracles and healings were occurring. Now the Chinese desired something they were not getting in their 3 self churches, and a quest began, a journey into finding out what Pentecostalism is and how to receive it.

It amazes me how much of a hunger these people have here in China compared to the rest of the world, how they desire to fully know and experience all of what God has for them, the problem is, no one is teaching them the very basics of the faith, no one is telling them that by the authority of God’s word, they have the right to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. Just yesterday (at the time of this writing) I relayed a dream about this very same couple whom I had just met for the first time, how that only 5 nights prior, God had given me a dream about this woman, whom I had never met nor knew anything about, and how that in the dream I saw that she would have a child. I began to relay this dream and a word God had given to me concerning her, her eyes began to fill with tears as she told me that yes, they were struggling to have a baby and that everything I explained to her and her husband was exactly what they were facing. God began to move in their lives that evening, proving the gifts are indeed for today.

So what is the answer? Evangelizing the Chinese people with the full gospel, which includes the teaching about Pentecost. Let it be understood, there can be no power in the church unless the Holy Spirit is being allowed to move, and he moves through the gifts. I see a hunger for Pentecost in China and the Chinese church like never before, and already signs and wonders are occurring, where Chinese believers, armed with the word of God, are going into hospitals and laying hands on the sick (many of them have cancer) and they are being instantly healed. Miracles are occurring here, and it’s all because the people want more of God and less of religion.

Only until we put aside our fear and self righteous attitudes about the gifts and Pentecost, will we begin to see the mighty move of God which is coming across this world, producing exactly what Christ said would occur in Mark 16:17-18. I stand to see this as my work grows in China.

Christopher

CHINA JOURNAL: INTERNET; THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY

Since China has increasingly been opening up her borders to both economic as well as intellectual growth, the one thing which seems to remain the same with what I’ve experienced here while in China is the desire to imitate the west in both ideas as well as in behaviors. One of those aspects of change which is not only effecting China from a cultural stand point, but as well as a spiritual standpoint is their growth in the internet and its fundamental ability to drastically change ones behavior, for good or bad, it’s happening right now in China.

It’s no secret of China’s great “firewall” and while China still actively attempts to block some western content (mainly social media sites such as Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter) China has opened up the gates wide and clear when it comes to getting information, be it news from around the world from such sites as FOX NEWS, or CNN, China is becoming known for its achievements in social progress even at the risk of changing its very culture – which is drastically changing in ways never before seen.

In China everyone has a cell phone which grants them complete independence to not only grow socially and economically, but the overall internet development taking place in China is only limited by ones personal limits. The more one seeks information from the web, the more one desires what one is seeing, and this is no doubt causing China’s social change which can best be described as limitless possibilities. Men and women and even teens in China have been thrust into a world of the digital age which holds no boundaries for them, and since China’s economic growth is rivaling the United States, the indicators are such that within just 20 years from now, China stands to not only become the next world power in economic terms, but also in social terms, but at what cost? That remains to be seen. But one thing is clear, China’s past imagery of social Communist control over its people is losing its grip and the Government knows it and a more commonsense approach is developing.

So how does this effect the church in China? Significantly. Not only has China become open to embracing everything western society has been accustomed to for decades and grew in, China’s tolerance to faith, namely Christianity has allowed more access to worship in the open, no more are churches gathering in secret these days in what I call “New China” they are operating not just out in the open, they are building and growing their congregations to numbers the western nations have only been use to in the past 20 years. The fact is, the church in China is growing so fast and so quick that the issue is no longer “Where can we meet” but WHEN. No longer is the church in dire circumstances, but the church in China is fastly outpacing the western church and for good reason – they have a hunger here far greater than the west. The fact is, as China changes in social norms, so is the church, what was absent 20 years ago is now becoming sought after today – teaching. And the internet is paving this change in the church as well.

Yet while the internet is playing a significant part in China’s social advances, so it is playing a part in China’s religious segment as well, and not for always the better. Lately I’ve preached in churches here in China that are being indoctrinated by false teachings which have been damaging the western church for the past 15 years but through the world of the web, podcasts and internet chat rooms where content can be freely downloaded and emailed out to potentially millions of Christians, so comes the destructive seed of false teachings and their false prophets. I won’t name names, but many of these snakes and wolves are Charismatic preachers who are the top line within the American Charismatic circles, their imprint into mainland China is becoming well known now, and 2 of these popular teachers (and one prophet) is shaping the Chinese church in such a way that it’s going to take a year in me trying to guide these believers back to the cross.

There are so many changes happening in China, some good, some bad, but all in all it’s yet another sign that we are indeed living in the last days, and how we deal with these changes which are happening throughout China will determine the church in China’s long term growth or it being swallowed by the evils of another gospel, another Christ. I might be only 1 man, but I for one will do my best to stand in the gap for my Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ.

Christopher

christopher152@gmail.com

CHINA JOURNAL: LOST IN TRANSLATION

Today I witnessed and shared the gospel with an old man, he told me he was 81 years old, thankfully I spent time learning some Chinese which allowed me to know what he was saying, even if it was very limited at best, yet the good thing was that even though the language barrier was as tall and wide as China’s great wall, there is no barrier to the gospel when it’s presented in such a way that they can understand – through tracts. China has been a real test for me, spiritually as well as physically. The demands upon me have been great because the needs are great, and along with it comes the trials we all go through, for me it is alone, not so much loneliness, but the fact that for right now I’m bearing a lot of the weight of this calling to establish myself among the people for a work that when I return, will allow me to become even more established among the people.

The truth is, China is rapidly changing, one can see that change from less than 2 years ago when I was last here, it amazes me how quickly a society can develop itself to build and create such enormous undertakings and still keep it’s culture in ling with its ideology. However, since being here this three weeks, the reality is, China is facing the same dilemmas the rest of the world is facing, social problems, morality, political corruption and unhealthy lifestyles, all of which brings me back to my original point, that although there is a gap between our culture (U.S.) and China, the truth is, the answer to what China is facing, and will face even greater within the next 20 years is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The simple gospel message which says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes upon him shall not perish but have everlasting life, still resonates today than it did nearly 2,000 years ago when it was first uttered by Christ himself.

Our cultures might have its differences, people might be different, social qualms might be different, languages might be different, but the one thing that links us all together is we are all souls, and we will all dwell in an eternal place once we have ended our time here on earth, be it in heaven or in hell, the common denominator between us all is that Christ loves us and wants to share his greatest gift, the gift of eternal life to whomever will receive it – himself. We can be lost in translation, but the truth is, when the Holy Spirit is allowed to move freely, he will prick the heart to bring about a decision when the gospel is presented and hopefully it’s the right one. I can’t say if that 81 yr old man whom could not speak english will accept the truth that was given to him, only God knows his future now since he was given the gospel. But I know this, either way, he was given the gospel, told of Christ’s great love for him and should he go into eternity and perish, he will stand before God knowing that at some point in the past and young American man stopped by his side at a street crossing and shared the love of Jesus to him.

But I believe God allowed that man and I to meet on that particular day and that particular time to hopefully change a direction which needed to be changed, will he accept the gift of life Christ has to offer? Only God knows that answer, but I know this much, when the seed is sown, all we do is water it, but God will bring forth the increase. Yet maybe in the pages of eternity future, as I walk the streets of glory eons from now, I will meet a man who will look at me and he will remember me and I will remember him and together we will embrace one another knowing that he gave his life to Christ in the past to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I can only hope.

Christopher

christopher152@gmail.com

CHINA JOURNAL: WHEN TO SPEAK AND WHEN TO REMAIN SILENT

A Christian man asked me, “Had Paul come into China…China would not be so hard to win for Christ.” My friend asked me over and over trying to find the answer as to why the apostle Paul did not come into Asia as he had wanted to, only that for whatever reason the Holy Spirit would not permit the great apostle to venture into China. We don’t have all the answers as to why God allows some places to have virtually no knowledge of the Bible, and why he will send others with the word into places to preach the gospel to other areas, those questions will never be answered until we stand before him and all questions will then be finally answered. Until then, all we know is that the gospel needs to be preached where ever possible.

Today I felt the leading of the Lord to go into certain districts as this evening I will be going to another church to edify my brothers and sisters in the Lord. But what occurred to me today was how that there were times where I wanted to share the gospel in tract as well as with giving someone a DVD of the movie “Jesus”, but the Lord began to speak to me and said “Not now – be patient.” It’s so difficult to know that one has the answers to lifes problems and yet one cannot fully express to those around them the gospel in such a way which would produce a response. The fact is, even though China is rapidly changing to tolerating Christianity, the reality is, one simply cannot stand on a street corner and just start preaching – it’s still illegal. So what do we do? I can only imagine Paul’s grief in knowing he could not venture into China and all of Asia as he desired to do, but I’ve come to learn one thing – trust. We have to learn the recognize God’s voice and his leading for even though we desire to reach many with the gospel, the truth is, in some situations, it’s best to learn when to speak and when to remain silent, especially in a Communist nation where every action and behavior is monitored. The truth is, we must trust that God knows best and that in time God will give us the avenue and opportunity we seek to preach the wonderful news of Jesus Christ. It might not be as we would have it, but sometimes we just have to learn to trust in that he knows what’s best when we do his service.

Christopher

christopher152@gmail.com