“… See, I have placed before you an open door. That no one can shut. I know you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name”. (Revelation 3:8)
Right after hundreds of police raided his house church in China, Pastor Xiang En preached this powerful scripture.
“… See, I have placed before you an open door. That no one can shut. I know you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name”. (Revelation 3:8)
Chinese Govt. Vows to Eliminate Christianity In China
Right now as you read this, churches in China are being closed and Christians like Pastor Xiang are coming under intensifying pressure; some have been arrested and imprisoned. Xiang says that persecution in China is comparable to the persecution China saw under Mao during the country’s Cultural Revolution in the ’60s. The large underground church he is a part of has seen firsthand what Chinese President Xi Jinping has started in a move to squeeze the church and stunt the growth of Christianity.
But in the fire, God is refining His people. Pastor Xiang’s story reminds us that God’s hand is moving in the hearts and lives of His faithful.
And that no one can shut the open door He has set before His people….
Why Many Chinese Are Becoming Christians
Open Doors recently sat down with him to hear his and his church’s story and to learn more about the trials our brothers and sisters are walking through. Watch his story Here.
*Pastor Xiang En’s story is the personal account of a Chinese Christian from a large house church in China.
China ranks 23th on persecution watchdog Open Door’s 2020 world watch list of top 50 countries where it is most deadly to be a christian.
Chinese Christians Weep, Rejoice and Cry For Joy On Receiving The Bible (Video)
China rose four spots on the 2020 World Watch List, mostly because of the continuing and intensifying emphasis on ideology and the over-arching goal of preserving the rule of the Communist Party. Religion is banned from the public sphere, and teachers and medical staff have been pressured to sign documents saying they have no religious faith. In some areas, elderly people have been told that their pensions will be cut if they don’t renounce their Christian faith.
Chinese Christians Memorize Entire Bible In Prison, Says Gov’t Can’t Take What’s In Your Heart’
Additionally, the decision to follow Jesus comes at a high cost for Christians in western China who come from ethnic groups where Islam or Buddhism are the dominant faiths.
How Young People Are Leading Massive & Explosive Revival In China Daily – Video
How Christians are suffering
All churches are perceived as a threat if they become too large, too political or invite foreign guests. A policy of “sinicizing” the church is becoming increasingly influential because the Communist Party is relying strongly on Chinese cultural identity to stay in power. The new restrictions on internet, social media and NGOs—and the new regulations on religion—are all seriously limiting freedom. However, Christians are suffering not only due to the introduction of new laws but also the stricter implementation of already existing ones.
In addition, when a convert from Islam or from Tibetan Buddhism is discovered by their community and family, they are usually threatened, physically harmed and reported to the local authorities—all in an effort to win them back. Spouses may be forced to divorce, and children can be taken away from Christian parents, according to Open Doors.
All Muslim Family Members Accepted Jesus As Saviour As Jesus Healed Their Mother Of Cancer
