An Opposite Reaction

Two weeks ago on Friday, April 20, an independent advocacy organization called the China Aid Association (CAA) reported a sweeping, but not surprising move, on the part of the Chinese government. Effective immediately, the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), an arm of the People's Republic of China, is launching a nationwide effort to eradicate house churches in the communist nation. According to the report, this strategy will be carried out in three, comprehensive stages.

First, the SARA will conduct a thorough investigation of every house church and compile a dossier on these congregations. Next, the government will "persuade" these churches to lose the name "church," stop proselytizing and register their "gathering" with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Finally, the churches that do not abide by these sanctions will be eliminated by the Administration. The pressure has already begun to build. The CAA randomly surveyed numerous house churches and 95% of those questioned said they are feeling the effects of this new move. An astounding 85% of house churches surveyed said that dossiers have already been complied of their congregation.

As we watch this tragedy unfold from the comfort of our American churches, our response should be two-fold. We should first and foremost pray for the persecuted believers of China. They are not obscure, nameless people whose proximity keeps us apathetic. They are truly our brothers and sisters in Christ. To love them and lift them up to our Father is not a spiritual suggestion, it is a supernatural mandate straight from the mouth of Jesus (John 15). Let us beg God for every tear they cry and drop of blood they shed to break our hearts. 

Second, we should be incredibly careful when we pray for them. Our initial temptation, living in a nation that enjoys freedom and comfort, is to pray for the immediate end of their persecution and imminent justice for their torturers. Yet, we must listen to the actual requests of our brothers and sisters across the globe. They will be the first to say, without hesitation, to not pray for the lessening of persecution, because this will decrease the speed in which the gospel will be spread. Our international families know the depth and truth of Tertullian's statement that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church." 

Padded pews. Climate-controlled facilities. Relatively safe communities. Virtual religious liberty. These things are not inherently unacceptable or un-Christlike. We should celebrate our freedom and be grateful for good gifts. Yet these luxuries do prevent us from completely grasping the scope of how the Spirit uses persecution. It is used to extend the Gospel throughout unreached regions like wildfire on a hot, dry day. In other words, the actual proposed "elimination of house churches" in China, will probably have the opposite reaction the government is looking for which is…an increased velocity of the Church in China!

So how should we pray with our limited understanding of persecution and our propensity for safety? When our work for the Gospel meets vicious opposition, how should we lift this need to our Father? We would be wise to listen to and echo the prayer the early church prayed in the midst of life-threatening risks:

"And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete BOLDNESS, while You stretch out Your hand for healing, signs, and wonders to be performed through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." (Acts 4:29-31)

In the midst of opposition, will we pray for safety…or boldness?