Yesterday at work we spent the entire day cleaning out and rearranging an offsite storage building. Not my most favorite thing in the world to do but hey... someones gotta do it. Doing this all day gave my mind plenty of time to wander. I got to thinking about my trip to China. That truly was a life changing trip. For one, I broke my foot and got to experience first hand how bad China's medical system is. But most of all, It planted a seed in my heart for the people of China. Actually I wouldn't call it a seed. Id say it planted a 200 year old oak tree in my heart, with roots that will never be dug up.
Before the departure date I couldn't believe I was going to China! It didn't seem real to me. I was going to be in the land of the rising sun. Where the 2008 Summer Olympics were just held. Where the Great Wall of China is. A place that I had seen on TV and read about in history class or seen in movies. I never thought I, Joshua Dryer, would be going to China. While I was there, it seemed to go so fast. We made connections, built relationships, and were immersed into a culture not like ours. As we drove to the outskirts of Beijing to see the Great Wall. I searched the horizon trying to catch a glimpse of the wall, in awe that soon id be standing on a wall thats been a structure for centuries. It was breath taking. But soon we were on a plane back to the United States. We left with memories, videos, and pictures. And thinking wow... what an experience.
A year and 5 months later, while cleaning out a storage unit in Ozark Missouri, I was thinking and it HIT me... Wow I was in China. I still couldn't believe it! Memories flew through my mind. Memories of a place I hope to go back to and make more memories.
Isn't it amazing how God works? If you would have told me in High School when I was studying about China that I'd be going there in 3 years I would have laughed at you. But yet, God had a plan, he knew all along. When Moses sent Joshua and Caleb to explore the promise land, Joshua had no idea that one day He would be leading the nation of Israel across the Jordan River into the promise land. Yet God knew all along. Once they crossed, Joshua build an altar in remembrance. While in China, although I didn't physically gather stones and build a altar to remember what God did in my life, God built one in my heart so that I'll never forget. God has a plan that is being played out daily in your life. You may not know why your at the job your at or why your school is forcing you to take a certain class just to get a degree, but God does. He's setting you up and preparing you for his work. In one of our Leadership College chapels I was asked to tell about an outreach we had just done in Joplin Missouri. I didn't know id be speaking so I had planned anything. I began to talk from my heart and soon the Holy Spirit took over. I said something that I didn't realize the implications until after I said it. "This is big league stuff. Were going to go out from here and change the world. All of us." What your doing in your walk with the Lord and in your daily life is big league stuff. You may not realize it till later... when it HITS you.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Eye opener for the American Church?
While reading "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan, I came across some eye popping stats and statements. I've been on missions trips to see how blessed we are in America. But man, I still don't completely realize it, neither does the rest of America. I hope what you read below will sink in and hopefully you will pass it on.
"Many North American Christians live isolated from reality- not only from the needs of the poor overseas, but even from the poor in their own cities."
Wow that is so true. So often we focus on giving money to missionaries and feeding the poor around the world, but we forget about the poor and hungry around the corner from our church. Don't get me wrong, giving to missionaries and feeding the poor around the world is very much needed. Im not saying we should do less of supporting missionaries or donating to different organizations who help feed and water the world. But I am saying we do forget about the people closest to us and the people we could so easily help right in our own backyard.
"The United States has about 5,000 Christian book and gift stores, carrying varieties of products and many secular stores also carry religious books. All this while 6,800 of the world's 13,500 languages are still without a single portion of the Bible published in their own language! In his book My Billion Bile Drea, Rochunga Pudaite says, "Eighty-five percent of all Bibles printed today are in English for the nine percent of the world who read English. Eighty percent of the world's people have never owned a Bible while Americans have an average of four in every household."
Astonishing! 85% of Bibles are in English and only 9% of the world speaks English. Think of the thousands of languages in Africa that don't have one Bible in their language, or even in the forest of South America! Thats millions and millions of people who haven't heard the Gospel or even read it because there isn't a Bible in their language!
"The United States, with its 600,000 congregations or groups is blessed with 1.5 million full-time Christian workers, or one full-time religious leader for every 182 people in the nation. What a difference this is from the rest of the world, where more than 2 billion people are still unreached with the Gospel. The unreached or "hidden peoples" have only one missionary working for every 78,000 people, and there are still 1,240 distinct cultural groups in the world without a single church among them to preach the Gospel. These are the masses for whom Christ wept and died."
My heart breaks just to read this stuff. I pray that the Lord continues to call people to reach the unreached and hidden peoples of the world.
K.P. Yohannan wrote, "From India, I always had looked to the United States as a fortress of Christianity. With the abundance of both spiritual and material things, affluence unsurpassed by any nation on earth, and a totally unfettered church, I expected to see a bold witness. God's grace obviously has been poured out on this nation and Church in a way no other people ever have experienced. Instead I found a Church in spiritual decline."
That is right on! Its sad that in a religious free nation, Christianity is actually decreasing. And thats nothing new, Christianity has been decreasing for decades. By 2030 China is suppose to be the largest Christian nation in the world. Granted they have over a billion people but they live in a country that spreading the Gospel is illegal. Yet Christianity is growing faster in China than it is in the United State.
As the American church we need to take a hard look at ourselves. How can we live more outwardly as Christians rather then inwardly? I will be thinking about praying about this fervently.
"Many North American Christians live isolated from reality- not only from the needs of the poor overseas, but even from the poor in their own cities."
Wow that is so true. So often we focus on giving money to missionaries and feeding the poor around the world, but we forget about the poor and hungry around the corner from our church. Don't get me wrong, giving to missionaries and feeding the poor around the world is very much needed. Im not saying we should do less of supporting missionaries or donating to different organizations who help feed and water the world. But I am saying we do forget about the people closest to us and the people we could so easily help right in our own backyard.
"The United States has about 5,000 Christian book and gift stores, carrying varieties of products and many secular stores also carry religious books. All this while 6,800 of the world's 13,500 languages are still without a single portion of the Bible published in their own language! In his book My Billion Bile Drea, Rochunga Pudaite says, "Eighty-five percent of all Bibles printed today are in English for the nine percent of the world who read English. Eighty percent of the world's people have never owned a Bible while Americans have an average of four in every household."
Astonishing! 85% of Bibles are in English and only 9% of the world speaks English. Think of the thousands of languages in Africa that don't have one Bible in their language, or even in the forest of South America! Thats millions and millions of people who haven't heard the Gospel or even read it because there isn't a Bible in their language!
"The United States, with its 600,000 congregations or groups is blessed with 1.5 million full-time Christian workers, or one full-time religious leader for every 182 people in the nation. What a difference this is from the rest of the world, where more than 2 billion people are still unreached with the Gospel. The unreached or "hidden peoples" have only one missionary working for every 78,000 people, and there are still 1,240 distinct cultural groups in the world without a single church among them to preach the Gospel. These are the masses for whom Christ wept and died."
My heart breaks just to read this stuff. I pray that the Lord continues to call people to reach the unreached and hidden peoples of the world.
K.P. Yohannan wrote, "From India, I always had looked to the United States as a fortress of Christianity. With the abundance of both spiritual and material things, affluence unsurpassed by any nation on earth, and a totally unfettered church, I expected to see a bold witness. God's grace obviously has been poured out on this nation and Church in a way no other people ever have experienced. Instead I found a Church in spiritual decline."
That is right on! Its sad that in a religious free nation, Christianity is actually decreasing. And thats nothing new, Christianity has been decreasing for decades. By 2030 China is suppose to be the largest Christian nation in the world. Granted they have over a billion people but they live in a country that spreading the Gospel is illegal. Yet Christianity is growing faster in China than it is in the United State.
As the American church we need to take a hard look at ourselves. How can we live more outwardly as Christians rather then inwardly? I will be thinking about praying about this fervently.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
What have we become?
The Christian church has become one of the most critical, judgmental, ungracious body of believers in the world. Which is totally opposite from what Christ taught while on earth. This has always confused me. Christ taught, love your neighbors as yourself (Mark 12:31) love one another, (John 13:34-35) and to love your enemies (Luke 6:27-36). But yet there are believers all over America who practice the complete opposite.
I was talking with a friend from Leadership College yesterday about his Dad church. They're moving their regular service time from Sunday morning to Saturday evenings. Thats a big change for a traditional Assembly of God church. They've been averaging 12 on Sunday morning. The town they live in is a tourist destination. Most people are busy working on Sunday mornings and are not able to make it to church. However, on Saturday evenings that is the time everybody in town is off so it would be a better time for them to attend church. He said that some people in the church are upset at this change. They don't want to change service times. They are comfortable where they are and don't see a need to move times to Saturday. How unloving is that? They should be doing everything they can to get unsaved people into the church. They should be making every type of change to bring the lost in. I give props to the Pastor of that church. Its hard to go against what hard headed people in your congregation want to do. That is a tough call. If the Pastor makes a decision he feels needs to be made, and it upsets, lets say 2 families in his church, you go from 12 on Sundays to 8 or 6. Another story he told me happened a couple of months ago. He had preached about inviting people to church a couple Sundays in a row and his congregation still wasn't wanting to invite. So the next Sunday, he got so fed up, he wanted to show them how easy it was to invite people to church. He said "Look at the clock, its 9am. By 10am, my wife and I will be back with someone who's never been to church before." So he and his wife got up, left everyone sitting in the sanctuary, and walked out the church doors. With in the hour they came back with a lady they had met, invited her to church and she said yes. I thought that was a great way to open they're eyes.
As Christians we've become so concerned about who attends our churches. Regular church attenders complaining because they see two homosexuals in the Sunday service, holding hands or having their arms around each other. Or Christians complaining to Pastors because people are smoking outside the church or leaving the cigarette butts on the ground. And even complaining because people don't dress right or show up on time or don't fit in our "clicks". YOU OUGHT TO BE PRAYING FOR THOSE PEOPLE TO BE AT CHURCH. The church might be the only place Homosexuals, smoker, liar, homeless and idolaters hear the Gospel. If I was a Pastor id be so happy to see cigarette butts outside my church, because that means theres people in the church today that needs to be delivered! And the only one that can do that is Jesus Christ! We've made Church into a social event. Its not! Its a place to come together, worship God, learn, and edify each other. Did I just say edify each other? Yes I did! 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
I know of another church in a metropolitan area. That has a Sunday attendance average of 15. Not reaching out, not inviting people, simply going to church to say, I went to church today. I've done my part. Someone in the church even said "I don't want anymore people to come to our church, I like it the way it is." Wrong, wrong, wrong. How can you not have a hear for the lost? Thats the Great Commission! "Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING them to observe all that I HAVE COMMANDED you." Matthew 28:19-20 We are to bring the lost in, present the Gospel, make disciples of them, and teach them what we have been taught so that they can go and make disciples themselves.
We've got to quit being such an inward focused body of believers. WE NEED TO BECOME OUTWARD FOCUSED! Bringing the lost in, and letting them know that Christ died for them! We were just like the ones we have become so quick to reject and judge. Lost, sinners, and had no hope. But because of Christ we were shown GRACE, and FORGIVEN. Its time for us to show grace and show Gods love.
I was talking with a friend from Leadership College yesterday about his Dad church. They're moving their regular service time from Sunday morning to Saturday evenings. Thats a big change for a traditional Assembly of God church. They've been averaging 12 on Sunday morning. The town they live in is a tourist destination. Most people are busy working on Sunday mornings and are not able to make it to church. However, on Saturday evenings that is the time everybody in town is off so it would be a better time for them to attend church. He said that some people in the church are upset at this change. They don't want to change service times. They are comfortable where they are and don't see a need to move times to Saturday. How unloving is that? They should be doing everything they can to get unsaved people into the church. They should be making every type of change to bring the lost in. I give props to the Pastor of that church. Its hard to go against what hard headed people in your congregation want to do. That is a tough call. If the Pastor makes a decision he feels needs to be made, and it upsets, lets say 2 families in his church, you go from 12 on Sundays to 8 or 6. Another story he told me happened a couple of months ago. He had preached about inviting people to church a couple Sundays in a row and his congregation still wasn't wanting to invite. So the next Sunday, he got so fed up, he wanted to show them how easy it was to invite people to church. He said "Look at the clock, its 9am. By 10am, my wife and I will be back with someone who's never been to church before." So he and his wife got up, left everyone sitting in the sanctuary, and walked out the church doors. With in the hour they came back with a lady they had met, invited her to church and she said yes. I thought that was a great way to open they're eyes.
As Christians we've become so concerned about who attends our churches. Regular church attenders complaining because they see two homosexuals in the Sunday service, holding hands or having their arms around each other. Or Christians complaining to Pastors because people are smoking outside the church or leaving the cigarette butts on the ground. And even complaining because people don't dress right or show up on time or don't fit in our "clicks". YOU OUGHT TO BE PRAYING FOR THOSE PEOPLE TO BE AT CHURCH. The church might be the only place Homosexuals, smoker, liar, homeless and idolaters hear the Gospel. If I was a Pastor id be so happy to see cigarette butts outside my church, because that means theres people in the church today that needs to be delivered! And the only one that can do that is Jesus Christ! We've made Church into a social event. Its not! Its a place to come together, worship God, learn, and edify each other. Did I just say edify each other? Yes I did! 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
I know of another church in a metropolitan area. That has a Sunday attendance average of 15. Not reaching out, not inviting people, simply going to church to say, I went to church today. I've done my part. Someone in the church even said "I don't want anymore people to come to our church, I like it the way it is." Wrong, wrong, wrong. How can you not have a hear for the lost? Thats the Great Commission! "Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING them to observe all that I HAVE COMMANDED you." Matthew 28:19-20 We are to bring the lost in, present the Gospel, make disciples of them, and teach them what we have been taught so that they can go and make disciples themselves.
We've got to quit being such an inward focused body of believers. WE NEED TO BECOME OUTWARD FOCUSED! Bringing the lost in, and letting them know that Christ died for them! We were just like the ones we have become so quick to reject and judge. Lost, sinners, and had no hope. But because of Christ we were shown GRACE, and FORGIVEN. Its time for us to show grace and show Gods love.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
2010 Summer Plans
Watching the World Cup every single day!!! Haha Im really stoked for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but thats not the only big thing going on this summer.
To let everyone know, who's interested that is, this summer I will be interning under Children's Pastor Brandon Diehl at Trinity Assembly of God in Baltimore Maryland. This is an exciting opportunity the I know God has blessed me with. It's been in the works for a couple months but it became official this week. Ill be serving from June 1 through August 15. Brandon and Trinity Kids are doing a lot of cool things this summer that I wanted to be involved in and learn from. In June were taking some 5th graders on a missions trip to The Freedom Center in Lakeland Florida. In July we'll be attending the Potomac District Kids Camp. Also in July we will possibly be taking 4th graders on a missions experience to Michigan. And to wrap up the busy, eventful, summer Trinity Kids will be doing a huge Vacation Bible School in August. I've never been involved in kids missions trips, never been to a kids camp other than the Oklahoma district (Oklahoma District will always be the best so Potomac shouldn't even try), and never been in a leadership role for a VBS. So I will learn a great deal of new things this summer. Also, I wanted to see what East Coast ministry was like compared to Midwest. I've lived in the Bible belt my whole life, so I wanted to live in an area of the United States that doesn't have a church on every corner.
Lastly, I met Brandon Diehl in 2008 when he and Christopher Strok were the Camp evangelist at Kids Kamp, we've stayed in contact every since. He actually help direct me to Clent Wells, Children's Pastor at James River Assembly, who then suggested I look into James River Leadership College where I currently go to school. (Check it out its awesome! JRLC.com) He's a phenomenal guy and I know I will be blessed to be mentored by him. The Lord is going to do great things this summer and I cant want to be used by him!
To let everyone know, who's interested that is, this summer I will be interning under Children's Pastor Brandon Diehl at Trinity Assembly of God in Baltimore Maryland. This is an exciting opportunity the I know God has blessed me with. It's been in the works for a couple months but it became official this week. Ill be serving from June 1 through August 15. Brandon and Trinity Kids are doing a lot of cool things this summer that I wanted to be involved in and learn from. In June were taking some 5th graders on a missions trip to The Freedom Center in Lakeland Florida. In July we'll be attending the Potomac District Kids Camp. Also in July we will possibly be taking 4th graders on a missions experience to Michigan. And to wrap up the busy, eventful, summer Trinity Kids will be doing a huge Vacation Bible School in August. I've never been involved in kids missions trips, never been to a kids camp other than the Oklahoma district (Oklahoma District will always be the best so Potomac shouldn't even try), and never been in a leadership role for a VBS. So I will learn a great deal of new things this summer. Also, I wanted to see what East Coast ministry was like compared to Midwest. I've lived in the Bible belt my whole life, so I wanted to live in an area of the United States that doesn't have a church on every corner.
Lastly, I met Brandon Diehl in 2008 when he and Christopher Strok were the Camp evangelist at Kids Kamp, we've stayed in contact every since. He actually help direct me to Clent Wells, Children's Pastor at James River Assembly, who then suggested I look into James River Leadership College where I currently go to school. (Check it out its awesome! JRLC.com) He's a phenomenal guy and I know I will be blessed to be mentored by him. The Lord is going to do great things this summer and I cant want to be used by him!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Operation China - Day 11
Sorry these post are a couple days late. Its been a really busy weekend. Lots of things going on for Easter weekend at James River Assembly. I hope everyone had great Easter services and that God was glorified! Here are the prayer challenges for April 3rd.
April 3
Shandong Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 153,300 sq.km. Northern coastal province on the Shandong Peninsula in the Yellow Sea.
Population 90,928,000; 593 people/sq.km.
Capital Jinan 4.79m. Other major cities: Qingdao 4.38m; Zibo 3.34m; Tai'an 1.9m; Zaozhuang 2.4m; Linyi 1.61m; Weifang 1.23m; Laiwu 1.23m; Heze 1.18m; Rizhau 1.15m; Liling 1m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 99.6%, speaking Putonghua.
Hui 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.4%. Christian 3%: House churches 1.7%, TSPM 1%, all Catholics 0.3%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Shandong was the birthplace and home of Confucius, whose philosophy and writings have deeply moulded Chinese culture to this day. Pray that the Chinese may be freed from the social demands which hinder many from commitment to Christ.
2) Tai'an is near one of China's most 'holy' mountains, Taishan. This is a major spiritual stronghold on which prayer should be focused.
3) The Jesus Family, a remarkable form of communal Christianity, began in this province. They were influential in the start of the house church movement of which they are a part today. Pray for the spiritual health of all forms of indigenous Christianity and for the centrality of Scripture in their life and teaching.
Shanghai Municipality
GEOGRAPHY
Area 6,200 sq.km. China's largest and most wealthy city (after Hong Kong) and an industrial hub for the country with a large international seaport.
Population 14,773,000; 2,382 people/sq.km.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 99.6%, speaking Wu and Subei.
Other 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.4%. Christian 9.6%: House churches 5.7%, all Catholics 2.8%,TSPM 1.1%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) In 1950 there was a varied and effective church life with 256 churches, but all was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. Even today there are but 27 churches and 80 registered meeting points of the TSPM. A large network of small house churches has developed – some estimate between 3,000 and 20,000. In a crackdown in 1999, 1,000 were forcibly closed. Pray for freedom for congregations to grow and multiply.
2) The economic growth has been a magnet for up to 3 million poor, rural work-seekers from all over China who eagerly take up the dangerous and menial jobs on the margins of society. Pray for the evangelization of this uprooted mass of people.
3) For years Shanghai has been a base for Christian outreach to the whole country. One of the major house church networks is doing just that today. Pray that the drive, wealth and sophistication of this city might be harnessed for the spread of the gospel.
Shanxi province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 157,100 sq.km. Northeast China, west of Beijing. Not to be confused with neighbouring Shaanxi. [Shanxi = West of the Mountains; Shaanxi = West of the Mountain Passes].
Population 32,251,000; 205 people/sq.km.
Capital Taiyuan 2.76m. Other major cities: Datong 1.8m; Yangcheng 1.48m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 99.7%, speaking Putonghua and Jin.
Other 0.3%: Hui, Manchu.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.2%. Christian 3.4%: House churches 2.1%, TSPM 0.7%, all Catholics 0.6%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The CIM did much work here before 1949. In 1950 there were 26,000 Protestants. This number had offically grown to 220,000 (unofficially nearly 900,000) by 1999. There are also many Catholics. There has been much repression of both registered TSPM and house churches.
2) The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 led to many martyrs – thousands of Chinese as well as 159 missionaries and 46 children in Shanxi alone. Pray that their blood may prove good seed for today's Church.
3) Datong has a low percentage of Christians and is, historically, a major Buddhist centre. Pray for the breaking down of spiritual strongholds.
Sichuan Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 426,000 sq.km. A large rice-growing province on the Yangtze River ringed by high mountains. The 'panda province'.
Population 87,681,000; 205 people/sq.km.
Capital Chengdu 5.3m. Other major cities: Suining 1.7m; Neijiang 1.42m; Leshan 1.44m; Zigong 1.3m; Mianyang 1.22m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 95.4%, speaking Putonghua.
Sino-Tibetan 4.6%: 44 peoples, largest:
Tibetan E. Khampa 1.25m, Jiarong(5) 190,000; Rtahu Amdo 79,000, Ergong 49,000.
Yi Nosu(4) 1.83m; Suodi 190,000; Qiang(12) 183,000; Mosuo 30,000; Chrame 39,000; Bai Ma 15,000.
Hmong-Mien 0.8%. Miao(2) 667,000.
RELIGION
Lamaistic Buddhist 4%. Among Tibetans, Jiarong, Mosuo, Chrame. Animist, polytheist among Nosu, Bai Ma, Qiang, Miao. Christian 1.4%: House churches 0.7%, all Catholics 0.5%, TSPM 0.2%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Sichuan had the lowest Christian percentage of the Han-majority provinces until recently. The Catholics arrived in 1696 and LMS and CIM in 1868/81, but there had been no major breakthrough until a recent significant growth in the house churches. Pray that the spiritual mountains that ring this province might be breached, and millions turn to Christ.
2) Chengdu with over 5m people is a key city for the whole of western China, but there are officially only two large TSPM churches and 3,000 Protestant Christians. There may be a further 50,000 house church believers. There is a large number of ethnic minority groups in the city – especially Tibetans. Pray for this needy city and those seeking to reach it.
3) Ethnic minorities indigenous to Sichuan total 4m in 44 peoples, but 33 of them have no Christians and no known outreach to them. Of the 11 among whom there are some Christians, only the Chuan Miao and Shengzha Nosu have over 1% Christians. Intercede for:
a) The major groups with no witness; the Qiang cluster of peoples, the Tibetan groups, Suodi, Mosuo, Enshi Miao, etc. Many of these peoples, though related, speak mutually unintelligible languages.
b) The Nosu who are a particular challenge. They are a proud people that once dominated their area and enslaved the Han Chinese. They were only finally subdued by the central government in 1953. They are known for their violence, war-making, intimidation and polytheism. The JESUS film has had some impact, and there are 12,000 Christians in the largest of the 4 Nosu peoples. Pray for this spiritual stronghold to be breached.
c) The small Christian groups among them to become strong, effective witnesses.
d) Ethnic minorities in Yunnan and elsewhere with large Christian communities to become missionaries to these peoples.
e) Bible translators. The Bible is available for the Khampa and Amdo Tibetans, and there are portions of Scripture for the Chuan Miao and Shengzha Nosu, but no other group has anything of God's Word.
Tianjin Municipality
GEOGRAPHY
Area 11,300 sq.km. The port city of Beijing.
Population 9,883,000; 875 people/sq.km.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 97.8%, speaking Putonghua.
Hui 1.8%.
Other 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 1.8%. Christian 2.3%: All Catholics 1.7%, house churches 0.4%, TSPM 0.2%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church is almost as tightly controlled as in nearby Beijing, and church growth has been more limited. Catholics have fared better. Pray for an easing of the harsh restrictions and for more church growth.
April 3
Shandong Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 153,300 sq.km. Northern coastal province on the Shandong Peninsula in the Yellow Sea.
Population 90,928,000; 593 people/sq.km.
Capital Jinan 4.79m. Other major cities: Qingdao 4.38m; Zibo 3.34m; Tai'an 1.9m; Zaozhuang 2.4m; Linyi 1.61m; Weifang 1.23m; Laiwu 1.23m; Heze 1.18m; Rizhau 1.15m; Liling 1m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 99.6%, speaking Putonghua.
Hui 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.4%. Christian 3%: House churches 1.7%, TSPM 1%, all Catholics 0.3%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Shandong was the birthplace and home of Confucius, whose philosophy and writings have deeply moulded Chinese culture to this day. Pray that the Chinese may be freed from the social demands which hinder many from commitment to Christ.
2) Tai'an is near one of China's most 'holy' mountains, Taishan. This is a major spiritual stronghold on which prayer should be focused.
3) The Jesus Family, a remarkable form of communal Christianity, began in this province. They were influential in the start of the house church movement of which they are a part today. Pray for the spiritual health of all forms of indigenous Christianity and for the centrality of Scripture in their life and teaching.
Shanghai Municipality
GEOGRAPHY
Area 6,200 sq.km. China's largest and most wealthy city (after Hong Kong) and an industrial hub for the country with a large international seaport.
Population 14,773,000; 2,382 people/sq.km.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 99.6%, speaking Wu and Subei.
Other 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.4%. Christian 9.6%: House churches 5.7%, all Catholics 2.8%,TSPM 1.1%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) In 1950 there was a varied and effective church life with 256 churches, but all was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. Even today there are but 27 churches and 80 registered meeting points of the TSPM. A large network of small house churches has developed – some estimate between 3,000 and 20,000. In a crackdown in 1999, 1,000 were forcibly closed. Pray for freedom for congregations to grow and multiply.
2) The economic growth has been a magnet for up to 3 million poor, rural work-seekers from all over China who eagerly take up the dangerous and menial jobs on the margins of society. Pray for the evangelization of this uprooted mass of people.
3) For years Shanghai has been a base for Christian outreach to the whole country. One of the major house church networks is doing just that today. Pray that the drive, wealth and sophistication of this city might be harnessed for the spread of the gospel.
Shanxi province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 157,100 sq.km. Northeast China, west of Beijing. Not to be confused with neighbouring Shaanxi. [Shanxi = West of the Mountains; Shaanxi = West of the Mountain Passes].
Population 32,251,000; 205 people/sq.km.
Capital Taiyuan 2.76m. Other major cities: Datong 1.8m; Yangcheng 1.48m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 99.7%, speaking Putonghua and Jin.
Other 0.3%: Hui, Manchu.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.2%. Christian 3.4%: House churches 2.1%, TSPM 0.7%, all Catholics 0.6%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The CIM did much work here before 1949. In 1950 there were 26,000 Protestants. This number had offically grown to 220,000 (unofficially nearly 900,000) by 1999. There are also many Catholics. There has been much repression of both registered TSPM and house churches.
2) The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 led to many martyrs – thousands of Chinese as well as 159 missionaries and 46 children in Shanxi alone. Pray that their blood may prove good seed for today's Church.
3) Datong has a low percentage of Christians and is, historically, a major Buddhist centre. Pray for the breaking down of spiritual strongholds.
Sichuan Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 426,000 sq.km. A large rice-growing province on the Yangtze River ringed by high mountains. The 'panda province'.
Population 87,681,000; 205 people/sq.km.
Capital Chengdu 5.3m. Other major cities: Suining 1.7m; Neijiang 1.42m; Leshan 1.44m; Zigong 1.3m; Mianyang 1.22m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 95.4%, speaking Putonghua.
Sino-Tibetan 4.6%: 44 peoples, largest:
Tibetan E. Khampa 1.25m, Jiarong(5) 190,000; Rtahu Amdo 79,000, Ergong 49,000.
Yi Nosu(4) 1.83m; Suodi 190,000; Qiang(12) 183,000; Mosuo 30,000; Chrame 39,000; Bai Ma 15,000.
Hmong-Mien 0.8%. Miao(2) 667,000.
RELIGION
Lamaistic Buddhist 4%. Among Tibetans, Jiarong, Mosuo, Chrame. Animist, polytheist among Nosu, Bai Ma, Qiang, Miao. Christian 1.4%: House churches 0.7%, all Catholics 0.5%, TSPM 0.2%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Sichuan had the lowest Christian percentage of the Han-majority provinces until recently. The Catholics arrived in 1696 and LMS and CIM in 1868/81, but there had been no major breakthrough until a recent significant growth in the house churches. Pray that the spiritual mountains that ring this province might be breached, and millions turn to Christ.
2) Chengdu with over 5m people is a key city for the whole of western China, but there are officially only two large TSPM churches and 3,000 Protestant Christians. There may be a further 50,000 house church believers. There is a large number of ethnic minority groups in the city – especially Tibetans. Pray for this needy city and those seeking to reach it.
3) Ethnic minorities indigenous to Sichuan total 4m in 44 peoples, but 33 of them have no Christians and no known outreach to them. Of the 11 among whom there are some Christians, only the Chuan Miao and Shengzha Nosu have over 1% Christians. Intercede for:
a) The major groups with no witness; the Qiang cluster of peoples, the Tibetan groups, Suodi, Mosuo, Enshi Miao, etc. Many of these peoples, though related, speak mutually unintelligible languages.
b) The Nosu who are a particular challenge. They are a proud people that once dominated their area and enslaved the Han Chinese. They were only finally subdued by the central government in 1953. They are known for their violence, war-making, intimidation and polytheism. The JESUS film has had some impact, and there are 12,000 Christians in the largest of the 4 Nosu peoples. Pray for this spiritual stronghold to be breached.
c) The small Christian groups among them to become strong, effective witnesses.
d) Ethnic minorities in Yunnan and elsewhere with large Christian communities to become missionaries to these peoples.
e) Bible translators. The Bible is available for the Khampa and Amdo Tibetans, and there are portions of Scripture for the Chuan Miao and Shengzha Nosu, but no other group has anything of God's Word.
Tianjin Municipality
GEOGRAPHY
Area 11,300 sq.km. The port city of Beijing.
Population 9,883,000; 875 people/sq.km.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 97.8%, speaking Putonghua.
Hui 1.8%.
Other 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 1.8%. Christian 2.3%: All Catholics 1.7%, house churches 0.4%, TSPM 0.2%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church is almost as tightly controlled as in nearby Beijing, and church growth has been more limited. Catholics have fared better. Pray for an easing of the harsh restrictions and for more church growth.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Operation China - Day 10
April 2
Liaoning Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 151,000 sq.km. Southernmost of the three provinces of Manchuria, bordering on the Yellow Sea and North Korea. Heavily industrialized – much of it state-controlled.
Population 42,863,000; 284 people/sq.km.
Capital Shenyang (Mukden) 5.68m. Other major cities: Dalian 3.15m; Anshan 1.94m; Fushun 1.7m; Taian 1.57m; Wafangdian 1.34m; Dandong 1.2m; Benxi 1.17m; Haicheng 1.16m; Fuxian 1.14m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 90%, speaking Putonghua.
Manchu 5.7%.
Korean 2.4%.
Mongolian 1.2%.
Hui 0.7%. Also Xibe 180,500.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.7%. Christian 5.1%: House churches 3%, all Catholics 1.1%, TSPM 1%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church has grown significantly from a strong Presbyterian pre-revolution base. Over 20% of Christians in the province are Korean. A special effort began in 1997 to suppress Protestant and Catholic 'illegal' activities and compel the numerous house churches to register. Foreigners, especially Koreans, were noted to be especially active in church planting. Pray for wisdom, fortitude and evangelistic fervour for the believers.
2) The Manchu conquered and ruled China from 1644 to 1911, but in the process lost their culture. Of the 12.6m Manchu, only 200,000 retain a distinctly Manchu culture and their language is almost extinct. The majority live in the three provinces of former Manchuria but are also scattered across China. Most follow the range of Chinese secular and religious views, but some are still shamanist. Response to the gospel is very limited and known Christians are only 10,000 in number – less than 0.1% of the Manchu. Pray for this large unreached people.
3) The Xibe are an Altaic-Tungus people that have been largely assimilated into Chinese culture, but only a handful are known to be Christian.
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
GEOGRAPHY
Area 66,400 sq.km. Arid steppe with a fertile strip along the Yellow River in north China.
Population 5,410,000; 81 people/sq.km.
Capital Yinchuan 300,000.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 66.5%, speaking Putonghua.
Hui 33.4%.
Manchu 0.1%.
RELIGION
Muslim 34%. Christian 3.9%: all Catholics 1.9%, house churches 1.8%, TSPM 0.2%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Hui number 10.6m, but are found in every province of China. Only a minority live in their Autonomous Region. They are descendants of Muslim traders, Mongolians and Chinese. They strongly retain their culture and religion, but speak Putonghua. They are the largest Muslim ethnic group in China. After 30 years of mission outreach before 1951, very few had become Christians. There is renewed interest in reaching them. There are only about 200 scattered believers among them. Pray that in every city across China, local Christians might have a burden to reach them and the willingness to adapt their approach to be effective.
2) There is a large-scale turning to Christianity in the north along the Yellow River where there are many Han immigrants. The Catholic Church has seen the greatest growth. Pray for adequate leadership and good literature for these Christians – both in short supply.
Qinghai Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 721,000 sq.km. A huge, high alpine desert province in West China on the Tibetan Plateau.
Population 5,098,000; 7 people/sq.km.
Capital Xining 937,000.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 59.9%, speaking Putonghua.
Sino-Tibetan 19.4%. 8 peoples, largest: Amdo Tibetan(2) 710,000; Golog 128,000; Khampa Tibetan 118,000; Sogwo Arig 37,000.
Hui 13.7%.
Mongolian 4.8%. 4 peoples: Tu 200,000; Oirat 91,000, Mongour 40,000; Bonan 6,000.
Turkic-Altaic 2.2%. 2 peoples: Salar 113,000; Kazakh 3,000.
RELIGION
Muslim 16%. Christian 2.3%: House churches 1.4%, TSPM 0.6%, all Catholics 0.3%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) This desolate region is dotted with labour camps. Many thousands of prisoners have endured great hardship there – including many believers. Pray for all prisoners of conscience that their faith in God might grow and bless those around them.
2) In the 1940s there were only a few hundred Christians, mainly in Xining, but in the last 20 years growth has been significant in the few urban areas. There are only five registered TSPM churches and 40 meeting points in the province. The believers are poor but fervent in outreach – pray that this ministry might be fruitful.
3) The unreached:
a) The Tibetans are strong in their Lamaistic Buddhism. Their living conditions are harsh, and they depend on their large herds of yak. Unprecedented heavy snows in 1996 decimated these herds and made many destitute. Christian help for them gave opportunities for witness. There are now a handful of isolated believers. Pray for open hearts, bound demonic powers and for many people to be free in Jesus.
b) The Tu and Mongour are Lamaistic Buddhists with no known believers. They are isolated from existing outreach.
c) The Muslim Hui in Xining are numerous and there are a handful of Christians, but few witness to them.
d) The Muslim Salar and Bonan remain completely unreached.
Shaanxi Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 195,800 sq.km. in north-central China.
Population 36,828,000; 188 people/sq.km.
Capital Xian 3,352,000. Once the capital of China in the T'ang dynasty. Famous for the buried terracotta army.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 99.6%, speaking Putonghua.
Hui 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.4%. Christian 4.5%: House churches 2.7%, TSPM 1.0%, all Catholics 0.8%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Shaanxi was the birthplace of Christianity in China. The Nestorians built their first church in Xian in 635. Terrible persecution wiped out this witness. Pray that the 21st Century may be one of triumph for the Church.
2) The Church has grown dramatically from 30,000 Christians in 1949 to officially 350,000 and unofficially maybe nearly 3m today. Pray for the spiritual unity and health of Shaanxi Christians and that they may retain the fire of the Holy Spirit into the next generation.
Liaoning Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 151,000 sq.km. Southernmost of the three provinces of Manchuria, bordering on the Yellow Sea and North Korea. Heavily industrialized – much of it state-controlled.
Population 42,863,000; 284 people/sq.km.
Capital Shenyang (Mukden) 5.68m. Other major cities: Dalian 3.15m; Anshan 1.94m; Fushun 1.7m; Taian 1.57m; Wafangdian 1.34m; Dandong 1.2m; Benxi 1.17m; Haicheng 1.16m; Fuxian 1.14m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 90%, speaking Putonghua.
Manchu 5.7%.
Korean 2.4%.
Mongolian 1.2%.
Hui 0.7%. Also Xibe 180,500.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.7%. Christian 5.1%: House churches 3%, all Catholics 1.1%, TSPM 1%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church has grown significantly from a strong Presbyterian pre-revolution base. Over 20% of Christians in the province are Korean. A special effort began in 1997 to suppress Protestant and Catholic 'illegal' activities and compel the numerous house churches to register. Foreigners, especially Koreans, were noted to be especially active in church planting. Pray for wisdom, fortitude and evangelistic fervour for the believers.
2) The Manchu conquered and ruled China from 1644 to 1911, but in the process lost their culture. Of the 12.6m Manchu, only 200,000 retain a distinctly Manchu culture and their language is almost extinct. The majority live in the three provinces of former Manchuria but are also scattered across China. Most follow the range of Chinese secular and religious views, but some are still shamanist. Response to the gospel is very limited and known Christians are only 10,000 in number – less than 0.1% of the Manchu. Pray for this large unreached people.
3) The Xibe are an Altaic-Tungus people that have been largely assimilated into Chinese culture, but only a handful are known to be Christian.
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
GEOGRAPHY
Area 66,400 sq.km. Arid steppe with a fertile strip along the Yellow River in north China.
Population 5,410,000; 81 people/sq.km.
Capital Yinchuan 300,000.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 66.5%, speaking Putonghua.
Hui 33.4%.
Manchu 0.1%.
RELIGION
Muslim 34%. Christian 3.9%: all Catholics 1.9%, house churches 1.8%, TSPM 0.2%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Hui number 10.6m, but are found in every province of China. Only a minority live in their Autonomous Region. They are descendants of Muslim traders, Mongolians and Chinese. They strongly retain their culture and religion, but speak Putonghua. They are the largest Muslim ethnic group in China. After 30 years of mission outreach before 1951, very few had become Christians. There is renewed interest in reaching them. There are only about 200 scattered believers among them. Pray that in every city across China, local Christians might have a burden to reach them and the willingness to adapt their approach to be effective.
2) There is a large-scale turning to Christianity in the north along the Yellow River where there are many Han immigrants. The Catholic Church has seen the greatest growth. Pray for adequate leadership and good literature for these Christians – both in short supply.
Qinghai Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 721,000 sq.km. A huge, high alpine desert province in West China on the Tibetan Plateau.
Population 5,098,000; 7 people/sq.km.
Capital Xining 937,000.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 59.9%, speaking Putonghua.
Sino-Tibetan 19.4%. 8 peoples, largest: Amdo Tibetan(2) 710,000; Golog 128,000; Khampa Tibetan 118,000; Sogwo Arig 37,000.
Hui 13.7%.
Mongolian 4.8%. 4 peoples: Tu 200,000; Oirat 91,000, Mongour 40,000; Bonan 6,000.
Turkic-Altaic 2.2%. 2 peoples: Salar 113,000; Kazakh 3,000.
RELIGION
Muslim 16%. Christian 2.3%: House churches 1.4%, TSPM 0.6%, all Catholics 0.3%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) This desolate region is dotted with labour camps. Many thousands of prisoners have endured great hardship there – including many believers. Pray for all prisoners of conscience that their faith in God might grow and bless those around them.
2) In the 1940s there were only a few hundred Christians, mainly in Xining, but in the last 20 years growth has been significant in the few urban areas. There are only five registered TSPM churches and 40 meeting points in the province. The believers are poor but fervent in outreach – pray that this ministry might be fruitful.
3) The unreached:
a) The Tibetans are strong in their Lamaistic Buddhism. Their living conditions are harsh, and they depend on their large herds of yak. Unprecedented heavy snows in 1996 decimated these herds and made many destitute. Christian help for them gave opportunities for witness. There are now a handful of isolated believers. Pray for open hearts, bound demonic powers and for many people to be free in Jesus.
b) The Tu and Mongour are Lamaistic Buddhists with no known believers. They are isolated from existing outreach.
c) The Muslim Hui in Xining are numerous and there are a handful of Christians, but few witness to them.
d) The Muslim Salar and Bonan remain completely unreached.
Shaanxi Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 195,800 sq.km. in north-central China.
Population 36,828,000; 188 people/sq.km.
Capital Xian 3,352,000. Once the capital of China in the T'ang dynasty. Famous for the buried terracotta army.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 99.6%, speaking Putonghua.
Hui 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.4%. Christian 4.5%: House churches 2.7%, TSPM 1.0%, all Catholics 0.8%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Shaanxi was the birthplace of Christianity in China. The Nestorians built their first church in Xian in 635. Terrible persecution wiped out this witness. Pray that the 21st Century may be one of triumph for the Church.
2) The Church has grown dramatically from 30,000 Christians in 1949 to officially 350,000 and unofficially maybe nearly 3m today. Pray for the spiritual unity and health of Shaanxi Christians and that they may retain the fire of the Holy Spirit into the next generation.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Operation China - Day 9
Today one of the province's we are praying for is the province where our group spent most of our time. Jiangxi province in the city of Nanchang. Beautiful area, it was towards the end of December and the weather was much like Oklahomas at that time of the year. I found some pictures online of the area where we were at.
This is the school we visited
And this of course one of my favorite... The "Zu Qiu" field, Soccer field there at the school. I was really hoping to be able to play on it but the students were more interested in playing basketball than soccer.
Would you help us for pray Jiangxi province and the others? Prayer changes things, and when we pray God answers. Amen?
April 1
Jiangsu Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 102,600 sq.km. Relatively prosperous, fertile coastal province west of Shanghai.
Population 73,866,000; 720 people/sq.km.
Capital Nanjing 3.38m. Other major cities: Xuzhou 1.83m; Wuxi 1.05m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese – speaking Putonghua.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.2%. Christian 7.6%: House churches 5.1%, TSPM 1.5%, all Catholics 1%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Church growth has been spectacular since 1980, with over one million associated with TSPM churches and many more with burgeoning house churches. Pray that no subterfuge or attack of the enemy of souls may succeed in hindering that growth.
2) Nanjing is an important centre for Christians – one of the most prestigious TSPM seminaries and the Amity Press are located here.
Jiangxi Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 164,800 sq.km. South-central China.
Population 42,654,000; 259 people/sq.km.
Capital Nanchang 1.84m. Other major cities: Pingxiang 1.87m; Fuzhou 1.42m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese – speaking Putonghua and Gan.
RELIGION
Christian 4.8%: House churches 3.4%, TSPM 0.9%, all Catholics 0.5%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Communist Long March began here – a march that ended with the political triumph for that ideology, but an immense disaster for China. The blight of that history still affects Jiangxi. Pray for the release of the province from all that opposes God.
2) There are some areas where Christians have multiplied, but many parts of the province are relatively under-evangelized.
Jilin Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 187,000 sq.km. Part of former Manchuria, bordering on North Korea and Siberia.
Population 27,153,000; 145 people/sq.km.
Capital Changchun 2.95m. Other major cities: Jilin 1.77m; Gongzhuling 1.33m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 91.9%, speaking Putonghua.
Korean 4.9%.
Manchu 2.3%.
Hui 0.5%.
Mongolian 0.4%.
RELIGION
Many Koreans practice a mix of Buddhism and Shamanism. Muslim 0.5%. Christian 5.7%: House churches 4.1%, TSPM 0.9%, all Catholics 0.7%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church is relatively strong with many registered and unregistered congregations. A large minority of the Christians are Koreans. Nearly a third of the 2.1m Koreans in Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces are Christian. Praise God for this.
2) Changchun has a much lower percentage of Christians. Pray for churches to be multiplied.
3) The Chinese Korean Church has an unusual role to play for North Korea. The terrible plight of their kinsfolk in that repressed land has brought many famine and political victims to them. In the event that Communism collapses, these Christians will play a vital part in the healing and re-evangelization of North Korea.
This is the school we visited
And this of course one of my favorite... The "Zu Qiu" field, Soccer field there at the school. I was really hoping to be able to play on it but the students were more interested in playing basketball than soccer.
Would you help us for pray Jiangxi province and the others? Prayer changes things, and when we pray God answers. Amen?
April 1
Jiangsu Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 102,600 sq.km. Relatively prosperous, fertile coastal province west of Shanghai.
Population 73,866,000; 720 people/sq.km.
Capital Nanjing 3.38m. Other major cities: Xuzhou 1.83m; Wuxi 1.05m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese – speaking Putonghua.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.2%. Christian 7.6%: House churches 5.1%, TSPM 1.5%, all Catholics 1%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Church growth has been spectacular since 1980, with over one million associated with TSPM churches and many more with burgeoning house churches. Pray that no subterfuge or attack of the enemy of souls may succeed in hindering that growth.
2) Nanjing is an important centre for Christians – one of the most prestigious TSPM seminaries and the Amity Press are located here.
Jiangxi Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 164,800 sq.km. South-central China.
Population 42,654,000; 259 people/sq.km.
Capital Nanchang 1.84m. Other major cities: Pingxiang 1.87m; Fuzhou 1.42m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese – speaking Putonghua and Gan.
RELIGION
Christian 4.8%: House churches 3.4%, TSPM 0.9%, all Catholics 0.5%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Communist Long March began here – a march that ended with the political triumph for that ideology, but an immense disaster for China. The blight of that history still affects Jiangxi. Pray for the release of the province from all that opposes God.
2) There are some areas where Christians have multiplied, but many parts of the province are relatively under-evangelized.
Jilin Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 187,000 sq.km. Part of former Manchuria, bordering on North Korea and Siberia.
Population 27,153,000; 145 people/sq.km.
Capital Changchun 2.95m. Other major cities: Jilin 1.77m; Gongzhuling 1.33m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 91.9%, speaking Putonghua.
Korean 4.9%.
Manchu 2.3%.
Hui 0.5%.
Mongolian 0.4%.
RELIGION
Many Koreans practice a mix of Buddhism and Shamanism. Muslim 0.5%. Christian 5.7%: House churches 4.1%, TSPM 0.9%, all Catholics 0.7%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church is relatively strong with many registered and unregistered congregations. A large minority of the Christians are Koreans. Nearly a third of the 2.1m Koreans in Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces are Christian. Praise God for this.
2) Changchun has a much lower percentage of Christians. Pray for churches to be multiplied.
3) The Chinese Korean Church has an unusual role to play for North Korea. The terrible plight of their kinsfolk in that repressed land has brought many famine and political victims to them. In the event that Communism collapses, these Christians will play a vital part in the healing and re-evangelization of North Korea.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Operation China - Day 8
Im going to start adding more information about each province. Info on geography, peoples, and religion to go along with the prayer challenges. So don't be scared off when each day seems longer... just more knowledge you get to gain! Enjoy!
March 31
Hubei Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 187,500 sq.km. Astride the Yangtze River, a province of many lakes and much agriculture.
Population 60,653,000; 323 people/sq.km.
Capital Wuhan 4.75m. Other major cities: Suizhou 1.94m; Xiantao 1.84m; Jingmen 1.5m; Echeng 1.1m; Honghu 1.1m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 96.3%, speaking Putonghua.
Tujia 3.1%.
Miao 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.2%. Christian 1.3%: House churches 0.7%, all Catholics 0.3%, TSPM 0.3%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church grew considerably before 1949, but since then growth has not matched that of many other areas. The authorities have maintained a tight control – especially over the cities, so registered churches are relatively few. Pray for a shattering of the political, ideological and spiritual chains that bind the people.
2) The house churches are strong in some rural areas but isolation and poverty hinder expansion.
Hunan Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 210,500 sq.km. Central China.
Population 66,895,000; 318 people/sq.km.
Capital Changsha 1.74m. Other major cities: Changde 1.65m; Yueyang 1.24m, Leiyang 1.5m; Lianyuan 1.35m; Xiangxiang 1.15m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 95.7%. .Putonghua and Xiang are spoken
Hmong-Mien 2%. Miao peoples: Ghao-Xong(2) 1.1m. Yao peoples: Iu Mien 168,000; Wunai 10,000.
Sino-Tibetan 1.6%: Tujia 740,000; Mozhihei 5,000.
Tai 0.7%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.1%. Christian 2.4%: House churches 1.8%, TSPM 0.3%, all Catholics 0.3%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Maoism in this, Mao's home province, is still strong. There has long been an anti-foreign spirit which has slowed the penetration of the gospel. Hunan is possibly China's spiritually hardest Han Chinese population. Pray for the removal of the spiritual barriers.
2) The less evangelized:
a) Changsha, the capital, has relatively few Christians; most of the growth in house churches is rural and, in some areas thriving.
b) The Tujia are one of the larger peoples in the world without anything of the Bible, and not yet even a script. There are now about 30,000 Christians (0.3%).
c) The Miao peoples. The Ghao-Xong are marginally reached with 5,000 Catholics, but the Yao Iu Mien and Wunai have no known believers.
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Nei Mongol)
GEOGRAPHY
Area 1,177,500 sq.km. Windswept, barren grassland and desert bordering on Mongolia. The western point is 3,500km from its north-eastern point.
Population 23,928,000; 20 people/sq.km.
Capital Hohhot 1.26m. Other major cities: Baotou 1.68m; Huaide 1.1m; Chifeng 1.04m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 84.2%, speaking Putonghua.
Mongolian 13.3%. 5 peoples, largest: Mongolian 5.8m; Buryat 100,000; Khalkha 52,000.
Manchu 1.3%.
Hui 0.9%.
Turkic-Altaic 0.2%: Evenki(2) 29,000; Oroqen 9,000.
Other 0.1% Korean.
RELIGION
Most Mongolians are Lamaistic Buddhist but many of the smaller minorities are Shamanists. Christian 4.7%: House churches 2.7%, all Catholics 1.3%,TSPM 0.7%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Mongolians have become a minority in their own land because of the massive immigration of Han Chinese. Yet there are more Mongolians here than in independent Mongolia to the north. Few have become Christian (some estimate 12,000 or 0.21%). Pray for:
a) Workers (Mongolian from the growing churches in Mongolia, or other nationalities) to be called.
b) The New Testament to be translated and printed in the Mongolian vertical script.
c) Churches to be planted. Officials claim that there is no justification for churches since no missionaries were here in the past.
d) The binding of demonic powers in the Lamaism and black magic practiced by Mongolians.
e) FEBC radio broadcasts to them.
2) House churches have multiplied across the region but almost all are Han groups. They have to keep a low profile because of the prevailing repression. Pray for continued growth, also for outreach to non-Han indigenous peoples.
3) Among the nomadic Evenki and Oroqen along the Russian border there is no permanent witness, and only a handful of Christians among the Evenki. Few have heard the gospel. Violence and alcoholism is a special problem for the Oroqen.
March 31
Hubei Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 187,500 sq.km. Astride the Yangtze River, a province of many lakes and much agriculture.
Population 60,653,000; 323 people/sq.km.
Capital Wuhan 4.75m. Other major cities: Suizhou 1.94m; Xiantao 1.84m; Jingmen 1.5m; Echeng 1.1m; Honghu 1.1m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 96.3%, speaking Putonghua.
Tujia 3.1%.
Miao 0.4%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.2%. Christian 1.3%: House churches 0.7%, all Catholics 0.3%, TSPM 0.3%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church grew considerably before 1949, but since then growth has not matched that of many other areas. The authorities have maintained a tight control – especially over the cities, so registered churches are relatively few. Pray for a shattering of the political, ideological and spiritual chains that bind the people.
2) The house churches are strong in some rural areas but isolation and poverty hinder expansion.
Hunan Province
GEOGRAPHY
Area 210,500 sq.km. Central China.
Population 66,895,000; 318 people/sq.km.
Capital Changsha 1.74m. Other major cities: Changde 1.65m; Yueyang 1.24m, Leiyang 1.5m; Lianyuan 1.35m; Xiangxiang 1.15m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 95.7%. .Putonghua and Xiang are spoken
Hmong-Mien 2%. Miao peoples: Ghao-Xong(2) 1.1m. Yao peoples: Iu Mien 168,000; Wunai 10,000.
Sino-Tibetan 1.6%: Tujia 740,000; Mozhihei 5,000.
Tai 0.7%.
RELIGION
Muslim 0.1%. Christian 2.4%: House churches 1.8%, TSPM 0.3%, all Catholics 0.3%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Maoism in this, Mao's home province, is still strong. There has long been an anti-foreign spirit which has slowed the penetration of the gospel. Hunan is possibly China's spiritually hardest Han Chinese population. Pray for the removal of the spiritual barriers.
2) The less evangelized:
a) Changsha, the capital, has relatively few Christians; most of the growth in house churches is rural and, in some areas thriving.
b) The Tujia are one of the larger peoples in the world without anything of the Bible, and not yet even a script. There are now about 30,000 Christians (0.3%).
c) The Miao peoples. The Ghao-Xong are marginally reached with 5,000 Catholics, but the Yao Iu Mien and Wunai have no known believers.
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Nei Mongol)
GEOGRAPHY
Area 1,177,500 sq.km. Windswept, barren grassland and desert bordering on Mongolia. The western point is 3,500km from its north-eastern point.
Population 23,928,000; 20 people/sq.km.
Capital Hohhot 1.26m. Other major cities: Baotou 1.68m; Huaide 1.1m; Chifeng 1.04m.
PEOPLES
Han Chinese 84.2%, speaking Putonghua.
Mongolian 13.3%. 5 peoples, largest: Mongolian 5.8m; Buryat 100,000; Khalkha 52,000.
Manchu 1.3%.
Hui 0.9%.
Turkic-Altaic 0.2%: Evenki(2) 29,000; Oroqen 9,000.
Other 0.1% Korean.
RELIGION
Most Mongolians are Lamaistic Buddhist but many of the smaller minorities are Shamanists. Christian 4.7%: House churches 2.7%, all Catholics 1.3%,TSPM 0.7%.
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Mongolians have become a minority in their own land because of the massive immigration of Han Chinese. Yet there are more Mongolians here than in independent Mongolia to the north. Few have become Christian (some estimate 12,000 or 0.21%). Pray for:
a) Workers (Mongolian from the growing churches in Mongolia, or other nationalities) to be called.
b) The New Testament to be translated and printed in the Mongolian vertical script.
c) Churches to be planted. Officials claim that there is no justification for churches since no missionaries were here in the past.
d) The binding of demonic powers in the Lamaism and black magic practiced by Mongolians.
e) FEBC radio broadcasts to them.
2) House churches have multiplied across the region but almost all are Han groups. They have to keep a low profile because of the prevailing repression. Pray for continued growth, also for outreach to non-Han indigenous peoples.
3) Among the nomadic Evenki and Oroqen along the Russian border there is no permanent witness, and only a handful of Christians among the Evenki. Few have heard the gospel. Violence and alcoholism is a special problem for the Oroqen.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Operation China - Day 7
I cant believe its already been seven days, one week since Operation China started. Time sure does fly. But I know that our prayers are being heard. I think about how many other people are doing this in the world. Im sure Im not the only one in the world with the book. Can you imagine God hearing all his people praying for the country of China? It must be music to his ears! People from the United States, Brazil, Romania, Kenya, Canada, Chile, Austria, where ever they may be... all praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ living in China! Well lets not waist anymore time, lets start praying!
March 30
Guizhou Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Praise God for amazing growth of the Church in some areas
2) The challenge of the unreached is great
a) The more heavily populated southeast of Guizhou has possibly only 1,000 believers in registered churches
b) The 20 Miao peoples – two are Christian, two have a significant minority of believers, six have a handful of believers, but 10 have none at all
c) There are 39 peoples indigenous to Guizhou with no witness whatsoever,
Hainan Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Hainan had an economic boom in the 1980s which led to spectacular growth as a Special Economic Zone and huge corruption, followed by an equally spectacular bust
2) The Li are the largest indigenous people
3) The Utsat are China's only Malay people
Hebei Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Hebei is one of the most rigidly policed provinces and Christians have suffered much over the past two decades. Pray for both grace and greater freedom for the Christians in their strategic province.
2) Hebei is the heart of Catholicism in China with a large proportion of Catholics. Many remain loyal to the Vatican. These latter have suffered particularly severely since 1997. Protestant and Independent Christians have increased in numbers in some areas, but repression has hindered registration of churches.
Henan Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Mao's disastrous policies caused over 8 million Henanese to die of famine. Henan was declared an 'Atheistic Zone' in the 1960s, but today Communist officials complain of it as a 'Jesus Nest' suffering from 'Christianity fever'! Praise God for the spectacular growth of the Church. Revival began during the Cultural Revolution with mass conversions, miracles and vision for evangelizing China. Some counties are reported to be largely or completely Christian today.
2) Outreach from Henan churches has been one of the great stories of the expansion of Christianity. Church planting teams (often young women) fanned out over China, followed by discipling teachers. Dangers for this movement:
a) Multiplication of extremes and deviant sects because of lack of teaching or due to leadership disputes.
b) Increased denominationalism.
c) Increased persecution since 1999 with many arrests, punitive fines and destruction of some church buildings.
Heilongjiang Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Rapid church growth has occurred in both TSPM and especially in house churches. There are thousands of worshipping groups and churches, but only 24 ordained TSPM pastors. Pray for maturity and stability as well as provision of godly leadership.
2) Most of the small indigenous Mongolian and Altaic peoples are shamanistic. Many are resentful of the Chinese 'takeover' of their homelands. The largest, the Daur, have begun to respond to the gospel. There are about 1,000 Christians. Pray for non-Han missionaries to commit their lives to reaching these peoples. Most, such as the Hezhen, Bogol, Khakas, Kyakala, Olot and Saman, total only about 15,000 people. There is nothing of the Scriptures or other media for these peoples – except portions of the Scriptures in Hezhen.
March 30
Guizhou Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Praise God for amazing growth of the Church in some areas
2) The challenge of the unreached is great
a) The more heavily populated southeast of Guizhou has possibly only 1,000 believers in registered churches
b) The 20 Miao peoples – two are Christian, two have a significant minority of believers, six have a handful of believers, but 10 have none at all
c) There are 39 peoples indigenous to Guizhou with no witness whatsoever,
Hainan Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Hainan had an economic boom in the 1980s which led to spectacular growth as a Special Economic Zone and huge corruption, followed by an equally spectacular bust
2) The Li are the largest indigenous people
3) The Utsat are China's only Malay people
Hebei Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Hebei is one of the most rigidly policed provinces and Christians have suffered much over the past two decades. Pray for both grace and greater freedom for the Christians in their strategic province.
2) Hebei is the heart of Catholicism in China with a large proportion of Catholics. Many remain loyal to the Vatican. These latter have suffered particularly severely since 1997. Protestant and Independent Christians have increased in numbers in some areas, but repression has hindered registration of churches.
Henan Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Mao's disastrous policies caused over 8 million Henanese to die of famine. Henan was declared an 'Atheistic Zone' in the 1960s, but today Communist officials complain of it as a 'Jesus Nest' suffering from 'Christianity fever'! Praise God for the spectacular growth of the Church. Revival began during the Cultural Revolution with mass conversions, miracles and vision for evangelizing China. Some counties are reported to be largely or completely Christian today.
2) Outreach from Henan churches has been one of the great stories of the expansion of Christianity. Church planting teams (often young women) fanned out over China, followed by discipling teachers. Dangers for this movement:
a) Multiplication of extremes and deviant sects because of lack of teaching or due to leadership disputes.
b) Increased denominationalism.
c) Increased persecution since 1999 with many arrests, punitive fines and destruction of some church buildings.
Heilongjiang Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Rapid church growth has occurred in both TSPM and especially in house churches. There are thousands of worshipping groups and churches, but only 24 ordained TSPM pastors. Pray for maturity and stability as well as provision of godly leadership.
2) Most of the small indigenous Mongolian and Altaic peoples are shamanistic. Many are resentful of the Chinese 'takeover' of their homelands. The largest, the Daur, have begun to respond to the gospel. There are about 1,000 Christians. Pray for non-Han missionaries to commit their lives to reaching these peoples. Most, such as the Hezhen, Bogol, Khakas, Kyakala, Olot and Saman, total only about 15,000 people. There is nothing of the Scriptures or other media for these peoples – except portions of the Scriptures in Hezhen.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Operation China - Day 6
Good Monday to everyone! I just want to share a little something with you that I think is important to remember and be to be focused as a Christian. Often we get caught up in the things around us, the busy schedules, the media outlets (Facebook, internet, Twitter, television) that we forget what are real purpose of life is. I know each of us have a specific reason for being on this earth and God knows what plans he has for us. But with out a doubt for all Christians, our purpose is 1) to give God glory, and 2) tell a lost and dying world about Christ. Isn't that awesome?! We have the privilege everyday to wake up and tell the world about the victorious living through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!! Not only is it our privilege but its also our responsibility. This week is considered Passion Week. On friday, we remember that Christ payed the ultimate sacrifice, he was our lamb offering, dying on the cross for our sins that we may be forgiven. Sunday, we worship the risen King! He's Alive! He's Alive! Isn't that something that all the world ought to hear? Would you help pray for the people of China? They need to hear that Jesus Christ is alive and he died for them! Here are the prayer challenges for today.
March 29
Guangdong Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Guangdong was the first province evangelized by Protestants
2) Cantonese and Hakka Chinese are often traders and entrepreneurs
3) Christians have been under severe pressure from the police who, since 1999, have made great efforts to subjugate the house churches
4) The Biao Mien and Zaomin Yao in the northern mountains are two distinct peoples, but in both there are only a few believers, mainly young people
5) Cantonese and Hakka are two major components of the Overseas Chinese in SE Asia and other continents
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The growth of Christians among the Thai-related Zhuang and also among the Han gives cause for praise! From 7,000 Christians in 1949 there are over 10 times that membership today – about half are Zhuang
2) The Zhuang have responded in the last decade through a concerted prayer and ministry effort for their evangelization
3) The Yao peoples total about 2.2m in the mountains of Guangxi
March 29
Guangdong Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Guangdong was the first province evangelized by Protestants
2) Cantonese and Hakka Chinese are often traders and entrepreneurs
3) Christians have been under severe pressure from the police who, since 1999, have made great efforts to subjugate the house churches
4) The Biao Mien and Zaomin Yao in the northern mountains are two distinct peoples, but in both there are only a few believers, mainly young people
5) Cantonese and Hakka are two major components of the Overseas Chinese in SE Asia and other continents
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The growth of Christians among the Thai-related Zhuang and also among the Han gives cause for praise! From 7,000 Christians in 1949 there are over 10 times that membership today – about half are Zhuang
2) The Zhuang have responded in the last decade through a concerted prayer and ministry effort for their evangelization
3) The Yao peoples total about 2.2m in the mountains of Guangxi
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Operation China - Day 5
Now we move into praying for the 31 Province's of China. I will try to put up pictures of each province so you have an idea where they are or what that region looks like. You may have seen my saying after a couple of the post... "Prayer changes everything, and when we pray God answers." That saying is so true. God loves to hear from his people. He created us, he made us in his own image, he wants a personal relationship with us. Communicating is part of having a personal relationship. And praying for a country greatly in need is a responsibility of all Christians. Please tell your friends about Operation China and help spread that cause!
Anhui Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Utopian Maoism was a disaster for Anhui's people
2) Christian growth has been remarkable
3) Lack of leadership in the churches has resulted in the forming of a number of extreme or heretical groups
4) Persecution of unregistered churches became more severe in 1999 with a major drive against 'cults', harsh 're-education' programmes, closure of meetings, heavy fines and imprisonments
Beijing Municipality
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) China is ruled from Beijing
2) The Communist authorities keep tight control of the Christians and Christian activity, being particularly severe on unofficial ministry
3) There are 3m migrants without legal residence papers
Chongqing Municipality
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Chongqing is the industrial and trade hub for southwest China on the Yangtze River, and reputedly one of the ten most polluted cities in the world through heavy use of coal
2) Many of the 800,000 people being displaced by the nearby Three Gorges Dam will be resettled in Chongqing and Fuling
Fujian Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The first Protestant missionaries arrived in the early 19th Century
2) Buddhism and Daoism have revived – over 20,000 temples have been illegally built or restored
3) The unreached in two significant groups:
a) The 800,000 She are a Hmong people related to the Miao, but Christians are only around 1,000 (0.12%)
b) The 4,000 Ami, Bunun and Paiwan are related to the mountain peoples of Taiwan where most have become Christian
Gansu Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Christian population is relatively small
2) The least evangelized:
a) The Dongxian, Bonan and Enger Yugur are of mixed Mongolian background and are strongly Muslim
b) The Muslim Hui are numerous in the cities;
c) Tibetans are largely Buddhist and number 400,000
Anhui Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Utopian Maoism was a disaster for Anhui's people
2) Christian growth has been remarkable
3) Lack of leadership in the churches has resulted in the forming of a number of extreme or heretical groups
4) Persecution of unregistered churches became more severe in 1999 with a major drive against 'cults', harsh 're-education' programmes, closure of meetings, heavy fines and imprisonments
Beijing Municipality
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) China is ruled from Beijing
2) The Communist authorities keep tight control of the Christians and Christian activity, being particularly severe on unofficial ministry
3) There are 3m migrants without legal residence papers
Chongqing Municipality
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Chongqing is the industrial and trade hub for southwest China on the Yangtze River, and reputedly one of the ten most polluted cities in the world through heavy use of coal
2) Many of the 800,000 people being displaced by the nearby Three Gorges Dam will be resettled in Chongqing and Fuling
Fujian Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The first Protestant missionaries arrived in the early 19th Century
2) Buddhism and Daoism have revived – over 20,000 temples have been illegally built or restored
3) The unreached in two significant groups:
a) The 800,000 She are a Hmong people related to the Miao, but Christians are only around 1,000 (0.12%)
b) The 4,000 Ami, Bunun and Paiwan are related to the mountain peoples of Taiwan where most have become Christian
Gansu Province
CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Christian population is relatively small
2) The least evangelized:
a) The Dongxian, Bonan and Enger Yugur are of mixed Mongolian background and are strongly Muslim
b) The Muslim Hui are numerous in the cities;
c) Tibetans are largely Buddhist and number 400,000
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Operation China - Day 4
I hope everyone is learning about the Country of China as well as learning about the spiritual needs that China is faced with. Here is the prayer challenges for today...
March 27
SUPPORTIVE MINISTRIES
1) Missionaries, as such, are not welcome in China
a) Tourists – over 30m visited China in 1995 and spent $US9 billion
b) Students – usually for language or cultural studies in various universities
c) Foreign experts and businessmen
d) Chinese family members who visit their ancestral homes
2) Provision of Bibles is still inadequate, despite the large increase in the number of copies available
3) Video and audio tapes
a) The JESUS film is being widely seen on home video in 20 completed language versions
b) Teaching tapes
c) GRN has produced gospel messages or tapes in 160 languages and dialects;
4) Christian literature
a) Literature production in Hong Kong from where a widening range of literature is being published
b) Suitable literature and books for intellectuals are a great need
c) The Amity Foundation Press in Nanjing has printed 10m copies of 130 book titles
5) The Internet has become very popular and in 2000 there were an estimated 10m Internet users
6) Christian radio has been and still is one of the most potent pre-evangelism and Christian teaching media for China today
a) The many hundreds of hours of broadcasting in Putonghua and other Han Chinese dialects
b) FEBC's use of four wave bands in Guam to minister simultaneously to young people, young Christians, church leaders and ethnic minorities
c) The protection of listeners
March 27
SUPPORTIVE MINISTRIES
1) Missionaries, as such, are not welcome in China
a) Tourists – over 30m visited China in 1995 and spent $US9 billion
b) Students – usually for language or cultural studies in various universities
c) Foreign experts and businessmen
d) Chinese family members who visit their ancestral homes
2) Provision of Bibles is still inadequate, despite the large increase in the number of copies available
3) Video and audio tapes
a) The JESUS film is being widely seen on home video in 20 completed language versions
b) Teaching tapes
c) GRN has produced gospel messages or tapes in 160 languages and dialects;
4) Christian literature
a) Literature production in Hong Kong from where a widening range of literature is being published
b) Suitable literature and books for intellectuals are a great need
c) The Amity Foundation Press in Nanjing has printed 10m copies of 130 book titles
5) The Internet has become very popular and in 2000 there were an estimated 10m Internet users
6) Christian radio has been and still is one of the most potent pre-evangelism and Christian teaching media for China today
a) The many hundreds of hours of broadcasting in Putonghua and other Han Chinese dialects
b) FEBC's use of four wave bands in Guam to minister simultaneously to young people, young Christians, church leaders and ethnic minorities
c) The protection of listeners
Friday, March 26, 2010
Operation China - Day 3
Day 3 of "Operation China" and its along nicely. I have no idea how many people are reading or participating but I hope somebody is. Last night, my girlfriend Lindsay and I went to Branson for the World Missions Alliance Conference to hear Pastor/Author Mark Batterson speak. He has written three books and I highly encourage you to read all three. Their amazing, they make you think outside the box and he has a story for everything so it really helps you grasp what he's saying. Last night he made a statement that I've read in his book before but it stuck more when I hear him say it. He said, "Don't accumulate possessions accumulate experiences." Man, thats so good!
The picture is of an experience I will never forget. Basketball in China is HUGE. Because of Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant NBA is the sport to talk about, at least at the University we were at. I've seriously never seen so many basketball courts in one place in my life! They had like 20 courts on the north side of camps and 20 on the south side of campus. Everyday there were students out playing basketball and just having fun. When we would hang out with students at the coffee shop they were constantly asking us to play with them. We had a busy schedule during the day but we ended up having some free time one day to play. So they set up a US v China basketball game. They set this up days in advanced, told everybody they knew about it, and were very excited to play the foreigners! Team USA (Braley, Jared, Crystal, Jayson, and myself) and Team China (made up of about 15 Chinese University students) and let me just say... people showed up to watch! It was so cool! I played basketball all my life growing up, and played in school until 10 grade but none of that added up to the game we played in China. We had height, some skill, and knowledge. They had speed, speed, speed! They were quick, constantly running up and down the court. And we were huffing and puffing the whole way. haha It was such a great time, I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a close game the whole time, and came down to the last couple of minutes. But... Team USA came away with the win! Winning usually means something to me, Im a very completive person. But on that day, on that court in China, the only thing that mattered was the experience that I will never forget.
Heres the prayer challenges for today... wont you join me? Prayer changes everything, and when we pray God answers... Amen!?
MARCH 26
THE LESS EVANGELIZED
1) The nearly 60 million Communist Party members are, by definition, atheists, but ideology is a facade to cover self-seeking opportunism
2) The armed forces, who are the protectors of the Marxist state, and who jealously guard their privileged position and network of industries
3) The 'lost generation', the young people mobilized as the Cultural Revolution Red Guards
4) Those still bound by the idolatrous superstitions of Daoism, Buddhism and the legalism of Confucianism
5) Children and young people under 18 number over 500m
6) University students (3million) are the key for the future
a) Christians among them to be built up in their faith and to be fervent witnesses
b) The establishment of Bible study groups on every one of the 1,054 campuses
c) Those who study abroad
7) Muslims number 25million, and are almost entirely linked to specific ethnic groups
8) Ethnic Minorities comprise 8.7% of the population, 100m people in 464 distinct non-Han ethno-linguistic groups
a) A global concern for the evangelization of these numerous unreached peoples,
b) Greater involvement of Christian tribals and Chinese Han Christians in reaching them
c) The planting of indigenous churches
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Operation China - Day 2
This is a picture of me and my brothers, Jared Kennedy and Jayson Evans, in the streets of Nanchang China. Their not really my brothers but I consider them to be. Nanchang is where we spend nine of our eleven days in China. We spend time with college students, just hanging out with them and building relationships. All the students were very nice, always happy, and asked tons of questions! It was Christmas time while we were there. They loved wearing santa claus hats, singing songs, and watching Jared dance around with antlers and a blinking red nose being Rudolph. haha
Today is day two of our Operation China. March 24 - April 5 were praying for specific prayer challenges in China. Today were focusing on the church in China. Here they are...
THE CHURCH IN CHINA
1) The Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) was instituted by 'patriotic' and often theologically liberal Christians with the strong encouragement of the Communist Party as the interface between the government and Church
a) The neutralization of all measures to impose unbiblical doctrines on the churches, limit evangelism, and force conformity to the dictates of the atheist government
b) Leaders who have compromised the faith and bowed to government pressure
c) The continued growth of the registered churches
d) Relationships between the TSPM churches and house churches
e) The future of the TSPM. Growth, despite its major flaws and weaknesses, has been astonishing
2) Leadership training is woefully deficient, and a crisis need
a) Faculty – often selected for their political correctness rather than for their walk with God
b) Students
c) Protection from interference
3) The Catholics were divided when the Marxists set up the Catholic Patriotic Association in 1957 with its own structure and hierarchy independent of the Vatican
4) The unregistered or house church networks are the heart of the true Church in China
a) Persecution is a present reality
b) Ongoing evangelistic outreach
c) Challenges to face:
d) The intellectual elite is largely urban
e) Leadership for the churches
f) The multiplication of heretical sects and doctrinal extremist groups
g) Spiritual unity has been furthered by recent persecution
h) Missions vision
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Operation China
I have this book called "Operation World." It has a country you pray for everyday of the year, it gives you an overview of the geography, peoples, economy, politics, and religion. Also, gives specific challenges to pray for in that particular country. So after 365 days you would have prayed for every country in the world. Its really cool, and this year i've tried to keep up with it praying for the different countries. Its great because it teaches you about challenges in other countries not only economically but also spiritually.
March 24 marks the start for the country of China. It actually has given March 24 - April 5 for praying for China. A great group of people and I made the trip to China in December of 2008. During that trip a seed was planted in my heart for the country and people of China. Over the past year and a half the Lord has watered and given sunshine to that seed and it has grown. I don't know what is in store but I pray that the Lord sends me back someday or I at least am able to help from a distance.
I want to invite everyone to join me in fervent prayer for China over the next couple of weeks. Everyday here on my blog I will post the challenges for prayer that the book gives and also some other information that will help you learn about the country and people of China. It starts off with general prayer challenges, then after a couple days it breaks China up into the 31 provinces and list specific request for each province. It might look like a lot of reading or information to go through but what is 5 or 10 minutes of our day for millions of lost people who haven't heard the Gospel. Prayer changes everything and when we pray God works. Amen?
March 24
Answers to Prayer
1) The survival and reviving of the Church in China was one of the decisive events of the 20th Century.
2) The growth of the Church in China since 1977 has no parallels in history. The 1,266,000 Protestant members and 1.8 mill. affiliates in 1949 had become 17m members and maybe 26m affiliates in 2000 as well as a much larger uncounted, but estimated, 45m house church Christians. The Catholics grew from 3m to 12m over the same period.
3) The millions of intercessors who travailed in prayer for the long-delayed breakthrough. The cumulative impact of 150 years of global prayer for China has been enormous. Prayer is changing China.
4) The atheist rulers of China became unwitting instruments in the hand of our Sovereign God to prepare the way for this growth. Mao Zedong sought to destroy all religious 'superstition' but in the process cleared spiritual roadblocks for the advancement of Christianity. Deng reversed the horrors inflicted by Mao and in freeing up the economy, gave more freedom to the Christians, who made use of the opportunity.
5) The manifest failure of Communism. Colossal blunders and changes in Party policy over 45 years have disillusioned the people. The fall of personality-cult leaders and the failure of promises for a better future have created a vacuum which only the gospel can fill. The nepotism, corruption and factionalism of the present Communist Party are repugnant to the majority. The Church of the Lord Jesus is larger than the Communist Party of China.
6) The faith and commitment of Christians under what may prove to be the most harsh and widespread persecution of the Church in all history. The persecution purified and indigenized the Church and has inured it to successive waves of further repression and government efforts to weaken or destroy it.
7) The aftermath of the Beijing massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989. This was a defining moment in Chinese history. The discredited leadership is still haunted by the debacle, and the result was a significant turning to God for the first time among urban intellectuals. Christians are now found in every stratum of Chinese society.
8) The loving witness of ordinary Christians ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit. His power has often been manifested in miracles, healings and exorcisms. The majority of these evangelists and church planters have been women – many still in their teens. In many areas 70 – 80% of the Christians are women.
9) The fruitfulness of Christian radio and the remarkable faith of those who broadcast into China for years with little visible evidence of a response – that evidence is now plain to see.
10) The Internet is creating extraordinary new openings for evil and for good – the latter in providing discipleship and leadership development materials.
Challenges for Prayer
GENERAL
1) There may only be a ten-year window of opportunity for receptivity. Materialism with increasing wealth, the debilitating effects of spreading corruption, the moral decline and the social impact of the one-child policy all are conspiring to blunt the cutting edge of the Church. Pray that present openness in the midst of opposition may be used to the full.
2) Communist Party members are the elite and number some 60m. All are officially atheist, but among them are many who are secretly religious and even Christian. Pray for the collapse of the whole atheistic system and its lies so assiduously propagated in the education system, and pray for the conversion of those within the Party.
3) Market socialism is a convenient term to gloss over the ideological bankruptcy of the Marxism still espoused by the ruling elite. The government vainly tries to control information while promoting the Internet, and to indoctrinate a bored and disillusioned new generation that hankers after freedom. The irreconcilable conflict between crass capitalism and personal greed and the refusal to allow any political reform will lead to change. Pray that this change might be both peaceful and spiritually beneficial to the Chinese.
4) The 'One Child' policy is a draconian means of taming the growth of the population. Family life has been deeply impacted, shown in: a higher divorce rate, 10m abortions a year (nearly all girls), suicide (40% of the world's suicides are in China), pampered children with poor interpersonal skills and the abandonment of baby girls and older people. The rising generation will pay a heavy cost – in 2000 there were 90m marriageable unmarried men; in some areas young men outnumber young women by 30-40% – rape, abductions, female slavery, incest, prostitution and the rapid spread of AIDS could all be the result. Pray for family stability and health. Pray also for wise policies to be implemented that will stabilize the population.
5) Economic liberalization has made a few very wealthy and improved living standards for many, but made others worse off:
a) The millions of unemployed have become an impoverished under-class. Multitudes flock to cities seeking employment.
b) The poorer inland provinces far from the sea where there has been less development; housing, education, health etc., are at a much lower standard.
c) The elderly – with the one-child policy limiting family care for them.
d) Those in the penal system with 15 – 20 million incarcerated.
e) Those with disabilities.
Pray for a fairer and more free society to emerge.
6) The social and health needs in China overwhelm the available resources. Diseases are a challenge – 1.9m with tuberculosis, over 300,000 with HIV/AIDS, 10m mentally retarded through iodine-deficiency, 60m disabled, 13m blind and 520,000 registered drug addicts. Then there are the unemployed and the numerous victims of famines, floods and earthquakes due to the density of the population. Pray that Christians may find many openings to serve such in the social and caring professions and opportunities to show and speak about the love of Jesus for them.
7) China faces environmental disasters on many fronts – deforestation causing massive flooding, the unknown impact of the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, polluted rivers filled with industrial and human waste, nine of the ten most polluted cities in the world, desertification in the north and east, and the continued increase of the population. Pray for a government courageous and trusted enough to take the difficult decisions required for the long-term well-being of the nation.
March 24 marks the start for the country of China. It actually has given March 24 - April 5 for praying for China. A great group of people and I made the trip to China in December of 2008. During that trip a seed was planted in my heart for the country and people of China. Over the past year and a half the Lord has watered and given sunshine to that seed and it has grown. I don't know what is in store but I pray that the Lord sends me back someday or I at least am able to help from a distance.
I want to invite everyone to join me in fervent prayer for China over the next couple of weeks. Everyday here on my blog I will post the challenges for prayer that the book gives and also some other information that will help you learn about the country and people of China. It starts off with general prayer challenges, then after a couple days it breaks China up into the 31 provinces and list specific request for each province. It might look like a lot of reading or information to go through but what is 5 or 10 minutes of our day for millions of lost people who haven't heard the Gospel. Prayer changes everything and when we pray God works. Amen?
March 24
Answers to Prayer
1) The survival and reviving of the Church in China was one of the decisive events of the 20th Century.
2) The growth of the Church in China since 1977 has no parallels in history. The 1,266,000 Protestant members and 1.8 mill. affiliates in 1949 had become 17m members and maybe 26m affiliates in 2000 as well as a much larger uncounted, but estimated, 45m house church Christians. The Catholics grew from 3m to 12m over the same period.
3) The millions of intercessors who travailed in prayer for the long-delayed breakthrough. The cumulative impact of 150 years of global prayer for China has been enormous. Prayer is changing China.
4) The atheist rulers of China became unwitting instruments in the hand of our Sovereign God to prepare the way for this growth. Mao Zedong sought to destroy all religious 'superstition' but in the process cleared spiritual roadblocks for the advancement of Christianity. Deng reversed the horrors inflicted by Mao and in freeing up the economy, gave more freedom to the Christians, who made use of the opportunity.
5) The manifest failure of Communism. Colossal blunders and changes in Party policy over 45 years have disillusioned the people. The fall of personality-cult leaders and the failure of promises for a better future have created a vacuum which only the gospel can fill. The nepotism, corruption and factionalism of the present Communist Party are repugnant to the majority. The Church of the Lord Jesus is larger than the Communist Party of China.
6) The faith and commitment of Christians under what may prove to be the most harsh and widespread persecution of the Church in all history. The persecution purified and indigenized the Church and has inured it to successive waves of further repression and government efforts to weaken or destroy it.
7) The aftermath of the Beijing massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989. This was a defining moment in Chinese history. The discredited leadership is still haunted by the debacle, and the result was a significant turning to God for the first time among urban intellectuals. Christians are now found in every stratum of Chinese society.
8) The loving witness of ordinary Christians ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit. His power has often been manifested in miracles, healings and exorcisms. The majority of these evangelists and church planters have been women – many still in their teens. In many areas 70 – 80% of the Christians are women.
9) The fruitfulness of Christian radio and the remarkable faith of those who broadcast into China for years with little visible evidence of a response – that evidence is now plain to see.
10) The Internet is creating extraordinary new openings for evil and for good – the latter in providing discipleship and leadership development materials.
Challenges for Prayer
GENERAL
1) There may only be a ten-year window of opportunity for receptivity. Materialism with increasing wealth, the debilitating effects of spreading corruption, the moral decline and the social impact of the one-child policy all are conspiring to blunt the cutting edge of the Church. Pray that present openness in the midst of opposition may be used to the full.
2) Communist Party members are the elite and number some 60m. All are officially atheist, but among them are many who are secretly religious and even Christian. Pray for the collapse of the whole atheistic system and its lies so assiduously propagated in the education system, and pray for the conversion of those within the Party.
3) Market socialism is a convenient term to gloss over the ideological bankruptcy of the Marxism still espoused by the ruling elite. The government vainly tries to control information while promoting the Internet, and to indoctrinate a bored and disillusioned new generation that hankers after freedom. The irreconcilable conflict between crass capitalism and personal greed and the refusal to allow any political reform will lead to change. Pray that this change might be both peaceful and spiritually beneficial to the Chinese.
4) The 'One Child' policy is a draconian means of taming the growth of the population. Family life has been deeply impacted, shown in: a higher divorce rate, 10m abortions a year (nearly all girls), suicide (40% of the world's suicides are in China), pampered children with poor interpersonal skills and the abandonment of baby girls and older people. The rising generation will pay a heavy cost – in 2000 there were 90m marriageable unmarried men; in some areas young men outnumber young women by 30-40% – rape, abductions, female slavery, incest, prostitution and the rapid spread of AIDS could all be the result. Pray for family stability and health. Pray also for wise policies to be implemented that will stabilize the population.
5) Economic liberalization has made a few very wealthy and improved living standards for many, but made others worse off:
a) The millions of unemployed have become an impoverished under-class. Multitudes flock to cities seeking employment.
b) The poorer inland provinces far from the sea where there has been less development; housing, education, health etc., are at a much lower standard.
c) The elderly – with the one-child policy limiting family care for them.
d) Those in the penal system with 15 – 20 million incarcerated.
e) Those with disabilities.
Pray for a fairer and more free society to emerge.
6) The social and health needs in China overwhelm the available resources. Diseases are a challenge – 1.9m with tuberculosis, over 300,000 with HIV/AIDS, 10m mentally retarded through iodine-deficiency, 60m disabled, 13m blind and 520,000 registered drug addicts. Then there are the unemployed and the numerous victims of famines, floods and earthquakes due to the density of the population. Pray that Christians may find many openings to serve such in the social and caring professions and opportunities to show and speak about the love of Jesus for them.
7) China faces environmental disasters on many fronts – deforestation causing massive flooding, the unknown impact of the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, polluted rivers filled with industrial and human waste, nine of the ten most polluted cities in the world, desertification in the north and east, and the continued increase of the population. Pray for a government courageous and trusted enough to take the difficult decisions required for the long-term well-being of the nation.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Tragedy...
The tragedy of modern faith is that we no longer are capable of being terrified. We aren't afraid of God, we aren't afraid of Jesus, , we aren't afraid of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we have ended up with a need-centered gospel that attracts thousands... but transforms one. Our world is tired of people whose God is tame. It is longing to see people whose God is big and holy and frightening and gentle and tender... and ours; a God whose love frightens us into His strong powerful arms where He longs to whisper those terrifying words, "I Love You."
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A blog from my heart
So Saturday, Lindsay and I were over at her host parents house for at birthday party they were throwing her. They told us that one of their good friends from California just lost her husband in a car wreck on Tuesday. They live up in the mountains and it was snowing., as he was taking a turn his truck flipped, rolled down the side of the mountain, instantly killing him. They said that she has nobody around her to support her as she goes through this very tough time. I can't image what she's going through. Losing her best friend, her husband, and going through that loss alone. Now you might be asking "What about her family?" Well, they all have outcast her. You see the gentleman was not a Christian and neither is the lady. She's actually a wiccan, She practices witchcraft.
Now here is where the story really got to me. The lady actually grew up in the church. Her whole family went to church. This lady was overweight as a youth, she was considered a nerd by her peers, and nobody wanted to be her friend. Her youth group went on a trip and she decided to go. On the bus nobody talked to her, not the students, not the youth workers. When they had driven half way they slept over night at a local church. While they stayed up late talking, playing games, and having fun; no one included her. The youth group ignored her, they didn't include her, she felt invisible. She slept that night alone on the other side of the room. When she woke up the next morning, she was the only one in the room. She walked outside to see where everyone was, there was nobody and the church bus was gone. They had left her. This took place back in the seventy's. There were no pagers, no cell phones, no way of contacting someone right away. It took her parents eight hours to drive and come pick her up. She sat in that room for eight hours thinking of how the "Christians" ignored her, how the "Christians" didn't talk to her, how the "Christians" didn't make friends with her. She thought about how the "Christ like" made her sleep alone the night before, and how the "Christ like" left her at that church all alone with no food and no water. That day she said, is the day she made up her mind that Christianity is not for her. She began to look else where for friends, for acceptance, and for love. She chose wicca. What made that hatred for christianity grow even more, her mother, a pastor in the Epospicalian church, has tried to shove christianity down her throat. Her sister who have abandoned her because of who she is and what she believes.
One event changed a girls opinion of Christianity. She chose, because the way so called "Christians" treated her, that she wanted nothing to do with Christianity. At the moment I heard this story I prayed "Lord please help me never to act in a way that would make a person say no to Christianity." It absolutely broke my heart! Christianity should be the single most accepting people in the world! Christ accepted everyone! As Christians we are CALLED to LOVE! They acted totally opposite of the way Jesus lived on earth. "Christian" literally means Christ-like. Love is one of the most important things a Christian does. Love God most of all then love others! "Romans 12:9 Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good." Read the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. Don't read through it quickly, let it soak in. Christians need to accept and love everyone! No matter what they look like, dress like, smell like, act like, or how they treat you! I have found myself treating others differently because they are not "normal". I will be praying I show love to EVERYONE. I couldn't live with knowing I treated someone in a way that made them choose against God. "1 John 2:10 Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause another to stumble." We are not to shove our believes down non believers throats. We are to show them through our actions! Actions speak louder than words. Once they see that you actually care for them and love them for who they are and not just because you want them to take on your beliefs, opportunities will open for you to share Christ.
While reading "Primal" by Mark Batterson he talks, in the first chapter, about loving the Lord God with all your heart. Mark says to truly love God with all your heart is to have a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. Now read that again "having a heart.... that breaks for the things... that break the heart of God." I've been praying that God gives me a heart that breaks for the same thing his breaks for. Having compassion for people.
I want to challenge you to evaluate yourself. Have you not been showing love to Christians and non Christians alike? How can you show Christ's love better? Are you acting and treating people in a way that would cause them to say "Christianity is not for me"? I will be praying I show love in a way Christ would, I hope and pray you will be praying that prayer with me.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
The Beginning
Well this is the beginning of my blogging career. We shall see how it goes. I'll be blogging on my relationship with God, church, school, sports, life,... everything I guess. Kinda excited, but don't want to be a let down in the blogging world.
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