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THE WORD
TIt was the worst of times?
In these challenging circumstances they would have been strengthened by a letter they received from the prophet Jeremiah, encouraging them to stand firm in their faith. They were the remnant through whom God was continuing to prove Himself faithful, he told them. Jeremiah even encouraged them to be a blessing
watched, even having cameras placed in their churches to monitor them as they worship. Where they displease the government, prison can await, as it did for Pastor Wang Yi who is serving a nine-year sentence handed down in 2019.
We may look at the oppression of
the Chinese Communist Party and conclude that it is indeed the worst of times for Christians in China, but we know already that God has used this time in China to grow His church in unprecedented ways. Perhaps
to the nation which had taken them prisoner, exalting them to continue trusting the Lord and living out their faith – and live it out they did. They trusted fully in God, at one point declaring that even if they were to
die at the hands of their captors, they would not bow down to the false gods of Babylon. And they continued to work hard to be a blessing in their new, oppressive environment.
Like Daniel, Wang Yi knew he was being watched, but continued faithfully
we might conclude that in God’s economy, even under such great oppression, it is very much the best of times in China!
Living under oppression does not mean the church cannot thrive, writes Jack Norman
he book of Daniel has much to knee to authorities that seek to put leading his church, continued
teach us about life in a state themselves above God. training others in Christian ministry, of oppression. Daniel and and continued inviting others
his friends had lived through the reformation years of King Josiah,
yet, when we see them for the first time, their whole system of worship had been destroyed, the temple in Jerusalem ransacked, and they had been taken off as prisoners by a foreign king determined to assimilate them into his own culture and belief systems.
Just as Daniel was watched by those around him, who reported him to the king for not following his decrees, Christians in China are constantly
to know Christ for themselves. Like Daniel and his three friends, Wang Yi was prepared to face the consequences of his actions.
In this new, oppressive environment, they lived each day with the threat of imprisonment, or even death, if they stepped out of line and dared to challenge what the king said.
‘Wang Yi knew he was being watched, but continued faithfully leading his church and continued training others in Christian ministry’
For Daniel and all those in exile, the oppression they endured during the 70 years of exile may indeed have felt like the worst of times, but we know that God was working for the good; He remained faithful.
INSPIRING FAITH
‘Christianity is the only profession in the world in which men remain disciples for life and never become independent workers.’
Pastor Richard Wurmbrand was imprisoned for 14 years in communist Romania in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1968 he inspired the founding of Release International, which today continues his ministry to serve persecuted Christians around the world in the name of Jesus.
There are many who stand in line with them today. Living in repressive states they continue to act as good citizens, seeking to be a blessing to those around them, yet unwilling to bow the
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