Persecution and Politics

Ok, so I feel the need to apologize (again!) for not blogging. It has been more than the week or two that I said I was going to take to get some thoughts in order, etc.

So lets get down to it! Over the last six months or so, I have noticed a growing trend within the persecution watchdog circles to employ the use of politicians and political systems in trying to stop persecution of Christians. Now you may be thinking, "What's wrong with that? We have governments to keep order and to stand up against injustice." Well, that is true, but are there any examples of Christians doing this in the Bible?

When the apostle Peter was unjustly held in prison in Acts, do we see the believers decrying the corrupt authorities and seeking relief through political means? No, and in fact, it says, "but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." (12:5) The modern church many times marginalizes the power of prayer. Oh we would never say that it wouldn't help or work on behalf of an imprisoned believer, but the way we run to men is very telling about where trust really lies. As a whole, do you think the church has ceased praying without ceasing for the persecuted believers?

"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." (Heb. 13:3) We are to remember in prayer those Christians who are in prison as if we were there as well. I don't know about you, but I'd want my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to petition the Highest Power (God) for me if I was in jail for my faith. As believers, we are one body and need to, not only feel the joy, but also the pain of Christ's body of believers.

In closing, I'd like to re-quote a passage from Brother Yun's book, The Heavenly Man,

"Whenever I hear a house church Christian has been imprisoned for Christ in China I don't advise people to pray for his or her release unless the Lord clearly reveals we should pray this way.

Before a chicken is hatched it is vital it is kept in the warm protection of the shell for 21 days. If you take the chick out of that environment one day too early, it will die. similarly, ducks need to remain confined in their shell for 28 days before they are hatched. If you take a duck out on the 27th day, it will die.

There is always a purpose behind why God allows his children to go to prison. Perhaps it's so they can witness to the other prisoners, perhaps God wants to develop more character in their lives. But if we use our own efforts to get them out of prison earlier than God intended, we can thwart his plans, and the believers may come out not as fully formed as God wanted them to be." (p. 313)

When we run to politicians seeking the release of a Christian without knowing it's God's will for that believer to be released, we run the risk of working against god's plan for the person. Who knows what God can do in and through a believer while in jail? As one who hasn't had to face imprisonment in my life yet, that may seem easy to say. However, anyone who knows Brother Yun's story knows that he speaks from experience. God can work miracles, even in a jail cell!

Yun's Advice on Praying for the Persecuted

Brother Yun is an amazing man! I had read his book, The Heavenly Man, about seven years ago when I first became a Christian. Going back through it now that I've walked with the Lord for several years made it even better. God gave Yun much wisdom and his advice on praying for Christians that are being persecuted is phenomenal. I'm going to share an excerpt on praying below.

"Whenever I hear a house church Christian has been imprisoned for Christ in China I don't advise people to pray for his or her release unless the Lord clearly reveals we should pray this way.

Before a chicken is hatched it is vital it is kept in the warm protection of the shell for 21 days. If you take the chick out of that environment one day too early, it will die. similarly, ducks need to remain confined in their shell for 28 days before they are hatched. If you take a duck out on the 27th day, it will day.

There is always a purpose behind why God allows his children to go to prison. Perhaps it's so they can witness to the other prisoners, perhaps God wants to develop more character in their lives. But if we use our own efforts to get them out of prison earlier than God intended, we can thwart his plans, and the believers may come out not as fully formed as God wanted them to be." (The Heavenly Man, p. 313)

Brother Yun did not say this lightly or without experience of his own. He spent many years in Chinese prisons for his witness for Christ. He endured many beatings and times of torture for his role as an illegal (in the government of China's eyes) house church leader. He knows the how the Lord can work in a believer's heart while in prison.

For those of us who are believers in the West, this goes against everything we've been taught and experienced. Western believers like comfort and anything that causes discomfort we try to remove as quickly as possible. However, many times the hard, uncomfortable things are what God uses to refine us and make us more Christ-like.

So, instead of praying for the immediate removal of the trials, pray that God's will would be accomplished and that He would be glorified in His children's suffering.

Churches in China

When sharing about persecution in the country of China, sometimes people will disagree and say, "There is religious freedom in China! I've seen pictures of Christians entering churches and worshipping." What many don't realize is that those churches are government sanctioned and run.



Churches that the government allow are part of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. These are the only "open, legal" churches that the Communist government of China allows. And these are also the churches that many Western people see.



Brother Yun in his book, The Heavenly Man, said, "We see the Three-self Patriotic believers as caged birds. Yes, they are able to sing to the Lord, but their environment is controlled and their wings are clipped. They are free to sing only within the restrictions imposed on them." Government leaders have severely restricted Three-Self pastors. Any sort of ministry outside of the normal Sunday service is not allowed without permission. Evangelism is strongly discouraged and certain parts of the Bible are forbidden from being preached out of. Teaching on the Second Coming of Jesus, divine healing, and the book of Revelation are banned.



When one reads about persecution in the land of China, you can assume that you are reading about Christians in a house church. The government has dedicated a great amount of energy in trying to wipe out the house churches that dot the landscape of China. People within house churches refuse to be bound by an atheistic government telling them how the can and can't live the Christian life. They still honor their leaders and prayer for them, but they have chosen to obey God rather than man.



So, yes, there are churches allowed by the government, but not the true church of Jesus Christ. Churches, but not religious freedom. For an in-depth look at the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, I would encourage you to read The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun and Paul Hattaway.