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ImpactChina | 17 March 2024
Praise and prayer: Bearing fruit in China
Show: true / Country: China / China
When you think of Christian persecution in China, your mind might immediately go to the many restrictions placed on house churches the ongoing digital pressure experienced by some believers or the constant efforts to make Christianity more in line with Chinese communism .
While these are all important and regular examples of persecution faced by God’s people in China, in other regions of the country, the pressure is slightly different.
For instance, in some parts of the country, most people are Muslims, meaning the problems and challenges are different from those in other regions. Muslim communities can come under significant scrutiny from Chinese authorities, and sometimes these restrictions also greatly impact Christians, particularly those who come from a Muslim background.
One Open Doors partner who works in this part of China, Hollace*, shared a prayer request last year where he described the difficulties faced by believers there.
“Although Christians are not the primary target of authorities, some church leaders were still taken away for things like ‘drinking tea’ (a common euphemism for casual questioning from officials),” Hollace said in 2023. “It has become unsafe for our brothers and sisters to connect in groups; otherwise, they might be questioned by the authorities anytime.
“The church has started to scatter, and workers leave the church and live again their old lives. From our observation, the believers have gotten sluggish in praying together, and at the same time, the enemy starts looking for someone to devour just as what we have been warned in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Hollace went on to say that the land was desolate, so it needed more healthy workers to respond to the needs of the region.
Now, Hollace has provided an update—and it’s a powerful reminder that God is at work even in this incredibly difficult part of China. “I am grateful that our work is not in vain,” Hollace shares. “Leaders I paid visits to previously were afraid of being tracked, and monitored, so they laid low, and we did stop meeting each other. But God is not a God of disappointment, and everything happens according to His time.”
Hollace says their ministry is making an impact. In this part of China, domestic violence is a huge issue, so more people have wanted to learn more about how to lead couples to strengthen their marriages.
"Three pairs of couples whom I used to visit regularly have come to me to express their interest lately!” Hollace says. “They want to be trained and equipped to serve in the family and marriage field, as this is a burning issue in the area. It is commonplace for domestic violence to take place in the family. Husbands beating up their wives is seen as normal and accepted in their culture. There is a timely need to preach the biblical value based on the Word so that more families can be renewed and transformed by adopting healthy and right values.”
Ying, another Open Doors partner in the area, shares: “We praise God for answering prayers and for this marvelous change. Thank you for the prayers from the Open Doors family and Open Doors supporters. More people are willing to rise to serve even though the space is narrowing.”
He continued, calling for prayer: “Please join us in prayers that more couples in Hollace’s area can hear the Word of God and may the transforming power [of God] work inside their hearts and souls.”
Let’s praise God for encouraging Hollace and the ministry in this part of China. And continue to stand with him and other Chinese Christians who are seeking God even in the midst of so many challenges. Pray God would continue to bless this ministry and would encourage His people as they serve Him.
