Keep Praying!

April 16, 2010

Return to Ten Thursdays of Prayer for China’s Church.   

We have reached the end of our Ten Thursdays of Prayer for the Church in China.

It is my hope and prayer that you will continue to pray for the persecuted and oppressed in China. I also hope that you might consider taking the model that we have been following and encourage others to join you in praying. Just a few minutes of researching with great sources on the ground such as China Aid will provide you with the current situation for weekly, or even daily, prayer. Then, as you pray, put together your own list of prayer points for each situation to share with others on your email lists, Facebook page, Sunday School, youth group, etc.

You may also wish to compare the information that you receive from China Aid, with that provided by the mainstream media and respond. Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper, if they do not carry any information about the issue about which you are concerned, or if you have discovered additional information to share with them. Write to your members of Congress to either prod them to action or to praise them for their efforts.

On Wednesday, April 14, 2010, one of the foremost Christian legal advocates in China, Dr. Fan Yafeng, received the John Leland Religious Liberty Award from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Fan, who was a senior researcher at the Official Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (until being fired for unnamed political reasons in November 2009), is a founding member of the Association of Human Rights Attorneys for Chinese Christians and the lead researcher for the Holy Mountain Research Institute, the organization of “rights defenders.”

China Aid’s Bob Fu accepted the award on Fan’s behalf, as he was not allowed to leave China. According to China Aid, “Dr. Fan Yafeng has spent his career defending the persecuted, and studying Chinese constitutional law in the pursuit of justice not only for Chinese religious faithful, but for civil society as a whole.”

Dr. Richard Land, the president of the ERLC and a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, presented Dr. Fan’s award. 

When Fan was chosen to receive the award at the ERLC’s annual meeting in Nashville last September, Land told trustees their decision to honor Fan “puts a spotlight on our suffering Christian brothers and sisters in China.” He assured them that the Chinese government would become aware of the resolution honoring Fan.

Other special speakers included U.S. Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Dr. Barrett Duke, the director of the ERLC Washington office. And Dr. Fan Yafeng was present through a video message that was played during the ceremony. (Do not miss this video! In addition to Dr. Fan’s moving testimony, it contains amazing footage of the Chinese famine of 1959-1960; and the construction of the Goddess of Liberty and other scenes from Tiananmen Square.) 

All I want is to get our children away from the sins of the lies, violence, and fears of the dictatorship . . . for this reason I am willing to devote my life to God’s kingdom and China. . . .

With the combination of (faith and law) the Holy Spirit guides me to defend churches’ rights. . . .This award is an encouragement to all of the rights defenders in “Holy Mountain Institute” and all over China. I am just one of them. Behind me are a huge number of brothers and sisters praying for us, and even more are still under persecution. It is this group of people that brings revival to the Chinese house churches with their sufferings and courage.

(Dr. Fan Yafeng)

Prayer Points

Please continue to thank the Lord for the faithfulness of His Church in China. Thank Him for those who are suffering persecution and for those who are working to defend those who are persecuted. Ask Him to continue to bless these brothers and sisters, to protect them, and to deliver them. Ask God to bless and protect their families, as well. May He strengthen their marriages, guard their children, and provide for all of their needs.

Please also continue to pray for those members of the U.S. Congress who are supporters and defenders of China’s persecuted church. Ask God to bless them and multiply their effectiveness. Also ask God’s blessing on the NGOs and other human rights groups that serve the Church in China. Thank the Lord for those who care, and ask Him to let their number grow.

Finally, continue to ask God to change the hearts of the leaders of the Chinese government on every level, and particularly of those who persecute His Body.