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Looking for more? View the 2005 archives or 2006 archives.
July 3
The Ride of A Lifetime
A small group of house church leaders felt exhausted when they returned from a training conference. Since it was the first time that three of them had ever flown, it had been quite an adventure. As they piled into a van and began their journey into the city, they bowed their heads and voiced a fervent prayer of thanksgiving. Then they turned their attention to the driver. Although he had heard the gospel many times, he had not yet received Christ. One of the men removed his hat as a sign of reverence to witness about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Then another one invited the driver to pull to the side of the road if he was ready to receive Jesus. The driver stopped the van immediately, bowed his head, and accepted Christ. As "hallelujahs", "amens", and other sounds of praise filled the van, the men realized that the fatigue that they had felt at the beginning of the ride was now overshadowed by renewed determination to reach the multitudes of lost people in their city.
It's His Decision
A Christian was sharing Jesus with a 16-year old seeker in a public shopping arcade when a security guard walked over and snatched the gospel tract from his hand. Feeling as if he had been caught redhanded, he turned to the guard and said, "Yes, I have already talked with this young man. He showed interest. I am not forcing him to do anything. If he should decide to believe, it's his own decision." As the guard flipped through the pages of the tract, the evangelist prayed silently. But when he saw that the guard was on the last page, he simply could not be silent. "Sir, do you know Jesus?", he asked. To his surprise, the guard responded that he did. Then the guard handed the tract to the 16-year old and said, "Here. Read it."
June 18
Real Estate in Heaven
When the Chinese realtor rented an apartment last fall to a Christian couple from overseas, she told them that she did not believe in any religion or deities. She believed only in herself. But over the course of several months, as she visited their apartment to assist with housing issues, she developed a relationship with the couple and some of their Christian friends. The self-sufficient realtor came to grips with what was lacking in her life and accepted Jesus as her Savior early this year. In the meantime, she had introduced five of her colleagues to the Christian couple. Together they began to hear the Good News and four of them accepted Christ during a Bible study held at the rented apartment on Easter night.
A Day of Miracles
The Christian worker thought that he was visiting a small clinic in the slums of his city to connect with some village evangelists who were in town. But God had something else in mind. At the clinic he found a mother sobbing over her deathly ill newborn baby. As Christians prayed over the four-day old baby, six men who worked in construction with the baby's father sat nearby not saying a word. The Christian worker picked up the tiny form and was able to detect a pulse and shallow breaths. He carried the baby outside of the dimly lit clinic to better see what was going on. As the light touched the baby's eyes, the baby boy gasped and started crying. Peasant onlookers thought that the infant had truly been revived from the dead. Accompanied by the parents and their friends, the Christian worker took the baby directly to a teaching hospital with neonatal facilities. There they encountered a Christian physician who was willing to treat the baby, despite the inability of the parents to pay up front. When the baby was out of danger later that afternoon, the entire group went out to eat. Over the meal, the Christian doctor, the village evangelists, and the overseas worker led the baby's parents and the six friends to Christ. It truly was a day of miracles, and one that caused the Christian worker to renew his commitment to making Christ known in China.
May 28
From Shame to Victory
Two simple questions helped jumpstart an evangelistic outreach to a minority group in a major China city. An overseas Christian worker first asked a house church leader if she knew any Mongol Christians. When she replied that she didn't, he said, "Why not?" It was as if he could see the light go on in her eyes. They talked a while longer about the need to reach the minority group. The next day, the lady told the Christian worker that she was ashamed that she had never thought about the spiritual needs of the minority group and ashamed that it had taken a "foreigner" to remind her of the needs of a group in her own city. She turned that shame into victory, though, by making contacts that will facilitate a wide outreach among the Mongol people living in her city.
The Lord Loves These People
He woke up feeling sick. His head ached and he had a stuffy nose. "It's going to be a long day," he thought. On the way to catch his 6:30 a.m. flight, he realized that he had not brought his medicine. "It's going to be a very long day," he sighed. Resisting the urge to ask the taxi driver to turn around, he reminded himself that he had promises to keep. But he inwardly harbored a sliver of hope that maybe his flight would be cancelled. It was not. Nor did his contact fail to meet him at his destination. He reluctantly climbed onto a bus to head out with his trainee to tell people about Jesus. The first person that they shared with rejected Jesus outright. But the next one gladly received the Gospel and accepted Jesus as Savior. At the next stop, another person accepted Christ. At noontime, they led the parents of two new believers to the Lord. All of the sudden, the evangelist realized that his headache was gone. He felt great, albeit humbled. Reflecting on the day, he said, "I learned that the Lord loves these people more than I do."
May 9
Called In
A group of six Christians who were facilitating an English camp at a local school were called to the principal's office. There they were joined by six nonbelievers who were also helping with the camp and had also been summoned. The Christians knew that the principal was a believer, but felt a bit awkward when he asked them to sing some songs together. They did so anyway, even as they wondered what was going on. Then all of the sudden, he blurted out to the Christians, "Tell them." No longer puzzled about his intent, the believers began to share their testimonies and respond to the probing earnest questions of the nonbelievers. The sharing lasted for hours, and even though there were no salvation decisions right then, doors had been opened wide through the determination of that one principal.
April 24
A Passion To Share
A believer who is a member of an ethnic minority group traveled far late last year to find someone to tell him how to share the gospel. He found someone more than willing, not only to tell him, but to show him by doing. Since then, the newly discipled believer has been instrumental in leading more than 40 members of his minority group to Christ and has started several Bible study groups. Recently, he also received official permission to travel into some normally restricted areas where his minority people live. He fully intends to take the Good News with him and share it in with people who have never heard.
Found At Last
She was only ten-years old when she was kidnapped from her Lisu minority village 70 years ago and taken to another minority community. There she grew up and eventually married. She learned to speak the dialect of the local people, adopted their culture, and even grew to accept their religious traditions. Early this year, a group of Lisu believers visited the village where the aging woman lives. When she heard the Lisu dialect, she recognized it immediately as her mother tongue. Memories flooded her heart and mind as she told them her amazing story of exile. In return, they told her a story that was even more amazing, the story of God's love manifested through Christ. As she knelt in prayer to accept Jesus into her heart, she knew that she had truly been found.
April 10
We Are Willing
They were expecting 100 persons at the Christmas party, but 200 showed up. The guests listened intently as the gospel was shared. Then an invitation was given. As the speaker asked if any of them wanted to receive Christ into their hearts, they replied almost en masse, "We are willing!"
Super Spreader
They call him a super spreader because of his effectiveness in reaching others for Christ. He accepted Christ in late 2005 and one year later had already trained 25 others to start churches. By early 2007, he had more than 50 trainers under his tutelage. All of them were committed to starting churches that would catalyze other church starts. He knew the risks, but for the sake of the Kingdom, he continued to share boldly. When he was incarcerated for a season, the gospel seeds that he had sown continued to take root and flourish.
March 27
Waiting to Know
Last Thanksgiving a worker in China looked forward to hearing from all 14 of her family members. She knew that they would call her after their traditional Thanksgiving meal at her parents' house. But since China time is a half day ahead of U.S. time, she wasn't expecting the call until that evening. In the meantime, she eagerly joined in a Thanksgiving outreach to 30 lost Chinese friends. During a time of decision, 14 of them accepted Jesus. The young worker was touched to realize that the Father, who knew how much she missed her large family back home, had given her just as many new family members that very day.
"I Haven't Changed"
Having been ousted from a spiritually receptive area of China because of his fervency in witness, the Christian worker was finding it hard to share Christ. Although he was now in a location where he could share freely, he assumed that the hearts of the people were closed to the gospel. As he prayed, he heard God say, "I haven't changed. You have." Just then, he heard the sounds of the community garbage truck and headed out to meet it. Out on the street, he ran into a large group of neighbors who were also tossing their garbage into the passing truck. He invited them into his home. Quite a few accepted his invitation, and in his home that night, a family of four accepted Christ.
March 12
Giving Thanks
Last Thanksgiving a worker in China looked forward to hearing from all 14 of her family members. She knew that they would call her after their traditional Thanksgiving meal at her parents' house. But since China time is a half day ahead of U.S. time, she wasn't expecting the call until that evening. In the meantime, she eagerly joined in a Thanksgiving outreach to 30 lost Chinese friends. During a time of decision, 14 of them accepted Jesus. The young worker was touched to realize that the Father, who knew how much she missed her large family back home, had given her just as many new family members that very day.
Chorus of Praise
In his work as a health professional, the Chinese man heard a recovering patient singing. He made a point of talking with her and she invited him to church. He accepted Christ, became active in a house church, and later on even began to co-lead the group. When he heard a presentation on the importance of exponential church growth, he was inspired him to leave the house church to start new worship groups. Within four months time, he helped start five new house churches in a previously unreached area. What started with a song has grown into a chorus of congregations praising Him.
February 7
The Fruit of Your Labor
“See this is the Bible you gave me! I have read it many times over. The Lord has helped me plant new churches!” So exclaimed the Chinese man as he welcomed back to his city the house church trainer who had given him his first Bible six months earlier. He could hardly wait to tell the trainer that through the power of the Holy Spirit, he had since begun six new congregations. He and several dozen others in his training group baptized 1,000 new believers in 2006.
The Catalyst
Most of the members of a particular house church were elderly. Although they worshipped together regularly, they weren’t very evangelistic. They hadn’t added to their numbers in quite some time. One day their gathering was interrupted by authorities who made them promise never to meet together again. So they didn’t. Seven of their members went out and started seven new house churches! Those unfriendly to the gospel had inadvertantly catalyzed its spread.
January 25
All Because of A Mistake
They had been trying to make contact with a new believer for several months, but she was not responding to their e-mails or calls. Then as they were attempting to text message another new believer, they hit the wrong button and sent it to their elusive friend. To their surprise, she responded to the message that was not intended for her! Communication was restored and she began meeting with them for Bible study. Soon after that, she was baptized. She now tells people that if her friends hadn't hit the wrong button that day, she might still be running from the Lord.
13 Years In The Making
As a fourth grader, she had to write a report on a city in China. Rather than choose a famous China city, she chose a little known city in southern China. As she researched the city and even learned to pronounce the city name in Chinese, she grew to love the city. Her report was completed 13 years ago, but she never forgot the city. When she applied to participate in Christmas in China* last fall, she prayed that God would take her to that very city. He did just that. Now her Christmas journey is complete and she has returned to the U.S. with a commitment to return for an extended time of ministry to the city that God laid on her heart when she was a child.
*An annual student project in China.
January 15
Telling the Story
The illiterate men were so excited that they were finding it hard to sleep at night. Late into the night voices could be heard calling out, "Hey! Anyone else awake? Let's practice telling the stories some more." The participants in a two-week long Bible storying training had come to faith in Christ after a Christian visited their village about four years ago. Now, after years of waiting, they were finally hearing all of the Bible stories that they had never been able to read. During daylight hours, their spiritual hunger challenged the trainers to impart to them by word of mouth the spiritual food that many Christian readers take for granted. The training is now over and they have returned to their villages to tell the stories to other non-readers, many of whom have not yet heard of Christ.
The Wedding
A small group of friends and family gathered around a banquet table to celebrate the upcoming marriage ceremony of two new believers. The parents of both the bride and the groom had traveled from far away in China to attend the wedding. Although both sets of parents had heard of their children's acceptance of Christ, none of the four had yet decided to follow Jesus. Now they found themselves amazed by the love shown by Christians who had arranged all details of the wedding. The father of the bride stood to express his gratitude to the group. "I have never seen such love displayed," he said. "This could only come from one source." Pointing to the sky, he said, "God." The young couple, who had been praying for months that their wedding would be a testimony of God's love, said a quiet "amen" and looked forward to the day when the speaker would have a personal relationship with their loving God.
January 3
A Gift From Jesus
The young Chinese man discovered a gift on his doorstep one morning last December. He didn’t really know what Christmas was about, but he knew about the tradition of Christmas gift giving. "Who would give me a Christmas gift?" he wondered. The first item that he pulled from the gift bag was a Jesus film. He looked at the picture on the cover and he read the name "Jesus". "This says Jesus," he said. "Jesus gave me a Christmas gift," he reasoned. "It’s a miracle." He watched the movie, he read the items that were in the packet, and he accepted Christ. It was indeed a miracle.
Looking For A Sign
A strategist seeking to reach a megacity for Christ was telling a Chinese lady about the meaning of Christmas last year when she said, "Did you know that I am a communist?" He replied that he didn't know, and she added that her husband was a highly placed party official. The Christian was about to become alarmed about sharing the gospel so openly when the lady stated that a Christian family member had shared the gospel with her previously and since then, she had been praying that God would give her a sign that He was willing to accept her as His child. When the conversation turned to Christmas, she knew that God had answered her prayer. She prayed on the spot to receive Christ into her heart.
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