I could kick myself because I did not have my camera to photograph the final underground meetings. It was an amazing sight; so many black heads crammed together to hear God’s word. There is no shortage of on-fire Christians here. We don’t normally think of China as a Christian nation; however, the believers outnumber American Christians by about two to one.
On both Sunday morning and evening we preached to migrant worker churches. The first one was part of a network of 50 groups. Precious Chinese faces of all ages stuffed into the 20x20 foot room in the morning.
In the evening I counted 60 in the 10x25 house. Everything the family owned went up on a bamboo shelf at the back, and eight-inch high stools came out for the people to squat on. A row of believers at our feet left us almost no stage space. Bodies overflowed at the door and, when one more pushed in, the crowd staggered in mass and nearly toppled.
In the middle of the message, someone outside knocked on the plywood covering holes in the wall. Oh no, I thought, another bust? A sister slipped behind us to remove the plywood and fresh air rushed in. A welcome interruption.
The singing was awesome. These people redefine worship. In the morning I was able to get good videos because everybody was so engrossed in the Lord they did not know they were photographed.
I taught on ‘Normal Christianity.’ It is normal to feel your faith is insufficient, your trials are too big, and your sin is overwhelming. Those feelings produce the humility necessary to cling to Jesus. It went off pretty well, but after the closing prayer the translator took initiative and asked how many in the group were new believers. A large number raised their hands, so we all sat down again for sermon number two.
I went over the beautiful gospel message and baptism. Sometimes you can feel the power of the Spirit in a message. This was one of those times. Even with translation, the truth landed on both feet.
“If you understand what baptism means and you are ready to be unified to Jesus, stand up right now.”
It wasn’t the most graceful way to ask for a decision, but 15 stood to their feet; some quite enthusiastically. I invited them to my mansion in heaven and left while they organized baptisms.
So now I am in Seoul, Korea awaiting a flight to Seattle and processing the events of this trip. I picture the earnest faces pressing up toward God. I rejoice there will be so many from Asia to celebrate around our King’s throne when the new order begins.
I often functioned on half throttle. The Lord saw my inadequacy and stepped in time after time. So my big takeaway is gratitude for the faithfulness of the one I serve.
A secondary issue is with the desperate crowds that wanted me to pray over them. My response is to refuse. I remind them of their own authority to bring their requests to God.
My translator told me I upset people several times. He felt I was not compassionate enough. His assessment is right; I must be more loving. Still, I struggle with how to teach the priesthood of all believers. How do we end the cycle of dependency if we allow them to think we have a more direct line to God? It is an ongoing problem and I continue to seek better answers.
Sorry I cannot put videos or many pictures on the Internet because of security risks. The old pics are still at: http://gallery.me.com/jamesdchristian/100037
Thanks for joining me via prayer. It was a great tour.
I saw a tee shirt slogan I am making my own: When I die, I want my body used up for Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.
JDC--
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