We Need to Pray for China–Now!

“There are no Christians in China!”

The 15-year-old atheist sitting at our dinner table said it matter-of-factly. She had never really chosen to be an atheist, it was just all she had ever known. She was a Chinese exchange student who had moved in with our family for the coming school year.

“There are more Christians in China than there are in the United States,” my wife replied.

“I have never met one.”

It was unfathomable to her that there were Christians in China. Believers in that country have had to live under-the-radar since the late 1940’s—so hidden that some young people have never knowingly met a true believer. We need to pray for China, and especially for Christians there. We do not know their names—sometimes we cannot even pronounce them–but these people are our brothers and sisters.

Persecution has increased. New, more oppressive laws have made the conscientious practice of faith—any faith—a sham. Religious leaders have been commanded by the government to preach a pro-communist message (here) and there are new, more draconian laws outlawing proselytizing, the use of religious literature and more.

The groan of millions of believers in China must have ascended to the God of heaven because China is now in crisis.

The coronavirus outbreak is likely worse than being reported. The Chinese government is reporting tens of thousands of cases and thousands of deaths, but we know in a nation of more than a billion people those numbers are just a blip. They do not explain an entire nation in fear and entire cities looking like ghost towns while people huddle inside their homes hoping the contagion will pass.

The sovereign God of heaven rules. When a human government pits itself against God Himself, God acts. It is no coincidence that this outbreak so closely follows Xi’s stifling of religious liberty. People are hurting and dying. The result seems, at least at the moment, to be that governmental leadership is in trouble (here).

So how should we pray? May I make some suggestions?

Pray for health and safety.

Pray for the lives and health of the Chinese people. Each one is a soul for whom Christ died. Jesus had compassion on the multitudes and we should as well.

Pray for protection from oppression and persecution for Chinese believers (Psalm 69).

Fear of death is near-universal in China today. There is an opportunity to share Christ to desperate friends, family, and neighbors and I have no doubt that true Chinese believers are doing just that. Please pray that God will blind the eyes of persecutors to the evangelistic efforts of God’s people.

Pray for boldness for Chinese believers (Acts 4:28-30).

The early church faced persecution in much the same way Chinese believers do. Their prayer for themselves in Acts 4 was for boldness. Pray that God will give His precious children the boldness to speak up for Him without fear.

Pray for God to throw open wide the door of opportunity (Colossians 4:3).

In November of 1989, when the Berlin wall fell, we watched in disbelief. It was unthinkable that countries behind the iron curtain would open up to the free spread of the gospel, but it happened. Is it unreasonable to pray that God would open up China in the same way? As we pray for believers in China to be bold, let us be bold in praying that God will change the hearts of Chinese leaders and open that country to the free worship of God and the spread of the gospel.

Pray for receptive hearts among the Chinese people (Acts 16:14).

God’s people can be bold and share Christ faithfully, but it is God who opens hearts to receive the truth of God’s word. Pray that God will open the hearts of the people of China to receive Christ. Pray for an awakening from darkness to the glorious light of God’s truth.

Pray for people to come to the truth and not to turn to false religions (Acts 20:28-30).

Freedom for Christians requires freedom for other faiths as well. We understand this, and as Baptists, we believe that freedom of religion allows us to compete with others in the “free market” of religious ideas. We enter that “market” armed with the truth of God’s word and the power of the Holy Spirit. As we enter that competition we know that we need God’s divine Hand to guide people to the truth and away from the false faiths that also seem to prosper.

How important is prayer? God answers prayer. He delights in answering prayer, and this type of situation is one where He will glory in turning many might turn to Himself (2 Peter 3:9). God can as easily answer the prayers of one as the prayers of millions, but He does say that two or three agreeing makes a difference (Matthew 18:19). Can we agree together in prayer regarding the present situation in China?

We want our brothers and sisters in Christ in China to know that thousands, perhaps millions, are praying for them. Encourage others to pray fervently. This is a strategic moment. The prayer need is urgent. Share this post if you see fit (Colossians 1:9-12).

That young exchange student lived in our home for the rest of the school year. She sat through family devotions with us and spent hours talking with my wife (and others in our church) about the Bible, science, creation, and her eternal soul. Six months later she claimed Christ for herself and was baptized on Easter Sunday. May God open wide the door for many more like her to follow Him in faith.