"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy -to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." Jude 1:24
Members of BiblesforChina ministry were in China in August. It was a productive and enlightening trip for us in which we as an organization were able to look at what we are and have been doing. We made our first trip to rural China in March of 2009 to observe the distribution of Bibles to several villages. While there, we told a church full of people (where many of the ladies were wearing prayer bonnets) that we would be going home to develop partners to pray and share funds in order for us to help them partially fill the need of Bibles that existed in the rural areas where poverty is prevalent.
At that time, we did not have a clear picture of what was in store for us as we began putting in place the organization of BiblesforChina. The Lord has been faithful in giving us a clear and vivid vision of the opportunity and direction He has ordained and has given us favor as we have developed relationships with the Chinese Christians. They have been kind, compassionate, joyous and easy to work with during the many trips we've taken since we began. We have been in China as a team over 30 times and each trip has been blessed, protected and productive as manifested by the presence of God.
You, our partners, have been many and have been faithful in providing Bibles so that those we love in China can have a Bible of their own. For most of them it is impossible for them to have one without your prayers and support. Our clarion call and mandate has been to provide teams to "go ye into the whitened harvest fields". We have had teams who felt a deep sense of love and spiritual encouragement as they shared in the rural churches in China. We have been faithful to the "Go ye" of the Gospel and many have answered the call of Christ in accepting him as their Savior. Some have shared with us miracles that have taken place in their lives following their acceptance of His Word and Christ as their Savior.
While on our trip in August it became apparent that BiblesforChina now needs to adjust our strategy in order for us to serve effectively in China. It should come as no surprise to those of us who pay attention to world news that what was easy and doable in the past is not available to us at this time. However, we as a staff, board and ministry feel that our organization can still effectively carry out our passion for Bibles, Scripture engagements and training materials for the leadership of the churches in China. Our "go ye into the harvest" with joy and passion has been something we'll never forget and something we all have joyfully embraced.
On our trip we were with five provincial leaders who are keenly aware of the government's policies and mandates that they are required to operate under in order to be able to share the Gospel message of the Bible. What a joy for us to be able to sit down with the National CCC/TSPM leaders in Shanghai to inquire about how we can effectively carry out the opportunity to serve the churches in China. It is imperative that we do so in a manner that does not cause problems for them and permits them to be able to serve China.
We want to assure our partners and friends that with the relationships we have and are developing in China over the years, we are confident that we can trust our mission to those who are representing us in China. The churches in China have a strong base of believers that we are confident are ready to take the responsibility of serving the needs of the rural churches in their provincial areas. We work with the leaders who have a strong commitment to preaching Christ and the good news of the Gospel amid excessive oppression.
The hearthrob of the leaders that we heard from is that they are endeavoring to do everything possible to be able to train and provide the necessary Spiritual resources in order to have young leaders in place in China. It is important to provide the prayers and funding for the next generation to have leadership that is well trained and equipped to make a difference in the future. We want to assure our partners and friends that the authenticity of our organization to be able to confidently share funds for the leaders in China to provide Bibles to rural churches is still open to us. Praise God that we are going to be able to assist the churches in China with Bibles, Scripture portions, Study Bibles, and leadership materials that they can use so that they are able to lead and train within their sphere of influence.
As we come to the end of our year, we are asking each of you to be considering what God's laying on your heart as to how you can give renewed and influential prayer and support to what God has called us to do.
Originally from: Bibles for China
CCD reprinted with permission
