China: How Christians respond to the coronavirus outbreak
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How Christian respond to the coronavirus outbreak:
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Christians seem to be less panicked because their faith gives them strength. They also support others as a community with care and hospitality.
How do Christians in Wuhan handle the coronavirus outbreak and quarantine?
China is in a state of emergency because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a causative agent of lung diseases. The city of Wuhan, which has a population of 11 million and is believed to be the source of the virus, is particularly affected. The city has been in quarantine since January 23. Entry and exit are only possible with a special permit. The Chinese authorities have since isolated other cities. As a result hospitals are overloaded. Buses, trains and taxis stopped their services, and food prices have risen enormously.
The health crisis also has consequences for the Christian communities. Based on sources in China, German Evangelical news agency IDEA reports that because the residents of Wuhan are required to stay in their apartments and houses, there are temporarily no church services in many congregations. Instead, pastors posted sermons and songs on the internet. There are also calls to use the ‘free time’ to pray for the sick, medical staff and those responsible in politics and society. The crisis encourages fasting and increased Bible reading.
Christians seem to be less panicked because their faith gives them strength. They also support others as a community with care and hospitality.
According to the IDEA source the crisis opens people up for the Gospel, and Christians freely share God’s love as they see fit, be it in an open conversation on the street, on the internet or by watching evangelistic videos together with non-Christian family members.
Source: IDEA
Joel News International, # 1157, February 3, 2020
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A Door opened in Wuhan, China
A Christian in China reported:
A few months ago a pastor I know, along with church members, was preaching the gospel on the streets of Wuhan. He kept on street preaching even when Christians were not encouraged to share the gospel. But nothing stopped them from proclaiming the gospel, not even the virus.
Now it is the 10th day since the city was separated by quarantine, and protective masks are the most valuable thing in Wuhan. You can’t find a store that sells masks. People are desperate.
In response, our brothers and sisters preach the gospel and give out tracts and free masks. They are sharing the word of hope and comfort from God. They have become more and more favoured in the city, even in the authorities’ eyes.
These churches in Wuhan keep themselves away from all the rumours and political issues. They do what a true Christian should do: preaching the gospel and being witnesses of the true peace and true hope that come from Jesus Christ among non-believers who are in panic and hopelessness.
A police officer came to one sister, listened to the gospel, and left with the tract and mask happily. After a while, another police officer arrived, heard, and left with the tract and a mask also. Shortly, the first one came back saying another officer would like one too. Soon four more officers came! They are the ones who used to be concerned about the message. But now they came to Christians for help, and they bow down to our God.
The yellow (Christians wear yellow suits for protection) has become the most beautiful colour in the city. Christians gained the respect that they never had before because of their willingness to risk their health to serve.
I thank God for their witness and being full of joy in our Lord’s amazing work. Please put them into your prayers. Lots of them are overloaded. They know that this is an opportunity God gave them to gain people for Christ.
Your brother, P.Z.
Source: Heart Cry Missionary Society, February 7, 2020 (edited).
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As previously reported, one pastor in China recently penned a letter encouraging and exhorting the Body of Christ in the midst of disease and death.
“Christ has already given us His peace, but His peace is not to remove us from disaster and death, but rather to have peace in the midst of disaster and death, because Christ has already overcome these things (John 14:27, 16:33),” he wrote. “Otherwise we have not believed in the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15), and, with the world, would be terrified of pestilence, and lose hope in the face of death.”
He said that even if a believer dies in the midst of tribulation, it is still not a defeat.
“Spoken for today, Wuhan’s pestilence cannot separate us from the love of Christ; this love is in our Lord Jesus Christ. These words are so comforting for us, we have already become one body with Christ,” he wrote. “… Therefore, Christ is with us as we face the pestilence in this city; the pestilence cannot harm us. If we die in the pestilence, it is an opportunity to witness to Christ, and even more to enter into his glory.”
The pastor said that the current challenge with the coronavirus reminds him of Abraham facing Sodom and Jonah facing Ninevah, as they Abraham interceded and Jonah preached repentance to the saving of men’s souls.
“[M]ay we like Lot be grieved over all those in this city (1 Peter 2:7), and like Abraham who earnestly prayed for Sodom (Genesis 18:23-33),” he urged. “You see, Jonah with difficulty proclaimed the gospel to Nineveh, and Nineveh repented and was saved. We are this city’s Abraham and Jonah. We must pray for God’s mercy upon this city, and bring peace upon this city through our prayers and testimony.”
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Christians at the centre of China’s virus outbreak still preaching on streets
As if rallying around the apostles’ declaration that “We must serve God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), Christians have continued to boldly share the Gospel in the streets of Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
Witnesses who share their faith openly not only face possible infection from the dangerous respiratory disease caused by the virus, but also could be subject to potential persecution by authorities, as well.
Despite the potential dangers, CBN News Asia correspondent Lucille Talusan reports that Christians in Wuhan are meeting needs created by the crisis and by doing so are creating opportunities to share the Gospel.
The believers, often operating underground to avoid persecution and prosecution by Communist authorities, are taking advantage of the need for surgical masks. In addition to helping prevent contracting the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, the masks also help shield the identity of the witness.
Talusan reported that a “very courageous” group of Christians in Wuhan have hit the streets to distribute the protective facemasks. As they hand out the masks, Talusan said, “They say that they are Christians and they share the love of Christ and point to Jesus to bring hope to them and their families and the whole of China. … This is really a breakthrough.”
Talusan said that the uncertainty of the crisis has helped heighten the receptiveness to the message of Christ.
A video shared by Father Francis Liu from Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness shows that encouraging sermons are being broadcasted to their communities through speakers placed on balconies.
A Christian rode his bike to a pharmacy where people gathered and played a sermon through a portable speaker, according to International Christian Concern.
Another video shared shows that Christians were distributing face masks and Gospel pamphlets to passersby on the streets. Playing in the background was a message broadcasted to address the fear and uncertainties of the ongoing crisis.
Pastor Huang Lei from Wuhan’s Root and Fruit Church published an article on January 24, saying, “While the real situation is possibly more severe and complicated than what is known, regardless of what circumstances we are in, we should not worry and fear all the disasters, pandemic, and death, ‘because He is the Lord of our lives. If He does not allow [it to happen], we will not even have a single hair fall out from our heads.’”
Pastor Tan Songhua from Wuhan Cornerstone Church also told his congregation that although they face trials of faith and personal safety, Jesus only has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you (Jeremiah 29:11).” He then called on Christians to pray for this city, and bring the peace of Christ to everyone.
The U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) reports that membership in non-sanctioned churches is growing. The CFR website says that “research by Fenggang Yang, of Purdue University’s Center on Religion and Chinese Society, estimates that there are between 93 million and 115 million Protestants in China, with fewer than 30 million attending officially registered churches.”
Source: International Christian Concern, and christianheadlines.com
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“We’re being told that people are coming in swarms to churches, house churches, that there’s gospel and evangelism going out in the streets, person to person, that there’s supernatural healing.”
Source: CharismaNews, February 18, 2020
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