“O Lord God Almighty! Where is there anyone as mighty as You, Lord?”

Psalm 89:8

A New Code of Conduct

At the end of May, the head of China’s showpiece Formula One racing track in Shanghai was fired as part of a corruption investigation. He was accused of using public money to buy a house, as well as taking bribes. A few days later the former head of China’s food and drugs agency was sentenced to death, also on corruption charges. His behaviour “threatened the safety of people’s life and health and has caused an extremely bad social impact,” according to a court report. At the same time, a further twenty officials in Gansu Province were punished for taking bribes in connection with the illegal construction of a smelter, which led to the poisoning of more than 2,000 people.

 

Each week the papers report case after case of bribery and corruption in China. In response the government has introduced a new code of conduct for its civil servants, which took effect in June. Under these latest rules, civil servants can be demoted or fired for bribery and embezzlement. Negligence that leads to avoidable accidents, epidemics, pollution spills or riots can result in penalties ranging from reprimand to dismissal. The rules also prohibit going abroad illegally or overstaying visits in other countries, clauses most likely aimed at countering the problem of corrupt officials fleeing overseas. Social vices, such as involvement with drugs or prostitutes, and abandoning family members or refusing to support elderly relatives are also forbidden.

Of some concern to Christian believers is a clause that cites “organising superstitious gatherings” and taking part in “illegal organisations” as offences. This could easily be used to punish those who attend house churches.

Thank the Lord for those corrupt officials who have been arrested for their abuses of power. Pray for justice to be done in these and future corruption cases.

Pray that the new code of conduct might make a real difference and that civil servants might be held back from illegal behaviour by the rules.

Pray that Christian officials might be kept safe from those who seek to use these regulations to stop them following their faith.

Christians Under Pressure

“The Christians here are under pressure,” she told our co-workers. She was the leader of a small house church made up mainly of middle school teachers. She had been open about her faith and had told her family and colleagues that she is a Christian. As a result, she had already been questioned by the authorities. She knows that her Christian beliefs mean that she will never be promoted, but she says she does not worry as promotion is not the most important thing for her.

He was a policeman who came to know the Lord. He spent some weeks in prison because of his new-found faith and has since been closely watched. That means it is very difficult for him to meet with other believers. However, he gives thanks to God that miraculously he has not lost his job and can thus continue to provide for his family.

Her husband is a Communist Party member. Following their marriage, she became a Christian believer. Now they have very different viewpoints, which means life is not easy. Thankfully, he does not try to stop her attending church and having fellowship with other Christians, but she can never be totally open with him about her activities. Their teenage daughter comes under the influence of two opposing sets of principles.

These real people whom our co-workers have met are experiencing some of the pressures that Chinese Christians may have to deal with. Each individual’s situation is different, but each person stands in need of our prayers.

Pray for Christians facing pressure from the authorities. Pray for the Lord’s sustaining and guidance, particularly at times when they are questioned by officials.

Pray for those whose job situations are negatively affected because of their Christian faith. Pray that they might hold firmly to the Lord and trust in Him for provision in every area.

 

Pray for those whose relatives are opposed to their Christian beliefs. Pray for the Lord’s wisdom as they live their daily lives. Pray for His help as they seek to raise their children in the midst of challenging situations.

July-August Teams

Towards the end of this month, we will have six AM-CCSM teams heading for China.

We are delighted that our first ever intercessory trekking team is already full. This new team will be heading to a remote minority area high in the mountains to pray for the Lord to open the hearts of a people group who are locked in darkness. They will face some rather basic conditions, but we know that any sacrifices will be as nothing compared to the joy of manifesting the presence of Jesus in this unreached community.

Another intercession team will be heading to the Tibetan regions of Northwest China, visiting five different towns and cities to continue our prayers for breakthrough in this area.

The two courier teams, one a youth team and the other an adult group, are smaller than usual at this time of year. Despite this, they plan to take a good number of Bibles and Christian teaching materials to several areas in central and northern China. They will be delivering copies of ‘Marriage Garden of Hundreds of Flavours’ (formerly ‘Marriage Masala’), as we seek to respond to various requests for this new book on marriage..

A large mercy team will be serving in the central Chinese orphanage our teams regularly visit. We trust they will be an encouragement to our long-term workers there, as well as bringing God’s love to the children and orphanage staff. A second smaller mercy team will be heading to another area of China to help with a summer camp.

Just before the teams begin, AM-CCSM’s base directors and other leaders will be gathering together for prayer, worship and fellowship. We will be looking back at the past year and considering how to move forward in the coming months. Please do uphold this important time in prayer.

Pray for AM-CCSM’s leadership gathering towards the end of this month. Pray for a good time of mutual encouragement and that the Lord would clearly guide concerning the future.

Pray for safety and protection for all the teams travelling in China during July and August. Pray too for good health, remembering particularly those who are travelling to higher altitudes.

Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance for every team leader and member. Pray for insight and discernment as the teams intercede and serve in practical ways.

Pray for God-given opportunities to share the truth with those whose hearts are open to know of His love. Pray that every Christian book might reach those who have requested it.

Literature Update

Have you heard our latest audio prayer update? Our literature co-ordinator has shared some of the most recent printing news and also gives some ideas as to how each of you can be involved in this important area of AM-CCSM’s ministry.

“If you have visited our web site recently (at www.am-ccsm.org),” he says, “then you will know that since 1988 we have printed over seven million Christian teaching books for China, and over the last few years we have seen more than a million books printed in China every year and distributed to the churches there. The most popular general material we print is foundational teaching for new believers. The second most popular request is for material to help new pastors lead their congregations. Other cries for teaching are on family life, husband and wife relationships, as well as teaching about the cults.”

“Just today,” he continues, “I heard that a single donation had been received in the US for $10,000 to help us print a much needed book explaining the pitfalls and dangers of a strong cult in China. The book is called ‘Examination of Lightning from the East’. Last year we received a request from a single house church group for 300,000 copies of this book. This donation that I heard of today will help us fulfil our commitment to ‘match the needs inside China with the resources outside’.

“People also require book by book exposition to give to pastors and teachers to give them an overview of the Bible in order to make it relevant to their congregations. We are currently in the process of translating and dubbing into Chinese a valuable video series that covers every book of the Bible.”

By the end of June we will have printed 580,000 books this year, so we will be just over half way to our target of one million. One of our main focuses for 2007 is our new marriage book, ‘Marriage Garden of Hundreds of Flavours’ (formerly ‘Marriage Masala’), and we have already received a number of donations towards this project. Thank you so much to all who have given for the printing of this book. Following our first print-run, we have already been asked for 50,000 copies for one group and 5,000 copies for another. This is on top of our normal contacts who are waiting for the book. The number of teaching books we can print each year is limited only by the available funds to print them. Please prayerfully consider whether you can help us press on with our printing this month. If you would like to know more, ask your local AM-CCSM office for a copy of the audio prayer update.

Pray for safety and security for the printers we use to produce our materials and for their families. Pray for new printers to help us produce larger numbers of books.

Pray for more funds to come in to enable us to respond to the numerous requests we receive for foundational teaching materials, books on family life, teaching about the cults, and Biblical exposition.

Pray that all the materials we produce, particularly the new marriage book, the ‘Examination of Lightning from the East’ book, and the book by book exposition of the Bible on VCD, will make a powerful difference in the lives of many Chinese believers.

Ethical Issues

Earlier this year, a Chinese believer from southern Guangdong province wrote to the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) to ask for some advice. He raised a question that many Christians throughout China are faced with – how can a believer maintain godly integrity in a society where ungodly ethics are normal practice?

“Please enlighten me on two problems as follows,” he wrote.
“(1) I am a mechanical and electrical serviceman with a shop of my own where I repair motors. In doing business, we lie without realising it at times. For instance, a customer may bargain with us over the price of a commodity. If the price he offers is too low, we tend to blurt out that the counter-bid is too low to pay the price at which the commodity was supplied to us, which very often is a lie. I wish to know if we are doing right.

(2) We businessmen on the mainland are often confronted with the problem of under-the-counter sales commission. For instance, a customer may send us a motor for repair via an assistant. Supposing the repair cost is a hundred yuan, we will have to make out a bill of a hundred and fifty. The fifty yuan in excess of the repair cost will line the pocket of the assistant. If you refuse to follow this practice, you will have no business.  

As a Christian, I have always struggled with this problem, trying to make a hard choice between taking an uncompromising stand resulting in the loss of business, and going with the stream in violation of biblical truth. Some people say that as we are doing business with non-believers, we can only follow their ways. Please tell me what Christians should do in such circumstances.”

Pray for this businessman as he struggles with these issues. May he be determined to follow the Lord’s leading and be a powerful witness, even in the face of challenges.

Pray for other Christians throughout China who are asking similar questions. May each one hear clearly from the Lord and have the courage to be obedient to His leading.

Pray for those at FEBC and for others who are giving guidance and teaching to Chinese believers. Pray that they may have a clear understanding of the ethical issues people face in China and provide good Biblical advice in a sensitive way.

Confucius – the New Buzz

“A book about the ancient sage Confucius… is causing all the buzz in the streets,” according to a Reuters report. ‘Notes on Reading the Analects’, written by a Beijing Normal University professor has become China’s best-selling book in recent memory. It has sold over three million copies in just four months.

The book is popular with young and old. “Everybody cares only about making money after the economic reforms… It is good to have these teachings from old times because people are too selfish now,” one 60 year-old reader commented.

“We were taught Marxism and Leninism in schools,” said a 25 year-old teacher who was reading the book, “but when I became independent and went to college, I saw professors take bribes and I felt the old slogans like ‘serve the people’ were no longer relevant.”

Confucian philosophy emphasises high personal morality and a strict hierarchy of social relationships. For most people, the ideals of communism have been shattered and today’s rampant materialism leaves only empty hearts. “A nation which used to value morality above everything else suddenly finds itself in a situation without a moral benchmark,” comments a Shanghai university professor.

Yu Dan, author of the best-selling book, says that, “The essence of the Analects is to tell us how to live a happy life that our souls crave for… It is simply about orienting yourself in modern life.” Critics describe Yu’s book as “a self-help pulp for the modern age.” Another acclaimed author suggests, “There are so many wounded, helpless souls that are desperate to find something to believe in and to hold on to after these drastic changes.”

 

Give thanks to the Lord for the spiritual hunger that the turmoil and dramatic changes of recent years have wrought in many people’s hearts. Pray that this hunger might continue to grow.

Pray that those who have read this latest book on Confucian philosophy might realise that such ideas do not truly meet their deepest needs, any more than communism or materialism has done.

 

Pray that, as more Chinese people seek for something to believe in, they might be led to investigate the Christian faith and come to put their trust in the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.

From our International Director

The story of Gideon in Judges chapters 6-8 is a familiar one - the Lord coming to Gideon while he is hiding from the Midianites, the oppressors of the people of God; the Lord telling Him that he was a mighty man who would deliver His people; and the ensuing events - especially the fleece! It is the stuff of Sunday school lessons.

But as I have read through these chapters recently, I have been struck by something else. It is this: how could someone who started so well finish so badly? Chapters 6-7 tell of his amazing deliverance of the people of God, of his deep dependence on the Lord. But chapters 8-9 tell of his and the Israelite's increasing apostasy as he in effect leads the people into idolatry; of his sexual excesses and of his family so dysfunctional that only one of 70 (or is it 71 or 72?) sons survived by the end of chapter nine.

A Scripture Union writer came up with a challenging analysis of why this happened: "Up to chapter eight, Gideon has been in constant dialogue with Yahweh; the victories have been Yahweh's. Now, a tragic change has taken place. Never again will Gideon consult Yahweh, or turn to Him for guidance. We should not be surprised to discover that spiritual problems arise."

No doubt there are others reasons for Gideon's failure and decline, but that one alone presents a powerful challenge to us as we pray for China and as we walk with the Lord ourselves. Is it possible that the Chinese church and we ourselves can go the same way as Gideon? We sometimes start small and weak and thus learn to depend on the Lord, thereby seeing Him get glory and praise in our weakness. But then with some successes "under our belt" and the business that His blessings bring to us, we have less and less time to wait on Him. In one way or another, the decline that Gideon saw might well then happen to us.

It has been a sober warning to me. As Wang Ming Dao, the Chinese spiritual leader of the last generation, said: "Many start well, but few finish well."

Could it be that the beginnings of that decline and bad finishing lie in the repetition in our lives of this sobering fact: "A tragic change has taken place. Never again will Gideon consult Yahweh, or turn to Him for guidance." Lord, have mercy upon us!
 

Pray for the church in China, that their success and 'reputation' in the West would not make them forget where they started - in a place of weakness, depending only on the Lord, and seeing His power do amazing things. Ask the Lord to hold them in that place of dependency.

Pray for yourself, your church and your Christian friends. Ask the Lord to keep that first love for Him as a fire in our hearts. And to keep the sacred place of prayer as a priority in our lives, including the place of prayer for China.
 

Ask the Lord to raise up new prayer battlers for China and its church, that there may be no shortage of folk inside and outside of China ready to stand in the gap.