Cal’s Comments: From Communist China, In The Belly Of The Beast - Part 2
By Cal Zastrow
5/16/08
Sichuan Province was hit with another killer earthquake this week. Many thousands of people are dead. Tens of thousands are injured and homeless. Although they aren’t next door to us, these Chinese people are some of our neighbors that we are to love as ourselves. The beloved flower girl in our wedding, Deb, lives in Chengdu. She was unhurt, thankfully, but is traumatized by all of the destruction and dead bodies.
In my previous column I reported of our recent trip to China to deliver Bibles to persecuted Christians. Let me ask some questions for readers: What kind of human soul do I have if I know that I can relieve the suffering of others and I don’t do it? What kind of religion do I have if I don’t relieve the suffering of others when I have the opportunity to do so?
Hebrews 13:3 “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.”
1 Corinthians 12:26 “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; …”
Allow God to break your heart over what breaks His heart. Those of you parents whose children have suffered can understand and identify (partially) with what Father God feels when His children suffer. We are commanded to identify with persecuted Christians. We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Besides praying, here are some ways to become informed and to help:
Not only does this ministry print “illegal” Bibles inside of China for a low cost, they help in many practical ways the Christians throughout Asia. Being as many thousands of Christians are killed while imprisoned, this ministry has identified some Chinese pastors that have been released from prison, but are too crippled from beatings and torture to ever work again. There are over 1,000 of them.
Being as their director, Bob Fu, is Chinese and trusted by the underground churches, he gets many stories first.
These Christians are very effective at informing the West of what is really going on inside of China and other tyrannical countries. They supply persecuted Christians and minister to them. You can get Chinese Bibles from them and addresses of non-Christians in China to mail them to! http://www.biblesunbound.com/qry/mc_home.taf Their monthly newsletters, sent through the mail, are the best.
Name a hard place in the world, and these guys have probably been there to serve the persecuted Church and supply them with Bibles. They have been able to get into parts of Burma right now that others can’t get into.
These Christians were serving persecuted Christians before the other groups. Going on one of their trips, meeting suffering Christians, will hopefully hook you for life on helping believers in tough countries.
My apologies to many other ministries not mentioned here. These are enough to get you started. Please don’t just dismiss this column and these websites as just more information that you don’t have time for. Read some of the stories, weep over their suffering, and ask God how you can minister to them. Get on their mailing and e-mail lists. Perhaps you’ll decide to not buy luxuries in order to donate. Perhaps you will hear God calling you to go and help these Christians. Are you willing?