Thousands Of Chinese Converted Through Young Evangelists
March 28, 2002
Women sent out more often because they are less suspicious than men
Children and teen-agers are among the evangelists being most powerfully used by God in a move that is sweeping China. Fearless young preachers travel from village to village, keeping one step ahead of the security forces that are desperately trying to stamp out the mushrooming underground church.Details of the youthful emphasis emerged from a fact-finding trip undertaken by American healing evangelist Randy Clark.
While meeting clandestinely with leaders of one of the country's largest unregistered church movements, Clark heard reports from two teen-age girls typical of the new wave of evangelists. The young women, ages 18 and 16, told how they left home twice a year for months-long evangelistic trips.With less than $25 between them for food and travel, they move from town to town sharing the gospel until someone is converted. The new believers then often invite the itinerant preachers to stay in their homes, and they invite other friends and relatives to hear about Jesus.After a church has been established, the pair move on to another town or village, often sleeping in the open or under trees if they cannot find shelter.
On their most recent trip, their feet were left bruised and bleeding after 40 days walking through the countryside. But during that time they established 18 churches with about 40 people in each.They told Clark that they had seen many signs and miracles when they prayed. "The Lord just gives us the word and the faith to declare what Jesus can do," one told him. In the last week of their travels, more than 10,000 people received Christ in one coastal city, where the two used microphones to preach at open-air meetings.On their last day, the teen-agers felt prompted to cancel the planned event and leave hurriedly. "Immediately after they left, the police went to their meeting place to arrest them, but the girls had eluded their grasp," said Clark.
Although men and woman of all ages are involved in evangelism, young women are sent out more frequently because villagers are sometimes less suspicious of them than they would be of two strange men arriving unannounced in their community.
Clark was also told of a 3-year-old boy in eastern China with an unusual healing anointing. The child's grandmother carries him from house to house and asks him to lay his hands on the sick and prayer for them. Many people have been healed, Clark heard.Despite the increasing reports of miraculous signs and wonders, none of the leaders of the church movement Clark met with claimed any kind of titles for themselves.
"I asked them if they say that some people have an apostolic ministry," Clark said. "One leader told me: 'No, we don't think like that. We're all just brothers and sisters."One evangelist said: "We, the so-called leaders, have only elementary schooling. Our education is not high; how could we do this work? I believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit."The full story of Randy Clark's meeting with Chinese house church leaders is told in the April issue of "Charisma" magazine, out this week.
Copyright 2000 Strang Communications, All Rights Reserved
© Copyright 2000 Strang Communications, All Rights Reserved
Location: March 13, 2002 edition Strang Communications, China
Website: http://www.strang.com/
|
