Third Trip to China (2014)

We would like to start with speaking out our great thanks to the Lord. We have often been confronted with our weakness. Each time the Lord showed us that He is in control of the circumstances and that it is about His work in His own, whether it concerns us or God’s children there. In that work He also answered the many prayers you have prayed for this journey. All glory and honor to Him alone.

The Lord has preserved our “going out” to and our “coming in” into China (Psa 121:8). Everywhere we have been, He has helped us. Everywhere we went, He has proved that He was our “Keeper” (Psa 121:5). He preserved us “From all evil” (Psa 121:7). That applies both spiritually in all contacts and practically, concerning the many kilometers that we travelled by airplane, car, bus, train, taxi and rickshaw. Several times we have experienced how He had planned everything, sometimes punctually to the minute. He has shown for the umpteenth time that He “Is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20).

On Monday 10th November we arrived at Harbin on time after a successful flight. The brethren T. and J. had been waiting for us. We immediately kept on going to X north of Harbin for three days of Bible study. Again it were three special days for T. and for us.

The believers there wanted to make use of the opportunity to obtain education from God’s Word as much as possible. I thought that we started at 08.30 or 9 o’clock last year and suggested to start again at that time. But that was a bit too late for them. They wanted to start at 8 o’clock in the morning and then each day nine hours Bible study: from 8.00-11.30, from 13.30-17.00 hours and from 18.00-20.00 hours. T. winked at me and said: ‘They want to squeeze you.’ It makes you feel your own inability and think: “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2Cor 2:16). It must be clear “That the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2Cor 4:7). That’s what we experienced, besides not only these three days, but all days that we were in China. We suggested to have a short break during these three and a half hours in the morning and three and a half hours in the afternoon. In these days we went through the book of Genesis and we have experienced that this part of God’s Word has gone through us also.

It happened in a different room than last year, it was even more sober. It was very important that we had to come with the same cautiousness and as stealthily as possible approach the room. It was a sort of small old barn. This was located at the end of a small road, at a yard behind a massive iron fence. Next to the barn was another barn where a number of sisters (in turn) were preparing the meals for about ninety participants. Everything was very primitive. It is indeed also a poor area. But these very primitive circumstances made everything more impressive. In fact they do not matter at all. As a matter of fact, they disappear completely out of sight when you see these children of God in whose eyes you could read a hunger for God’s Word.

Each time we entered the room at 8 o’clock in the morning, the participants were all crammed together, each person sat on a kind of small fisherman’s stool without a backrest, ready with a pen and a notebook. We were again impressed with the mindset of these believers to be willing to sit that long in such a physical position and listening. During the studies some massaged one another’s back. One person stood for a while, placed a notebook against the wall and in that way continued to write down his notes. Nobody responded when we gave them the opportunity to ask questions. They only wanted to listen and hear more. When we said goodbye to them they asked us urgently to continue to pray for them. They will do that for us too. I could gladly offer them some copies of the commentary on the epistle to the Romans that I took with me. Those copies will surely find their way to believers who are interested.

During the studies T. was told that the studies in Dalian could not take place. The sister who had organized that, was interrogated by police two days ago, because of her contacts outside China. It now was too dangerous to move on with these bible studies. We were also told by a brother who regularly comes to Beijing (Peking), that about twenty house churches have been interrogated by the police. Also a Korean preacher had been expelled. T. said: ‘The official government declaration that we have freedom of religion is one thing, but the practice is another’.

On Friday we travelled to Harbin by bus. At the terminal we were picked up by J. He sees possibilities to have the commentary on the epistle to the Romans, which has been translated into Chinese, to be printed. I gave him the printable PDF files and the cover of the commentary.

On Saturday evening there was a service in the house church that J. joins. There we shared some lessons of the prophet Jonah. These gatherings at Harbin are more open/public, at least for now, than the place that we left. They take place here in a small room on the first floor of a flat building, where we could go without any secrecy.

D. and his wife J., whom we got acquainted with last year, were there too. At that time they said that they would look for a way to translate the commentary on the epistle to the Ephesians into Chinese. Much to our surprise it appeared that in the meantime J. has written the rough translation of both the epistle to the Ephesians and of that to the Galatians into Chinese. D. will refine the translation, which will take some more months. After that the first versions will be ready, that a first correction round can take place.

On Sunday morning T. had a service in another house church, that sister W. joins, whom we also met on previous times. We went there together with him. Although we couldn’t understand a single word and neither could we say anything to anybody, it is surely good to be in the midst of believers, who are worshipping the Lord and for us to be occupied with the Lord ourselves. Then you experience the fellowship of the saints, which is so important and which is stimulating for the edification of the faith.

At the end there was still a remarkable and instructive incident. A female visitor of this church heard that we were from Holland. She made clear to us that she knows a person who teaches Dutch somewhere. She wanted us to meet that person and asked for our telephone number. Just after we wrote that number in her notebook, sister W. came to us, took the notebook out of her hands quietly, tore the paper with our telephone number from the book and tore that paper too. She gave the book back and the woman disappeared. It appeared to be someone who was there for the first time and who was a stranger to sister W. T. told us that always when a person in the church is asking for his telephone number, he refers to a responsible brother. That we had to be careful on the street was indeed very clear to us, but that applies also when we are gathered in the church.

In the evening there was another opportunity to pass on the Word in the house church that J. joins. It was also very nice that a number of children of the children’s club sang some songs during the gathering. That is because it was ‘Thanksgiving Day’. I was asked whether I might have a word in connection with this special day. I started to say that fortunately we do not have to limit ourselves by giving thanks only once a year. Giving thanks does not depend on a day, but on a reason. We have so many reasons to give thanks.

First of all we are allowed to thank God daily “for His indescribable Gift”, the Lord Jesus (2Cor 9:15). And how often does Paul give thanks for his brothers and sisters, doesn’t he? We can do that also. A grateful person is a happy person. The epistle to the Philippians is a thank-you letter of Paul for the gift he received from them. It is an epistle that is overflowing with happiness. And that in spite of the fact that he was imprisoned.

On Monday we went to Dalian by the speeding train (to a maximum of 300 kilometers per hour). With some stopovers it was a journey of about four hours in a very comfortable train. A good time to read something. You don’t have to take too long to look outside, for there is hardly any change in the landscapes.

When we arrived we saw some brothers waiting for us. We ended up in a village. There we heard that Dalian is not only a city, but it is also a very large area. The city itself lies more than 200 kms away. In the evening T. was asked if he wanted to bring a word of encouragement the next day. After all he is a compatriot. T. liked to do that. We were not allowed to join them.

Unfortunately, the next morning he was told that it was still not possible. In case it is discovered that a stranger has given religious education, it will bring the earlier mentioned sister in great danger. Indeed he is a compatriot, but he comes from another area.

The brother who accommodated us, is one of the responsible brethren. He had been pressured several times to stop his spiritual activities, but he refuses to do that. I have given him a number of commentaries, which he will pass on to the workers of the Lord in this area.

Although the studies that we’d planned could not take place, it has been a great experience to get acquainted with these believers. They told us that this house church came into being about 25 years ago. What they told us about the advancement of the gospel in that time, made us think of the beginning of the church as it is described in the book of Acts. Like how the believers helped one another with bringing in the harvest. Thereby they sang songs to the honor of the Lord Jesus. Then the people who saw and heard this, started to ask questions like: 'Who is that Jesus Whom you are singing about? Could we also get to know Him?’ When a person came to faith, most often the whole family also came to faith and sometimes all their relatives too.

They showed great courage and they often experienced God’s protecting hand. One of the brethren told us that once a police officer came to arrest him. He asked the police officer why he wasn’t going to rather catch criminals. He and the other believers were faithful servants of the country and prayed for the government. He gave him a Bible and said that he could read everything in it what they believed. The officer took the Bible with him and never came back.

The next day (on Tuesday) we travelled to Dalian. From there T. left on Wednesday to go home, after we thanked the Lord for what we were able to do together in His strength for Him and His own. T. had already been in China from the end of October to minister to believers with God’s Word on several places. For some time already he has been suffering from pain in his left leg, which makes standing and walking quite difficult for him. He hopes to be more mobile again after, God willing, an operation next year.

On Thursday we flew to Shanghai. We had no idea of how things were going to be there and will be, except for the fact that on Sunday we planned to go to a house church which the brother joins, with whom we had contact before. We have gone with the confidence that the Lord was going to guide us. He did not put to shame that confidence. C. was already waiting for us at the airport. He originally comes from South-Korea and has been living in Shanghai for some time now. We went to our accommodation by bus. The next day C. showed us some places of Shanghai, an enormous city with many house churches.

On Saturday we went to the house church that C. also joins, to give two Bible studies that were arranged by the believers there, which was preceded by a fellowship meal. Together we meditated on Colossians 1 where there is so much written about the Lord Jesus and His work. It was a small international community. There were believers from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, India and us from Holland. The Bible study was translated into Chinese and then into Korean. We sang from a Korean-English songbook.

The brother in whose house the meetings are being held, told us that they have good contacts with the police and the security services. As long as they remain small – when they are all present they are with thirty persons in total together – and therefore they form no threat for the Government and when they keep calm, there is no reason to worry about a raid from the police.

A young sister who speaks English and Chinese is willing to cooperate with comparing the translation from English into Chinese of the earlier mentioned commentaries on the epistle to the Galatians and to the Ephesians. A young brother who also speaks both languages is willing to go with us and help us with the translation where Bible studies will be held at a possible future visit to China. We have been praying for some time for such a person and are grateful to the Lord for his willingness.

After the studies we travelled together with the couple R. and S. from India. R. has been working here for two years already and his wife had been staying with him this month. We have had email contact before and it was nice to be able to meet and speak with one another now. He invited us to visit the believers in Kochi in southwest of India in the State of Kerala, next time we visit India again. They have also made some proposals for Bible studies there. It is our desire to accept this invitation and pray that the Lord may confirm it.

While we were having supper he informed us about living in Shanghai and in China. It is very important to always behave calmly. The security system is very well organized. Everyone is being observed in one way or another. He told us that a woman once threw a pile of pamphlets with a political content in the air, in order to spread them in that way. Before the pamphlets reached the ground she got arrested and was taken away. They know who you are and what you are doing. As far as we are concerned, they are allowed to know that too. We shall respect the laws of China. We are not here to establish political changes or not even to call up people to do that. Our example in this is the Lord Jesus, Who also did not search political goals, in order to chase off Romans for instance, but Who declared the Father.

On Sunday we attended the meeting of the house church. We proclaimed the death of the Lord there and praised Him for His work on the cross through which He brought us to God and made us a kingdom of priests. Then there was beside the earlier mentioned nationalities, also a sister from Zambia. It made us think of Revelation 5 verse 9, where we read about the worshipping of the Lamb, through Whom the believers are brought to God “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev 5:9). After that there was an occasion to minister with the Word. We meditated on the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11,14), the Great Shepherd (Heb 13:20) and the Chief Shepherd (1Pet 5:4) and we did that in relation to Psalms 22, 23 and 24 respectively.

After the meeting we all stepped into a bus together and went to eat crab at another place. This ‘church-outing’ had been planned earlier, but they postponed it so that we were able to join them. During the meal we talked further with the couple from India about the work of the Lord in their country. Another brother from India was there too, who was not able to be present on Saturday. He has the desire to develop something on behalf of disabled people and in that way bring them into contact with the Lord Jesus.

The next morning, on Monday, C. picked us up to bring us to a Christian bookshop and to show us more of Shanghai. I still had one Chinese copy left of the Romans epistle, which I purposely saved to give the people of the bookshop. When I offered it to the saleslady she said that I had to go further down the street. There we could find the publisher. When we were outside C., said that we should not do that. It is too dangerous. The bookshop and the publisher are being supervised by the state. So we did not do it. It was surely good to see that in the bookshop there were books to be sold of Warren Wiersbe and several biographies of amongst others George Müller.

C. brought us to a part of Shanghai that was built in traditional Chinese style. That gave us more the impression of being in China than we had had in the predominantly western Shanghai. Afterwards we made preparations for our return journey the next day.

On Tuesday morning C. brought us back to the airport. He did the best he could to make us feel at home in Shanghai. And he certainly succeeded. We are very grateful to him for his willingness to serve us and in him again we see such a gift from the Lord through whom we felt at home from the beginning in a totally strange environment to us. In this way he represented the believers of the house church we visited. We are very grateful to the Lord and to the believers for the pleasant and encouraging time we were able to experience there.

In Him, Who is also your Lord
Ger & Willy de Koning