Fourth Trip to China (2015)

“But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,
Nor be dismayed, O Israel!
For, see, I am going to save you from afar,
And your descendants from the land of their captivity;
And Jacob will return and be undisturbed
And secure, with no one making him tremble.
“O Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares the Lord,
“For I am with you.” (Jer 46:27-28a)

Dear brothers and sisters,

Willy read the above text Friday morning, November 27th, the day of our departure from China. We have experienced this word of the Lord the time we were in China and especially in the last days there. We would like to share our experiences with you once again. The Lord has answered the many prayers. The report shows up that there is much to thank Him for. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory [n]forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36)

Shenyang

Tuesday 10th November we departed from Brussels at half past ten. After stops in Amsterdam and Beijing, we arrived safe and on time the next day – exactly at noon local time – in Shenyang. Baihong and a local brother were waiting for us. After an hour we arrived at the place of destination, just a 10-minute walk from the place where the next days the Bible studies took place.

After a few hours sleep we were picked up for dinner and a first acquaintance with some brothers and a sister who will translate. It made again impression to experience immediately that family band in the Lord with believers that you never have previously met and to hear from them how they have come to know the Lord.

L., the pastor or principal responsible of the house church where the Bible studies are, told that he had come to the Lord by a girl that faithfully visited a church. He seemed strange to him that such a young child did that and he wanted to know why she did that. Therefore he also went to see. In that way he came in contact with the Lord and His Word, and after several visits, he accepted Him. Baihong wanted we would meet each other to be able to talk about his questions about how the church has to function and how to deal with conflicts in the church.

The sister who will translate the Bible studies, told that especially questions such as where she came from and where she going to, brought her to the Lord. Therefore He used a sister from Singapore. That is now about ten years ago. It is her desire to get to know more and more of God's Word. She sees a great lack of knowledge of God’s Word among those who come to faith and would like to help to do something on it.

From Thursday morning until Saturday morning (12th-14th November) there were Bible studies about the epistle to the Philippians, with a study in the morning and one in the afternoon. Friday night there was a spontaneously slotted Bible study for young people with questions. Every morning at nine o'clock we were picked up by a helpful young brother and went by foot to the place of Bible study. With a small group, we have made a start with the study of this beautiful epistle.

A small group also makes it easier to ask questions. This possibility is well used. There were questions about the resurrection, the certainty of salvation, be saved by faith alone and not by works, the falling away of Christians who profess Christ only with the mouth, the two goats in Leviticus 16. In relation to the two goats – both of which show an aspect of the work of the Lord Jesus – also the difference between the offer of the gospel to all people and the substitutionary suffering of the Lord Jesus only instead of the believers is clarified.

The important thing is to cut right the truth of God's Word, that is, to do justice to each truth and not, for example, confusing or mixing up Israel and the church. Then it is also clear that we as Christians must not introduce the Jewish feasts and institutions in the church, a development that is increasing more and more. For us, New Testament believers, the matter of fact is that “we live by faith, not by sight” (2Cor 5:7). Such a verse clearly shows the difference as does also the epistle to the Hebrews.

We have been impressed by the mind of the Lord Jesus. His mind is needed to serve one another. It is not a question of what we do and how much we do, but that we do what God wants, and do that in the mind of the Lord Jesus. The position in the society plays a major role in China. A young sister had questions about that. She wanted to honestly say she also liked to make promotion. Sometimes she was confused about the will of the Lord for her in this matter. It became clear to her that in God's Kingdom it’s different. Whether you're a company director or cleaning lady in the same company, the only important thing is, to do that work faithfully. The Lord Jesus was King, but became the Servant of all. The Lord rewards faithfulness, not a position and not the performance that we do.

The Saturday afternoon Bible study was cancelled, because we had to leave to go to Dalian. After the last study L. came to us and said he was very grateful that the truth of God's Word was brought. He added with a wink that the afternoon study that was cancelled, we had to catch up the next time. He would like that we came back, and then also a little longer, for he desires together with his fellow brothers and sisters to hear more of the truth of God's Word.

Dalian

In Dalian, we were welcomed by T. and a brother and some sisters. T. used to be a businessman. When he was converted, some five years ago, he sold his business. Together with a few others he started a church. The rooms where his business was located – on the twentieth floor of a flat – he has converted into rooms where believers come together and children's meetings are held. It is small-scale. It grew that much, that last year a new church was planted in Dalian, an hour away from this place. T. is, like Lee, pastor, and would like to know more about the church.

T.'s friend and brother Y. (an abbreviation of his difficult to pronounce name) traveled with us. Y. worked formerly for him and came to repentance. He resigned and is now pastor in Shenyang. They want to be church and not an organization and be open to the work of the Spirit. Therefore they desire to be taught from God's Word. He is almost apologized that they want to do everything as simple as possible. I told him that this is language to my heart.

T. told that he read the epistle of Paul to the Romans already fifteen times and that he would like to do that a hundred times. That tells me something about the presence of the new life. It's nice to see new life in its freshness. T. recently visited a remote village, where he had preached the gospel. There an old, disabled man came to faith, which he also baptized. That was a great joy for him.

Sunday 15th November there was in the morning first half an hour worship and then I got the opportunity to share something from God's Word. In the afternoon there was the first reading on 1 Corinthians for anyone interested. In the evening, they had arranged an extra meeting. They wanted that we should go to the newly started church to share there God's Word. Time and time again there is the contagious, refreshing desire for the food of God's Word.

In between T. told us his remarkable conversion history. He had a company with seventeen employees in the office and sixteen in the field, and did business with Russia in particular. While he was in Russia on business, his employee Y. comes to faith. It didn’t matter him. To him believers were hypocritical. Y. gave him a Bible. He put it in the bookshelf. Meanwhile, he gave himself to drank, started to smoke, got problems in his marriage and a heart full of discontent. One day he calls to God, ‘If You really exist, then let me know.’

In the evening he thinks on the Bible he got. He gets a lot of struggle to start reading the Bible, because he realizes that if he is going to read, he will get the answer. He was sweating over his whole body. He started reading and began crying very much. Until then he had never cried. He also did not laugh anymore. In that time he looked a DVD about the love of God. Then he realized how much he had neglected his wife. Seven days he was busy with that. He had locked himself in his office and cried seven days. When he was then in the car en route and listened a cd, he heard the preacher say, ‘Are you a child of God?’ He cried, ‘No!’, but at the same time he raised his hand. Then he was full of joy. At the same time he became very afraid that he would lose that joy. That’s why he constantly carried the Bible with him, in which he also read a lot.

After his conversion he was directly freed from drinking and smoking. The room full of bottles of booze he closed off. For two years he had no contact with his wife. He thought: What can I give my wife to show my love for her? A nice watch, money, a nice car? No, my eyes, my attention. That's what she has missed. He indeed talked with her, but did so while he was busy with his smartphone. He didn't look at her, had no real attention for her. He has started to bring her a glass of water every morning and every night. After two months she responded, ‘Why do you do that?’ He said, ‘I'm ashamed to say that I love you, but I wanted to show you my love.’ Then she broke and also came to faith.

Monday and Tuesday (16th-17th Nov) there were discussions with some pastors in the morning and in the afternoon on a number of questions they had about the first epistle to the Corinthians. These are brothers who came to repentance between five and ten years ago. What we have noticed is that they already have good knowledge of God’s Word and had well thought about the topics we discussed. They also wanted their thoughts checked, whether they had the right view on their responsibilities for the church. I told them that I left that judgment to the Lord and that I could only try to make clear what God's Word says about their questions, according to my conviction. They should check my answers to the Scriptures and only change something if they see it in Scripture. That this is their only desire, turned out from the discussions we’ve had.

It started a bit later than planned. Monday morning we were present at half past nine, but the two brothers who had to come from other places, were delayed. So we started no sooner than in the afternoon. F., the translator and also pastor of a church, said with a laugh: ‘In this country you have to be flexible and available.’

First they made a list with questions, about almost every chapter a question. From chapter 1 they would like to speak about what it means to be holy or sanctified. We spoke thoroughly about being sanctified (position) and live a sanctified life (practice). It was really not so that they agreed directly with my explanation. From chapters 2 and 3 we have spoken in detail about the natural man (that’s the infidel, not born again man) and about the believer who can be spiritually, but also carnal.

In connection with chapter 5 we have been thinking about the responsibility of the church to exercise discipline. They see that this is necessary. However, it is not easy for them to see that this has to do with the authority of the church. Now it is still so that a pastor prohibits in a particular case the access to the church. Mostly the other believers still are so young in the faith that they are not yet able to deal with matters of discipline.

Discipline as in 1 Corinthians 5 is about someone who lives in public sin, not someone who falls into sin. Usually it is true that before someone is excommunicated as an evil one from the church, there can and should be first put other steps to help someone to get rid of sin. That we see in Matthew 18:15-20, a section that is closely linked to the 1 Corinthians 5.

This they didn’t understand. How could Matthew 18:15-20 deal with the church? The Lord spoke to his disciples, didn’t He? Why then suddenly in this Scripture it is about the church and then indeed about a church that was not yet existing? Such a remark shows how they read without ‘prior knowledge’ of the church. As a result of I could to explain why the Lord here, as in Matthew 16:18, does speak about a situation that is yet to come. It makes yourself thinking again about this subject and confirms you in what you were allowed to discover. That you may pass then. They were very grateful for the open way in which we could talk with each other about God's Word.

They also believed that the Holy Spirit already in the Old Testament dwelt in the believers, although He only came to dwell on earth when He was poured out on the day of Pentecost, that is after the glorification of the Lord Jesus (John 7:37-39). Every time they asked for evidence from the Scriptures. We’ve spoken about who are believers in other words children of God, when someone receives the Holy Spirit, what a Christian is, about the difference between the Christian who is it in name only and the Christian who really is one through repentance and new life, about the true disciple and false disciple. It were pleasant, invigorating discussions. Definitely they are going to think over all these things and ask the Lord what He wants them to do with it.

Monday evening and Tuesday evening was the continuation of the lectures on the first letter to the Corinthians with which I had started Sunday afternoon. I’ve only finished chapter 1. When we said goodbye Tuesday night T. said that it means I have to come back fifteen years, since 1 Corinthians has sixteen chapters -;).

Wednesday 18 November at the end of the morning we were picked up by a sister who drove us along some of the sights of the huge port city Dalian. We drove also through an area where the dignitaries of the world are received and housed in all kinds of large chalets with glitter and glamour. It is a kind of holiday park, but then bit more luxurious. At four o’clock we stepped on the train to Shenyang, where we arrived at nine o’clock.

Shenyang

Thursday through Saturday there were Bible studies in the church where Y. is pastor is, again about the first epistle to the Corinthians. Thursday night and Friday night I shared something from other portions of God's Word with the attendees. Y. would like to have teaching about ten topics. That were successively:

division (1 Cor 1, 3),
discipline (1 Cor 5),
suffer injustice (1 Cor 6),
sexuality (1 Cor 6),
marriage (1 Cor 7),
being no stumbling block (1 Cor 8),
the head covering (1 Cor 11),
the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 10, 11),
the gifts (1 Cor 12-14),
the resurrection (1 Cor 15).

Every study of a subject consisted of an introduction of half an hour, twenty minutes group discussion and twenty minutes summary and questions and answers. Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon there were three studies and Saturday four. It were lively studies with input from all those present. Again we have experienced how refreshing and enriching it is to speak on these topics with those who are relatively young in the faith.

Saturday night we visited a what’s called ‘Watchman Nee-church. I have read several Bible commentaries of Watchman Nee and have had spiritual profit of it. I also read something about his life. Thereby I already for a longer time had the desire to take a look once in such a church, but had found no possibility so far. Now it turned out that a sister who now goes to the church where Y. is pastor, visited for some time such a church. Y. has asked her whether she wanted to contact them to ask if it were possible that we could visit the meeting on Sunday. She did and the reaction was that we were hearty welcome and that we could come Saturday night to get acquainted with each other.

The sister went along with us to introduce us. Also Baihong, Y. and an older brother (who also was in that church for some time) went along. The encounter was pleasant. We have over and over again what questions. There was recognition in the Lord. There also was a Chinese brother, Jin, with his wife and two children, which for a number of years lives in Germany lives and was back in China since March of this year for several months. He has translated our discussion. What we have shared with each other, gave them the boldness to invite us to visit the meeting on Sunday, to take part in the Lord’s Supper and minister with the Word. On our part that boldness was there too.

Sunday morning Baihong picked us up and the three of us have been to that church. In various places we experienced different forms of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. This was again different. Every time it is clear that it is not a matter of the form, but of the love for the Lord Jesus and the gratitude to Him for His great work. To be able to think with each other on Him and His work gives this experience of cordial connection in the Lord, right through language and cultural differences.

After I had shared God's Word Jin said to me that a brother would like to talk with me. I relation to the history of the father who went to the disciples with his son with the question to cure him (Mark 9:14-29), had said something about the increasing communication problems between parents and children. This brother recognized that situation. So it was exactly between him and his son. He told that five years ago he had come to repentance. Until then, he always had his son, who is now seventeen, put under pressure to perform well, according to Chinese culture. He himself could learn good well and had good grades, so his son also had to get good grades.

His son has closed himself for him already for some time and blames him severely about his hard upbringing. He retreats to his room to design things on the internet to sell it. The father thinks that he does this to prove himself, that he is able to perform something. We have among other things shared with each other that the Lord indeed forgives all our sins if we confess them, but does not always or directly take away its consequences. What He does do, is to help us to bear the consequences. It will get us to go to Him constantly. Together we have prayed for his son and in this way have brought him to the Lord (Mark 9:20). It is clear that this communication problem is not found only within the Chinese culture. How many similar situations are not there in Netherlands and other Western countries?

After a common meal we left. Later in the day still had the evening meal at Y. and evaluated the time that we were here. We see that the Lord has led this so. We will pray for each other and keep in touch with each other.

Dandong

Monday we got up early. Baihong would like to take us to Dandong, a city on the border with North Korea, one and a half hour drive by high speed train. Between Dandong and North Korea flows a wide river. There is a bridge between Dandong and North-Korea that is only open for traffic and a train. Next to this bridge there is another bridge, but this stops half way the river. The other half is destroyed in 1950 by the Americans. The half part that is accessible from Dandong, is made to a tourist attraction. At the end of the accessible part is made a platform from where you can look to that country. If you stand there, it indeed comes very close. We saw a not rotating Ferris wheel, houses, flats. It seems so normal. Then you realize: this is the country where the believers are prosecuted in the most violent way.

Nanjing

After this visit we went back. We had to back on time in Shenyang, because for at three o’clock the sleeper train to Nanjing would depart. We arrived after nearly seventeen hours on Tuesday morning at 07.30. In Nanjing were Bible studies about the Gospel of John on the program. The interpreter who also has translated in the first week, had rejoined us. She would translate again. At the station we were warmly welcomed by the sister by whom we were invited. Some young brothers took our luggage and drove us to a restaurant where we had breakfast. Then we were brought to our accommodation. A young couple who was married two days ago, had made their newly furnished apartment available to us. I gave the sister a number of copies of the Chinese translation of the commentary on the epistle to the Romans. She said: this is what we need. We heard later also of others that they are desperately short of the explanation of God’s Word.

At five o'clock we were invited for a meal. Also were Z., a Messianic Jew, and his Chinese wife L. We were sitting next to them. He had been two days with this group of believers, his wife had translated him. It was a great opportunity to become some knowledge about Messianic Jews. He told a few years ago that he had come to faith in Messiah Jesus. I asked him to which tribe he belonged. He said that concerning his origins he belonged to the tribe of Levi, but that now by faith in Messiah Jesus he belonged to the tribe of Judah. The last words of his thanksgiving for eating touched us: ‘This we ask in the Name of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Messiah Jesus.’ It was an interesting and pleasant meeting with a Jew whose eyes are opened for the Lord Jesus as God’s Messiah.

After dinner I have given the first Bible study on the Gospel of John. That took place in a room that strongly reminded the room in which we were the last years in that other place in the North: very simple, very warm and very crowded with enthusiastic believers with hunger after the Word.

The next morning we were picked up at a quarter to eight. We went to the same locality we were yesterday for breakfast. Then we went to the place of meeting. Today's program was Bible studies from 08.30-11.30, from 13.00-17.00 and 18.30-19.30. It ran different. I had given Bible study for half an hour when Baihong got a note in her hands with the message written: ‘Let the teacher stop teaching. The police is coming.’ It meant that we immediately had to pack up and leave.

Quickly we were brought to our apartment. The brother who brought us there, said he has not experienced this before. We first prayed for the believers here that Lord gives them wisdom to give the right answers at to interrogation, in the knowledge that He is above all. Some moments later came the responsible sister. She told that she was informed by a friend of a three self church (the government-recognized church) who had heard that the religion police had actions against all kinds of house churches. It's been over ten years since she had to do with the police. There was no tension with her. ‘We pray’, she said. After she was gone, the newly married young sister came to whom the apartment belongs. ‘If perhaps the police would come here’, she said, I can say it is my apartment and that you are my guests.

We have been sitting in the apartment for a few hours. In that time it became clear that as soon as we had left a Chinese brother continued the Bible study. It also became clear that the religion police had entered the room. Most brothers and sisters were already gone. The policemen had asked who the responsible person was. Then they took the responsible sister and the preaching brother with them for interrogation. After waiting some time, wondering what would happen, some brothers came and said they would bring us to a station in a city three hours drive away from where we could travel to Harbin with a high-speed train. It was anyway the best thing that we should leave the city as soon as possible.

That was a big disappointment for the believers. The two brothers who drove us to the other city told that they belonged to a group of eleven believers who had driven six hours to attend the studies. They are so hungry to hear the Word and the study of last night only had made their appetite larger. Fortunately, before we left I had the opportunity to show them the recordings of Bible studies of past years in this area which can be downloaded from the website www.oudesporen.nl under ‘Other languages, Chinese’. It indeed is not the same as personal sharing, but in any case it is something.

In the car, on the way to the city where we would go on the train, we heard the probable reason of the visit from the police. The reason was that there were more than thirty people together, the maximum number that is allowed to come together. The responsible sister has said that this was because of the wedding that had taken place two days earlier, which caused the police to examine the relationships between the various attendees.

Fortunately we were gone before the police came, because than it would have been quite different. It is forbidden that a Chinese believer passes the border of its own province and goes in another province to teach the Word of God. And when he teaches in his own province he needs a ‘sermon license’. We were also very glad and experienced it as a blessing that our presence was not the reason for the investigation of the police. This was at least what we felt at that moment according to what we had heard. And it gave us a renewed awareness how careful we should be and that we have to listen well to the directions of the local believers. The message was send to delete the video recording and all the pictures that were taken of us. No evidence of our being there should be saved, because it could be used against the believers.

Harbin

When we arrived Harbin we heard more news. The responsible sister was taken by the police. They searched for her mobile phone to control her contact. This they didn’t find because she had given it to one of her co-workers. It also turned out that she indeed had been interrogated about the foreigners who were seen in the city. The brother from Israel and we have been noticed. In that city other persons than Chinese ones are not a daily phenomenon. It was expected that the responsible sister would hear soon the result of the investigation. Her ‘case’ was in the hands of the governor of the province.

That everything went as it is gone we owe to the good hand of the Lord over us and the prayers of the believers, how disappointing it also is for the believers here. Some said they believed it is the work of the devil. We have assured them that we firmly believe that this is not a victory for the devil. The Lord is above it. Maybe at the moment we don’t understand why He has let it happen, but we may trust that God uses it to bless His people.

So suddenly we had a day off Thursday. In the evening we had a conversation with a brother who leads an underground Bible school somewhere. In the first week that we were in China Baihong had informed him about our presence and activities. He really wanted that we also came to him. We have looked if this could be inserted in the program, but that turned out not to go. Then we suggested that he would come to Harbin and that we could talk Friday. We had to fly no sooner than in the evening and would then leave early in the morning from Nanjing. He wanted to come to Harbin. Because he arrived on Thursday in Harbin and we also were already there, we were able to meet with each other still in the evening.

He told that he was born just after the Cultural Revolution and had come to repentance at the age of thirteen. At that time, the Bible was a scarce book. Along with others he borrowed it regularly and then wrote down as much as possible. He has set up a Bible school, to which for some years a missionary school is connected. They send out to areas where the gospel has not been preached yet.

When I asked whether he sometimes is interrogated by the police, he answered that this happens regularly and that this is part of it, quite simple. He wants me to come to teach. After Baihong had contacted him about this matter, he and others prayed for it and received clarification that it was good. Otherwise he had not made this trip to us. I told him that I have no theological training, that I don’t take exams or tests, but only bring the Word of God, to connect thereby the hearts to the Lord Jesus. He loved it. I had to keep in mind that my freedom will be extremely limited. I cannot show me in the street, so I may not go out. That does not seem to me a huge task. The SIM card must be from the mobile phone. That also is not a problem since I do not have such a device at this time. One possibility is that I go there DV late September.

In the afternoon he had an appointment with a sister who also leads a Bible school. She wanted to meet us. That was possible the next day, Friday. The sister had possibility only three o‘clock, but another sister who also leads a Bible school, had heard of our visit and wanted to meet us. That was possible before that time. She visited us, along with another sister, at the place where we had lunched. Her heart goes out to the poor believers whom she wants to encourage and wants to give the opportunity to be equipped for service in the church. The compassion and dedication radiates from her. She also wants me to come to teach. That could be, when the Lord confirms further, following the week in the other place.

At three o'clock the aforementioned sister came. She would bring us to the airport, along with the brother. We opened the car door and see the face of the sister whom I had met when I was in China for the first time (Nov. 2012), along with Thomas for Bible studies there organized by her! This was a very unexpected reunion. That can only be regulated by the Lord.

At six o'clock we were at the airport. The brother of the Bible school went with us and has helped us to check in. He then checked in himself. Together we went through customs. He sent a message to Baihong to let her know that everything had gone well. After a good trip, we came home Saturday morning.

Warm greetings of connectedness in the service of our Lord,
Ger and Willy de Koning