China Update
by Anonymous Field Worker
Our trip began with the School of Christ in a church about two hours south of Beijing, which was newly planted just one year ago.
The people were excited to have us come and share the first week of the school, as well as have evening services which were open to the church membership. Many people came and were greatly blessed as we ministered. Several were saved during this week and over seventy people were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The School of Christ students were mostly from the local area, but some of them had travelled as long as 24 hours by train to be with us. This was their first time to be in the School and the Holy Spirit broke through all resistance by the time we reached the lessons on repentance. Nearly the entire church ran to the altar that night as the Lord convicted them of their failure to truly repent and turn from their sin. The prayer lasted for over an hour as the church wept and prayed through to a fresh consecration with God.
We left the south of Beijing and returned to the north where the revival has been the greatest. Again, we met daily with over three hundred ministers, coworkers and Bible School students. This is the third time this year we have been with this church and they were very excited for the ministry of the School of Christ. Their lives and ministries have been transformed by the teaching, many of them experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit or a miracle of healing, some experienced both. The lead pastor of this group of over two hundred churches, testified that every church has seen an increase in growth and blessing over this past year.
This pastor was also instrumental in connecting us with another church group in a town about an hour away. This group of churches had sent a small number of students to Russia to study in the summer of 2007. We had a powerful time then as the Lord spoke to them about being a vessel of the Holy Spirit and allowing Christ to live through them. They had never heard such deep teaching from the Word of God. We however, had not heard from them in a very long time due to security concerns.
On this trip however, they were able to gather leaders from sixty churches for three days in a ministers conference. We chose to teach from the series of the Holy Spirit, as that is the greatest need of the church in China. So we taught diligently from 7 am to 5:30 pm every day, delivering to them the lessons on the Holy Spirit. On the last day we closed with the topic of prayer and then had a true Pentecostal prayer meeting. Everyone either received or was refilled with the Holy Spirit. Many were healed instantly and one man, who had been demon-possessed, was set free. The prayer time continued for hours as they cried out to the Lord in repentance, and then in praise and thanksgiving.
We also want to give the praise report that a group of Russian Christian businessmen in southern China felt led of the Spirit to help spread the School of Christ in the Chinese churches. This was just amazing. Twenty years ago Brother Clendennen established the School of Christ in Moscow, and the Russian churches are now rising up to bless the Chinese churches. God is truly amazing. We are presently, actively working with over one thousand churches in China.
They come to the various meetings and conferences that we sponsor and lead. These churches need their own copy of the School of Christ. They need the equipment to present the School to their local leadership and membership. We are also in the process of remastering the Chinese translation, as we want to present to them the very best version that we possibly can. This is the time for the Chinese revival. I don't believe we will receive another opportunity before Jesus Christ returns.
On top of all of this the economic situation has reduced our purchasing power here in China. The dollar stood at 8 yuan for every dollar for many years. At this writing the exchange rate is 6.41 to 1 and in some places we were charged a conversion fee of ten percent. So your partnership with Chinese church is crucial during this trip. We must not miss this opportunity to expand the revival, and extend the Gospel in this very dark nation.
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