CHINA CLOSES THE DOOR ON FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced last week that, starting May 1, 2025, foreign missionaries will be prohibited from sharing their faith, preaching, and establishing religious organisations.

As reported by International Christian Concern, “Chinese state media claimed that the newly revised rules promote national security — a common justification for CCP persecution of religion — and help to protect ‘normal religious activities,’ referring to activities run under strict government oversight as part of state-run religious institutions.”

The restrictions apply to all religions and prohibit “non-Chinese citizens residing in the country from establishing religious organizations, preaching without authorization, founding religious schools, producing or selling religious books, accepting religious donations, or recruiting Chinese citizens as religious followers.” They further stipulate that any foreign clergy entering China may only preach if invited to by a state-run religious organization, and that all content must not “interfere with China’s religious affairs” and must be pre-approved.

This latest crackdown on independent religious groups is part of a larger pattern of religious persecution under Xi’s regime. China’s state-run media outlet the Global Times recently boasted, “China’s public security authorities intensified efforts to dismantle cult organizations in 2024. They have worked to curb the growth and spread of cult organizations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability.”

Xi’s campaign against religious freedom largely began in 2016 when he declared that he wanted to “Sinicize” all religion in China. This effort has led to the CCP officially recognising only a handful of religions and triggered the rise of state-run institutions like the protestant Three Self Church and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. In response, the underground “house church” movement of believers who wish to worship free from government oversight has grown significantly — but so has the government crackdown on the movement. Church raids by police have become commonplace.

This is just another of the end times signs. The Bible tells us that China (kings from the East) will be involved in the last great battle of Armageddon when Jesus returns to rescue and restore Israel.

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.” Revelation 16:12-14

GROWING CHRISTIANITY IN TIMES OF PERSECUTION

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As China’s Christian Persecution Rages, Is Biblical Faith in Decline or Thriving in the Shadows?

David Curry, CEO of Global Christian Relief, an organization that helps Christians under duress around the globe, believes the church in China based on our methodology, is somewhere around 120 million,” Curry said, though definitive numbers are difficult to determine. If true, this would mean some estimates are off by almost 100 million people. One of the challenges, Curry said, is using self-identifying religious data inside a country that openly punishes Christianity and those who choose to publicly align with the faith. “They have self-identifying as one of the factors which make the number incredibly low,” he said. “Historically, the Chinese church has been underground.” While the church came above ground in recent decades, the rise of Chinese President Xi Jinping has created roadblocks and problems, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) increasingly cracking down on the faithful. The government looks down upon those who attend church regularly, and children cannot be legally aligned with any faith tradition. “[President Xi has] become more like a dictator,” he said. “It’s gone back underground, because of the increased restrictions. So, to be self-identified as a Christian means to put yourself in the crosshairs of a lot of government surveillance and other things, because Christian behaviour is punished in their social score system, and they have a very sophisticated way of monitoring this.”

In this photo taken Sunday, June 3, 2018, the demolished house church is seen in the city of Zhengzhou in central China’s Henan province. Under President Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, believers are seeing their freedoms shrink dramatically even as the country undergoes a religious revival. Experts and activists say that as he consolidates his power, Xi is waging the most severe systematic suppression of Christianity in the country since religious freedom was written into the Chinese constitution in 1982. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

As CBN News has reported, the CCP is reportedly also attempting to rewrite the Bible in its own image, with officials in one area also testing out a new app demanding citizens pre-register before attending religious services. “When you ask people if they’re Christian, they’re not likely to just raise their hand, wave, and jump up and down, and say, ‘Yeah, count me in your survey,’ because they know what it means,” Curry said. Despite these challenges, Curry believes Christianity is, in all reality, increasing in China, with a healthy underground church continuing to grow.  “It’s under pressure … but the church of China is growing,” he said. “I think it’s healthy, despite a lot of the headwinds it’s facing right now.”

Curry said Chinese Christians could help believers in the West who are “in a mode of retreat” amid the cultural changes that have suddenly made those heralding biblical values persona non grata. “We’re in a defensive position,” he said. “And I think we need to look at the Chinese church and the church that’s under persecution in general as perhaps a model of how a church can grow in difficult times.”

We are fast approaching the Biblical prophesied last seven years before Jesus returns to Earth, to rescue the Saints and to pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world. Persecution/Tribulation of Christians is prophesied to increase during the time the Antichrist will rule the world. Jesus has told us in advance so we will be prepared for the suffering knowing our redemption is close at hand.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MOVING IN AFGHANISTAN

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Global Catalytic Ministries (GCM) has witnessed exponential growth in disciple-making through one of their leaders, “Jav.”

Massive Move of God In Afghanistan

GCM said, “We are always in awe of what God can do with just one ‘YES’. Jav was trained by the Iranian underground church and is leading the great move of the Holy Spirit in Afghanistan. Jav shared that he will baptize over 60 Afghan Muslims this week! He has discipled 5,000 people and communicates using one of the phones that were purchased with your donations. 5,000 new disciples a year is 416 disciples a month, 13 disciples a day, which means there is a brand new disciple every 2 hours for 365 days straight. That phone allows him to train, disciple, develop other leaders, and grow the kingdom of God. We will continue to keep you updated with information like this in the future. It is our privilege to share stories like this of how the Spirit is moving.” 

Joe Richardson whom I know is heavily involved with this ministry. Can I suggest you consider donating to GCM? You can check them out at http://www.globalcatalyticministries.com.