Church Members Vow legal, Constitutional Fight Following Fourth Chinese House Church Closure Since September
(Worthy News) - Members of Beijing’s Shouwang Church, which recently became the fourth Chinese house church to be closed since September, are “considering hiring lawyers” after the government proceeded to shut down their alternative worship location last week, according to a source at China Aid.
“This action by the government department’s personnel is totally inconsistent with the spirit of the [Chinese] constitution,” said the source.
The government declared Shouwang church illegal on March 23rd when it raided a Bible class and tightened restrictions on Pastor Jin Tianming, who has been under house arrest since 2011.
“Anti-China forces in the West are trying to continue to influence China’s social stability and even subvert our country’s political power through Christianity,” a Chinese official claimed last month in response to Western condemnations of the recent government clampdown on Christians and Uighur Muslims.
China has climbed 16 spots on Open Doors USA’s World Watch List since last year.
Well, that's one way to die. The persecution will be swift. But that's what this is really all about, isn't it? To get their suffering over with.
Is it only me, or has anyone else noticed that, often, our Chinese brethren in Messiah, can be a bit masochistic? They do seem to rush to it.
There is indeed glory to die for Christ. There is glory in suffering for Jesus, the Messiah, for righteousness sake. That means for the sake of being right. So, what are they right about this time. The Chinese constitution. Seriously. Anyone think they'll win this case? It is true, on paper. Much like murder is illegal in the USA and has been long before its Constitution was created. That's not stopping Pelosi from Infanticide, is it?
But to throw away their lives, to consider that the only way, the best way, to serve Jesus is by getting arrested, beat up, and tortured to be killed (at best) seems like they are just "asking for it" too much.
They might hire attorneys. Really? They must have some attorney's who want to die early too. And dying is a best case senario, in China. These are the people who have amassed how many muslims in some giant concentration camp within their own borders and no one can stop them? Those Chinese? That country?
They will lose. They know that. They will be arrested and become famous, maybe internationally famous. They will seal their doom as martyrs. Why? Because if you can't beat em, join em (as their victims).
And they know that also.
So, why? What is to be gained? Can there be gain? or will they simply be leading multitude others to run to be martyred also. Like those before them. Did Jesus die so we could claim the name "Church" over us? So we can all be "the church" or a "church" or do "church" in our homes? Was it some church that bled and died so we could have life eternal? Or was it the perfect Son of God, the blameless one? Who died that we might have life.
It is much, much, harder to live for Y'shua than it is to just get it over with by turning one's self into yet another martyr.
It is Catholic doctrine (and Neitzche) that promotes suffering as somehow pleasing to God and His Christ. It is suffering for righteousness that is godly. Not handing oneself over to persecutors and torturers because they so love "the Church" or being famous, even if only after death, instead. The glory is not in suffering alone. It is what we suffer for that makes the difference and Jesus didn't die for our right to suffer like that advances the Kingdom of God on Earth.
There is honor in suffering that can not be avoided. There is no honor in creating our own sufferings because we want to be famous or because we have misguided ideas about what Jesus bought for us (suffering?).
Your negative and critical comments against Chinese Christians floor me. It seems so very hard hearted. Where is "if one suffers we all suffer?" These Christians suffer enough. You nor I have walked in their shoes. The church in China has been persecuted, even martyred, relentlessly for decades. If they are truly Christians than the Spirit of Jesus Christ dwells in them and leads them. The church is simply where "2 or more gather in His name." You seem to be coming from a stance very critical of the church. I would guess you are HRM, prosperity gospel division.