Why China? Why Now?
God does not love the Chinese any more than He loves the Russians or the Haitians, but China is not just another country. Throughout Christian history, God has chosen to boldly use specific nations or peoples at certain points in his ongoing global plan. It seems that the church in China now has God’s special anointing.
Unreached Population
There are more than 1.3 billion Chinese on the planet. Approximately one of every five people is Chinese. More than half have never heard the gospel; this is the largest unreached people group in the world.
Geography
China shares borders with 14 countries, whose residents comprise forty-five percent of the global population. Six are predominantly Islamic. Four are significantly Buddhist, and three are dominated by Atheistic Communism. Many authorities hold that North Korea is the single greatest nuclear threat in the world. Only China is positioned to have an effective spiritual and political impact on North Korea.
Global Leader
China’s economic, technological, and military power continues to grow, and China is becoming recognized as the single most influential country in the world. As more and more Chinese follow Christ, the values and culture of China will begin to shift. Today China stands at a crossroad. She is leaving her isolationist past in communist socialism, but her future posture is still undecided.
Harvest Time
When the Communists took over China in 1949, there were approximately one million Chinese Christians. Because of the persecution by the communists, the world Christian community thought Christianity would die in China. But God had other plans. The number of believers has grown to over 100 million — only seven percent of the population is Christian. The revival continues in China.
Vision of the Chinese Church
In the 1930s, the young church began to develop a back-to-Jerusalem vision as they saw themselves as the tool God would use to take the Gospel westward from China through the Muslim world and even to Israel. Although the political environment for Christians in China remains somewhat unpredictable, the church is beginning to send missionaries to areas where Western missionaries have had limited impact. In the near future, more missionaries may be sent out from China than from any other country.
Open Window
Even as the window to the West slowly opens, there are rising fears of how China’s economic and military strength could impact America. Fanned by the media, these fears may produce resistance to benevolence toward Chinese. However, the window of opportunity is open right now. Western Christians and churches are urgently invited to minister with our Chinese brothers and sisters in God’s miraculous work — today.