Religion : Communism teaches that the government is the answer to people's problems, not God. In the 20th century, the communist government in China tried to get rid of Christianity. It was against the law to spread the Good News of Jesus. Few Chinese people owned Bibles.
Missionaries from other countries are still illegal in China. Today about half the people in China do not follow any religion. About 40% follow Buddhism or Chinese traditional religions. But millions are coming to Christ every year! The majority of Chinese Christians worship in house churches not approved by the government. In some parts of China, police raid house churches, arrest Christians, and take away Bibles.
One day, Doris teacher asked her class in China to listen to a "fairy tale". The story told about two people-a man and a woman-in a garden. The teacher didn't say that the people were Adam and Eve. She didn't mention the Bible. And God was not a part of the story.
Doris had never seen a Bible, so she had no idea where the story came from. She just knew that the teacher said the story was a fairy tale.
School girls in China wear a red scarf. It is a symbol of communism. Communism teaches that the government is the answer to people's problems, not God.
When Doris was a little older, some friends invited her to a party. The people who invited her were Christians, and the party was a Christmas party. The Christians explained the meaning of Christmas to Doris, and she decided to follow Jesus! Like millions of people in China, Doris' parents did not believe in God. They were upset about her new faith. "You are just being rebellious!" they told her. Doris remained silent and did not argue. But she stood firm in her faith.
Doris learned from the Bible that the story of Adam and Eve was not a fairy tale. She wanted others in China to read the Bible and learn the truth, too. But China had a shortage of Bibles, because the Chinese government allowed only a certain number to be printed.
Doris began helping Bible smugglers from other countries deliver Bibles to Chinese Christians. At one time, she had five bags of Bibles in her room. People in China may get unwanted attention from the police if they have a lot of Bibles. "Get rid of them!" her parents said. "We don't want to get in trouble because of you!"
Doris delivered the Bibles on a motorcycle to a big house church. The pastor of the church, Samuel Lamb, had been in prison for 20 years because he taught people about Jesus outside of government-approved churches. He believed churches should be approved by God, not the government.
"Now many more people in China have Bibles", said Doris. But there is still a shortage, and most Chinese people still have not read the Bible. Every year millions of Chinese people become new Christians. But they don't know God's Word. So they are in danger of being fooled by groups who teach false beliefs. One of the groups is called "Eastern Lightning." Eastern Lightning people stand outside Samuel Lambs's," said Doris. "They stuff CDs of the their false teachings into Christians' pockets."
Eastern Lightning members pretend to be Christians. Sometimes they kidnap people who do not believe their teaching. One of the group's false teachings, according to Chinese Christians, is that Jesus is a woman in her 30's who is hiding in China today. Of course, Eastern Lightning's beliefs and ways do not agree with the Bible. But people who have never read the Bible don't know that.
Doris believes only God can help the people in her country get stronger in His Word. She hopes other Christians around the world will join her in praying that more Chinese people will read and follow the Bible.
Each paragraph in the true story above can be turned into a prayer point for China. For example, you can pray for people who have never seen a Bible, or pray for children whose parents don't know Jesus. List other prayer needs you find and join Doris in praying for her country.
What are some of the dangers for Christians in America who don't read their Bible?
One of our brothers with the Voice of the Martyrs named David said he sees a lot of tired kids in China from when he goes over there to help. Parents in China are eager for their children to do well in school. Many students go back to school at night and on Saturdays to do extra schoolwork. "They spend very little time with their parents", said David. "And most of the parents don't teach their children anything about God."
"In the main parts of China, everyone seems to have a cell phone" said David, a contact for the Voice of the Martyrs in China. Many use their phones for text messaging. Chinese people send each other billions of text messages during the biggest holiday of the year-Chinese New Year.
When David visited a house church, he found out that some Christians are careful about what they say to each other in public or on their cell phones. "I was told not to speak about the house church in public, and not even to say 'God'", said David. Christians in his area are concerned that the police may bother them because house churches are not approved by the government. Some believe their phones might be "bugged."
Christians in China often send coded text messages on their cell phones. One such message said "Don't give up. The Father loves you_from creation until now and into the future. Remember we are all His children".
The message does not say, 'God' in it, but a non-Christian police officer might not understand it. Cell phones in China have the same keys as cell phones in America.
Users type their message in "pinyin". Pinyin is a form of writing that spells Chinese words using the English aphabet. The messages then appear on the screen in the symbols used in Chinese writing.
In Chinese, "Jesus loves me" is pronounced "yeh-soo ai woh". ("Ai" sounds like the English word "eye". Pronunciations are approximate.) Sing the song "Jesus Loves Me", substituting the Chinese words for the English phrase in the song.
"Jesus is real in my life and I love God", said Emily a 13 year old girl. Then the pastor baptized her as smiling church friends looked on.
But Emily's baptism was an unusual event. It took place in a swimming pool outside a city in southern China. "It was freezing cold!" said Emily. The friends who gathered around the pool were members of the "illegal" Chinese house church that Emily attended with her family while they lived in China.
The church members knew the risks of gathering without government permission. Some of the teens and young adults from the church had been taken to the police station once before. The students were studying the Bible at a secret Bible school. They hoped to become missionaires.
The Chinese police raided the school and shut it down. At the police station, one of the students took out his Bible and began reading it. "Why aren't these people scared?" one of the policemen asked another. "Because they are Christians", the second policeman answered. The students believed God's Word, which says,
"Fear not", (Isaiah 41:10).
After the students were released, they boldly continued to study the Bible. The house church continued to meet, and the pastor baptized believers, including Emily. "Pray that the Chinese Christians will continue to rise up in boldness so the light in China will influence the world," said Emily.
A Christian care worker tried to ask Chinese children that question. The worker said, "I could not get any children to answer. I am not saying that there are no Christian children. But the few that I know do not have much knowledge of the Bible. Chinese officials do not like people to share the gospel with anyone under 18."
Every day, thousands of people in China become Christians. The new Christians would like to teach their children about Jesus. But they don't know how! Many of the parents never heard the name of Jesus when they were children. If you too would like to help more please visit,
I'm glad that I am saved. About 20 to 25 people go to my house church. We praise God, then someone preaches. Our worship services last two-and-a-half hours. English is my favorite subject in school, I would like to be an interpreter. Please pray that I will stay faithful to Jesus.
Our house church is like a big family. Some people in China think Christians are stupid. They think everyone should depend on themselves, so there is no need to care for other people like Christians do. I would like to ask Americans to pray that I will be a missionary someday.
About 150,000 Chinese students have come to the U.S. to go to school since the 1970s. About half have attended church at least once while they were in America. (Source: Jesus in Beijing by David Aikman) Do you know somone from another country who might like to be invited to church? Do you think they would like to receive a Bible as a gift?
Once a month, hundreds of Christian families in America mail Bibles to people in China who may have never seen a Bible. Visit www.BiblesUnbound.com to find out how they do it. The Web site tells how you can order a free DVD about the Bibles Unbound program to show to groups who might want to participate in the project.
Suppose you were not able to use any electricity or water at your house for one day, or even for one week. Would it be a hardship?
A group of kids in China, ages 10 to 15, gathered at the house of a Christian Bible teacher named Sister Kong in July 2007. Sister Kong read Bible stories to them and prayed with them.
Four government officials came to the house. "Children are not allowed to believe in Jesus!" said an official. "And this is an illegal gathering."
Sister Kong said she did not think she was breaking any Chinese laws. But some officials in China do not want children under 18 to learn about Jesus.
The officials questioned the kids at the Bible study about their school. Maybe they planned to tell their school teachers about the kids' Christian faith. A Chinese pastor told VOM that the students are often treated badly at school if others discover they are Christians.
After the officials left, they cut off the water and electricity to Sister Kong's house! No doubt it was a hardship to have the power cut off. But nothing can cut Christians off from the Power who helps them through their struggles.
"The best thing about being a Christian is that God is with me all the time," said Lian, a Chinese Christian student. Lian has faced hardships for attending an illegal house church. "Some people in China think church is not good for kids", said Lian.
Like the Apostle Paul, Chinese Christian kids and their Bible teachers have suffered hardships for their faith. But like Paul, they understand that no hardship can seperate them from the love of Christ
(Romans 8:35-39). God is with them "all the time."
Size : Satellite photos found more than 18,000 islands that make up Indonesia. But due to changing tides, many islands that are visible in the morning can disappear by afternoon.
Time : At 6:00 a.m. U.S. Central Standard Time, it is 6:00 p.m. in Indonesia.
A pair of baby tiger twins and two baby orangutans became friends and played together peacefully at a zoo in Indonesia in 2007. “This is unusual and would never happen in the wild,” said the zoo keeper.
Indonesia has more Muslims than any other nation in the world. Less than 20% of the people are Christian.
A woman named Huta Julu and her church in Indonesia were confronted by Radical Muslims that caused trouble at the church many times.
One night the Muslims nailed boards over the windows and doors so no one could get into the church. So the congregation worshiped in front of the church. Then the Muslims poured mud in front of the church and made it hard to walk there.
Huta Julu said, “We moved into the street to worship and praise God. A Muslim mob brought knives to scare us. We were singing, ‘In the name of Jesus, we have the victory.’ As we sang, many in the mob backed up and tripped, and some fell down….Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”
A man in a white hat led the attacks on the church. (See the man in the photo above.) The Voice of the Martyrs has learned more from this man about what happened after the attacks.
The man threatened Huta Julu during the attack. He heard her pray, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Jesus said the same thing about His enemies when He was on the cross. See Luke 23:34.)
Another time, Huta Julu said to the man, “If I die, you will take my place.” The man went home, amazed by the behavior of those who follow Jesus.”
A Surprising Change
The man in the white hat was the leader of a mosque. A mosque is a building where Muslims meet together to practice their religion.
“A week after these incidents with the church, I was standing on the stage at the mosque for our Friday service,” said the man. “Suddenly I blurted out the words, ‘The only way to salvation is Jesus. Jesus is the way.’ The words just came out. I did not yet know all of what I was saying.
“The worshipers were angry. They rushed up to the stage and beat me right there in the mosque.”
God helped the man escape. He got his wife and children, and they jumped on a bus that was going to another city. Christians helped his family settle in a new home.
The church members he attacked now meet in homes. Every Sunday he calls to wish them a “Happy Sunday.”
Huta Julu said, “Believe that God is here and that He walks in the middle of your problems. As you bless others, you will receive blessing.”
The Bible says, “Bless those who persecute you” (Romans 12:14). Huta Julu obeyed the Bible when she asked God to forgive the man in the white hat. Praise God for the man’s new faith. Pray for his children, who will now grow up knowing the truth about Jesus.
Beliefs : Muslims believe they should pray five times a day at certain times. They are taught what they should say and do during the five times.
Beliefs : Many Muslims believe they should go to a mosque to pray, especially men, and especially on Fridays.
Beliefs : Muslims believe they should fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, a month on the Muslim calendar.
Beliefs : Many Muslims believe that the Muslim holy book, the Quran, commands women to cover their heads in public (Quran 33:59).
Beliefs : 86% of American Muslims believe that the Quran is the word of Allah, whom they worship. (78% of U.S. Christians believe the Bible is the Word of God.)
Agus is a 12-year-old Christian boy. He lives in Indonesia. (See his photo above.) One Sunday, Agus tried to pick up his little sister from her Sunday school teacher’s house. Radical Muslims have destroyed 900 churches in Indonesia. So, church groups and Sunday school classes often meet in the homes of pastors and teachers.
But outside the teacher’s house, a group of men began to kick Agus!
The men had a Bible. “Spit on the Bible!” they told Agus.
Agus saw that the men had a machete. (A machete is a big knife used to cut crops and bushes. Machetes are also used as weapons.) The men did not look afraid to use the machete.
But Agus said, “No.” He would not spit on the Bible. Thankfully, God protected him, and Agus got away from them.
Sunday School Visitors
The Bible belonged to Norma, the Sunday school teacher. Earlier, Norma and two other teachers read from the Bible to their class of 17 children.
The Bible lesson was interrupted by about 30 men banging on the doors and windows of the house! They came in the house shouting, “Allahu Akbar,” which means “Allah is great” in Arabic.
Arabic is the language of Islam. Islam is the religion of Muslims. Muslims worship Allah, who they believe created the world. Not all Muslims believe it is right to attack non-Muslims, but those who are extreme, or “radical,” in Indonesia are doing so.
The Sunday school teachers and children knew what radical Muslims had done to other churches. “Jesus, please help us!” Norma prayed.
Attacked with a Bible
“A man picked up my Bible,” said Norma. “One of the men shouted, ‘Because of this Bible, a lot of people are becoming apostates!’”
An apostate is someone who leaves their religion. Radical Muslims in Indonesia are angry when Muslims leave Islam to follow Jesus.
“Then one of the men took the Bible and hit me in the face with it,” said Norma. “My 13-year-old daughter said, ‘Please don’t hit my mom!’
“But I felt the hand of God was protecting me. Another man grabbed the Bible and said, ‘I will burn this!’” Then he took the Bible outside, where the men told Agus to spit on it.
“Broken for You”
Joel, an 8-year-old Sunday school student, had run out of the house when the men came in. He went back inside after the men left the house. He saw that the men had thrown a picture on the floor and smashed it. The picture showed Jesus holding a baby.
“My Jesus has been broken!” cried Joel when he saw the picture.
God protected Joel, Agus, Norma, and the other children from serious injury in the attack. Norma prays they will continue to be strong in their faith. “Our family prayed together about this and asked God to take away any fear,” said Norma.
Please pray with her for Indonesian Christians. Pray that their attackers will come to know the one who said, “This is My body, which is broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24).
(To protect their identities, the names of some of the people mentioned above have been changed.)
Voice of the Martyrs
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Kids of Courage
Newsletters for both adults and students present geography, culture, and realities of life for Christians in nations where the gospel is restricted. The 8-page quarterly provides hands on activities and opportunities for kids to participate in projects to pray for and aid persecuted Christians. For a free subscription to Kids of Courage and The Voice of the Martyrs newsletters visit,
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