Evangelize China – Now!
By D. James Heffner
American’s, and yes many European’s, consumerist greed is thrusting China into world prominence as a global economic power. Western society is losing its economic and political power in world affairs as China rises from its slumber. Bowing to the god of consumerism in the ever growing desire to buy cheap goods will bring the ‘free world’ to its knees at the foot of China’s economic throne. To ignore China is to be a ‘head-in-the-sand’ creature with its posterior as its most prominent feature. To expose this situation Knight Ridder newspapers across the country are featuring articles regarding China’s rising importance in the global village and its growing influence into areas such as Africa, the Middle East and Latin America; as well as its support for oil rich nations like Iran and the Sudan.
There is, however, a greater danger to western society and that is the spiritual direction which the Chinese will decide to follow. That there is a war on between Christianity and Islam is painfully obvious, and I’m not referring to the terrorist threat. For more than 100 years Christian missionaries have spread across Africa and Asia preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ (see http://www.globalchristianity.org/books/c1900/toc.htm). So, why is Islam gaining converts in places where people accepted Christ as Savior? The evangelization of Africa has been a dismal failure as current events prove! The ‘harvest’ withered on the vine and is being consumed by the onslaught of militant Islam.
The answer to this question is complex. A primary factor is the model employed by missionaries whereby the emphasis has been on extending a denominations influence rather than training locals to reach their own nation. It’s been an exercise in building churches instead of a thorough undertaking of building the body of believers into a force for Evangelism. It’s much like what happens in a physical body when the cells do not replicate the body suffers illness and eventually dies
Many organizations have in recent years realized it is more important to train locals in ministry and outreach than it is to build another edifice glorifying their denomination. Missionaries now have a freer hand in spreading the Gospel in China than at anytime after the Communist takeover in 1949. For decades Christian organizations have been gearing up and moving out in a massive campaign to reach China in this century. It’s time to focus on supporting their efforts – no other country is more critical to world peace. By supporting Chinese Christian ministers and their churches (and those who supply them with literature and the means to preach the Gospel) we will do more to see China won than by sending thousands and thousands of missionaries from Western societies. We dare not fail!
