"The RADICAL CHINESE HOUSE CHURCHES"

"The RADICAL CHINESE HOUSE CHURCHES"
Denny Kenaston

The Remnant Magazine <--click to read more

There is a powerful anointed church in China. She is a beautiful bride prepared and waiting for her Bridegroom. I have read short accounts ofGod's testimony on the other side of the globe and been deeply challenged by their lives. Recently, at our Youth Bible School, we hadthe privilege of hearing a detailed account of many of their lives. Two men closely connected with the persecuted church in China shared theirstory. When the meeting was over, I sat and interviewed these two men, asking them specific questions which I felt would help us American Christians get a vision.

This article is an account of that interview:

Bro Denny: When I was listening to you, I wrote a few questions that Ihad wanted to ask you. One is about fasting and prayer. How much do thepeople fast and pray in the house churches of China?
Bro Ren: Let us take prayer first. The leaders of the church in Chinatry to pray three to four hours a day. That is normal. But then thereare some brethren who are totally committed to pray. Almost every minutethey are awake, they are praying. They cannot even be elders in thechurch because of the amount of time they spend in prayer. They have twokinds of leaders in the church. They have spiritual leaders, who fastand pray; then they have practical operational leaders, who are activein everyday affairs of the church. The praying leaders are praying forthe whole church, and especially for the practical leaders. They are notin a preaching ministry. The operational leaders go to them fordirection and wisdom. Very few Westerners have ever met these elders.These men are older men who cannot travel anymore, so they are mainly inthat ministry. It literally keeps the church on track. They hear fromthe Lord and give answers to the practical leaders.
Bro Paul: I know a brother who never sleeps more than two hours a night.He prays for 22 hours a day. The brothers and sisters pray always, andthere are many all-night prayer vigils. I have been to some of theseprayer meetings. By morning, the floor is slippery because of all thetears that flow during prayer.
Bro Denny: What about fasting? What part does fasting play in all thesetestimonies we have heard?
Bro Ren: There are two kinds of fasting in China. Most of the pastorshave to fast because they don't have money to buy food. It is a naturalpart of their lives. The other kind of fasting is out of a burden forsomeone or some spiritual issue. When you read from Brother Yun's book,you will read how he fasted one hundred days to get one Bible during theCold War revolution. He was eating a small bowl of rice each day; thatis all. That means there was no time that he wasn't fasting. After onehundred days of prayer and fasting, he received a Bible in asupernatural way. That story is there. It is not in anyway special. Thepeople fast like that often.The first time we sent about twenty people out to preach, nineteen ofthem were arrested; one came back to report. Everyone else was detainedfor six months. We sent another group. The same thing happened. One ladycame home on a stretcher. They smashed her skull. She was paralyzed, butlater God restored her. When there is such resistance like this in onespecific location, then the whole team goes to fasting and praying.Usually this kind of fasting will break the yoke within thirty days, andthen the gospel has free course. When there is a real resistance, theteams do not try to push the gospel. They just go on their knees andwait on the Lord to hear His voice for direction on what to do. Theyjust keep silent and continue to fast and pray. This is a very practicalpart of their lives.
Bro Denny: Do they ......

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