China: Modelling Christ

During the Mao Zedong era, China had no landlords and there were no capitalists. These two classes of people were demoralized and after 1949 they were quickly dispossessed of any holdings they had. The property of landlords was confiscated and private factories were nationalized. Church leaders who have lived through Mao’s days feel intimidated when their authority is challenged in church. We pray for humility for all of the leaders in the churches, not because of their experience of suffering but because they model Christ’s servant heart.

During the Mao era when material shortages were the order of the day, everyone was a pauper. Those former landlords and capitalists were paupers, too–in most cases they had even less than they had before. Yet every day people still shouted, “Never forget class struggle!” The great obstacle and enemy the churches in China face today is prosperity. We give thanks to God for the improvement in the standard of living over the past twenty years but we still pray for true contentment and godliness for all believers as well as a continuing desire to always seek the Lord.