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"Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants
that with all boldness they may speak Your word,
by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders
may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."
(Acts 4:29-30)
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Yu Jie is a truly dedicated and bold follower of Jesus Christ. He is a committed student of the Bible and disciple of Jesus, and his life's work is to help bring freedom and democracy to China. Jie was a vocal critic of the former Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao. Jie was warned that if he went forward with publishing his book (which powerfully critiqued the leader of the Chinese Communist
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Party), then he would be arrested and suffer for it. He went ahead and published the book anyway, so he was placed under house arrest from 2010 until 2012 and was beaten and tortured. Jie and five others went on to found the Ark Church in Beijing, China.
Jie's testimony is so strong to read. He said two factors were instrumental in his conversion. First, was understanding the nature of sin. Jie said that in China, people do not see themselves as sinners. As he read the New Testament, though, he realized that man is not inherently good, but sinful. Jie studied the Gospels and realized that only One person ever was perfect, and that was Jesus Christ. The second factor which led to Jie accepting Christ was the love of God. He became a believer in 2003 and was baptized.
Jie now speaks out against China's intolerance of religious freedom and persecution of Christians. Asked how American believers can pray for him and the church in China, he said to pray for full freedom of religion and to pray for those in Chinese prisons and labor camps, specifically that "they would practice pure Christianity from the Bible." Jie and his wife and son live in Virginia today.
(From Tim Ellsworth, Baptist Press, "China House Church Leader Weighed Scripture and Culture," Southern Baptist Texan, September 22, 2008, p. 14)
For more information about Yu Jie, also check out his Wikipedia page and this article about him in the New York Times.
I am currently preaching through the Book of Acts. It is such a riveting account of the spread of the church throughout the world. The early believers were men and women of great passion and boldness. In fact, they prayed that they would have boldness to speak the word to those who do not know Jesus.
May God help us have that same passion and authenticity here in our churches in America. Join me in praying today that God would grant you and me the boldness we need to be strong witnesses for our Lord. Also, pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ, that God would protect them and use them powerfully in proclaiming the Gospel.
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Grow your influence using Jesus’ own techniques
How can you influence the ones you love most and help them discover the joy and peace of life in Christ? Learn from the greatest influencer of all… Jesus Christ!
Pastor Danny’s brand-new book, For the One, clearly explains how you can use Jesus’ own techniques to influence the ones you love—and win their hearts for eternity.
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Podcast of the Week
Pastor Tim Hawks, Pt. 2
Pastor Danny welcomes Pastor Tim Hawks, Lead Pastor of Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, TX, back to the show to discuss near-death experiences (NDEs) and the reports of people who have experienced them and survived.
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