Discipleship training programs begin every morning at 5:00 A.M. with prayer.
One of the most respected trainers of house church pastors in China sends this message to North American Christians: In the past 50 years since the Communist takeover in 1949, the number of Christians has increased nearly a hundred-fold from 900,000 to an estimated 70,000,000 or more. The believers have lived under great persecution and oppression, but the Lord has not abandoned them. He has not only strengthened Chinese churches during these hard times, but also He is using them in a way beyond our imagination. By the end of 2001, Chinese churches will have sent out indigenous missionaries to almost every one of the 55 minority groups in China. It is also the vision of the house churches to send out missionaries to their neighbouring countries. They want to take the Gospel to Nepal, India, Pakistan, and finally to the Muslim Arab countries, most of which have been closed to Western missionaries. Their dream is to bring the Gospel back to Jerusalem, for they believe that will be the time our Lord Jesus will return.
Systematic Bible training
In the last few years, different underground house churches have organized longer-term (like one-year) underground Bible schools across China.
Secret Seminary School
On a recent visit to China, a team of WorldServe supporters were introduced to our underground seminary school and witnessed firsthand the high cost of following the Lord in China. They visited the secret seminary school one evening. Dressed in dark clothing, they ran silently across a field and crawled through the small cave opening undetected. While there they learned the real sacrifice these students make on a daily basis. For six months of the year, these students live in the cave, leaving infrequently and only under the protective cover of darkness. Their day starts at 6 a.m., with prayer and devotion. Around 8 a.m. the students receive their first meal of the day, which is a bun with mincemeat. They usually dont eat again until dinner, which features the same meal as breakfast. Their intense education takes place between these two small meals. After a rigorous day of learning, they fall asleep on a bed of hay on the cave floor.
"This group of rough yet broken men would travel the frontiers of America for decades, taking the Gospel to the most remote places in America. In a time of American history where it was easier to stay in one place and live in the comfort of the few cities that existed, these men refused comfort and driven by the ancient dream of Eden to see man and God live in intimate fellowship. They rode on. Over half of them died before reaching age 33 and their annual pay, if any, was around 50 dollars. They did not do it for the love of money, fame nor an affinity towards human comfort. They were absolutely marked by the same determination as Asbury that every home in America would hear and believe the Gospel. When Asbury arrived in America there were a few hundred Methodist followers and a few dozen preachers, but by the time he died there were over 210,000 followers and over 4,000 preachers. America would never be the same because of these wild-eyed revivalists."
"Their reward: Nothing in terms of societal success and yet everything in terms of the glory of God! These leaders lived for a cause greater than themselves. They were dangerous to the enemy, and powerful in the hand of the Almighty God!"
The Western Church needs to do what the Eastern Church already do. They pray for the West because they cannot understand how westerners remain Christians in such affluent societies. Thats true, because persecution always focuses and strengthens the Church as no other circumstance can. We are one body. Pray for the underground Church!
They also have bible college to train leaders. There is no classroom, or enrolments - the bible college is very secret and only selected people attend. They meet in the evenings in peoples homes and study through different topics, learning biblical exegesis, and looking at doctrine and important themes. From this new leaders are equipped to teach others in their own house churches.
Learn more at: http://gospelfellowships.net/principles-book/
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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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