Prayer for Jabez

by Tony Lambert

High in the mountains of West China live a young couple. Snow-capped peaks are visible from their farmhouse and their land is watered by a crystal-clear stream. Their tribe revere shamans who placate demons. There are very few Christians and there is no church building at all. But this couple came to Christ a few years ago and now meet with a few others for prayer and Bible study.

Two years ago the young wife was about to give birth. The doctor gave no hope. The child would be born dead. However, they turned to the Lord in prayer and asked their Christian friends to pray. Against all odds, a boy was born two months premature.

He was alive, but as the months passed it became clear that although he was a bright little boy, he could not walk properly, only crawl around the farm courtyard. Skilled medical advice in the nearest town was not available. The journey to the distant city was long and expensive but they took their son to see a doctor. He diagnosed the child as having cerebral palsy.

A Western Christian passed through their nearby town and was able to make contact with them. After he left China he was able to pass on details of their plight to Christian professionals working in that province. The Lord’s guidance seemed very clear.

The tribal couple called their little son Jabez. In 1 Chronicles chapter 4 it is written:

Jabez was more honorable than his brethren. His mother had named him Jabez (“pain”) saying, “I gave birth to him in pain” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

Will you pray that little Jabez in China receives the medical treatment and physical therapy he desperately needs?

NEW BOOKS!

BACK TO JERUSALEM
Authors: Three Chinese church leaders with Paul Hattaway
Publisher: Piquant (2003)
The Back to Jerusalem (BTJ) mission movement is gathering force in China and is attracting much sensational publicity overseas. So far, this is the only book in English which seriously addresses this important movement. It usefully traces the history of BTJ back to the 1940s when God gave a vision for missionary work to Chinese church leaders. Some got as far as Xinjiang, but the communist victory in 1949 stopped further advance. Now, 50 years later, major house-church streams have taken up the call to bring the gospel through Central Asia and to the neglected Muslim world “back to Jerusalem.” It is good to have the testimonies of three key house-church leaders as to how they see this vision will be fulfilled.

The book is, unfortunately, marred by a lack of critical objectivity. What are we to make of the statement that “more than likely the figure of 100,000 [Chinese missionaries] is a conservative estimate”? If such is the case, the exodus of such a huge number would be a tremendous drain on the existing Mainland Chinese church which everyone admits is crying out for trained pastors and preachers. There are, it seems, already hundreds of house-church people in training, learning English and receiving some basic Bible training on mission. However, for those truly called by God some years of language acquisition (Arabic, Turkish, Farsi etc.) and of cross-cultural training are absolutely essential. Otherwise bands of ill-educated farmers will arrive in Muslim countries unequipped to survive, let alone preach the gospel meaningfully. We are also told that “God is calling thousands of house-church warriors to write their testimonies with their own blood. We will walk across the borders of China carrying the word of God into the Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu world.

Thousands will be willing to die for the Lord.” In the present state of extreme political sensitivity in the Middle East—not least where the already existing Christian churches find themselves marginalized and already persecuted—such a statement is the height of irresponsibility. There is much useful and inspiring information about BTJ in this book. But we hope Christian readers overseas will exercise discernment. May they be driven to their knees to cry to God that this movement is not diverted from its godly origins of total reliance upon God into a fund-raising campaign, but continues to be a vehicle of God for genuine Spirit-directed mission. We remain firmly convinced that true revival always results in true mission, and that China will eventually (not overnight) become a great sending base.

CHINA: THE RELUCTANT EXODUS
Author: Phyllis Thompson
Publisher: OMF Hong Kong (October 2003)
We are glad to report the publication of the Chinese translation of this wonderful book. It chronicles God’s faithfulness as the China Inland Mission wound up its work across China in 1950-53 and hundreds of missionaries began to reluctantly return home. Many thought that was the end of the story. How wonderful fifty years later to see it was not! Now a strong, indigenous Chinese church—which can so often be traced back to those CIM pioneers—is active across China. We recommend our English readers to re-read the English edition themselves and buy the Chinese one for their Chinese friends!

CHRISTIAN BOOKS PRINTED IN CHINA
It is surprising what is being printed legally within China, although Christian books are still few and far between and often rather expensive for ordinary people. Here are three titles which may be useful to give to Chinese friends.

ZAI WEI ZHIDE ZHONGGUO [IN UNKNOWN CHINA]
Publisher: Yunnan Minorities Press, 2002. 1700 copies printed only.
ISBN: 7-5367-2353-9
This is a mammoth book of 800 pages which contains the full Chinese translation of no less than seven books about the ministry of Samuel Pollard [Po Geli], who pioneered the gospel among the Miao of Yunnan and Guizhou in the early 20th century. It includes The Story of the Miao, In Unknown China, Stone Gateway and the Flowery Miao etc. Essential reading for all those committed to “minority” outreach and study today.

MADING LUDE WENXUAN [SELECTED WORKS OF MARTIN LUTHER]
Publisher: China Social Sciences Press, Beijing. 2003. 8000 copies.
ISBN: 7-5004-3615-7
When the essential doctrines of the gospel such as justification by faith are under attack in some quarters in the church in China today, it is heartening to find a book of Luther’s key works in Chinese produced by a secular publisher. The first part of this book contains extracts from Luther’s works. The surprise is the last 300 pages which contain 365 daily devotional readings taken from his works. It is warmly biblical and evangelical and a fine gift for any Chinese pastor or church worker.

ZONGJIAO GAIGE [THE REFORMATION]
Author: Olivier Christin
Publisher: Publishing House of the unabridged Chinese Dictionary, 2001. 6000 copies.
ISBN: 7-5432-0758-3
A beautifully colour-illustrated pocket-book dealing with Luther, Calvin and the Protestant Reformation.

[NOTE: OMF is unable to supply any of the above books]