The Fastest Growing Church
It’s amazing that a place that once persecuted Christians now has the highest growth in Jesus followers.
Reference: Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear (Genesis 28:20 NIV)
Explore: The Christian church in China is said to be the fastest growing church in the world. Ever since Chairman Mao’s death in 1976, Chinese people have been searching religion and finding hope in Christ.
“By my calculations China is destined to become the largest Christian country in the world very soon,” said Fenggang Yang, a professor of sociology at Purdue University and author of Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule. It’s amazing that a place that once persecuted Christians now has the highest growth in Jesus followers.
When a large group of people from China were surveyed they discovered that 80% of those who had committed their lives to Christ had experienced a supernatural movement of God. Whether it was a healing or a divine intervention, a large percentage of these followers had felt God interact within their lives.
Application: As Western Christians we often downplay the tangible expressions of God, and yet we cannot deny that God desires to connect to us. I wonder whether God’s absence says more about our ability to hear rather than God’s ability to speak.
Jacob was not intending to hear from God on his trip to Paddan Aram. He was planning on finding himself a wife from his mother’s family. And yet, it is here that God intervenes and gives him a clear vision of his future and God’s presence.
God’s messages don’t always come when we ask for them or expect them. But if we can be open to Him, as the Chinese are and as Jacob was, then you never know when you will have a real encounter with the Almighty.
Prayer: Lord, speak to us. We are listening. Amen.
How have you felt God’s presence in your life?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.