Back to Jerusalem: The Next Revival Center

The Chinese house church networks have been given a heart to bring the gospel through Muslim lands and eventually back to Jerusalem. The idea is that the last strongholds where the gospel hasn’t been preached are the lands directly surrounding the Holy Land, and Chinese Christians are risking their lives to go west out of China to share the message of Christ. There truly has been revival in the underground Church in China, in a way that is unprecedented in any Muslim land.

This is a really exciting place to be right now, as it looks like it’s next in line for a true revelation of God’s heart. After the earthquake, the fear of God has increased in the land, and many people are seeking to know the one true God. Since Christian missionaries first came here in the early 1800s, most of the church in this country has become stale and religious, bearing more resemblance to dry New England churches that the living spirit-filled churches we assume there must be if there are any churches at all in a Muslim country. Instead the church here has inherited denominationalism from its founders and has become more of a cultural than religious entity. A person may have a Christian name, go to the weekly services, and live in a Christian neighborhood, but not have a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For Easter the churches will be full of these cultural Christians just like at home in the U.S.

The exciting thing is that this is not all there is. I’ve met a group of believers who are pressing hard into the throne room of God. They’re praying, they’re fasting, they’re healing the sick. They’re casting out demons in the name of Jesus. God is smiling upon these weak and broken believers and giving them great favor. One of the recently baptized members of the ministry team is a major in the army. Here in this country the army rules. They are the elite class of society with all the political clout. If you want to get things done you need to be in with the army. Due to these connections, the believers have been able to organize massive crusades where the gospel is preached openly. They are “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of salvation for all those who believe.” Rom 1:16

This is amazing! I was blessed to take part in the latest crusade. Upon arriving in the town where the event was taking place, I was met by the pastor, four evangelists from Oregon, and two armed guards. Because the mullahs are so opposed to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus, anyone who tries to preach is threatened over here. Many churches and Christian schools have been burned down. Christians are put in jail without proper charges or are charged with ridiculous things like desecrating the Qur’an or blaspheming the prophet. The guards were believers too, and their way of serving for this week was to protect all those involved in running the crusade.

We went straight to the Major’s house where we sat around and chatted for about 10 minutes before diving straight into two hours of intense intercession. We cried out for this country. We cried out for this people to have open eyes and open hearts. Many languages filled the air and the Spirit groaned inside us guiding us how to pray. The Lord put new songs in my heart and I sang forth his words, proclaiming them over this dry and barren land. Again, the picture of the sword breaking through the tarp covering this region came into my mind. Sing Zion Sing! Our spontaneous songs of praise and intercession acted as the offensive line of this great battle. Just as the Jewish army used to send forth the singers and musicians in the front lines, praising the Lord all the way, so we sang our way into this battle. Tears were welling up in my eyes as I thought of how beautiful this picture must be to our Father. His sons and daughters from different nations, joined together on our knees. Proclaiming in unity that we can do nothing and that we are desperate for the power of His Holy Spirit. We all sang “Hallelujah” together. The international song of praise. How amazing it will be on that day when people from every tongue, every tribe and every nation worship him as one Bride. I had a little taste of that while singing on my knees that afternoon.

When God’s people come to him in humility and with prayer and fasting, He will hear their cries and heal their land (2 Chron 7:14). Through the prayers of these saints here and those watchmen all over the world pressing in for this country (including many of you reading this), God glorified himself here in a mighty way. People came from all over the country to hear the gospel preached. They crammed into mini buses and careened down mountain roads. They spent three nights sleeping in a dusty field just to hear the word of truth. Even an hour before the event (and believe me, there is no concept of punctuality here), men and women were coming in to get the front seats. The women and children sat directly in front of the stage, while the men sat to the left. As the worship team plugged in and the choir took their places, the people joyously began to praise the Lord. “Yesu zinda hai” – Jesus is life.

I expected to come for the weekend and spend the time behind the scenes interceding in a prayer closet, but I was invited to sit on the stage with the guys from Oregon and all those involved in planning the event. Quick! I needed to iron my shalwar kameez and cover my head (the women cover their heads when praying here) since I would be sitting up in front of everyone. I led an intercessory prayer as the night began with one of my newfound sisters translating for me. There’s one phrase I didn’t need translated, “Yesu ka nam say” – In the name of Jesus.

We spent the next hour and a half just praising the Lord, and at points I was just almost on the verge of tears at how amazing it was to be there. The Lord put this country on my heart over a year and a half ago, and the last Muslim country I was in I only met one believer on the day that I was leaving for the airport. The Lord has given me a burden to pray for this people, and it has been really hard for the last three months without meeting any other believers. Now, suddenly I was standing on a stage clapping my hands with a spirit filled worship team crying their hearts out to God, and 10,000 people in the congregation just wanting to know more about Jesus. God can and does do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20). One week later I am sitting here typing this and I am unsure if this all really happened here in P.

I could go on forever just describing what happened in these two days at the crusade, but to make a longer story short, God answered our prayers. People were healed in the name of Jesus. Many who may have been raised culturally Christian but had not heard the gospel came to accept Christ for the first time. The last night, we had to make more room and about 13,000 people came to hear the word of God. On this night they were challenged to be a light in darkness and to live out the Great Commission. They were told that Jesus is coming back, and that He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28-32). We cried out together for an outpouring and breakthrough of the Holy Spirit in this land. The Lord protected us throughout the event and there weren’t any security breaches. Please pray for all those believers who have just accepted the Lord or recommitted their lives to him.

This is a country of 180 million people, most of them who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ presented clearly. Pray that those who have accepted Jesus will be equipped by the church and by the Holy Spirit so that they can go out and share the good news. Pray that these new believers will become men and women of the word and of prayer. Pray that they will be given opportunities to daily share the gospel with their Muslim neighbors. Pray that this event is only the beginning of a major move of revival across this land and heading west through the ME region. Oh Lord build your house of prayer in all the earth!