Last night, we had our fourth Bible study. I wish I could take the time to write down everything that is going on here. There’s just too little time for me to write it, and I’m sure too little time for you to read it! But it is absolutely amazing to see God work every week. Last night, we had about 32 or so people crammed into a little room on the seventh story of an apartment building. It was hot! I was sweating before we even started.
Last night we finished our study on the personal relationships of Jesus by talking about the woman at the well in John 4. I talked about Jesus’ willingness to love the unloveable people, and His desire to have a relationship with unloveable people today. Today we should hear from all of our workers about the ensuing conversations, so I can only talk to you now about the conversations that my wife and I had… though I’m not sure I have the time to do all that!
M. has become a very good friend of ours. He comes to everything we’re involved in, quietly listens, has a great attitude, compliments us, says he really enjoys the Bible study, etc. Last night was the third time he’d come to the study, and it’s becoming obvious that he’s facing a real inner conflict. After the study he joined a conversation my wife was leading. He began to ask if God was really relevant for Chinese students. When my wife explained that the Bible is profitable for everyone, he seemed to feel some relief and said, “So I think there’s no conflict for me. I can believe what was taught tonight and show God’s love to unloveable people.” The girls that were studying with my wife asked him what conflict he thought he was having.
He admitted, “I’m a Communist party member.” The other girls stared at him and said, “You’re not supposed to be here!” He replied, “I know, but I don’t know what to do! The first thing they taught me, the thing I’ll always remember, from my party-member training was only listen to Marxism and that there is no God!” He went on to describe the conflict he felt as his exposure to the Gospel was beginning to convict him.
One of the girls who’s been recently saved said, as a girl might, “You should just get out of the party!” In China, becoming a party member is like getting a great scholarship. You don’t really do anything, besides be a member, but they only select the brightest students for this honor. They give them some basic teaching, give them a certificate, and they get to be “in the Communist club.”
M. is definitely feeling conviction right now. He looked so disappointed last night that he couldn’t believe both the party and the Bible. He’s really been hoping to rectify the two into one credible lifestyle. But it’s hard to mix “God is there” and “there is no God.” Pray for M. He has a larger anchor than most in the old man…
The Gospel in China 
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