God Calls All Kinds of People

 In China, Christians are multiplying every year. Over twenty years ago, missionary experts said that there were at least one hundred million Christians in China and that several million Chinese were converting to Jesus every year.

Nobody knows how many Christians there are in China now, but the communist government is afraid of Jesus. The basis of the powerful Christian movement in China is not an ordained leadership with professional preachers who have to undergo years of theological training.

Most meetings are not held in well-equipped churches, but in private homes. Many pastors are arrested or simply disappear. Someone then has to lead.

More than seventy per cent of the church leaders in these house churches are women with no extensive theological training, but they burn with love for Jesus and their devotion is unlimited.

Education is not worthless. Paul and Luke were educated men. Martin Luther and John Wesley were educated, but Peter and John were fishermen.

In the mighty move of the Holy Spirit that is soon to come, educated preachers will also be anointed with power, but the mark of the coming revival will not be education, but heavenly love, miracle-working faith and unstinting devotion.

A woman in Brazil was the daughter and granddaughter of high-ranking witches. She became a prostitute and then a witch with terrifying demonic powers, but true Christians love their enemies. Christians prayed for this woman until she converted to Jesus in a traumatic crisis. She became a preacher who was able to reach many lost souls for Jesus.

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Mt 19:30 NIV

A highly respected Muslim preacher in Africa led a double life. He secretly visited prostitutes until he was infected with AIDS. The Christians prayed for their persecutor and God answered. On his deathbed, he experienced a visitation from Jesus. He was converted. He was supernaturally healed and then became an influential evangelist for Jesus.

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Mt 19:30 NIV

In the revival that is coming in Europe, God will call evangelists who are now in other religions or in pubs or brothels.

The apostle Paul said:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 1 Ti 1:15 NIV

New Mission. New Mindset.

When God intervenes, he looks for people to use as instruments or agents.  God's approach is to do His work on earth through human agents.

When God founded the Hebrew nation, He gave Moses not only the Ten Commandments, but more than 600 laws. Those who did not obey all the laws were cursed.

When the Holy Spirit established the church in Jerusalem after Jesus returned to Heaven, all the believers were Jews and all held fast to all the laws of Moses. This was never questioned.

In the New Testament, many non-Jews converted to the God of the Bible, but this was not totally new.  

In the Old Testament, sometimes non Jews converted, but then they had to become practically Jewish. They had to obey all the commandments of Moses. The men and boys had to be circumcised. Ouch!

The new Christian community in Jerusalem was one hundred percent Jewish, but Jesus had said that this was only the beginning of something new.

So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:6–8 NIV84

The Jewish disciples had to have their traditional Jewish way of thinking transformed in order to fulfil this task.

The persecuted Christian movement in China cannot function as it does in Europe or North America. 

Christian meetings must take place in private houses or apartments. Three quarters of the church leaders are women.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18–19 NIV84

When God wants to step in, he looks for people to use as instruments or agents. God's approach is to do His work on earth through human agents.

But God sometimes has problems with us humans. 

We pray that God will do a great work. Then we look so often, at the miracles or revivals of the past, and we expect God to act in exactly the same way.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. John 14:12 NASB