House Church Talk - Urgent: Chinese church crisis

[forwarded]

Friends,

Please continue to pray for the house churches of China. The leadership 
is presently being arrested, one by one. Last week we sent a prayer 
request for Sister Deborah Xu, but the crisis has grown to become much 
wider.

According to an article that just appeared in Christianity Today, more 
than 50 house church leaders have been arrested due to the recent 
publication of a DVD and book about the church in China. I have been told 
that at least some of the house church leaders who agreed to be 
interviewed for the DVD only did so under the assumption that their 
testimony was for an historic archive which would not be made public 
until the political situation in China had changed.

The following Christianity Today article outlines what has happened in 
recent days: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/107/31.0.html

Please pray for these brothers and sisters who now find themselves in the 
custody of an atheistic government who are determined to stamp out the 
house churches once and for all. They do not mind believers who are part 
of the state-controlled Three-Self Church, but they cannot stand those 
believers who refuse to come under their political control.

Please pray they will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to withstand 
whatever pressure and pain inflicted on them. Pray God would empower them 
to witness for Jesus Christ to the authorities, other prisoners, and 
whoever they come into contact with. Fervently pray that this present 
crisis will cause the house churches of China to grow in grace and in 
number.

Please feel free to forward this email to any praying Christians,

Paul Hattaway
www.asiaharvest.org