It still hits me so hard every time I realize how different life is here. Its hard for me to imagine a place where people have never heard the name of Jesus but its true. I am living there! The Shekou fellowship, underground church had the children’s Christmas play and it brought me to tears. I don’t know why an Indian girl playing Mary is so much more moving next to a Chinese Gabriel and an Australian Joseph. But it was! It was beautiful and unexpected. Almost as cute was one of my friends who was sitting behind me with her student that just become a Christian. I could hear her say, “so this is a play? Jesus is a baby? Her mom is very lucky, look how happy!” The preacher got up to speak and pointed out a boy my age in the audience that was a first time visitor. He said that he had spoken to him before the service and the boy asked what the sermon was about and then responded, “Who is Joseph?”
The speaker was an American and talked about how he knew the story of Christmas long before he became a Christian. He believed the story long before he believed in Jesus as his savior because it was such common knowledge in his (American) Culture. I remember in my religious studies class in college I was struck by a comment my professor made when talking about a miracle in the Hindu religion. She said “You laugh as if this is an impossible, silly notion. But how many of you have trouble believing that Jesus was born from a virgin Mary?” Its true growing up in a Christian home I never questioned these unbelievable parts of the Bible. How different would my life be if I were born and raised in a different place. If I had never heard of Mary and Joseph?
We sang the song God of this city. Its easy to think of God as blessing America and that God is the God of our nation. It is printed on our money, we follow the Christian holiday calendar. Jesus is considered common knowledge and shows up in our literature. But imagine that God is the God of China, the God of my city in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is really an amazing city on its own, a small fishing village the government chose 30 years ago to build up into a major center of business. Most people in Shenzhen are from other parts of the country sent to the big city for big money. There were no major roads 30 years ago. It is still growing, there is so much room for change. And God is working here. He is winning new believers everyday. There are so many people that have never heard his name, and so many new believers excited about his promises.
Its amazing to be a part of the church in the honeymoon stage! Before the bureaucracy of appointments and current issue debates, huge church separation on unimportant disagreements. This is a baby church just basking in the love and newness of God. I was worried that I would lose my faith when I moved here, because I wouldn’t have my church and my family that had been so strong for me. But God didn’t leave me when I left America. And I am not the one that brought him here either! He has been here all along. The USA is not the only nation under God. He is the God of China, Asia and the whole world. It sounds silly, to say it out loud. But it’s a new realization for me. God is so much bigger than me, bigger than America, bigger than this world. I truly understand the example of God being unexplainable and unimaginable to human minds. Its like trying to explain computers to an ant, it is too complex for their minds to comprehend. I always prided myself on my knowledge of the Bible and understanding of God. But I see now that I am just an ant.
We sang this song on Sunday and it brought me to tears, they must all think I am crazy crying every Sunday, but that’s me!
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
There is no one like our god
There is no one like our God
The speaker was an American and talked about how he knew the story of Christmas long before he became a Christian. He believed the story long before he believed in Jesus as his savior because it was such common knowledge in his (American) Culture. I remember in my religious studies class in college I was struck by a comment my professor made when talking about a miracle in the Hindu religion. She said “You laugh as if this is an impossible, silly notion. But how many of you have trouble believing that Jesus was born from a virgin Mary?” Its true growing up in a Christian home I never questioned these unbelievable parts of the Bible. How different would my life be if I were born and raised in a different place. If I had never heard of Mary and Joseph?
We sang the song God of this city. Its easy to think of God as blessing America and that God is the God of our nation. It is printed on our money, we follow the Christian holiday calendar. Jesus is considered common knowledge and shows up in our literature. But imagine that God is the God of China, the God of my city in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is really an amazing city on its own, a small fishing village the government chose 30 years ago to build up into a major center of business. Most people in Shenzhen are from other parts of the country sent to the big city for big money. There were no major roads 30 years ago. It is still growing, there is so much room for change. And God is working here. He is winning new believers everyday. There are so many people that have never heard his name, and so many new believers excited about his promises.
Its amazing to be a part of the church in the honeymoon stage! Before the bureaucracy of appointments and current issue debates, huge church separation on unimportant disagreements. This is a baby church just basking in the love and newness of God. I was worried that I would lose my faith when I moved here, because I wouldn’t have my church and my family that had been so strong for me. But God didn’t leave me when I left America. And I am not the one that brought him here either! He has been here all along. The USA is not the only nation under God. He is the God of China, Asia and the whole world. It sounds silly, to say it out loud. But it’s a new realization for me. God is so much bigger than me, bigger than America, bigger than this world. I truly understand the example of God being unexplainable and unimaginable to human minds. Its like trying to explain computers to an ant, it is too complex for their minds to comprehend. I always prided myself on my knowledge of the Bible and understanding of God. But I see now that I am just an ant.
We sang this song on Sunday and it brought me to tears, they must all think I am crazy crying every Sunday, but that’s me!
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
There is no one like our god
There is no one like our God
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