"For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall."Psalms 18:29
Historically, Christianity has been part of China since the Tang Dynasty of the 7th century.
In 845 AD, Emperor Wuzong outlawed Christianity because he believed that certain religions were a drain on the Chinese economy, this coupled with his own beliefs, (he was a practicing Taoist,) led to the persecution of Christians, along with other religions in China. The struggle for those who are Christians in this eastern nation still continues today.
Although Christianity has suffered great persecution throughout the history of China there is an estimated 31 Million Christians in China today.
Forward in History
In more recent history persecution continued, with periods of even greater levels of suffering of Christians in China:
Throughout his communist party of reign, Mao Zedong. seized control of over 10,000 missionaries in 1949, and forced them to leave the country. This set a start to an area of deep Christian persecution within China which was extreme and cruel.
Mao Zedong did not want any foreign Christian in China and in 1952 there remained only two missionaries, Frank and Essie Price, who were forced to leave that same year.
During this same time period, a young Chinese man, Pastor Shi continued to minister to the people, declaring that, "salvation is found in Jesus alone." in 1955 Shi went to assist a preacher in Shanghai, and within nine years the church and all of its belongings were confiscated and Pastor Shi was beaten to death.
In the next four years known as, 'The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution' thousands of Christian leaders were killed and cast into prisons, many spent the remainder of their lives in hard labor camps.
About Watchman Nee
Watchman Nee was born on the 4th day of November 1903 to second-generation Christian parents. His grandfather Nga U-cheng, was the very first Pastor in the Fukien province, and Nee was raised with Christian teachings.
Nee Shu-Tsu, was an exceptionally intelligent young man, at the time of his graduation, he ranked first at the top of his class. He had great dreams of pursuing a future in medicine. Although he had been raised under Christian teachings, Nee didn't actually call himself a Christian until he was seventeen years old. He stated that his life dramatically changed and at the moment that he was saved he knew that God had commissioned him to ring out a warning to those in the darkness that filled China. At that time, Nee adopted the English name, "watchman," and the Chinese name, "To-sheng," translated to English, “the sound of a watchman’s rattle."
At this same time, Nee began to diligently study his bible. He did not attend theology or biblical schools. His wealth of understanding came purely through prayerful study, which he encouraged those who would hear him to do the same. In fact, he even taught others how to study the Bible, and he accredited all that he had gleaned through prayerful study to God alone.
Nee rarely gave his own testimonies, and was known for quoting the Apostle Paul:
"For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me."2 Corinthians 12:6
Watchman Nee shared three very compelling testimonies with his "fellow workers," that were only published after his death in 1972.(His three testimonies do not sum up the entirety of his walk in Christ.):
First testimony: Salvation and calling.
Second testimony: (1) Learning the lesson of the cross, (2) Leading in the work, (3) God as my healer, and (4) Four aspects of work entrusted by God.
Third testimony: (1) How to live a life of faith, (2) Attitude towards money, and (3) Looking to God for fulfilling the need of literacy work.
Watchman Nee Imprisoned
Five years into the communist reign of Mao ZeDong, Watchman Nee was cast into prison. He had formed several churches before this time, and as the nationalist government collapsed under communism, Nee was very concerned for the churches. He sent workers out to them to help them during this time of turmoil. Shortly after, Watchman Nee returned to Mainland China, and when advised by others not to return, he said:
“If a mother discovered that her house was on fire, and she herself was outside the house doing the laundry, what would she do? Although she realized the danger, would she not rush into the house? Although I know that my return is fraught with dangers, I know that many brothers and sisters are still inside. How can I not return?”
In March of 1952 Watchman Nee was arrested for professing his faith in Christ Jesus. He was falsely condemned and sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
Nee's wife was allowed to visit him during his time in prison, and she received letters from him, though the letters were censored by the prison forbidding him to mention the name of Jesus in his outgoing communications, his letters contained traces of the scriptures such as, "rejoice in the Lord always," "In my sickness I will remain joyful at heart."
In 1972 Nee died in humility and misery. He was given no funeral and his body had been cremated. Nee's wife had died six months prior to his death, and his ashes were later buried next to his wife.
Because of men and women who are faithful to God even in persecution, China has a thriving underground church today, consisting of more than 31 million members. God bless our brothers and sisters in every nation, especially those who are suffering under persecution.