TAKING GOD'S WORD TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

TAKING GOD’S WORD TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
God opens the door for two of OSA’s leaders to bring His Word to China – by Tom Raddell

Dave Lackey and Tom Raddell had the awesome opportunity to smuggle Bibles into Guangzhou, China and worship with the underground church.

We met with a missionary and his wife in Hong Kong where we were given instructions and a suitcase full of Bibles and Gospel tracts. Our instructions were to meet outside of a restaurant at 6:30 in the evening on Tuesday. There we were met by a man who led us across the street and down some back alleys in an impoverished area. In broken English, our guide invited us back to meet with the pastor and to join in their service the following day.

The next day we had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Pastor Samuel. Many questions pressed upon my heart, but the most burdensome was how do we as the American Church prepare for persecution, especially if our country continues down the path that it is going. Pastor Samuel, an 80 year old man who is filled with joy and enthusiasm, smiled at us and said "Persecution good for the Church." Pastor Samuel has spent over 22 years in prison and labor camps for his commitment as a follower of Christ.

Pastor Samuel then went on to explain his many difficulties, from imprisonment to the confiscation of their possessions. Each trial was met by God’s goodness and mercy, causing the Church to grow. God truly does work all things for good. Pastor Samuel then encouraged us by reminding us to pray for the strength to be overcomers and then quoted Revelation"3:21, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." He reminded us "If a Christian has never suffered, then he cannot understand God’s blessings. He is still a child without training. Therefore, when we suffer we should never complain to God or blame others. Instead, we should calm down and depend on God all the more, realizing that nothing can happen to us that He does not allow."

It was an awesome opportunity to sit down and worship with over 100 believers in the midst of this communist country. Even though we could not understand a word they were saying, we felt God’s powerful presence in the midst of the service. It was a privilege to be with these precious saints who risk so much just to join together in worshipping Jesus Christ.