Imprisoned and Unwavering

Pastor Adam was born in Beijing, China. He was raised in a Christian home and was taught the Gospel but did not have a strong relationship with Christ. After attending a Bible class as a child and determining that it was a fun way to spend his time, Adam joined a Bible school program in 1999. It was there that he began to mature in the faith. After some training, he left for another province to begin evangelizing. Three months into his trip, the unexpected happened. This is his story in his words:

“I had never left home before and was excited to try something different. It was August, and we had been going from village to village telling others about Jesus. One afternoon after sharing with the local villagers, I laid down to have a nap. Sometime later, a child woke me saying the police were in the village. At first, I thought he was joking. Why would the police come here? But when I looked out the window, I saw it was true. They came inside where all of the students were staying and made us kneel on the floor with our hands on our heads. Everything we had was taken away. Food, blankets, books; all of it gone. There were 80 of us from the Bible school and they arrested us all. Parents were able to pick up local students and take them home, but for those of us from out of town, things only got worse. We were arrested for evangelizing out of province and locked up for two months without being charged. When the 60 days were up, they accused me of being in a cult despite knowing I was a Christian and sentenced me to 18 months of extra jail time. I was devastated, confused, and discouraged. My faith was not strong. Why was this happening? How could I be locked up for doing God’s work? I had no answers, but even with my doubts, God showed me grace and mercy. I knew I had to speak the truth of the Gospel in prison. So, one night I shared about Jesus with another prisoner in my cell. The next morning, he was savagely beaten. The guards used the metal buckle from his belt to cause him great pain and I thought I would be harmed in the same way. But for some reason, I was spared. The guard hit me a few times with the leather part of his belt, then went on his way. From that point on, I did not receive the same brutality other prisoners experienced. God was looking down at me, protecting me. Never once did I suffer bodily harm like the others. When I was released from prison, I went on to serve God in churches and at a Bible school in Beijing. For a long time, I was in hiding from the police who wanted to put me back in jail. Being hunted has never prevented me from continuing to spread the Gospel and speak of Jesus. Nothing can stop me from doing that.”

Adam’s story is a familiar one for those serving God in China. They are persecuted for their beliefs but they do not waver in their determination to follow Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 2:10, Paul writes these words: Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions with difficulties for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Adam knows persecution well and is content with all that he has endured because his calling in life is to serve Jesus with as many people as possible.