The cost of sharing the gospel in China

Jia* first heard about Jesus when she was in high school in China. She had been thinking about the meaning of life, and one of her classmates told her to try praying.

But Jia didn’t take it seriously and went on with her life. She never forgot what she’d been told, though. In university, another friend shared the gospel with her yet again, and Jia became curious enough that
she actually began going to church. But as a sophomore, she didn’t care enough to spend time learning more about Jesus—at least at first.

“Most of the time, I thought about how to make more money and joined different school activities,” she remembers.

But that didn’t mean God was done with her. “During that year, I learned my lesson,” she says. “After reflecting upon my life, I decided to return to Christ—I started to serve, lead worship, and even went on
mission trips in the Buddhist areas in the country.”

Her life had changed. She even decided to go to an overseas program to train as a missionary, where she’d be equipped to serve in her home country.

Little did she know that upon her return from her studies, she’d face a challenge she didn’t expect.

Interest from the authorities

Jia spent two years learning and started serving in the church after returning to China. “After I was back, I heard from some sources that the [participants] list [from the program] had been leaked, and some
friends were invited for ‘tea gatherings’ by the local authorities,” she says. “I was ready to face similar situations, but no one approached me at that point.”

These types of “tea gatherings” or meetings are a form of discreet interrogation in China. Christians or other individuals suspected of conducting illegal activities are invited by local authorities to have a discussion over a cup of tea. The authorities can then keep an eye on the people they meet with.

Jia suspected it was only a matter of time before she would be asked for “tea” as well. Her name was on the list, of course, and she knew at some point someone would take an interest in her efforts to share the gospel.

And during the Lunar New Year celebrations in 2022, the day finally came.

Lunar New Year is a significant holiday in China (and in much of southeast Asia). People return to their hometowns to visit relatives and friends—often, it’s the only time of the year that people return home, especially anyone who works in a city and is from a rural area.

Jia was visiting some relatives for the holiday when she received a call from her father. “He told me some officials went to our house and would love to ask some COVID-related questions,” she remembers. Jia and her husband returned to their home, which they shared with Jia’s parents. “When we almost reached the village entrance, I saw a bunch of people looking at us as if they were there ‘searching’ for ‘prey,’” she says. “I could already sense that something was off. Soon enough, we were joined by the people I’d seen—they were government officials.”

“Which one is her [Jia’s] room?” one of the officials asked Jia’s mother.

Jia’s mother pointed her finger upward: “On the third floor.”

The officials went to Jia’s room and took away her cell phone, laptop and iPad for investigation purposes.

This was much more than a “tea meeting”—and Jia didn’t know what would happen next.

‘How did you come to Christ?’

Jia was frustrated with the harassment, but knew she didn’t have much choice in the matter. “In my mind, those guys were too rude and devious, but my husband and I still went to the police station with them,” she says. “I was [interrogated] twice for more than 10 hours, while my husband was questioned three times. We felt so much pressure. We were worried that we might say something wrong or leak important information that would put others at risk.”

When Jia met the officials the second time, they asked her a straightforward question: “How did you come to Christ?”

“I thought it was a golden opportunity to share the Good News,” Jia remembers. “So, I told them my story.”

“When I was still attending university,” Jia answered the officials.

The conversation with the officials went on and on until she was asked: “Who brought you to Christ?” Again, Jia simply shared her testimony. “I told them the name, and soon they found the contact info [for my friend] on my phone,” she says.

It didn't take Jia long to realize that she might have put her friend in a vulnerable position. “I was so guilty, but at the same time, I felt deceived,” she says. “I did not realize it was a trap. I blamed myself for not paying more attention; ‘students’ are a sensitive subject to the officials, [and] when I mentioned my university, [they grew interested].

“I don’t know if anything happened to my friend, but we were free to go afterward.”

Jia was disappointed that the missionary agency that had trained her had not equipped her for this kind of intense pressure. “Our company [missionary agency] did not care or attempt to assist us after the incident,” she says. “They were indifferent to us. They already assumed that, as workers in the field, we should be able to handle it well, but we really needed more support and care from them.”

An Open Doors partner, Yu*, recently met with Jia and her husband, and came away impressed, hoping to partner with her in the future. “She is gentle and kind. She is a very good listener,” Yu* describes Jia. “She is also a potential partner we can connect with.”

Open Doors partners in China come alongside believers like Jia who experience constant pressure for their faith and ministry. Our partners help with persecution preparedness training, and also simply walk alongside these servants of God as they spread the gospel in China.

“I believe when it comes to moments like this, we usually assume that ministry workers do not need as much support as other lay believers in the same situation,” says another Open Doors partner, Yingfei*. “[But this ignores] their needs; our ministry could look into this to provide more presence ministry for workers who face challenges with the authorities or anyone else.”

Through your gifts to Open Doors and your prayers for believers like Jia, you help make this kind of support possible!

For now, there were times that has Jia doubted and questioned why these scary incidents happened to them—but she believes all things work together for good, just as it is written in Romans 8:28. Together, Jia and her husband continue to find rest and encouragement in Christ. The pressure remains, but this couple continues to seek after Jesus and share the gospel.

*Name changed and representative image used to protect security

please pray

Jia has asked our partners for prayer. Here’s how we can stand with our sister as she works for God’s Kingdom in China:

Pray for Jia, that she will no longer blame herself for the “mistake” she made. May the Lord comfort her and help her set free from the feeling of guilt.
Pray for Jia and her husband to be able to taste the goodness of God despite what they experienced.
Pray that Jia’s friend will be covered under God’s wings of protection and that she will have wisdom to respond to potential challenges.
Ask God to strengthen Jia and her husband for any future challenges they experience from local authorities.

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The cost of sharing the gospel in China

Interest from the authorities

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