Abraham Lai^[1]

Introduction

Yangji Town is a rural town in mainland China, located in Lianyungang City, Guanyun County, Jiangsu Province. In the early twentieth century, the Southern Presbyterian Church started sending missionaries to the area of Guanyun County to spread the Gospel. In 1910, Rev John W. Vinson built a church in the town. In the following forty years, many local preachers were raised to continue sharing the Gospel, such as Ren Yuzhi, Guo Guangen, Li Zhenhuai, Li Kui, Shan Zhaokai, Zhang Lianjia, Bi Demao, Ge Zhenting, and so on. These names might be unfamiliar to many, but to God and His Church, they were faithful servants. They were given new life in the darkness and dedicated themselves to preaching the life-giving Word of God. Throughout the generations, God has continued to use His servants. The seed of the gospel was preserved and flourished. As the Lord Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it does, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24; ESV).

Li Weihua (hereafter referred to as Mr. Li) is a preacher in Yangji Town. Born in 1940, Mr. Li was called to ministry in 1960. In 1965, he was persecuted and sentenced to labor camp, and in 1978, he was released and returned to his hometown. In 1978-1979, he petitioned for political exoneration, after which he was cleared of charges and resumed preaching. In 1985, due to the growth of Yangji Church, where Mr. Li served as the leading pastor to more than 1,000 members, he purchased a property to build the church building (though the construction did not commence until 1988). In 2006, the Yangji church had grown to nearly 4,000 members; unfortunately, he was framed and falsely accused, leading to his forced withdrawal from the Three-Self church system in Guanyun County. Mr. Li immediately started a house church afterward. In 2022, he was inspired to write about the history of the church in Guanyun County. In March 2024, he rested in the Lord.

I met Mr. Li in 2008. Over the years, I have sought his advice, attended his house church, and read the materials he left behind. Because of that, I have come to know him at a deeper level, and I admire and respect him. As a senior preacher, he always welcomed and encouraged me as he would welcome the Lord Himself, which greatly inspired me, a young preacher. Through Mr. Li’s humble and quiet service, the Lord’s light shone brightly in our small rural place. This article was written to commemorate Mr. Li, a faithful servant of the Lord, as an inspiring encouragement to me and my fellow servants of the Lord, urging us to dedicate our lives and strive forward without ceasing.

There Is Grace Where There Is Suffering

Mr. Li’s life was full of hardships, and from a human point of view, there was really nothing to envy. However, when he passed away, he was remembered by many people, and even non-Christians praised his life as a worthy one. Suffering itself is not praiseworthy, and may even destroy a person. But God may also manifest suffering to turn bitter water sweet and lead His people out of Egypt into Canaan.

The Oppressed Believe in the Gospel

Although Mr. Li attended church with his mother when he was a child, he did not understand the Christian faith and was not a born-again believer. After he was admitted to Yishan Middle School at the age of 13, immersed in atheistic education, he further deviated from the faith. Later, he was admitted to Yangji High School and was a top student with a bright future. However, the mayor and businessmen schemed to seize his house and deliberately fired his father. Life became extremely difficult, which forced Mr. Li to give up his studies and to teach in a primary school in order to support his family. In the fall of 1960, he was expelled from school. He was also terminated from his workplace on charges such as “believing in Jesus is buying into the American system” and “refusal to lease your house to the government for its hotel business is guilty of bourgeois ideology”. Seeing that the future was bleak, in despair, he sought to end his life by starvation.

Yet “[God] delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity” (Job 36:15; ESV). When he was at the rock bottom of his life, a preacher, along with other Christians, went to visit and shared the gospel with him. On the third day of his hunger strike, as he was contemplating, a bright light appeared to fill his heart, and these golden glowing words appeared to him — “I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.” Suddenly, he felt relieved and started singing praises to God with joy.

Incarcerated yet Preserved

After he encountered the Lord, he enthusiastically sought to know God. However, his external circumstances had gotten worse: on the one hand, he was severely beaten along with his father because of the problems with the family's house; on the other hand, the United Front Work Department explicitly demanded that the church deny his participation in church activities. He was secretly helped by the preacher and studied the Bible and theology at home. At that time, the government often organized people to engage in political rallies (“struggle sessions, or denunciation rallies”) especially against dissidents. Interrogation at the struggle sessions was mostly unwarranted physical and mental torture. Many Christians at that time had to go through this trial, and Mr. Li was no exception. He was eventually sentenced by the county court and imprisoned in 1966 at the Hongzehu Labor Reform Farm in Jiangsu Province.

When he was released in 1978 and returned home, Mr. Li was warmly welcomed by his brothers and sisters. He was grateful for the Lord's secret protection for many years: although he lost his freedom in prison, he was also spared death. Many people were greatly devastated both physically and mentally by the political oppression, leading some to commit suicide. Mr. Li did not begin to preach immediately after he was released because he felt that the government should exonerate him. After enduring several twists and turns, his appeals were finally granted, bringing great joy to his brothers and sisters. He began to preach publicly at the age of 40. At that time, the church was in ruins.

Leaving the Three-Self Church after the Storm

Mr. Li had no experience in pastoring a church. Fortunately, his mentor, Cheng Shishu, was still alive at the time, and together they founded the two Christian councils (The Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches, and The Christian Council) in Guanyun County, reclaimed confiscated church property, resumed public worship, supplied Bibles and hymnals, trained choirs and co-workers, etc. The number of people in Yangji Church gradually increased from a few dozen, who initially met at his house, to over 600 people after he purchased the Nanxiaojie church building. In 1985, he purchased a half acre of land. Although the congregation could only meet in the open air, they were filled with joy and gratitude. Two years later, the congregation had exceeded 2,000 people, and the church started its building construction after Easter in 1988. The church was thriving with more and more believers and growing influence in the local area.

The church in China has always been inseparable from politics, and preachers, like the prophets of the Old Testament, need to deal with the policies of the state and the hardship created by organizations that implement policies at all levels. For their own self-interests, the officials of the Religious Affairs Bureau used the two Christian councils to interfere in the internal affairs of the church, especially in regard to personnel and money. Pastor Cheng and Mr. Li were in constant conflict with the officials, and as a result, they were dismissed from their positions at the two councils. In 2006, Mr. Li was forced to resign from the ministry of Yangji Church. He then started a house church. Although the officials of the Religious Affairs Bureau and the directors of the two councils were later charged for corruption, the church lost its revival and unity.

Of course, Mr. Li was reluctant to leave the church community he had worked so hard to build, letting go of the fruits borne from more than 20 years of service. He had labored tirelessly to raise the funds for the church building construction. He had made the church his home and had loved the young members as if they were his own children. Why did God allow the wicked to succeed and destroy the church? Later, he finally realized that under the Three-Self church system, he could not shepherd the church according to God’s will and would inevitably be ostracized and persecuted. It would be better if he left the system and focused on preaching the Bible, shepherding the flock, and raising the next generation to love the Lord.

Follow the Lord to Shepherd

Mr. Li did not have complete theological training or knowledge of the Church and the Three-Self, but God gradually led and taught him through his circumstances. His pastoral work in the house church was very solid, with weekly Bible studies, prayer meetings, and Sunday services, as well as Bible study and prayer on weekdays to answer visitors’ questions. In more than ten years of pastoring the house church, he had written 35 volumes of sermons as well as many hymns and Bible plays. Rural churches loved his clear explanations of the Bible. When I attended their services during the Chinese New Year, I witnessed nearly 1,000 people listening intently to his sermons and praying in unity with thunderous voices. I have heard him preach many times on the sermon of being born again, urging brothers and sisters to repent and trust in the Lord, and teaching them how to do God’s will in their daily lives. In my fellowship with the members, I felt that they had very close relationships with God, and there were many faithful and knowledgeable co-workers among them.

Later in life, Mr. Li’s son asked him what he would say if he had the opportunity to preach at Yangji Church again. I was surprised by his reply. He felt the need to apologize to his brothers and sisters in the church, because in his early ministry he did not systematically teach them the Word of God and failed to shepherd their spiritual lives in depth. I believe this is a profound reflection on the phenomenon in house churches of pastors usually only focusing on prayer and preaching.

The Secret of Overcoming Circumstances

Mr. Li might not come across as an elder who is friendly and approachable. He is more like a warrior who has been through numerous battles. He was always assertive and straightforward, and sometimes might have seemed to be lacking empathy. His mantra was: “To listen to God? Or listen to men?” This may have been shaped by his character and his experiences of suffering, but it could also be the exact message of his life and the secret of his victory.

While undergoing torture, Mr. Li was asked the same question many times: “Are you willing to give up your faith?” Each time, his choice led him closer to the Lord. One time after the “Struggle session” (or “Denunciation session”) at the age of 25, the court judge reassured him that as long as he promised to renounce his faith, he would not only be acquitted, but also be able to resume his work as a teacher. They even offered to recruit him into the system and train him to be a leader. But, he chose faith, and was sentenced because of that.

After his release from prison at the age of 38, he appealed to the county court. To grant his appeal, the vice president had only one condition — that if Mr. Li promised to denounce his faith, he would be immediately exonerated and could return to work. Nevertheless, he chose to bypass the county court and went to the Beijing Public Complaints Office three times. Eventually, he was exonerated by the Intermediate People's Court. The original verdict was revoked and he was acquitted. However, despite the judgment of the Intermediate court, the county court upheld the same verdict — that it would not exonerate Christians, nor would it allow Christians to become teachers and poison the next generation of the nation. Mr. Li’s attitude, on the other hand, was also consistent: there is freedom of religion and he will never give up his faith. After enduring all these trials, he began to preach.

Seeing that the church was thriving, Huang Gengren, Director of the Religious Affairs Bureau, attempted to reap benefits from the church on numerous occasions. He said frankly to Mr. Li, “As long as you cooperate, I will not withhold any benefits from you. You should have been ordained as a pastor long ago with your qualifications.” To this proposal, Mr. Li replied, “The pastor is a sacred position of the church, and it is the internal affairs of the church. Besides, if ordination will harm the church, I will not be an ordained pastor.” In his life, Mr. Li did not have the title of Pastor or Elder, but he was respectfully called “Sir” by everyone.

Mr. Li also honored the Lord in his daily life. He often sought guidance from the Lord for others, and when he received answers, he communicated clearly what God’s will was for that person. For instance, guidance on choosing a specific college or a future spouse, or deciding whether to move one’s mother-in-law home to care for her, etc. He believed that seeking the Lord’s guidance for people was integral to shepherding. He emphasized the importance of applying the Bible for discernment, seeking God's direction in decision-making, and offering counsel accordingly.

I was curious about how he inquired of the Lord and asked him about his experiences. He emphasized that, first of all, obeying Biblical principles, and then, the heart of the inquirers (including the one who sought the advice and the intercessor) was crucial. Mr. Li would ask his members to pray, examine their own hearts, and ask the Lord to increase their faith. In the meantime, he would prepare himself by examining his own heart and singing hymns until he was pure before the Lord. Purity of heart means letting go of one's will and desire and resolving to do the Lord's will to the end once they know God’s will. Mr. Li often prayed at 4 o’clock in the morning to purify his heart, and sometimes it took days or even fasting to prepare himself to inquire of the Lord. Whenever he waited on the Lord, the Lord would always reveal His will and make him understand through Scriptures, peace, and circumstances. The process of inquiring of the Lord was valuable to him. Not only did it build up his own spirituality, it also allowed him to experience the faithfulness of the Lord with others in their daily lives.

It is no wonder that despite going through so many difficult circumstances, he never became bitter, but always remained grateful for the presence of the Lord. I never heard him talk about the Cultural Revolution, or the hardships in prison, or the corruption in the two councils. If it weren’t for the writings of the history of the church he left behind, I wouldn't know the journey he had walked. He would always speak to people about the Lord and he would share with me the grace and guidance the Lord had recently shown him. As I listened to him recount these experiences, I could feel the gratitude and joy in his heart. Sometimes it seemed hard for others to understand his joy. Because the intimate fellowship with the Lord was so sweet and satisfying to him, he would begin singing hymns. As his heart was more and more moved while singing, the temporary sufferings and the entanglements of the worldly troubles lost their grip...

Conclusion

The passing of Mr. Li has left many of us and the church saddened for the loss of a spiritual father. He was chosen by God to serve the church until his old age, which is a clear proof of God’s love for China. The older generation of Chinese preachers may not have outstanding achievements in theology or church governance, but like Christ, who suffered in the flesh, they armed themselves with the same way of thinking and endured to the end. To this day, the church in China is still under persecution in various forms, but we believe that God has prepared for Himself many such faithful preachers who will not bow to Baal, or fame and fortune, but seek to expand God's kingdom. These preachers are God's valued servants, blessings to Chinese churches, and treasures of God’s kingdom.

Abraham Lai, born in 1980s, is a pastor of an urban house church in China. He holds a MDiv degree and has been a full time minister since 2010. ↩︎