Are you bored and looking for adventure?
Is your life a bit monotonous or boring? Do you want some real excitement and adventure, face spiritual challenges and have the opportunity to exercise your faith in God to see real miracles?
I invite you to come to Hong Kong and help us to take Bibles and Christian materials that are desperately needed and in demand by countless millions of Chinese Christians, not to speak of the approximately one billion non-Christians who deserve God’s Word. You will find it very exciting in every way. If you cannot do this, you can support this ministry financially knowing you are laying your treasures in heaven.
On October 2, one of the couriers from the States, a young sister named Megan, had quite an exciting experience. She had been in multiple times and none in the team had the slightest problem. That day everyone on the team made it through without being checked by the customs. She was the last one and was stopped and told she had too many Bibles. The custom official took the 37 Bibles in her suitcase (but not the 9 in her backpack), and told her to wait in a room so they could do the paperwork so she could take the excess Bibles back to Hong Kong.
Something that should have taken less than an hour turned into many hours as apparently they misplaced her passport and it was not returned until almost midnight when the customs-immigration building closes. However it was a divine appointment, as during those six hours she was in a room with some other Chinese ‘smugglers’ and was able to witness to and lead a young Chinese man to salvation. It is always this way in China, which is why it is so exciting. There is never a boring moment.
I am spending a lot of time in China where there is great New Testament revival in some areas with miraculous healings and power evangelism. It is also a time of great harvest with probably tens of thousands being saved every few days.
On April 20 I was in Nanyang County of Henan Province, the province of both great persecution and great revival. We had just begun teaching 70 leaders in a hotel function room when some 60 officials, mostly PSB (police officers) came in, stopped the meeting and began to take the details of the preachers. Apparently there was a report of a religious meeting with a foreigner present, and concerned that it might be some cult like Eastern Lightning, they sent these officials to investigate.
This is the same area where I spent years of ministry in the 80’s and 90’s and was detained with several overseas Chinese for up to a week in 1994. But these officials knew nothing about that or me. Right off I told the police I was in fact working with the government to inform the house church leaders of the EL cult, and teach ways to stop cult activities and rescue victims of the cult.
Within a few hours PSB officials in another part of China had informed the Henan police that I was indeed working with them in training Christians in preaching the truth and informing them about the error of cults. The head PSB officer told me, “Pastor Balcombe, I could have been very hard on you for you did conduct a religious meeting without the proper permission, but I am returning your passport and you are welcome to come to China any time to teach and preach even in house churches. The reason is you are a good Biblical preacher and teach the people the truth. In fact I listen to your preaching on the internet almost weekly.” What a statement from a leading police officer who told me he released a well-known house church leader from prison a few years ago!
The incident became world-news and on my return to Hong Kong I received calls from the US Embassy, many news agencies and pastors from all over the world. I told them nothing bad happened but I just had a friendly discussion with many officials for several hours.
Shortly after, the Henan Anti-Cult Association (most likely a semi-official government agency) contacted me. They wrote a highly respectful letter requesting my participation in working with them to stop and expose the EL cult, (also called ‘Almighty God’ and other names).
In July with my son-in-law Pastor Lau, we visited their offices in Zhengzhou. We were told the cult now has 4 million adherents and is growing in China, HK and overseas. We also met with one of the PSB officers that detained us in August.
Most churches are not equipped to stand against the EL cult, for it is run like a criminal organization using kidnappings, extortion, infiltration, sex and huge monetary rewards to those EL members who convert Christian leaders. Amazingly I was asked by these officials what can be done to prevent the spread of this and other cults in China.
I responded saying repression is not the best way, for it only drives them underground and forces them to use more secretive measures. I felt prompted of the Holy Spirit to tell them the only way to deal with cults is for China to open its religious policy in which Bibles can be freely printed, distributed and purchased, Christian’s literature can be freely made available, and the Gospel, which is the truth, can be openly preached.
I would not be so naive to believe any of this will happen in the near future, but I strongly believe one day China will be open with all the freedoms we enjoy in other nations. But now not only EL, but many foreign cults like Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are flooding China with missionaries and literature, and bringing much devastation to the true church and spoiling the harvest.
As we approach the end of 2013, the Chinese church desperately needs Bibles (which can be purchased in limited quantities legally through official channels), good teaching materials, anointed teachers and gifts of discerning of spirits. The true church also must sometime work with the government as it is trying to stop this evil religion which has destroyed countless families and even churches.
Pray for and support us as we join hands with Chinese Christians, anti-cult societies and government agencies to stop the devastating work of these cults and work to see a China in which Christ can be freely proclaimed.
