January 2023 RCMI Newsletter
Choosing the Wide Door God Has Opened
Revival Christian Church Kwai Fong, Rhema and Abundant Grace and Overseas staff retreat
Dear friends of Revival Christian Church and RCMI,
God promised His people, “The land you are going over to possess is a land of mountains and valleys, which drinks from the rain of heaven” (Deut 11:11).
Thank God, we have arrived at the New Year! Looking back we are filled with thanks; and looking ahead we are filled with hope. The government of the People’s Republic of China has announced that all ports of entry to China are to be fully open as of Jan 8th.
RCC Neighborhood Center -- In 2022, the Food Bank helped 112 families, 130 elderly -- a total of 409 people.
RCC Neighborhood Center distributes food
and shares the Gospel one-on-one.
2022 -- the 7th European Revival Conference,
Liverpool, England Concludes Successfully
The 7th European Revival Conference
The ‘Heavenly Man’ Brother Yun; Pastor Solomon, head pastor of Revival Christian Church in Paris; and Pastor Javier Ramos, head pastor of Shiloh Church, Oakland, California pray for an English pastor.
From the time China opened about 40 years ago until now, the Chinese church has been traveling the Calvary Road while experiencing being both open and closed to the outside world. Every time the church is put under trial, they come through with lives renewed! God’s glory has shone through the church of China like the reflections of a flashing gemstone -- even so, the church’s inaccessibility during the last three years has not changed God’s plan and purpose for China!
The visible church seems almost to have disappeared, but the invisible church is growing silently. It doesn’t meet in church buildings -- they prefer to meet secretly in homes; or some choose to worship God in fields, by mountains or rivers, or in warehouses. This is how house churches in China are rapidly growing in numbers.
The book of Hebrews teaches us to look at history as well as eternity with the eyes of heaven -- to know the Law as well as the New Covenant -- to understand heaven’s mysteries -- to receive Life, Inheritance, and the Kingdom of God by faith!
Job 23:10 “But He knows the way that I take; and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold!”
The Invisible ‘Small’ Church
Pastor Samuel Lau, Secretary General, RCMI
The Post-COVID Church Rebuilt
Our “Church Development” arm is represented by the “C” in RCMI; our purpose is to assist the Chinese church’s multi-level growth. Beginning in early 2020 when COVID began affecting our ministry, our team members faced the prospect of having to stay for long periods in quarantine hotels if we should cross the border. Thus we couldn’t go as in the past to the interior to visit coworkers; ‘online’ became the only place we could interact, and the extent or depth of our ministry opportunities was severely limited!
But we give thanks to God for His grace! We were still able to conduct online seminars, courses, sharing times with leaders, etc., without hindrance. But during the course of the year we discovered that many churches were under great pressure in various matters -- for example, some experienced great difficulty switching from in-person to online meetings as their main way of pastoring; many others’ projects were severely affected by pandemic lockdowns; most faced the challenge of stricter central government policy limiting their work with teens and children; church coworkers responsible for teaching and pastoral care became very tired ... and so on!
The ‘Invisible’ Young Church
Our hope in this new year, now that border-crossing restrictions have been done away with, is that our team will have more opportunities to visit inland churches in person -- not only to meet and have fellowship with these precious members of God’s family, but more importantly to be able to walk alongside and support coworkers there charged with pastoring and teaching, to raise up leaders and help the Chinese church to flourish!
I am asking each of you to pray for the Chinese church -- may God protect them and open the way for them! And please pray for RCMI, that we may respond suitably to the practical needs of the present hour and situation while maintaining our unwavering commitment to our vision: lovingly to serve the Chinese church, both in China and all over the world -- May the Lord be praised!
Revelation 3:8 “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you and open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
Revival Chinese Ministries International
Sincerely from
Pastor Samuel Lau
