March 2023 RCMI Newsletter
Syrian young girl
“As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country. Prov. 25:25
Dear Friends of RCMI, letter from Pastor Dennis
Headlines from the first of 2023 have been bad news: War in Ukraine, rampant inflation, widespread worldwide ecological disasters relating to global warming, multiple mass shootings in the USA, Turkey-Syria earthquake, train crash in Greece and the severe geopolitical tensions between China, the United States, and other Western nations.
Rampant inflation adds to Syria’s economic turmoil
The eyes of Turkey and Syria earthquake
But I want to bear good news - Doors to previously closed nations are opening, and the Holy Spirit is being poured out upon countless numbers of young people and children. This is a partial fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel recorded in Acts 2:17.
The late Brother Andrew from Netherlands wrote the famous book “God’s Smuggler”. He founded a ministry called “Open Doors”. Thus tens of thousands of Bible couriers from the West smuggled Bibles to what was then called the “Iron Curtain” and “Bamboo Curtain”. The Iron Curtain was then Communist East Europe and the Soviet Union, and the Bamboo Curtain was what we then called ‘Red China” and other Asian communist nations.
When I was a youth in the 1960s in the USA, Christian young people from the West responded by the thousands to deliver Bibles to Iron Curtain nations. Later in the 1980’s after we established China ministry in Hong Kong, thousands of mostly young people came to deliver Bibles to China. We called them ‘Donkeys for Jesus.’
Donkeys for Jesus
Thank you for the Bible from Revival Christian Church
We were also amazed to find that most of the Christians in these ‘closed nations’ who were active in ministry were young people. Communism and persecution actually were factors in the great revivals in which God poured out His Spirit on the youth and children.
The youth in all generations are looking for some cause, some ideal that they can live for and even die for. What could be more challenging and meaningful than to take up the cause of Christ? They wanted to be “revolutionaries for Jesus.”
Due to Covid-19-related restrictions, for nearly three years the borders to China have been closed. Even so, we weekly have been teaching Christians all over China through Zoom and similar platforms. We have been amazed that so many are the youth, some of them the children and grandchildren of the house church leaders. I first saw them in the mainland house church revivals in the 80s and 90s. From March this year, the borders again have opened. Many mainland Chinese Christians are coming to Hong Kong and training conferences are being scheduled. It will be mostly the youth who are leading, as they have now taken over the ministry from the older generation.
Young Chinese study the Bible
The most recent good news coming from the West has been of the Asbury University revival and revival on other campuses in the USA. Even mainland Chinese Christians have been praying for the United States for decades. God is answering their prayers.
We all know about the “Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions” of the late 19th century, which was directly related to the ‘Great Awakening” revivals among the youth. This was the foundation for modern missions resulting in countless thousands of missionaries going to the nations.
Asbury University revival
Training Conference in Paris
Now what we hear about China is bad news, mainly due to the government's tough policy towards the West. The implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong has added to this. But the truth is there are still many freedoms in China and of course, Hong Kong has all the freedoms promised in the “Basic Law.” Many recent travelers have said China is one of the most modern and highly advanced of any nation.
But what is so exciting is to see the great move of the Holy Spirit among the youth and children in not only mainland China, and Hong Kong, but all throughout Asia. Recently our church sponsored two nights of a worship meeting in a local stadium, and thousands of youths from many churches participated.
For the past several months, through your support, RCMI has been able to provide tens of thousands of copies of the Holy Bible to young people to distribute in multiple nations: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Burundi, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania,
It is mostly the youth, this new generation of indigenous missionaries to their own people, who travel to remote rural village areas, and slum sections in major cities. They have also used some of the support you have provided to minister to the poor, needy, homeless, orphans, widows, and victims of disasters. This provision of Bibles with relief to the needy has been key in the work of evangelism. Many have come to the Lord and have been baptized into Christ.
P09 : The Young Chinese believer
RCMI Ministries has been working in China for 44 years. In 2021, we started a new ministry in Pakistan.
We are now working with a local ministry that has set up a Bible School to train the youth. It is called Pakistan Shiloh Bible School. Dozens of youth are now being trained in several locations in Pakistan preparing for full-time Christian ministry.
I am often invited to teach in online meetings using Zoom to local Pakistani churches. In almost every meeting, both the leaders and many of the congregation are young people, and even hundreds of children pack the meetings. Where possible, we ask those hungry for the baptism of the Holy Spirit to come forward to be prayed for by the local elders.
This is true in other nations in Asia and Africa, where the church is led by young people, including many young women. Many of those in China are involved in the missionary vision of the whole Chinese church, often referred to as the “Gospel Back to Jerusalem” vision.
Bible distribution in Pakistan Sheikhupura church member
Pakistan Toba Tek Sing Church received Bibles
A sister church of Revival Christian Church Hong Kong, Paris Revival Christian Church, will soon be dedicating its new facilities in a suburb of Paris. The price of the building with renovation costs is euro € 2.98 million. The church has several hundred Chinese young people, on fire for the Lord, fluent French speakers, with a vision to evangelize Europe.
Many who immigrated from Hong Kong due to the political earthquake here, are returning. This is where all the Gospel action is. Others may not return but will bring the Gospel and be a blessing to the nations they have immigrated to. We are not going anywhere and are committed to the ministry in China and throughout Asia and other nations. We truly believe the doors to China have opened and are opening more and more. Thank you for your prayers and the support of the Ministry of RCMI. We are called to bless China, and China will bless the nations.
Sincerely,
Dennis Balcombe,
Founder of RCMI and Lifetime Honorary Chairman
Hong Kong SAR, March 2023
