CHINA: Christian Visitor Arrested, Declared “Socially Dangerous” for Sharing His Testimony

Sep 14, 2022 | VoM

The Public Security Bureau in the Sichuan Province of China arrested a Christian man from Wenzhou, Lin Xuesui, and charged him with “organising and financing illegal gatherings”.

According to The Voice of the Martyrs Korea, the arrest came after Lin attended a Sunday church gathering on 14 June and shared his testimony in the remote mountainous region.

VOM Korea notes that two other Christians who were arrested at the same time as Lin were temporarily detained on the same charges, but were released on bail pending trial. Lin remains in custody at the Gulin Detention Centre, according to their report.

VOM Korea representative Dr Hyun Sook Foley, together with Lin’s wife, Li Chunqing, issued a public letter on 20 August asking Christians around the world to pray for God to lead and strengthen Lin during his imprisonment.

“Li says that authorities have portrayed her husband as a ‘socially dangerous’ criminal, which she says is ‘simply nonsense’,” said Dr Foley. “She describes her husband as an ordinary Christian who was carrying out his ‘fundamental Christian responsibility’ by responding to an invitation from other Christians to visit Gulin county. He shared his testimony there when he saw how few local residents had heard the gospel.”

According to Dr Foley, Christians around the world should give special attention to the arrest of Lin. “Most of the time, Christians and media around the world pay attention when the Chinese government raids or removes a cross from the building of a famous Chinese megachurch, or when Chinese police arrest a high-profile pastor in one of the large Chinese cities,” says Dr Foley. “But the arrest and imprisonment of Lin Xuesui shows that the Chinese government is afraid of even one ordinary Christian doing ordinary Christian activities in a remote, unpopulated area of China.”

Dr Foley says that Chinese authorities erroneously quote scriptures like Romans 13:1 and 1 Peter 2:13-15 to claim that the Bible requires Christians to obey all of the Communist Party’s restrictions and regulations governing religious activities. “Christians should expose this as unbiblical teaching,” he says.

“God has not delegated the oversight of his church to any government. He continues to lead and guide his church directly. We should remember that Paul, who wrote Romans 13, was beheaded by the government, and Peter was crucified upside down. Both were executed as criminals because they taught people to follow Jesus, who was also executed as a common criminal. So as Christians, we should not turn to the government to guide and direct our religious life. We should turn only to God.

“When authorities punish us for our obedience to God, yes, we are required to submit to that punishment—not because we have done wrong, but because we Christians are commanded to leave all judgment and vengeance to the Lord. The Bible shows that whoever judges or persecutes Jesus’ faithful witnesses only ends up judging themselves, and they will face eternal consequences for their actions.”

Lin’s wife, Li, wrote a public letter of prayer. In it, she says: “We believe, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.’ We pray for God to guard us and show His mercy to us. ‘The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.’ We hope God raises up more people who love Him through such tribulation.”

Source: The Voice of the Martyrs Korea

Please Pray

Pray for Lin during his imprisonment, that he will be strengthened and encouraged in his faith.

Pray for Lin’s wife, Li, as she continues to pray and advocate for his release.

Pray for the wisdom of other Christians in China as they continue to meet and worship despite persecution from their communities and the Chinese authorities.