Reposted Pastor Wang Yi's "What will I do in the face of persecution"

(The original author is Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu Early Rain Reformed Church; Source: Xing Fuzeng, Dean of Theological Seminary, Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong)

In the face of persecution, what will I do? I pray and resolve in the presence of Christ, and after much deliberation, I have decided that when those in power go beyond the boundaries of God-given worldly power to attack and usurp the spiritual affairs that belong to God and the church, I will hold on to my faith in a peaceful manner. of disobedience.

Below are some specific plans. As a house church and Presbyterian pastor, these practices are based on my "conservative evangelical" position and "Calvinist" theology. This does not mean that a faithful and converted preacher or Christian must do so. Because of different situations and burdens, God will give his faithful children different responsibilities and practices in this spiritual battle.

It also does not mean that my confidence is firm enough to fully adhere to these positions and practices in the face of threats, frame-ups and violence. I pray that the death of Christ will always be upon me, so that the power of Christ's resurrection can overshadow me at all times. I fully know and admit that I am an unworthy sinner, and may the sovereign grace of Christ not forsake me in persecution, and that the Spirit of the Lord will always be with me, so that in my isolation after being enforced, They can hold these positions with great patience and hope, either until they see the face of the Lord, or until they have the victory over the Lord and return to the pulpit of the church.

These positions and plans of mine have been approved by the elders of the Early Rain Covenant Church, who are my co-workers. It can also provide a case for reference and adoption for those who hold positions and burdens similar to mine.

First, don't stop partying.
Under any circumstances, do not stop public gatherings, especially do not stop or give up Sunday worship for the faithful. Because God's sovereignty is higher than any secular government, the mission of the church and the biblical teaching of unstoppable gatherings are also higher than any secular law. Regardless of any administrative enforcement measures taken by the Religious Affairs Bureau and the police against Sunday worship, and regardless of whether their law enforcement follows due process, I will disobey in a peaceful manner and will not cooperate with the police in banning, closing, disbanding, or sealing up Christian churches and their gatherings I will not stop holding, convening, hosting and participating in church public worship until the police use violence to control my personal freedom.

Second, do not cooperate.
Even if the police resort to violence, I will disobey it peacefully and not use any God-given strength to cooperate with the police's attacks on churches and services. On days other than Sundays, when the police are performing their duties in accordance with due process, I will be physically obedient and cooperative, respecting the authority God has given them; The above refused to cooperate in a non-violent way until the police used violence to control my personal freedom, and I will not use any strength that God has given me to cooperate with the illegal behavior of the police.

Third, disobedience.
Do not accept or obey the government's decision to ban, seal up, or dissolve the church and its gatherings, and do not obey any instructions given to me by the police at the scene of the persecution and ban of the church. Because God has not given government such power. In places where the church and family have property rights, if there is a seal, the seal will be torn off, and if there is a chain, the chain will be broken. Unless the police use violence to control my personal freedom, it will not stop me from convening, presiding and participating in the church in a peaceful manner. public gatherings.

Fourth, do not sign.
Do not sign any documents of service of any administrative decisions made by the Religious Affairs Bureau, and do not sign any documents of service of other government departments that cooperate with the Bureau of Religious Affairs to persecute churches. Likewise, do not sign any police transcripts or other documents that are questioned and questioned for faith and church reasons.

Fifth, zero confession.
Except for sharing the Gospel, do not accept or answer any questions from the Religious Affairs Bureau’s administrative investigation on church and faith issues; except for providing personal information and sharing the Gospel, do not answer any questions or interrogations by the police about me because of my faith and church The problem is that the executive and judicial departments will not be provided with any documentary evidence that may convict the faith and the church, unless the police use harsh torture to extract a confession and destroy my health and mind.

Sixth, ask to read the Bible.
From the date of the coercive measure, I will ask for freedom to obtain and read the Bible during breaks outside of the interrogation and interrogation process. When the Bible cannot be obtained and prohibited from reading, I will peacefully refuse to obey all administrative measures and will not cooperate with any police orders in questioning and interrogation until the Bible is obtained or the police destroy me with brutal torture of health and mind.

Seventh, plead not guilty.
During questioning, interrogation and trial, I will not admit to any charges imposed on me because of my beliefs and the church, whether it is the crime of inciting subversion of state power, the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, the crime of illegal business operations, the crime of disturbing social order, the crime of The common charges of persecuting and framing the church, or any other charge, of cults breaking the law. Do not plead guilty, do not repent, do not seek or agree to be released from prosecution, probation, execution outside prison, parole, release on bail, residential surveillance, or any other method of release based on conviction. Once I am criminally detained, either until I have been sentenced and served, or I am acquitted, there is no room for compromise and bargaining for the third intermediate situation, unless the police destroy my health and mind with brutal torture .

Eighth, disobedience to thought remolding.
The so-called Laogai is a way of "thought reformation" of prisoners in the former Soviet Union, North Korea, China and other communist countries through forced labor and political study. As a Christian, I will physically submit to any unjust sentence, as well as the discipline of the prison. But I can go to jail, but I can't be reformed. I have neither confession nor repentance, and my conscience will prohibit me from submitting to all conscience and faith reform measures based on my confession, such as compulsory participation in political studies or watching TV programs, compulsory participation in flag raising ceremonies, compulsory writing of ideological reports , forced to sing red songs or shout slogans, etc. I will peacefully disobey the above-mentioned reforms and prepare myself to bear any price unless the prison authorities use brutal violence to destroy my health and mind.

Ninth, not to pay fines or penalties.
Whether under administrative penalties or judicial measures, never pay a penny of fines, fines or deposits for faith and church reasons. Because the government has no right to fine the church for its beliefs.

Tenth, do not accept the additional penalty of deprivation of political rights.
The so-called political rights mainly include the right to vote and stand for election, and the right to hold public office. As a citizen of this country, I have no such false rights; as a servant of God, I do not care whether it is gained or lost. However, the so-called political rights also include freedom of speech, assembly, publication, etc. concerning belief, conscience, and the church. As stated in Article 2, Chapter 20 of the Westminster Confession, "God alone is the Lord of conscience." . The government has no right to deprive human beings of the freedom of expression of conscience and belief given by God, so I do not accept the so-called "deprivation of political rights" as an additional punishment. As long as I recover my personal freedom, I will do my best to preach the gospel, shepherd or plant churches, write and publish Articles, practice the great commission given by the Lord Christ, until you lose your freedom again.

Eleventh, insist on preaching the gospel.
Whether in a police station, a detention center, a prison, or any other place of detention, whenever I have the opportunity to connect with people, I share the Gospel. Because of secular regimes and laws, there is no right to deny anyone the opportunity to hear the Gospel, nor the freedom of a pastor to preach the Gospel to anyone. Because only the gospel of Christ can truly "transform" a sinner. I will do my best to fulfill this gospel mission in custody unless the police use brutal violence to destroy my health and my mind.

12. Do not accept officially appointed lawyers.
Only an attorney appointed by myself or my wife can represent me in administrative or criminal cases. I will not accept an officially appointed attorney under any circumstances.

Thirteenth, do not go to TV, do not contact the official media.
As long as I have not recovered my personal freedom and have not met my family members and brothers and sisters, I will not accept interviews and filming arranged by the prison authorities, official media and any domestic media, nor will I record any video under the control of the police, nor will I be in the interrogation room or interrogation room. Record video from any venue other than to avoid being distorted and edited as a "television confession". Unless the police destroy my health and my mind with brutal violence.

14. Request a public hearing.
After I am sued for my faith and my church, the court will be asked to hear my case openly. If the court does not follow due process, hold a public hearing, and do not allow my wife, family, brothers and sisters, friends, and the media to attend and observe, I will act in disobedience to such a hearing. Because the court of secret trials is no longer the court the Bible requires me to obey. I will refuse to appear in court and refuse to cooperate with any order of the judge; except for preaching the gospel, I will respond to all illegal trials against the church and faith with zero speech and zero defense.

Ask the Lord Christ to make me fear him so much that I do not fear any power that does not fear him. Lord, grant me peaceful disobedience, active patience, and joyful disobedience in all matters concerning conscience, faith, and the church; and patience and silence in all matters concerning physical and external rights and interests the power of. Pray that the Lord will remove the blood and resentment that may have been aroused in me in this process, and also have mercy and help me for any weakness in my isolation. Lord, help me to pray every day from the day I am detained, for those in power, big and small, and civil servants in the police, national security, procuratorate, courts, or other departments related to my case. May the Lord choose among them the children who repent and believe in the Lord, and have pity on their humble souls. I pray that the Lord will lead at least one of them to the Lord during this process, so that my heart can gain great joy and comfort.

I also ask the Lord Christ to let me shed all the burdens and worries about my wife, family and the church while I was in custody, and put everything aside. , as the thoughts and service of the family, the shepherding and teaching of the congregation, and the responsibility to the kingdom of God.