Day 17
China
In May this year, new measures by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) went into effect. These measures include strict monitoring and surveillance, and they forbid churches from “interfering” in anything related to the education and everyday life of church attenders and other citizens. Today we pray that the favor of the Lord our God may rest on Christians in China. May His favor establish the work of their hands. Pray for protection over churches in this Christmas season in particular. Pray that the joy of the Lord will permeate every meeting of every Christian fellowship across this nation (The Bible, Psalm 90:17).
The world’s most populous country, China is also the world’s second-largest land area. With a focus on nationalism, the Communist government tries to maintain social order by prohibiting large meetings and some social media sites. Mission organizations say that the church is the largest social force in China not controlled by the Communist Party. Authorities have continued their harshest crackdown on Christianity since the Cultural Revolution. Many expatriate Christian workers have had to leave as a result. Even the Bible is being “rewritten” to better reflect the government’s communist worldview.
