August 2016 newsletter
On 20 December 2015, Pastor Yang Hua’s wife expected to pick him up from the Chinese prison where he had been held since 9 December. When she arrived, she instead watched four men shove her husband, also known as Li Guozhi, into an unmarked van and leave the prison. Later, after being accused of divulging state secrets, he spent 924 days in prison before being released in June 2018.
While in prison, Yang wrote these words of encouragement to his wife: “Never be dejected and despondent; always look up at our Lord, and always keep the spiritual life above the chaos … rest in God’s arms. Be upright and take care. Be prepared for the rest of the road. I will go with you. If the Lord doesn’t allow it, not a single hair will drop to the floor.”
Some believe his imprisonment was intended to intimidate the Living Stone Church, which he founded in Guiyang, Guizhou, in 2009. When the church began to grow in size and influence, it came under increasing government scrutiny and pressure. Church members had continued to gather regularly in small groups until the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, when they moved to online worship.
When China relaxed some of its pandemic-related restrictions, the church again began gathering in small groups. “They are having everything, including Bible study, children’s classes and baptism preparation classes,” a Christian contact in China said. Pastor Yang remains under constant surveillance and is unable to travel freely.
Dear Pastor Yang Hua,
I thank the Lord for your bold faith and eagerness to encourage the believers to meet despite opposition
I love the words you wrote to your wife. They are life giving and would have strengthened her a lot
May your love for the Lord Jesus continue to give you strength and peace for all He calls you to do
2 Thes 3:3 Isaiah 41:6,10, 13
Amen.🙌👑
Dear Pastor Yang Hua, during this last year the spirit has reminded me that without pastors christianity dies. From here great effort is being made to raise up leaders in overseas countries and here in Australia. Our churches in America and Australia are now encouraged to build networks in the future among churches to endure persecution. Hope for the best, but we also have to remember ours is a religion of martyrdom. Those who suffered and even died for the faith, they received a crown of glory. That may well be our calling and we need to accept that as believers.
Dear pastor Yang Hua,
May the Lord continue to uphold you, your family and your church.
“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” Rev3.11-12
Amen 🙌👑
Father, thank You for the faith and perseverance of Pastor Yang. Thank You for Living Stone church and their creative worship. Please provide for them and build them up in Christ, add to their numbers daily and teach them by Your Spirit, in Your Word. Thank You that You are absolutely sovereign.
Amen 🙌👑
Dear Pastor Yang and Mrs Yang,
Your lives encourage us and inspire us to set our faces as a flint to walk the path of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, just like you.
We praise God for your example and pray that the God of hope may fill you with all joy and peace, that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15.13
We continue to pray for you and our Chinese brothers and sisters.
Amen 🙌👑
Dearest Pastor Yang Hua,
What joy must light up the face of Jesus when He looks at you. He so longed for faithful, persistent disciples when He was here and found them lacking, though I think they did much better later on, and like you, gave Him great joy. Your faithfulness gives glory to the Lord Almighty, and testimony to very many people of His faithfulness to you. I praise God for your loving ministry to many and pray that you are able to continue this many years with peace, in Jesus name.
Dear Pastor Yand Hua,
We pray daily for those under persecution for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially for those in China. We ask God to sustain you and protect you and your family and we also pray that your oppressors will see your faithfulness and will also come to repentance and trust in the shed blood of Christ.
“And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
Amen and Amen 🙌👑
What great faithfulness Ps Yang being imprisoned for longer than first said would be do hard but you remain faithful to calling.
Amen 🙌👑
Dear Pastor Yang Hua
Thank you for the beautiful words you wrote to your wife. They have blessed me and encouraged me and I am sure many others.
May God bless you and strengthen you to continue to touch many lives for Him. He is the light of the world and no matter what we face the darkness can’t overcome His light (John 1:3-5).
Me too – so encouraged amen🙌👑💝💝💝💝
Dear Pastor Yang Hua
May the Lord God reward your wonderful faithfulness to Him and assure you of the fruit that will be seen in heaven.
Thank you for suffering for Him and for being obedient tot he upward call, looking unto Him and forgetting what lies behind.
May god bless you and your wife and family and meet your every need, as he has promised, for His glory. Amen
Yes-Amen 🙌👑💝💝💝
Dear Pastor Yang – we thankyou for your powerful witness – to your wife , your captors and to the Church – us – it is good to remember that nothing happens without the Lords allowing it – Father we pray that you will continue to see the Church grow and ask you to show your arm strong and protect Pastor Yang and all the congregation and may your word , truth ,provision ,wisdom and love continue in the power of your Holy Spirit. We ❤️You Pastor Yang and believe for your congregation to grow daily – in the name of our precious Lord Jesus we pray – Amen 🙌🙌❤️🔥🔥🔥
Pastor, praying for you and your family from Australia.
Dear Pastor Yang Hua,
I praise God that I can have news of you. I added you to my list of Christian prisoners when you were first imprisoned and prayed for you and your family every day. I had not heard if you had been released or not. I was concerned for you as I read of your ill-health so prayed you would quickly be released. May you know God’s grace and strength in abundant measure as you continue to walk this extremely difficult path as His witness to the Truth..