In the Face of Opposition

We are called to be people of action, and as the Church, the body of Christ, is united with a common
purpose, common passion, and common praise - exalting the one true God - we can see the Lord to wonderful things through us. Romans 13 challenges us:
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

God calls us to a place where we are more concerned about the needs around us than our very own, about the people around us than ourselves.   We have been called into one body, and we can recognize that we are brought together in the Spirit and empowered by Him.  We can testify to the presence of Christ among us, working through us, so that His name is proclaimed in our communities, throughout our nation, and, as we join together with fellow believers, to the ends of the earth.

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As God's people, chosen and declared to be righteous and holy before Him, He wants to propel His
Church to action in His name. 1st Peter 1 states:
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

The hostility toward Christianity in China continues to be a source of concern and discussion.  From pastors and church members being arrested to church buildings being destroyed, the Chinese government has shown little mercy toward the practice of Christianity, except in its government-approved church settings, where freedom has been sacrificed for perceived legitimacy.

That threat perhaps explains why Christians have become involved in the protests against extradition legislation that have been occurring now for a number of weeks in Hong Kong.  Certainly, Christians would not want to stand trial or be imprisoned in China as the result of their activities in Hong Kong, which is the pseudo-independent island nation off the coast of China that is essentially under Chinese authority.

Faithwire has traced the new front of Christian involvement in these protests, dating back to a little over a week ago. The story relates that on Friday, August 23, "thousands upon thousands of believers gathered in Chater Garden for the first political rally organized by the Christian community. According to Religion News Service, the central motto of the gathering was 'Salt and light, for justice we walk together.'"

The story goes on to say:

An accompanying press release to the event described its aim as helping to “provide all Christians a platform to express themselves outside the church, hoping people would safeguard Hong Kong by singing, praying, worshipping God and at the same time speaking up for justice and standing together with all the Hongkongers in difficult times.”

And, the article includes this description:

Amongst the throes of tear gas, rubber bullets, and riot shields, a sweet melody of worship can be heard echoing through the city’s central district. Gathering in peace and prayer, thousands of Christian protestors can often be heard belting out the 1974 hymn, “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord.”

An earlier Faithwire article had shared information regarding leaders in the protest movement in Hong Kong.  One is Joshua Wong, who "was briefly imprisoned for his activism." according to the article, which states:

During a May interview with World magazine, Wong argued Christians aren’t tasked simply with “preaching the gospel and then waiting to go to heaven when we die.”

Wong said, "We need to be bringing heaven down to earth," and according to the piece, he had shared that...

...authorities in mainland China are particularly fearful of Christianity because “it could influence people to realize the only one they should obey is Jesus, not the regime” and that “contradicts Chinese Communist Party propaganda.”

That article from Faithwire, by the way, gave a quick description of the bill, that "could see arrested locals sent to mainland China to stand trial for their alleged crimes."

Wong and fellow activist Agnes Chow were arrested last Friday for organizing a protest back in June; they were released on bail, and wrote a piece for The New York Times over the weekend providing more insight into their actions.  The article also mentions that even though the Chinese government attempted to ban protests on Saturday, large crowds took to the streets - again.

Other Christian leaders include: Chu Yiu-Ming, who "told DW.com that he hopes his fellow protesters continue to 'resist and fight back' against the extradition bill. Sentenced in April for his role in similar protests against Beijing in 2014, Chu was responsible earlier this month for leading protesters as they sang the Christian hymn."  And, the story points out:

Another Christian leader, Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, vowed to stay near the protesters and pray with and for them for as long as they continued to demonstrate, according to UCA News.

The more recent Faithwire article indicated that the Chinese government did not have any intentions of abandoning the bill, and amidst calls to resign, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam "said that she was 'not accepting the demands,' of protesters who insist on the bill being completely withdrawn."

These protests show a common thirst for freedom and justice, and one of the lead figures over the past few years on Hong Kong's quest for true democracy is apparently motivated by his faith in Christ.

There are some principles we can take to heart here.  First of all, the Hong Kong believers are galvanized by a common purpose.  They have united against what they perceive to be anti-democratic atrocities and authoritarian rules of the Chinese government, and it has united them in a powerful way.  When we possess that sense of a common purpose, in Christ, there is much we can accomplish for our heavenly Kingdom.

Also, the protestors are galvanized by common passion.  We can consider what drives us - what helps us make the transformation from passive affirmation to active demonstration?  We can allow the Holy Spirit to generate in our hearts a strong desire to glorify God by doing His will.

Finally, there is a thread of worship in this Hong Kong story.  As believers in Christ, we can recognize that we can be galvanized by common praise.  When we worship together, we gain a sense of our belonging to the body of Christ, and when we become more aware that we are one with each other, God can do incredible things through His Church.