#2641 (4/14) PALM SUNDAY SPECIAL: " 'Something Serious Is Happening in That Dark Place' "

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" 'SOMETHING SERIOUS IS HAPPENING IN THAT DARK PLACE' " -  Tony Perkins, Washington Watch, April 09, 2019; https://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20190409/something-serious

     Imagine being thousands of miles from home and thrown into jail on phony charges. You're an American, but worse in the eyes of these authorities -- you're a Christian. For U.S. pastor David Lin, who's been behind bars in China for 10 years, the situation is a dire one. But now, for the first time, his family is speaking out about the man who left for the mission field and his hope -- under this administration -- of finding freedom.

   "I was preaching the gospel -- maximum security people started to investigate me, they forged documents. I didn't do anything wrong." That was Pastor Lin's own account to his family back home in the U.S. He'd come to China with the vision to build a church, after being converted to Christ in the U.S. But in 2006, when he formally applied for a license with the hostile communist government, he aroused suspicion. A few months later, Chinese officials came to his home base and put him under house arrest. Within months, he was falsely accused of contract fraud, given a show trial, and sentenced to life in prison.

   For his daughter, Alice, the thought of never seeing her father again was unfathomable. Monday, on "Washington Watch," she told me that her family found some peace knowing that David felt this was part of God's plan. "His last message to us [was]... "Don't worry. God knows what he's doing. It is God's wish that I am here. There are many people inside who need to hear God's word, please don't worry but only pray for me. I will be back in the U.S. soon."

   "Soon" never came. Now, despite his powerful ministry inside the prison, Alice thinks something has changed. In December, she talks about a scare the family got when her dad reached out to her family to contact the Embassy and have his Bible translations removed. They obliged, sending home a box with not only the translations but "his Bible and all the cards and pictures and letters that we have ever sent him over the years... It is like a man in the desert sending home his only bottle of water. When my mom opened that box, she was hysterical. She knew that there was something wrong. We don't know what's happening exactly, but we know that something serious is happening in that dark place." For the last several years, the Lin family hasn't spoken out for fear that things would be worse for him. But now, the hostility is so intense they have no choice.

   And the last several months have only added to the anxiety. "He's been reaching out to us at an increased frequency which is very unusual. And he has had this this... urgency in his voice. It's the first time he's ever asked us to reach out for help." There's a growing concern that things are getting worse. "My father has missed a lot," she said wistfully. "You know 10 years is a long time. My father has missed my brother's graduation. He missed my wedding. I couldn't have a ceremony actually because my father wasn't here to walk me down the aisle. I am still waiting for him to come home. He missed the birth of his grandson. His only grandson. He celebrated his 60th birthday alone. My mother has been operating as if she is a widow for the last 12 years." It's time, as Alice said, to bring him home.

   At the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, my fellow commissioners and I are trying to do exactly that. To raise more awareness on his case, USCIRF's Kristina Arriaga and I have formally adopted Pastor Lin as part of our Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. Together, we hope to work with the Trump administration to bring the necessary pressure on China for his release. "We call on Chinese authorities to provide Pastor David Lin with any medical attention that he needs and allow him to return home to the United States. The Chinese government has committed a grave injustice against this man who now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. We are especially concerned about the possibility that Pastor Lin is being targeted in prison because of his faith."

   Until he's free, the most important thing any of us can do is pray. "Pray for his safety," Alice told our listeners. "Pray that the Lord continues to keep him under His mighty wings. Pray that he can come home soon." As you do, sign our prayer petition on Pastor Lin's behalf.[https://frc.quorum.us/register/] I know from visiting with Pastor Andrew Brunson -- and ultimately escorting him back to the U.S. -- how encouraging it is for these men and women of God to see the names of thousands of you pleading their case before the Lord.

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan 

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

The women of the persecuted church—in April, Open Doors is focusing on this group crucial to the spread of the gospel and thriving of the global Body of Christ. Throughout the world, 
women and girls are doubly persecuted: for their faith and for their gender. We invite you to step into their stories and pray with these sisters in Christ.
April 14 | EGYPT - Pray with church leaders who will minister to their congregations amid horrific memories of church bombings. Ask God to give them words of comfort and strength for all those grieving.
*Names changed to protect identities