We can hardly wait to share with you what God has been doing the past few days while we have been here in Beijing. The internet was down in our hotel for a couple of days – so it put us a little behind in sharing with you – but God has been working none the less.
Yesterday is fresh on my mind so we want to share this day with you.
We were told that it would be necessary for us to meet in small groups this time of 6-8 people so no attention would be brought upon the people attending the sessions. We met at a Tea House with leaders from a local body of believers that were selected to come and learn so they could take back the materials to the rest of the women in their local body. Our group started with 10 and by the time we ended there were 20 women there. They just kept coming anyway. Their desire to learn is so strong.
We taught from 1-5:30 and they did not want us to stop.
Because we are in smaller groups this time – they are able to ask many more questions and there was great interaction. Each church picked from our list of topics what they wanted to be taught. The subject Peggy has taught 3 times already has been on Sexual Purity. We were shocked and amazed at some of the questions they had for us. Let me share some of them with you.
Question: We have been taught by our pastors that because there are so few Christian Chinese men, it is ok for us to marry a non believer and then we can try to lead him to Christ. Is this a right teaching?
Question: We have been taught by pastors that if we have sex outside of marriage we have to marry that man – even if he is a non believer. No other man will want you because you are already damaged -Is that a right teaching?
Question: We bring shame on our family if we do not marry. What do we do if we cannot find a good Christian man to marry – we need to get married so our family is not shamed.
Question: If you have never had sex and you are older and not married – no man wants to marry you because he thinks there is something wrong with you – so they feel they need to have sex so that does not happen.
One question from the day before was if you have sexual relations, and then repent, why do they keep doing it over and over? Why doesn't God help them stop if they have repented. (We taught the Old and New Nature topic to this group to give them a better understanding. They thought God was not working in their lives since they had sinned.)
These women want to do the right thing before God – but the pressure to be married is great. It seems in every culture that there are more Christian women then men – but it is really having an impact here in this country. The need for more men to reached with the gospel and then trained on how to be a godly man is greater than we even knew. Our hearts are breaking for these women.
We have shared with them what God wants for their lives is to not be unequally yoked and to be patient to wait on God to bring the right person for them – but they are so afraid of being alone and being a shame to their family. It is very hard for them to trust and wait.
Please pray for our Christian sisters here that God will raise up more believing men and that Christian couples will be able to grow together the way God intended.
Pray for their purity. Their culture makes it hard to be strong in their faith and making the right choices. You are helping change a country. To God be the glory.
Serving Together,
Sharon
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