I use this letter and the one next month to tell you what Dori and I are doing, starting with the church-based China Institute.

Missionaries and evangelists have often ignored prohibitions against preaching the Gospel, preferring suffering to guilty silence.

The presence of students from China presents Christians in the West with a marvelous opportunity to reach the future leaders of that great nation, “influencers” who will set the pace for a changing society and culture.

As you know, we seek to reach educated Chinese around the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We do so in two ways: By direct ministry to Chinese, and by mobilizing others to do the same more effectively. For more than twenty years, we have used the written word as one key tool, with encouraging results.

Starting with the Book of Acts, Christians have a heritage in the lives of disciples of Christ who have set before us examples of faithfulness and love. The Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity has developed into a rich repository of brief accounts of both foreign missionaries and Chinese believers over the past several hundred years. 

As we all know, Chinese intellectuals play a role in their society that is far out of proportion to their numbers. Partly because of the Confucian tradition of the scholar-official, those with advanced education are often called upon to give advice to the government on policy issues.

It would seem reasonable to say that the most lasting fruit would come from evangelism that was built upon the Bible and reflected both its explicit teachings and normative examples. So, what might biblical evangelism look like?

In the past few months, we have looked at the central importance of home meetings and of patience in reaching Chinese worldwide.This letter will continue that discussion, with an emphasis that only biblical methods will bring lasting Gospel transformation to Chinese.

As I have reflected on effective methods for reaching Chinese with the Gospel, it seems that one theme keeps recurring: The need for patience. Without patience, coupled with perseverance, we are not likely to have a lasting impact on our Chinese friends or upon their society.

As we look back over the past year, we are once again both amazed and thankful for what God has done.