Shenzhen, China -- In China today, it is no longer surprising to see stores with names that are biblically related along the streets in mainland China, and Christian businessmen are becoming more numerous. God is using them to develop all types of ministries, bringing the gospel to the people groups that are unreachable by churches and full-time ministers. Their influence is far-reaching.
Towards the end of last month, Christian Communication Inc. coordinated a prayer meeting, titled “Chinese Christian Businessmen and Business Evangelism”, that focused on the present conditions of businessmen involved in business evangelism in inland China and the difficulties that they face, and they also prayed that they can be used more greatly by God.
According to statistics, close to 30 administrative executives of large corporations are Christians. They treat their staff generously, don’t engage in illegal activities, don’t miss their tax responsibilities, and are honest and reliable, which earned a good testimony in the society. Because of these examples, the company workers were influenced positively, and many believed in Christ as a result.
The Christian executives also preach the gospel to other company’s executives, scattering the good seeds in the hearts the executives and managers, who are not yet believers. They cooperate with churches to host bible-studies and evangelism.
In the factories along the coast, Christian business owners of smaller scale companies utilizes different approaches, including hosting meal gatherings, teaching new facts, bible-studies, etc., to allow the lower-income workers to hear the gospel.
In the district of Huadong, several factories has formed gospel performing arts group, focusing on workers whose lives are often by characterized by arduous and mundane work, and they would hold preaching conference every Sunday. At each service, hundreds of citizen workers would convert to Christianity, and much fruits are abundant.
Through the meal gatherings, Christian business owners would use this opportunity to help the managers understand the message of the gospel, so that they would be able to preach the gospel to their customers and business providers.
Furthermore, Christian businessmen often times participate in campus ministries and social services. Those among the Huadong coastal areas would offer money and their resources to support churches to do campus ministries, and would welcome college students from other provinces, and provide them with care and the warmth of a family. Because of these actions, many have converted to Christianity.
Their involvement in social services are up-to-date, for example, opening drug rehabilitation centers and AIDS ministries, and they opened stores that sells volunteer art works to support the living necessities of the minority tribes.
However, to be both successful in the market place and preaching the gospel are not easy. For example, some may be really good at doing business, but don’t have the heart for the Lord; some may have a deep heart for the Lord, but don’t know how to influence others; some don’t have good testimonies in their homes; some people even lost their trust and faith in the market place.
The Christian businessmen in inland China need to learn to balance the values that are of the teachings of the Bible and that of the world and methods to dealing with matters. Therefore, in this aspect, it is very important for them to receive training, where they can know their identity, learn to use their own experience, the talents that God has given them, their influence, talents, character to influence others and proclaim the gospel.
The prayers topics for this months are:
1. Pray that the Lord can bring about more Christian businessmen, who really loves the Lord, and that they may be good testimonies for the Lord in every company.
2. Pray for the company managers, who are Christians, that the Lord can help them to manage the company by following the truth of the gospel, establishing a good reputation, bringing in the true light of Christ, and allowing more people to follow the Lord because of these.
3. Pray for the ministries that Christian businessmen have developed. Pray that the Lord can greatly protect and use them, so that more people can receive salvation.
4. Pray that the Christian businessmen can overcome all temptations. Pray that the Holy Spirit can fill them daily, so that they may be joyful in daily depending on the Lord in their daily work, family, work and society to fight the good fight for the Lord.
5. Pray for more Christian businessmen to receive field service training, allowing them to be as wise as a snake and as innocent as a dove, to enter the people groups and find the lost souls.
6. Other prayer topics: Pray for the country leaders of China.
[Editor’s note: this report was conducted by Mengai Feng in Shenzhen]
