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1865 one man named Hudson Taylor grew to be a catalyst whereby the Gospel against all odds
spread through every province of China. When Hudson arrived he was greeted by a Shanghai under fire from rebels, and although
the risk was great, in defiance on a ban on outsiders via strong anti-foreigner sentiment, Hudson traveled inland and mingled
with the Chinese. Hudson's heart burned for the millions of Chinese and diligently prayed for God's leading with fellow
missionaries. Then, a break occurred with the International Convention of Chefoo in 1876. It opened every province of China
and Hudson began to establish bases of prayer and outreach throughout the land. Evangelism began to take off coinciding with
a powerful prayer movement beginning around 1890, as the Chinese received the Good News with gladness and they too began to
pray for their neighbors and loved ones. The door opened to praying missionaries like Lottie Moon who helped seed provinces
like Shandong with the Word of God. Momentum was building when in 1900 the Boxer Uprising occurred. The empress of China ordered
that all foreigners should be executed by surrounding citizens. Anti-foreigner sentiment filled the air as 235 missionaries
and 30,000 Chinese Christians were martyred. Though persecution was intense, so was the prayer movement, uprising was suppressed
by an international force and the Christians were more committed than ever about sharing the love of Jesus. Then in 1908 the
Spirit of God poured powerfully through praying believers in the now famous Manchurian Revival in North China, coinciding
with another great event, the Hing Wan (I believe this is the pronunciation) revival to the South which began in 1909. Both
events exploded onto the scene with tens of thousands coming to Christ. The revivals continued up until 1911 when another
event seemed to stop them in their tracks. Revolution swept China into the throes of chaos. Still the Word of God began to
spread as the Lord raised up praying leaders like John Sung who was saved during the Hing Wan revival. Also Laylan Wang a
great evangelist and the prayer leader Watchman Nee. The church of China was still on the move and in 1927 all heaven broke
loose. The Shandong revival was underway. American Southern Baptist missionaries began to report the supernatural power of
God as they had never seen, all pouring through praying Chinese believers, and the spiritual heavens over northern China opened
up with the presence of God. Hundreds of thousands were saved as this powerful move of the Spirit continued up through 1937.
At the same time the communists began to take significant power in government. Then World War II, war with Japan, and subsequent
surrender dominated the scene for the next 8 years. As things got quiet, the world watched as the communists seized power
in 1949, and missionaries were immediately ejected from the country. The persecution intensified in 1966 during the Great
Proletarian Cultural Revolution which lasted ten years. Christians were persecuted in mass, hundreds of church buildings were
closed, and other Christian institutions shut down. Then in 1989 the communist spirit launched its grip in the west as the
praying church in Poland and Romania and the failing economy set in motion a wave of events that resulted in the collapse
of the Berlin wall. A wall where Christians had been prayer-walking for over 20 years. Communism's collapse in the West
was followed immediately by the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in China which were sparked by praying Christian students.
As a result restrictions were lessened, American missionaries began to find openings into China, and what they found completely
blew them away. Under communism the church of China grew 20 fold with a Praying House Movement unrivaled in human history.
Conservative to liberal estimates placed the number at 100 to 200 million praying Chinese believers. It's being called
the greatest revival for any one people group in the history of mankind, with an estimated 3,000 Chinese coming to Christ
every day. The Bible has become the best seller in China with over 25 million copies being printed within the last few years
- on the Mainland! The persecution continues, but so does the move of God's Spirit. It's happening in China and around
the world as God leads his people into his presence to pray.
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