Can You Sing?

The most recent wave of persecution of house churches by the Chinese
Government began in January 2004, when the DVD 'The Cross,
Jesus in China' became available. Between one hundred and one
thousand house church leaders are currently imprisoned, receiving
sentences of up to three years, reports
mission agency Open Doors. Brother Zhong from central
China tells of his first imprisonment, which lasted 33 days:

All of our house church leaders were arrested in a raid by
the National Security Office while we were training them.
In prison, our heads were shaved, and we were interrogated
for days. We were told that the other inmates were waiting for
their chance to beat us up when we were sent to
our cells. Up until then, every new prisoner had been beaten up.

I entered my cell shaking with fear. It was a fearsome sight:
sixteen other prisonersstanding in two rows, fists ready. My
heart was beating hard, and I prayed rapidly for help.

Suddenly, the leader of the gang asked 'Why are you here?'
'Because I am a Christian,' I answered, timidly, expecting
the first blows. 'You don't beat people up?' he asked. 'No,'
I answered. The next question surprised me: 'Can you sing?' '
Yes,' I replied, wondering where this was heading. The gang
leader told me to sing. The song 'I give myself as a seed' came
to mind, so I sang. The words are:

Who doesn't have a brother or sister? Who doesn't have a wife
and child? Who doesn't want to be with his family? Who doesn't
want to be among his relatives? But if the Lord calls me to carry
His Cross, I would ignore them all, even if they passed by my house.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I sang. The Holy Spirit came in our
midst, and half of the other prisoners were in tears when I
finished. The leader stepped forward and clapped me on the
shoulder. He then asked me to read the Gospel to them. They
wanted to hear it every day.

One day, when we sang again, a guard came to ask what we were
doing, and who was responsible. I stood up, and was punished. I
had to take off my clothes and stand against the wall in a very
uncomfortable position. The leader stood up and demanded to
be punished as well. Many of the others also stood up, demanding
the same punishment. The guard became very angry, and stormed
out of the cell. One of the other inmates became a Christian that day.

I was released soon afterwards, because my wife managed to pay
my bail. My time in prison impaired my health, but the spiritual
gain was worth far more. I am very grateful to God.

Source: Open Doors

Pray for the Chinese brothers and sisters!