Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Beijing is the host city and main venue city. Events will also be taking place in Hong Kong, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Qinghuangdao. The new Olympic stadium in Beijing  is known as the “bird’s nest” because of the steel lattice work covering the outside of the exterior. The stadium is one of 11 new competition venues being built to accommodate the games. Beijing will spend nearly $40 billion to build the infrastructure needed for the Olympics Games. Funds will be spent on transportation systems, upgrading energy supplies, and dismantling 69 villages within the city.

Excitement has been high among Beijing residents from the moment the announcement was made in 2001 that Beijing won the 2008 Olympic bid. Construction is already underway around the city and you can bet the national athletes are already looking forward to hosting the Olympics in their own country. The Olympics will offer many opportunities for those from around the world to learn more about the rich culture and heritage of China. However, with people flocking to the city of Beijing, there will be an increased opportunity for Chinese to experience, many for the first time, the love of Christ. Pray for people, both locals and visitors, to be bold in sharing their faith and that people will receive the Word with open hearts.

Many of us don’t truly understand the term 24/7, but the top level athletes of Beijing definitely do. They spend hour after hour everyday training and practicing with one goal… to make it to the top. The top for them may culminate in an appearance at the Olympic Games or a career in one of the few professional sports leagues China has to offer. But, for the hundreds that spend hours upon hours each week striving for this goal, very few actually obtain it. Located in the Chao Yang district north of the Fourth Ring Road in the area between Bei Chen Lu and Anli Lu is the area where Olympic athletes from all over the world will live in the summer of 2008.

Even from the States, you can impact what is happening in Beijing. Prayer is the most critical need. Gather small groups in your home to pray for those who live in cities where the games will take place. Place prayer guides in your church prayer room highlighting key needs of Olympic ministry. The games are also an excellent opportunity to befriend the Chinese in your community, using the games as a natural conversation starter. Consider hosting a big screen party to view the televised events, inviting guests to arrive an hour early to pray for China. Opportunities are endless. It is my prayer that the lighting of the Olympic torch will ignite a great revival across the land of China.

Until everyone has heard in the land…

Pray for China

“China is a sleeping giant,” Napoleon Bonaparte famously said. “Let it sleep, for when it awakes it will shake the world.” That day is long past. China is wide awake and is taking her place among the nations as a world power in military strength, economic might and social influence.

China is also waking spiritually. Right now, as never before, China’s heart is opening to the gospel. Yet the great challenge of a giant is its size. China is overwhelming in population, (1.3 billion people), overwhelming in size, (200 cities over 1 million people), overwhelming in diversity, (500 ethnolingustic people groups).

The gospel must penetrate so many dark places in this great land. Prayer remains the primary means through which God will bring His light. Those who are called to the mission field sacrifice personal comfort and safety to bring the precious message of Jesus to those who don’t know Him. Those who stay behind play a crucial role as prayer warriors in furthering the kingdom. Oswald Chambers stated, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer IS the greater work.” Prayer is not merely a form of “spiritual calisthenics.” It is a vital aspect of global ministry that directly impacts mission work and the people to whom we minister.

God spoke to my heart about an important principle that has helped shape my life and ministry. What He showed me was so crystal clear that I will never forget it: No matter what I hoped to achieve in China, no matter what He called me to do, I could accomplish it only on my knees. That is, if I wanted God to fulfill His purpose through me, prayer would need to become the central focus of my mission.

Our greatest need will always be prayer. Yes, many other practical and compelling needs could be mentioned such as financial support, material resources or more personnel to assist in the task. But when in Satan’s territory, there is a desperate need for intercession through which God’s power, blessings and sufficiency would be poured out. The power of prayer is amazing!

Until everyone has heard in the land…

China in Transition

China is transforming at breath neck speed – becoming a fundamentally different society. The once backward and feudal “sleeping giant” is undergoing modernization with incredible acceleration. No longer satisfied to be asleep, China has awakened to a new day and is determined to mark its place in this world. A National Pride swelled when Beijing was named the site of the Summer Olympics in 2008. As China eagerly awaits the August 8^th Olympics all the world’s eyes are on China to learn more about the rich culture and heritage of China.

China has a Great Wall—more than 1,500 miles long. There are, however, other walls no less imposing: Atheism, Buddhism, Communism, Taoism, Islam, and last but not least, Materialism. Chinese people also have a door. Only very few of them have gone through it to follow Jesus. Most have not yet had an opportunity to meet Him. Still, Christ stands at the door and knocks. He wants all people to know Him, including the 1.3 billion Chinese who are eternally lost without Him.

How will we respond? What can we do? Penetrating China’s unreached people begins with the prayer and commitment of Christians who are burdened with reaching the lost. It is our hope and prayer that God will use this web blog to “shine His light” on the tremendous needs in China to take the gospel each day to the Chinese people through His faithful servants in Asia.

Until everyone has heard in the land…

2008 Olympics in Beijing

In less than 200 days China will attempt to pull off the greatest show on earth as the Olympics 2008 opens in Beijing. At exactly 8.08 on August 8, 2008 the curtain will rise on a spectacular opening night ceremony. The emphasis on the numeral 8 is not a coincidence. In Chinese thinking the numeral 8 is associated with hope and prosperity– the two things China craves more than anything else in its bid to dominate the world as Number 1. The theme will be “One World, One Dream” which summarizes the century’s old concept of China as the middle kingdom and center of world influence.

I am returning to China early August 2008 volunteering to minister for 3 weeks during the Beijing Olympic Games, and while I’m there, hope to not only take in the sights, smells and sounds as travelers do, but to also make a difference in the lives of the people crossing my path.

I am bursting with excitement as the games draw closer. The world is abuzz with anticipation as the 2008 Olympics approach. China is hosting the summer games for the first time, and they are planning for a grand debut. I see the games as more than just a 16-day sporting event, however. I see the games as a doorway to bring Christ to the hearts of the masses of Chinese who have still never heard the name of Jesus Christ. I visualize it as a conduit through which people will form lasting relationships and will be drawn to a personal relationship with Jesus.

Until everyone has heard in the land…

Laborers are needed…

It has often been said that it is hard to “out give” a Chinese friend. Those living and working in China often find themselves on the receiving end of gracious Chinese hospitality. Yet many millions of these kind and generous people are living their lives with no knowledge of the Creator God who loved them enough to send Jesus to save them. Despite the dramatic growth of the church in China, there are still more than 1 billion lost Chinese people. How tragic to think that many of these loving, giving people might be locked out of heaven simply because they have not heard of Christ! Pray today that as God calls workers into the ripe fields of harvest, they will respond with joyful obedience.

It’s an unprecedented opportunity to share the gospel. The good news can travel quickly in cities where people are concentrated in smaller areas. When former village dwellers become Christians, they take the gospel home with them on visits to the countryside.

But more laborers are needed. China’s cities need Christians willing to take the gospel there themselves and to support Christian workers with prayer and finances. Is God calling you to help?

Until everyone has heard in the land…