China (MNN) — Bibles For The World is not letting the coronavirus get in the way of bringing scripture to the Chinese people.
The coronavirus has caused over 500 deaths around the world since it began in Wuhan, China. It has sickened over 25,000 people, although over 1,000 have already recovered.
But John Pudaite, President and CEO of Bibles For The World, says, “we continue to feel that it should not deter us from our commitment to provide God’s word there and to get the Gospel to the people of China.”
Citizens of Wuhan buying masks. (Image courtesy of China news Serice on Wikipedia Commons)
Risk and reward
As many countries close their borders to China and flights are suspended, Pudaite says Bibles for the World continues to monitor the situation. But he points to what they have already accomplished as motivation. “God’s opened some doors for us to work there. And we have been blessed to be able to provide over 300,000 Gospels of John each year. Another 15 to 20,000 Bibles, New Testaments, and study Bibles each year.”
While the coronavirus is certainly a disease to be wary of, Pudaite says it has affected far fewer people than the common flu. Most of the danger comes from the exotic and unknown nature of the virus and the lack of vaccine.
Pudaite says, “We have a trip planned to China in April. And at this point, even though we’re monitoring the situation, as I mentioned, we intend to go as we have planned and provide that support to the Christians and to the church in China, to the body of Christ and also to equip them with God’s word so they can get active and involved in evangelizing and sharing the message, the good news of Jesus Christ with their neighbors and Chinese people.”
Church in China (Image courtesy of Bibles for China)
How can we pray?
Pudaite says the Chinese church still has needs, and this is the worst possible time to forget about them. The church in China struggles more and more with a lack of religious freedom, and now the coronavirus is making meeting together especially difficult, particularly in Wuhan.
He says, “we need to keep lifting up our Chinese brothers and sisters in prayer the Chinese Christians, even in a time that this epidemic is sweeping across our nation, that they can play a positive role and that they can use this opportunity to share God’s word and the message of peace and love that Jesus Christ brings.”
Pray also that peace would come to the city of Wuhan, because the Author of peace lives there in his people. Pray that in the midst of this epidemic, Christ would build his kingdom in China.
(Image capture courtesy of Prayercast)
