Chinese Christians gather in Beijing for Jesus celebration despite government crackdown
Chinese Christians driven by passion for Jesus Christ have gathered in Beijing for a celebration of their faith and a special worship service.
Christians in Beijing organized a vibrant worship service where they prayed together for China's government leaders. They sang worship songs and asked the Holy Spirit to let their officials understand the importance of religious freedom in shaping their country, according to the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
In an interview with CBN News China, one of the worship leaders in Beijing gathering and explained that their country is in a critical situation. For this reason, she said Christians need to pray for their government leaders.
"We need to pray for our leaders. They need to understand faith is all we need," the worship leader said. "Believing in Jesus is good for us and the nation. I know God is listening to our prayers all the time."
Aside from that, the attendees of the assembly were emboldened to pray for one another. Some of the Christians also invited non-believes to join the gathering, saying they need to bring the message of Christ to more Chinese.
The Beijing gathering comes amid reports of the government's ongoing crackdown on Christian churches. In the province of Zhejiang, the government has removed and burned down crosses from around 2,000 churches, American religious activist organization China Aid says.
The crackdown has been going on for almost two years already. Those who have opposed the cross removal campaign have been imprisoned and charged with disturbance of social order, CBS News reports.
An entire church was destroyed when the crackdown first started. The government explained that the demolition was carried out because the church violated China's "building codes," the report relays.
In February, Christian lawyer Zhang Kai appeared on state TV expressing his regret over his support for Christians opposing the cross removal campaign.
Despite the crackdown on Christianity, more worship services like the one in Beijing will be held in different locations in China this year. Chinese Christians have said they will continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of more unbelievers and the national leaders.