The volley of troubling stories about China can easily fool us into thinking that they are an evil people and that nothing good can come from there, with the exception of the underground Church. While the aggressively expansionist and totalitarian policies of the Chinese Communist Party under Xi Jinping are troubling, considering all Chinese as the enemy is not the right perspective to have.

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On the contrary, to pray for the people of China according to God’s will, we must see them through His eyes. There are three important biblical truths to guide us:

1. Jesus died for the entire world, without exception: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:16–17). 
2. God wants every tribe and nation to hear and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ: “And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (Mark 13:10).” … and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47).
3. Every nation was made by God: “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him” (Acts 17:26–27).

These biblical principles have tremendous implications for how we view and pray for the Chinese people. While we may be wary of the Communist Party and its aggression, we must remember that God loves the people — all 1.4 billion. He wants every one of them to hear the gospel of the forgiveness of sins. Moreover, He has made them with unique strengths and characteristics that reflect His glory and can benefit His kingdom.

The latter, especially, provide food for intercessory prayer. Let me explain.

The verse in Acts 17 implies that God has made nations with unique characteristics and traits and that He has embedded in them the ability to seek and find Him. Even though we know from Moses’ speech in Deuteronomy 32:8 that He disinherited the nations (“gave them their inheritance”) and placed them under the rule of their gods (demonic beings hostile to Him), those characteristics have not gone away.

Missionaries have discovered that God has placed redemptive analogies in their cultures — beliefs and practices that point to the spiritual truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus used parables from everyday Jewish life, they have been able to help tribes and nations understand the kingdom of God.

I believe that, in addition, God has placed unique aspects of His image in people groups so they would form a kaleidoscope that reflects His glory. Those characteristics are held captive by sin and false beliefs but come back out when people are redeemed and changed by the Holy Spirit. Some call them “redemptive gifts,” others call them “sanctified characteristics.” Whatever you call them, they cause people from every tribe and nation, inhabited by the same Spirit, washed clean by the same blood, and worshipping the same God, to express their praise and serve the Lord in unique ways.

What does that look like for the people of China, in all their diversity (more than 297 languages and 545 people groups) and complexity? Are there characteristics that define them all? I believe there are.

In the late 1970s, I lived in the Republic of Singapore for a couple of years. That is where I came to Christ — in the predominantly Chinese youth group of an expatriate church. Most of my friends were Chinese, so I got to know Chinese people from different ethnic backgrounds fairly well. It is hard to miss them: 76% of Singapore is Chinese. Granted, their ancestors moved there long before communism took over China, but I believe their characteristics have not changed.

Three of those characteristics stand out for us to pray over:

1. The Chinese are hardworking people, which has made them successful in business and industry around the world. They consider hard work and extra effort to be virtues, whether they are running a store or attending school. They set high standards of achievement for themselves and are very willing to sacrifice to reach a goal or support a cause. All of this has, in my opinion, contributed to the aggressive growth of the underground Church in China. The Christians have worked hard to set up elaborate networks and vetting processes that keep out informants, and they are eager to see the gospel spread in China and beyond. They even have a vision to take the gospel to every nation along the Silk Road — the ancient trade route that runs between Beijing and Jerusalem.
2. The Chinese are diligent in whatever they do. Students are devoted to learning from an early age, and workers are industrious and loyal to their employers. For centuries, members of Chinese families have been taught to bring honor to their parents and their clan as a whole. For the kingdom of God, this means sacrificial dedication to the cause of Christ and a potentially high level of integrity in Christian service and ministry.
3. The Chinese will stick with something for the long run and not easily give up. Mao’s Long March — the beginning of the communist revolution — was a battle against all odds. Even their steady plodding to gain influence here in the U.S. in a long game that has lasted for decades points to that tenacity. And that same tenacity has made the underground church resilient against the relentless persecution of the communist government and has contributed to aggressive growth instead of the intended eradication.Tenacity is what is needed for the advance of the gospel throughout the world, even as global persecution is sharply on the rise. The aggressive mission vision of the Chinese Church means preaching the gospel and planting churches in a host of Central Asian countries where the gospel is still forbidden, the terrain and climate are inhospitable, and occult religions are deeply ingrained in the culture.

I have seen how God has already been using the industriousness, diligence, and tenacity of the Chinese to bring about a quiet but massive revival in which the number of born-again believers has grown from an estimated 750,000 in 1948, when foreign missions in China were ended, to an estimated 100 million. It is difficult to obtain accurate numbers, but as of 2023, some 44 million are registered with government-approved churches. That number is known to be far smaller than the number of Christians meeting in unregistered house churches.

House-church leaders have expressed to foreign visitors their goal of overtaking the Communist Party in membership, which would make the Church the single greatest challenge to this current regime. Western visitors have reported that the house-church movement is growing by tens of thousands per month, especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, so this is no unrealistic goal!

Imagine what could happen if the “quiet revival” that has been going on in China would accelerate and spread. Millions of Chinese missionaries would flood the world with tenacious outreach to the most difficult places! It would make the Great Commission a completable task.

And imagine that all the networks of influence China has built around the world would become avenues for the spread of the gospel as communism collapses because the majority of the population has turned against it.

After all, the kingship belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations, including China. The principalities that are currently holding hostage the redemptive gifts God has placed in the Chinese people are no match for Him. So, let us pray that those gifts will come under His dominion and be unleashed for service to His kingdom.

God of all nations, thank You for never giving up on the people of China. Fan into flame the revival that has been going on there for decades. Keep the house-church movement unified and resilient against the government’s efforts to stomp it out. Unleash the gifts of industriousness, diligence, and tenacity like never before, so that Your Church in China will continue to grow, overtake the Communist Party in membership, and overflow in missions all over the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

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Remco Brommet is a pastor, spiritual-growth teacher, and prayer leader with over 40 years of experience in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the U.S. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and pastored his first church in Amsterdam. He moved to the U.S. in 1986. He and his wife, Jennifer, live north of Atlanta. When not writing books, he blogs at www.deeperlifeblog.com and assists his wife as a content developer and prayer coordinator for True Identity Ministries. Jennifer and Remco are passionate about bringing people into a deeper relationship with Christ. Photo Credit: Mark Nolan/Getty Images.