A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
This little book is a real treat, a delightful and soul-strengthening read. The book consists in pastoral sermonic letters from Chinese Christians modeling faithfulness and calling others to the same. For decades Chines Christians have lived under government oppression. Suffering is a staple topic in their house church meetings, reflecting a rich theology of Christian living in the midst of difficulty. “Let us learn from the witness of our Chinese brothers and sisters so that we can stand fast all the better as we face trials wherever we live” (from Tim Keller’s Foreword). “If we want revival in our communities, then let us learn from those currently being revived” (from the Introduction).
About the Editors
Hannah Nation is managing director for the Center for House Church Theology and content director for China Partnership. She is co-editor of Grace to the City: Studies in the Gospel from China.
Simon Liu is a pastor and mentor to pastors in China. Over the past decade, he has been involved in over 140 church plants across China.
What Others Say
- Tim Challies
“A powerful and moving collection of sermonic letters.”
- D. A. Carson
“The value of these meditations is that together they boldly demonstrate how common it is for Scripture to align faithful Christian living with the way of the cross. That includes both the unique substitutionary elements of Jesus’s death, and the example it sets for the followers of Christ―and never less than both. On the one hand, ‘He himself bore our sins in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness’ (1 Peter 2:24); on the other, ‘To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps’ (1 Peter 2:21). The Chinese church is being powerfully called to bear witness to these twin truths before their brothers and sisters around the world.”
- Paul David Tripp
“I cannot recommend this wonderful collection of sermons enough. Its exhortation to all who read can be summarized by one sentence in the second sermon: ‘Christians are those who worship God without regard for their own lives.’ May this characterize the way all of us live! Rising out of the soil of suffering, these sermons brim with biblical wisdom, gospel clarity and comfort, and unquenchable Christian hope. Feed yourself on the riches here; you will be thankful that you did.”
- K. A. Ellis
“Faith in the Wilderness is a timely resource for Christians in the freer world, marking a significant moment in church history. Saturated with knowledge of endurance under cultural and political hostility, our Chinese Christian family has delivered much more than a rich repository of scholarship; they’ve given all Followers of the Way reflections on survival and flourishing to help shape the next generation of global Christians into the image of Christ.”
- Christopher J.H. Wright
“How much we Western Christians, so prone to complain about our paltry hardships, need the voice of fellow believers in the global church who know what real suffering is―suffering of which state persecution is just one variety. These sermons speak of a faith that took root in China centuries before Europeans even set foot in the Americas, and a faith that has been tested throughout by unremitting suffering right up to the present day. Relentlessly biblical, refreshingly direct, and down-to-earth practical, these sermons challenge our complacency and self-pity with Christ-centred gospel faith, hope, and joy. I know I will read them again because I need this voice in my ear to counter the cacophony of our culture or the sugar-coated shallowness of consumer Christianity.”
- Bryan Chapell
“All Christians are called to rejoice in suffering that produces perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5:3). Yet, in affluent societies where the goal of life and religion is avoidance of all discomfort, we struggle to understand the cross we are to bear to treasure the cross of Christ. The Chinese leaders who have endured persecution and deprivation to write of Faith in the Wilderness bring needed perspective to believers worldwide―especially those in Western culture. By the irrepressible joy that is threaded through their writings, these leaders prepare us all to live in a fallen world, where some form of affliction is unavoidable, by the power of the Savior whose grace is sufficient, satisfying, and eternal.”
- Richard Pratt
“I do not know a more sobering but inspiring testimony to Christ’s victory over sin and death, a victory that he graciously shares with all who follow him.”
- Kelly Kapic
“What a gift to have this book! Those of us in the West have so much to learn from sisters and brothers around the world who serve Christ faithfully, and often at great cost. For far too long we have imagined we are the ones with the answers, with the wisdom and knowledge, but in truth, we often have untested cognitive affirmations and a weak spirituality, not sacrificial insight gained through suffering and prayer. To help us, these meditations are well worth our time to read slowly and be changed by them in the process. I thank God for Hannah Nation and Simon Liu who helped make these accessible, and I am especially grateful to the authors who offered up these meditations in the first place. We are in your debt!”
- David Furman
“Two words: Incredible faith. I was simply blown away by these words from leaders in the Chinese church. These sermons are a clear call to trust God in times of trouble. I am thrilled that the whole world can now glean comfort and encouragement from these words which have so bravely been preached to the Chinese church. I can’t quantify how my heart was affected by reading these entries. It is probably best to say that they melted my heart and made me turn to my Savior immediately in both repentance for my lack of trust in him and for peace in my own times of trouble. I can’t commend this book to you highly enough. Read it, reflect on it, repent of any sin, and rejoice that our God is a mighty and loving God.”