Back To Jerusalem: Three Chinese House Church Leaders Share Their Vision to Complete the Great Commission

Fifty years of persecution is described by Chinese believers as "God's training for us" (57). The house church leaders in this book plead "Don't pray for the persecution to stop" but pray for us to have "a strong back to endure" (58). Such comments seem strange to many of us in the west where we have all too easily equated the American dream with the Bible. Yet, what these house church leaders describe is biblical Christianity. It is a faith that looks remarkably like that of the apostles and the early church - a faith where believers love Jesus above all, are willing to count all things as loss compared to knowing Him, and are willing to take the Gospel to people who have never heard.All Christians should read this book to be challenged. I personally found myself convicted of too often desiring my own comfort more than God's renown, desiring ease of life rather than a life of Gospel service, and desiring friends more than being a friend of God even if it means alienation. Not only will this book give you appreciation for our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world but it will challenge you to look at your own life and figure out what it means to really love God and follow Him. Warning... this book may be a huge paradigm shift for you, may cause you to reevaluate your current involvement in missions, and may radically altar your spiritual walk - all for the better!

The First half of this book is written by Paul Hattaway briefly tracing the origin of Christianity in China as well as the vision and earlier attempts at taking the gospel back to Jerusalem in the early part of the twentieth century. Having been spread westward from Jerusalem to Europe and to North America and then to China, the gospel must now be taken to the Muslims and Hindus of the 10/40 Window with the goal of reaching Jerusalem again in an ever-continuing westward movement along the Silk Road, Hattaway argues.Although the passion to bring the gospel to the unreached areas in the 10/40 Window is noble and commendable, the argument that the gospel has moved more or less in one direction (westward) is less convincing. Historically, the gospel moved in all directions even eastward from Jerusalem to Syria, Persia, Central Asia, and then to China, even though the center of Christianity was confined to Europe after the rise of Islam in North Africa and Asia. Even in modern times, the gospel has moved east and southward from Europe and North America to Africa, South America and Asia.It is true that the center of Protestant missionary endeavor shifted from Europe to North America, and now it is poised to shift to the Two-Thirds World, the indigenous missionaries are coming from all over the non-Western world, particularly from Korea and Brazil. It is also true that China will take a significant role in sending out missionaries in the future, however, the evangelization of the 10/40 Window will take more than one nation's effort. It will take an international endeavor by missionaries from Asia and South America as well as the traditional places such as North America and Europe.The second half of the book seems to be written by the Chinese house church leaders. They are full of enthusiasm and passion for the "Back to Jerusalem" vision. Praise God for the Chinese church that is at the threshold of a missionary revival! One word of caution, though -- the Chinese church must be careful not to repeat some of the mistakes of traditional missionary endeavors by placing indigenous leadership and missionaries at a level of secondary importance to foreign leadership.

In the late 1940s a small group of devout Christians in China recieved what they considered a divine mission -- to take the good news about Christ across the Arab world toward the Holy Land. According to the leading they felt was given to them by God -- the Christian message had spread westward around the globe from Jerusalem to Europe to the Americas and across the Pacific to the Far East. But there was and still is one segment of the globe still largely unreached -- the Asian continent from Western China across India and the Arab States.They felt that this part of the globe was reserved by God for the Chinese church to evangelize. Although the movement that began in the 1940s was stopped by the Communist Revolution -- it has recently been reborn in the hearts and minds of the leaders of the Christian church in China. With new energy and passion they are setting out to take the good news about Christ -- Back to Jerusalem. It's quite an inspiring story.

Praise God for what He's doing in China, through the house churches and their zeal/passion to save the lost and proclaim the good news of the salvation of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth! The sharing from these house church leaders was extremely convicting; As a Chinese Christian in America, it's easy to lose sight of God's ultimate purpose for this world and our responsibility as a disciple of Jesus Christ to be a witness to the nations. I am so encouraged by how the Christians in China see the persecution of the Chinese government not as a thorn or something to be discouraged by; rather,they see it as opportunities and blessings to suffer for Jesus' sake, and training for the future possible persecution in the countries they desire to spread the good news to. This book was so uplifting and convicting I bought another copy and now both of my copies are being read by other fellow Christians.

When I read this book, I was in Seminary. You might think that being in Seminary meant that I was totally committed to Christ. This book challenged me in that regard more than I could possibly say. I only THOUGHT I was committed to Christ. Of course I was saved and of course I was committed to Christ, but not like this! I only wish the church in American were half as committed to Jesus as the church in China. Not sure I completely agree with the "back to Jerusalem" principle itself, but the selfless commitment and ownership that the Chinese church has taken with respect to reaching the Muslim middle-east is humbling.

Amazing testimonies to amazing, faithful servants of God

very good and informative book, very readable.