Learning from scripture and China to build God's shalom as exiles in even restrictive contexts

In my last article, I proposed that a non-profit organization should be prepared to get along well with the government to achieve its missional purpose. I mentioned the Prophet Daniel as a model. He cared about the well-being of the brutal king, Nebuchadnezzar. Through the sincerity of his respect and concern, the king recognized the holiness in Daniel. Then, he was given a chance to come to know the Most High God.

Here, I extend our perspective from Daniel serving the ruler in the court to the common Jews in exile. They all lived in a religiously restrictive nation. Understanding what God expected them to do helps us guide us toward how we should react in nations with restricted religious freedom. For my context, I will use China as an example.

God told them to seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which God would carry them into exile.

Jeremiah, against all odds, convinced the Jews, the envoys of surrounding countries, and the king in Jerusalem that they were doomed to suffer the rule of the cruel king Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27). At the point of the prophecy coming true, the Lord revealed how his people would thrive in a land full of hostility until they could return to their homeland seventy years later. Through Jeremiah, God told them to seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which God would carry them into exile. They should also pray to the Lord for its peace and prosperity, because if the city prospered, the exiles too would prosper (Jeremiah 29:7).

In other words, they were supposed to do two things:

1. The exiles should work actively to build the peace and prosperity of the city. Peace and prosperity refer to shalom in Hebrew. This word connotes the outward abundance in society and the inward well-being and harmony of the people.
2. They should keep praying to the true God and hold on to the faith that only he could bestow  all manner of blessing to make shalom a reality.

Christians serving under a cruel Caesar

This practice of praying and building shalom in the Old Testament became a precursor for the Christians facing the cruel Caesar, Nero, in the first century (when what we now know as the New Testament was being written). An example can be found in Paul’s letter to Timothy:

1. Concerning prayers, in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul writes, “First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may live a peaceful and quiet life, godly in dignified in every way.” From the context of the letter, we understand that the prayers and intercessions were concerned about having a suitable ground for preaching the gospel in society. Good governance benefits people’s spiritual welfare as they can lead “peaceful” and “quiet” lives. (Peaceful, eremos in Greek refers to outward peace while quiet, hesychios, inward peace.) Praying for a peaceful and orderly society is essential to ensure the best possible conditions for evangelistic mission.
2. Concerning actively building wellness in community, throughout the letter, Paul encourages the whole congregation to uphold righteous acts and avoid evils. At the climax of the instructions, in 6:17-18, Paul commands those with riches to perform good deeds and generously share their wealth. Thus, Paul ensures their actions for community care are consistent with what they faithfully pray for.

Paul wrote this epistle to Timothy in the AD 60s, during the reign of Nero. Paul was once under house arrest in Rome. From the Praetorian Guard (Philippians 1:13), he would have received firsthand information about Nero’s tyrannous rule, his murderous acts in the royal family, the immorality of his life, and depravity of the feasts he held. Nero had possibly already set fire to Rome and persecuted Christians when Paul wrote this letter. The theme of praying for shalom and performing good deeds in society reemerged in the early church for coping with the adversities in preaching gospel.

Non-Profits are licensed to promote shalom

In China, some roles of the government in building social development, community service, and social governance are shared with non-profit organizations. In many cases, the concerns of such social organizations are rooted in addressing difficulties in certain social strata and the social dysfunction arising from them, especially in the areas overlooked by government officials.

Christians and churches are encouraged to... take part in praying for and actively building of shalom even while facing restrictions on preaching the gospel.

The scope of services includes care for the underprivileged, poverty alleviation, respect for the elderly, psychological counseling, rights of women and children, neighborhood mutual help, environmental protection, mental wellness, public health, and so on. Reports show that social organizations are effective in working across individual needs and social issues. They also uphold righteousness and integrity in society. Their service programs can be summarized as caring about the outer prosperity and inner peace for the community. Christians and churches are encouraged to follow the exile paradigm mentioned above, so that they can take part in praying for and actively building shalom even while facing restrictions on preaching the gospel.

Wisdom in scoping the community service offered

Many Christians would like to join social service as witnesses to Christ’s love. No doubt this is of foremost importance as loving-kindness is the distinguishing hallmark with such activities. Bearing in mind that a non-profit in China works closely with a government that holds a stance of atheism, we must prudently align our faith with wisdom to gain favor with the Lord and the ruler (see Proverbs 16:12-15, 24:21-22). Consideration about the scope of services we can provide are necessary to ensure that we achieve our ultimate (gospel) purpose, especially in the following aspects:

1. Developing Specialized Capabilities
   One recent survey showed that voluntary public welfare services in China have grown rapidly. In 2021, registered volunteers surged up to 270 million. That was 74 times higher than 10 years ago, reaching 15.4% of the population. The number of voluntary programs increased to 5.41 million. While various kinds of voluntary work have emerged, a missional non-profit could focus on some specialized areas.
   Then, its team members can develop their expertise in effectively resolving the problems of the clients. This will make the distinctiveness of the organization stand out in an ocean of community services. Your loving-kindness will earn positive recognition by the public and the government. "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
2. Finding Common Ground with the Officials
   In general, a government may make policies for or against our biblical values. There can also be different shades of gray area in between. In China, there is an abundance of measures beneficial to the livelihood of the people publicized on the websites of the central government and locational bureaus in different provinces, cities, and townships.
   We can select those in line with our principles to support and develop programs in accordance with strengths of our team, keeping in mind that we express biblical truth through our services. In this way, we can actually cooperate with the officials and work with them closely. Building relationships is pivotal to enlarging our positive influence in the communities through their support.

Conclusion

It is our responsibility to actively seek the opportunities to build shalom and to pray earnestly for the authorities until we see alternative doors opened.

Ever since the fall of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel, God’s people in exile were deprived of the freedom to worship the only true God for a long period. A significant part of the Old Testament was written under these oppressive conditions. In the New Testament, the long persecution of Christians came just 30 years after Jesus’ ascension. Again, a significant portion of the Apostle’s epistles was written in this sort of pressurized environment. From this perspective, we should be able to find relevant principles in the Bible for coping with contexts of religious restriction. I believe when one door is closed, God opens some other doors for the furtherance of the gospel and the extension of God's Kingdom shalom. It is our responsibility to actively seek opportunities to build shalom and to pray earnestly for the authorities until we see alternative doors opened for holistically blessing the people around us.

Originally published by China Source. Republished with permission.

JI Yajie (a pseudonym) has worked with an NGO in China for more than a decade and has the desire to bring the gospel holistically to unreached people in creative access countries.