In this new section, we will put up articles that will help you find out more about the Christian faith in general. In the first article "Basic Christian Beliefs", we outline briefly some basic beliefs in Christianity. If you have difficulty understanding any of the concepts or have any questions in general, please feel free to drop us an email.
Our future articles will provide more in-depth insight into some of the concepts brought up in this article. Do pay us a visit again soon.
1. Basic
Christian Beliefs
2. One Family's Test of
Faith
3. LENT
The follower of Christ is called to live a life testifying of God's love and forgiveness. This is not a testimony of words but often, it is a test of faith and sacrifice. The following is an excerpt from Time Magazine (19 Feb 01), entitled "One Family's Test of Faith" - a true account of the sacrificial love of a missionary family living in China.
Valori Morrison had just gathered her six children and explained the week's Bible lesson which she had pasted on the wall of their small apartment in central China. "It was said, you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you. (Matthew 5:43)"
Just hours later, that scripture was all Valori could think of as she raced to hospital only to find that her husband, Bruce, had died from stab wounds.
The Morrisons are a missionary family, settled in Wuhan for more than a decade. Their children were all born in China. Bruce taught English at a local institute while Valori home-schooled the children. They worshiped at one of China's official churches, preferring to "work within the boundaries of the law and to honour authority".
Bruce ministered to the Christian Youth and it was at such a meeting that Gong, a mentally unstable youth he helped care for, suddenly went up to him, pulled out a knife and stabbed him. Bruce was pronounced dead on arrival in the hospital. When Valori arrived minutes later, she repeated the scripture as a last prayer for her husband.
Sitting in her apartment just days from her husband's murder, a calm Valori expressed her desire for Gong to be spared the death penalty for murder. This puzzled her local friends. "In China, widows cry and scream for revenge for weeks", says one of Bruce's colleagues who started attending church several years ago, "but Mrs Morrison just sits and reads the Bible."
Valori desires to stay in China. But an American widow with six daughters will have a tough time trying to stay in interior China. The local authorities would like to have her leave. Meanwhile, the morning hymns and nightly prayers continue for the family. "I have survived this terrible thing because of my faith," she says. "I hope we can help others in China fill their spiritual void with the Saviour, too."
from an article by Wuhan
(Full Article in Time Magazine, 19 February 2001)
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