Before the Storm
In China, Christians are pressured by the government to join only state-sanctioned churches led by government-approved pastors. Church leaders who are considered "unauthorized" are often arrested.
So, Christianity isn't technically illegal in China. But the government, which promotes atheism, determines how Christians are allowed to worship. Faithful, Christ-following, Bible-believing Christians can be imprisoned for refusing to worship as their government tells them to. The government has placed itself as a higher authority than God.
The leader of a prominent Chinese house church network issued a warning to his members before a large scale crackdown in early 2026.
"I dearly hope that none of our families shall ever again endure such a storm. Yet as an elder appointed by the Lord to stand among you...it is my duty to remind you all to prepare yourselves before the storm returns."
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27