Back to Jerusalem on the Silk Road

By R & S Wa (Missionaries in China)

3,000 years ago, trade caravans carrying silk crisscrossed China and Europe, along the route known as the Silk Road. Then in the 1920s, God gave a vision to the Chinese Church known as the ‘Back to Jerusalem Movement’ (BTJ) to take the gospel westward from China, across Central Asia and all the way back to Jerusalem, ‘coincidently’ also along this Silk Road.

 BTJ is a Christian evangelistic campaign begun in China by Chinese believers to send missionaries to all of the Buddhist, AND Muslim nations. The ‘Back to Jerusalem Movement’ is a call from God for the Chinese church to preach the gospel and establish fellowships of believers in all countries, cities, towns, and ethnic groups between China and Jerusalem. The idea was conceived during the 1920s by Chinese students at the Northwest Bible Institute. However government restrictions and persecution forced the movement to go underground and its leader Simon Zhao spent 40 years in prison in Kashgar.

The vision however still resonates in the heart of the current Chinese Church. Today, much work is underway by China and the international community to build road and railway lines that would run along this Silk Road. This is seen by many as the revived Silk Road that would pave the way for the Chinese Church to fulfill this BTJ vision.

Recently, together with 3 Chinese church leaders we drove nearly 7000km along this Silk Road, reaching Kashgar (near border of Xinjiang) to discern what God is doing in this region. We met with various church leaders, believers and local missionaries in the counties or towns along this Silk Road. It was a joy to meet a 97 year old sister that is one of the two surviving missionaries of the pioneer BTJ movement. Some of her offspring are now leaders in the local churches and she passionately recalls her first foray into the field more than 70 years ago.

Some of our observations from revisiting this Silk Road:

1)     God’s plans would be fulfilled even in the midst of much persecutions and martyrdom. Though the missionaries we met in this trip are still working underground, often interrogated by the authorities, they are still going strong. Today thousands of Chinese believers have taken the gospel across the border to the Muslim nations.

2)     God can use governments and authorities as His tools to fulfill His plans. The China Government has invested billions to build relationship with formidable Muslim nations like Afghanistan and Pakistan. China’s successful foray into Muslim nations, its ambitious plans to develop Kashgar as a trade gateway and good transportation system that links these far remote places are paving the way and we drove for hours without seeing any inhabitants or cars along this Silk Road.

3)     All the missionaries we met are ‘tentmakers’, using their profession and skills to earn a living and have a credible presence in the community. We heard of how the early missionaries, some highly educated university graduates would pick up skills like steelwork, tailoring or farming to meet the needs of the community. Similarly we need to equip the missionaries we are sending out with skills and work that are needed in the community and that can sustain their livelihood. In restricted access nations, full time paid and supported missionaries may not be credible witnesses in the community.

4)     As we fellowship with some local believers from Muslim background like the Urghurs and Kazakhs , we sense that believers from these Muslim people groups in China are rising up. They are strategically effective in reaching out to other Muslims and can easily cross the borders.

5)     The leaders we travelled with felt the challenges of the missionaries serving in these areas. They also sense the urgency of the times to continue the legacy that has been paved years ago. No longer will they just send out missionaries and leave them alone on the field. They are preparing and equipping their missionaries with skills and have resolved to actively support and be part of their work.

Surely history and present development has revealed our amazing God deftly weaving the tapestry for the Chinese Church to fulfill this significant role for such a time as this before Jesus returns. We are living in exciting times!

1Tim2:3-4 “This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth”