Christians have long been facing persecution in China and one of those facing persecution is Yu Jie, whose father was an engineer and a Communist Party member.
It was actually Yu's wife who first became a Christian in 2001. She started a small Bible study in their home, according to Charisma News. Yu became a Christian two years later and was even baptised on Christmas eve.
The test of his faith came on Dec. 10, 2010, when he claims he was secretly kidnapped by the police and taken to the outskirts of Beijing. Charged with undermining state security through his proselytisation ministry, he was beaten and tortured for hours. He says the police broke his fingers one by one, and his wife was forced to stay under house arrest without knowing what happened to her husband.
Thankfully, God spared Yu's life. On Jan. 11, 2012, Yu and his family fled from China and settled in Washington D.C. He has written several books detailing the challenges he faced as a Chinese Christian. One of his books won him the Civil Courage Prize by the Train Foundation, the first Chinese to earn the distinction.
Yu reveals in his book "First Things" that despite the persecution, there is actually a significant growth of Christianity in China. There are an estimated 60 million Christians in the communist country. If the trend continues, China could become the world's largest Christian nation by 2030.
"The people's belief in Marxism-Leninism and Maoism was destroyed," says Yu. "These events opened up a great spiritual void, and the Chinese began searching for a new faith."
The government assumes that torture might bring some sense into Chinese Christians. But Yu says people cling to their faith more during those circumstances. "One of the phrases I have heard most often among them is: 'The greater the persecution, the greater the revival,'" he shares.
When he was being tortured, Yu remembers that he was praying heavily before losing consciousness. He told God, "Lord, if you take me, then make me a martyr. I am not worthy, but I am willing."
