China (MNN) — Chinese pastor Ezra Jin, leader of the massive Zion Church in Beijing, was finally released after eight months of imprisonment and reunited with his family in the United States.
Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs, USA, says Jin was arrested after Zion Church refused to register with the government and join the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which is the Protestant organization run by the Communist government.
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“The thing that seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back is they refused to have cameras placed around their sanctuary in Beijing. That seems to have been what really brought down the wrath of the Communist government,” Nettleton says.
Ezra Jin’s release came after U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned the imprisoned pastor in talks with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping. China called the move a humanitarian gesture aimed at improving relations. This is good news and reason for praise. However, Pastor Jin was not the only one arrested.
“There are still eight Zion Church leaders in prison,” Nettleton says. “One of them recently communicated that he has lost 30 pounds since his arrest. He is not getting the nutrition that he needs in prison. So they are certainly suffering.”
The Instrument of Persecution
The government’s pattern in cracking down on church leaders over the last two years has been to charge them with fraud tied to tithe collection instead of claiming they broke a religious law.
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Nettleton explains: “The leaders would say, ‘Our congregation has given these tithes and offerings for our church.’ And the government says, ‘Well, you don’t have a church.’ And they say, ‘Yes, we do.’ And they say, ‘Well, show us your paperwork. Show us where you have registered your church.’ ‘Oh, we didn’t register.’ ‘Well, then you have committed fraud. You have collected tithes and offerings for a church that doesn’t legally exist.’”
When concerned Christians protest the imprisonment of church leaders, government officials tell them they are merely protecting citizens from fraudsters.
“We know what’s going on, but they are hiding the fact that they’re persecuting Christians, and they’re making it very difficult for the Christians to defend against the charges,” Nettleton says.
Pray for the Captives
Pastor Jin gaining his freedom shows the Chinese government will sometimes listen to outside voices. Pray that political leaders will continue to press the Chinese government to free Christians from prison and grant them the ability to worship God without restriction. Also pray that Christians in prison for their faith would have courage, steadfastness, and opportunities to witness to others.
Find out more about how The Voice of the Martyrs serves the persecuted church here.
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