China Tan Yuen and Tao Yeh – Continued From Last Week

Tan didn’t plan to stay for long, but since no one sent him home, he stayed and studied. As he and the elderly pastor studied the Bible together, Tan learned new truths about God. He had heard about the Sabbath, but had thought that Sunday was the Sabbath. Other Christians worshiped on Sunday; why did this group worship on Saturday?

Patiently Pastor Xo studied and prayed with Tan.

Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com

Tan prayed too, asking God to show him His truths. Little by little God opened Tan’s mind to truth, and he accepted it.

Tan stayed and studied with Pastor Xo for seven months. During this time he was baptized and dedicated himself to work full-time for God. Pastor Xo assigned Tan to work in a village nearby, where there was a small congregation of believers.

One day Tan answered a knock at his door and found Tao standing there. I had to find you, Tao said. I want to know your God.Surprised, Tan invited him in and learned that three days after he had left town, Tao and his friends got into a fight with a man who was the leader of a powerful gang. The young man managed to escape, but the next day someone told him that the gang leader was searching for him to kill him. His mother, distraught over her son’s evil ways, begged him to leave town.

While packing to go, Tao found the Bible Tan had given him. He picked it up, and it opened to Matthew 6. Tao began to read, Do not worry about your life. . . . But seek first [God’s] kingdom. . . . Do not worry about tomorrow. . . . Each day has enough trouble of its own (verses 25-34, NIV). Tao remembered Tan’s peace and wished he knew God as Tan did, so he decided to buy a one-way ticket to find his Christian friend.

Tan introduced Tao to Pastor Xo. Pastor Xo helped Tao find work and in the evenings they studied the Bible together. Tao absorbed the truths and accepted Christ as his Saviour and was baptized. Now a new desire burned in Tao’s heart-he wanted to become a Bible worker.

He decided to return home and share his new faith with the people there. His first convert was his mother, who saw the deep change in her son’s life. But few others were interested enough to listen. Tao’s mother feared that if he remained in the village, he might fall back into his old ways. She urged him to return to the city and continue studying, but Tao explained to her that Jesus changes lives forever.

Tao did return to the city to receive more training. He knows that it is by God’s grace that he is alive, and by God’s grace he wants to live for Him. Both Tan and Tao are grateful for how God has led in their lives and they continue to share their faith with others as lay pastors in southern China.

This quarter part of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will go to help establish house churches in some of China’s largest cities. Thank you for giving generously to support this wonderful opportunity.

You can learn more about how God is working with people in China, and other countries in the Northern Asia-Pacific Division by visiting www.adventistmission.org and checking under the Resources menu.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Find more mission stories at www.adventistmission.org

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