I spoke in an underground house church Bible school yesterday and it was anything but normal. It continues to baffle me how the church in China continues to hunger after the Lord and will do anything to study His Word, including putting their safety at risk by attending an illegal underground house church Bible School.
As I prepared to teach, I realized there were a few things that made this Bible school different than a normal Bible school in the west.
The first difference is the Chinese Bible school in China was not legal. The government would never allow the school to be legally registered because of lack of control over the curriculum. The government requires that all Bible schools teach from a strict set of beliefs – many of which do not line up with the Protestant faith. Because the Bible school strictly uses the Bible as their guide, and not propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party, the underground school is not able to legally register.
Second, I, as a guest speaker, had to be secretly smuggled into school. That is not something I have ever experienced while speaking at Bible schools in the west.
Next, the students enter the classroom at the beginning of the day and do not leave until late in the evening. In order to keep outsiders from noticing the illegal gathering, the students all adhere to a strict set of rules. One of the rules is that no one, after arriving, is allowed to leave until the day of teaching has ended. Students must decide before they arrive if they are ready to make that commitment for the day.
Lastly, the location of the school was extremely unique. The school was located on the middle floor of a massive skyscraper center in the business district of the city. One of the businesses is owned by a Christian believer who supports the underground house church and allows his office to be used to host the Bible school. Inside his office is a secret door, the secret door opens to an empty room. At the back of the empty room is a vault door made of steel and is several inches thick. It is that door that leads to the Bible school.
Yesterday, we spent several hours studying the Word of the Lord together and enjoying the liberty promised by 2 Corinthians 3:17 that is forbidden by the government, but given by the Lord.
Thank you, Eugene, for sharing this story. It gives some insight what’s going on in China and how the underground church deals with difficulties. It’s great to hear about smart solutions they find to be able to meet and study the Word of God together and so encouraging to see their dedication to seeking the Lord. God bless you and the church you were preaching.
I’m in shock as to how dangerous it is to be both teacher and student! And how unbelievably brave for those offering such unique and protective meeting locations
thank you for informing us. we are praying. I pray Psalm 31 over the Chinese Christians and have for years.