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“Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10 LSB)

The joy of the Lord is our strength! What an amazing truth from God's word. The joy of knowing God gives us the supernatural strength to share in the suffering of Christ. We can face insults, persecution, prison, and even death with rejoicing. Our suffering brings glory to God.

On August 7th, 2021, authorities in Linfen municipality, Shanxi province, detained Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, his wife Yang Ronglie, and other members at the Golden Lampstand Church. They were accused of "fraud", which is how the Chinese Communist Party characterizes giving in the local church.

After almost four years of being detained, Pastor Wang was sentenced to nine years and seven months in prison and his wife was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. They currently face fines of 2.3 million CYN which is more than $320,000 USD. Pastor Wang's son stated that his father considered it "a great honor" to be put on trial for the Lord, and his mother called her sentence "a great crown given to me by God". 

These are pictures of what it means to joyfully share in the sufferings of Christ. I pray that we would have the same joy when the trials of this world come our way. 

But to the degree you are sharing the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation - 1 Peter 4:13 LSB

Keep on!