Wenxi Li, was released from a Shanxi province prison in China on December 18th 2014. Before his arrest, Wenxi Li worked at a Christian bookstore in Beijing. In 2012, Li travelled to Shanxi province to help local Christians open a new book store in the capital city of Taiyuan. But police raided the new business, Enyu Bookstore, and confiscated $6,000 worth of books that Li had brought with him from Beijing. When Li was asked to come to retrieve the confiscated literature, they immediately arrested him and put him in jail. Li was reportedly denied bail because of the seriousness of his “crime.” He was sentenced to a two year jail term.

But, according to Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) USA, while he fulfilled his prison sentence, Wenxi Li shared the Gospel with fellow prisoners. As a result, several put their faith in Christ. His wife, and mother of two, Cai Hong Li, remarked that she was content that God used a bad situation for His good purposes, even though the family had faced a lot of hardship as a result of her husband’s imprisonment. At the time she said: “I don’t think my husband being in prison is a miserable thing.” During Wenxi’s arrest, Cai Hong Li and their two children were harassed by anonymous sources. She was fearful for her children’s safety.

She added that she needs nothing but prayer from her brothers and sisters. “Prayer is the most precious thing,” she said. VOM says “China continues to arrest, torture and jail Christians associated with illegal house churches as they attempt to control or eliminate all religions.” Though all religions are being persecuted, those who follow Christ appear to be the hardest hit. Despite the government’s crackdown, Joshua Project and Operation World say China holds between 70 and 75 million evangelical Christians. VOM says an estimated 3,000 Chinese people are coming to Christ each day. Despite the threat of persecution, torture, and prison, millions of believers are continuing to meet in illegal house churches.

Source: Voice of the Martyrs

Bible Study: 1 Peter 3:12-15

OCTOBER Thank God that when the enemy seeks to persecute and imprison God’s children, He uses those plans to further the Gospel.
PRAY WIDER for all prisoners professing faith in Christ to grow in the knowledge of Jesus.