An imagined letter to Christians in America

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I understand that some of you are discouraged by the recent elections in America. You are concerned about the direction of your country and what the future may hold. Others are celebrating, hopeful that things will change for the better. As a fellow believer living in China, may I offer you a different perspective?

You enjoy freedoms that many Christians around the world do not. You can gather openly for worship, publicly proclaim the gospel, teach your children the Scriptures, and share your faith without fearing the consequences that some believers face. These are wonderful privileges. Please don’t take them for granted.

Here in China, following Jesus can be difficult. Some believers face restrictions, government interference, and even persecution. Yet Christians continue to worship, pray, share the gospel, and encourage one another. We have learned something worth remembering: The freedom to practice your faith is a wonderful blessing, but the absence of that freedom does not make faithfulness impossible.

May I respectfully ask you a question? You are concerned about what you might lose. But what are you doing with what you already have?

Are you making the most of your opportunities to worship, pray, study God’s Word, share the gospel, and disciple your children? Are your churches reaching their communities with the love of Christ? Don’t become so concerned about what tomorrow might take away that you neglect what God has placed in your hands today.

Please understand, I am not suggesting that you surrender your freedoms. Religious liberty is precious and worth preserving. But religious freedom is a blessing to be used, not a guarantee upon which your faith should depend.

The apostle Paul wrote from prison that his circumstances had actually contributed to the advancement of the gospel (Philippians 1:12). What appeared to be a setback became an opportunity to proclaim Christ. Perhaps our greatest concern should not be whether circumstances are favorable, but whether we are being faithful.

To those who are discouraged, don’t allow disappointment to diminish your devotion to Christ. And to those who are celebrating, don’t allow political victories to produce spiritual complacency. Neither favorable laws nor sympathetic leaders can accomplish what only the gospel and the Holy Spirit can do in human hearts.

My American brothers and sisters, I do not know what challenges your country may face in the years ahead. But Jesus never promised that following Him would always be easy. He called us to take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23).

The question is not simply whether your country will continue to make it easy to follow Jesus. The question is whether you are determined to follow Him even if it becomes difficult.

So be grateful for your freedoms. Work to preserve them. Pray for your leaders, love your neighbors, and make the most of every opportunity to represent Christ.

Perhaps the greatest testimony American Christians can offer the world is not how strongly they react to an election, but how faithfully they live for Christ afterward.

Your brother in Christ,

A Christian Living in China

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Author’s Note: This is an imagined letter, not an actual correspondence from a Chinese Christian. It is written to encourage believers to consider their freedoms, responsibilities, and faithfulness from a different perspective.

“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.” — Colossians 4:5 (NKJV)