God Without Borders
By Marian Merritt

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord. Let the earth hear his voice…The refrain of the well-known hymn reverberated off the walls of the small meeting room. The voices of approximately fifty women blended into one harmonious chorus of worship to God. This scene could have been anywhere in America, but it wasn’t. A second-floor meeting room of a contemporary hotel in Beijing, China, housed the group.
 
In a city of 12 million people, within a country of 1.5 billion, a group of about fifty constitutes a very small percentage. In a country where religious freedom is not a basic human right, this meeting held increased significance. The women are part of a Bible Study group, an interdenominational, not-for-profit, lay Christian organization which holds weekly classes in 31 countries. Being a member, allowed me to visit the Beijing class.
  
After the morning praise time, we were divided into smaller groups to discuss the past week’s study questions. This American visitor was welcomed with open arms. I was placed in a group of twelve women who had adopted English names. The discussion for today’s class would cover Acts chapters 9-12. As our leader read the questions from our lesson, I studied the women in my group. They leaned into the circle, eyes wide and attentive, their anticipation for what today’s lesson would reveal about God evident on their faces. Their discussion questions were poised in their hands and they were ready to share the insights they’d been given during the past week’s study.

Listening to their answers, I was awestruck by the similarity to what I would have heard in America. God’s truth flowing from their lips—a stark reminder that His universal truth cannot be contained by borders or governments. No cultural or geographical differences separated us. As a body of believers, we were one.
 
Each lady shared the truth revealed to her that week. One lady’s astounding answer proved just how much we were alike, yet so vastly different.

“Many times we allow our fear of the world to be greater than our fear of the Lord.”

These words came from a woman who faces dire repercussions for believing in God. I realized my petty fear of what others may think or my fear of appearing foolish paled in comparison. Her consequences for sharing her faith far exceeded mine.

At the end of the group study time, prayer request were shared. Again, the similarities were so evident. Prayers for healing after an automobile accident, for a child’s bump on the head, for a dentist appt, for increased focus during Bible study. One request stood out in sharp contrast, a choir had been invited to sing publicly. This was the first time this group would sing hymns in public and were apprehensive about the effect. The magnitude of this difference was astounding. How often do we take this right and privilege for granted?

A young mother told of her newly discovered Christian faith. Her excitement was evident in the sparkle of her eyes and her eagerness to speak. She shared how the words on the pages of her Bible seemed to stand out to her as though they were three dimensional. Her inner peace, reflected by the glow on her face and in her calm manner, took a back seat to her excitement as she spoke of her newfound faith.
   
During the lecture, Bibles were opened, notes taken, and attention given to the words being spoken. The lecturer chronicled the journey of Paul as he traveled to spread the Gospel. Many of these ladies were like Paul in sharing the Gospel to those who have never heard the message. They also face many of the same criticism, persecution, and oppression he must have experienced. Their courage and dedication to learn and believe held greater meaning.
 

After the lecture, we filed out of the meeting room into the hallway. There we retrieved our notes and study questions for the next week’s meeting and visited for a few minutes before going on to our daily activities. My day would consist of touring many of the beautiful sights of Beijing. As I stood back and watched the group exchanging smiles and words of encouragement, I wondered if any other sight I could visit today would be as beautiful as the one I saw before me.
  
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice.

Copyright © 2004 by Marian Merritt