In our last New Bus, we did a quick story on the “shifts” happening on the mission field, where we gave a word about a change in focus in the missions movements throughout the world. This change will entail a new focus on the grace of God, identity, and understanding the Kingdom more as “family” than anything else…

Last week, I (Nick Padovani) was able to see first-hand the reality of this word as I travelled to visit with leaders of the house church movement in China. I was grateful to be able to share a word about the grace of God and seeing all humanity as family, including our lost brothers and sisters who haven’t yet come back to the Father’s house. This word was received with an incredible amount of joy and enthusiasm and one pastor who travels all over China told me how needed this word is right now. He said that the Chinese church is well-grounded in healing, miracles, prophecy, and evangelism. However, they lack the foundation of grace and the full scope of the finished work of the cross. He said this is the foundation of everything in Christianity. He recorded my message and will be sending it to churches all throughout China! I was absolutely humbled by this encounter.

Meanwhile, when I arrived in China, the president of the nation was hosting a major world conference. Delegations from 130 nations were present, including 29 heads of state. China is getting ready to resurrect the old Silk Road and launch a new era of trade and partnership between Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. What’s crazy about this, is that the underground Chinese church has been prophesying since the 1920s that God would one day raise up the church in China to bring the Gospel along the old Silk Road route all the way back to Jerusalem. Now it appears that this is happening both geopolitically and spiritually!

I felt more than ever that God is preparing the Chinese church to bring the Gospel to the most un-evangelized nations of the world–all the way back to Jerusalem. But also that God is looking to establish them in the finished work of the cross and the full revelation of grace, as well as the inclusion of all humanity in the work of Jesus. All of these things are happening simultaneously for a massive explosion of grace and glory. This is something we shared at the beginning of the year on the New Bus – a merging of the “grace” and the “glory”. A merging of movements that are focused on the power of the Holy Spirit (like the underground church in China) with the realities of Christ’s finished work and the joy that flows of that!