Tonight respond thoughtfully to the following questions and then respond to one other person's response!
1. Why the title Safely Home?
2. In thinking about the church services that Li Quan and his family attended, at great personal risk, can you see yourself coming to the place that you would want to worship so desperately that you would attend "Secret Church" even if against the law?
The book is given the title Safely Home, I think, because of the suffering and persecution of the Christians. While Li Quan is in prison, he is praying to God to keep him safe. But Quam knows that one one day he will be taken o a home where he will be safe for eternity.
ReplyDeleteI can see myself worshipping to God even if it is against the law. I mean if we were to deny God, He would deny us also when we being judged. God has the powerto protect us and see that we make it through the trials that we are put through.
That is an interesting way you think of the title Safely Home. I never thought of it like that but that makes perfect sense. I think it is easy to say that we will never deny Christ until we are faced and put in the situation. I just hope that there are many Christians who do not fall away from Christ when reality does strike.
DeleteI concur with your point one, but didn't Peter deny Christ 3 times, yet afterwards repented and wrote several books of the NT? I don't think that if one denies Christ foolishly and unmeaningly that he is inevitably damned to hell. I do however think that if when he denies Him he is saying in his heart that he will never die for the cause of Christ that he is asking for damnation to fall upon himself. But it remains quite a sin to deny Christ, even if you do it like Peter did- unmeaningly and out of fear... and in my opinion, quite a bit of stupidity. It is dangerous to put your own life's worth above the salvation you have received through Christ's life and death; indeed, we are told to die to ourselves, are we not?
DeleteI guess the moral of all that is, I agree that we should not deny him, but it does not mean that if we don't repent afterwards that we did not truly believe. (Also I believe that one cannot walk away from or lose his [true] salvation).
1. The title safely home is fitting because Ben is so ignorant of the fact that his friend, Li Quan, is facing persecution for being a Christian. Ben is so used to the security of America and not being persecuted for what you believe. Ben turned away from God and started to depend on himself to cope with life.
ReplyDelete2.This book was definitely a wake up call and made me examine my life. Could I really stand up for Jesus the way that Li Quan did? Living in America and always getting our way has really cause corruption in the church and wavering. Li Quan had to trust in God every step of the way in China in order to survive the persecution and be a clear testimony to non-believers. There is no doubt that American Christians need to put more of our trust in God and we would definitely see a change in the world.
I like that you said "...be a clear testimony to non-believers." Quan could have complained and begged God to take him away from China, or even just out of poverty but he chose to give his life completely to God and trust Him to provide. Even though he is faced with death, perhaps even daily, he lived his life in a way that would be pleasing to God and noticeably different to the non-believers around him, including Ben (even though Ben is really just a wandered-away sheep).
DeleteI know this is my second reply, but this is aimed at cg's comment: he says he doesn't think he ever really believed... so he wasn't a "sheep" just yet if that's the case. He was still a goat [a "separating the sheep from the goats" reference].
DeleteEven at the very beginning of this book, the author describes for the reader the mystery of heaven as our home as a Christian. Until Christ returns for His bride the church, or if we die before then, we will not be able to fully understand what it will be like to be truly at home with our Father. Since this book focuses on the persecuted church, I believe the author chose the title Safely Home because the Li family understood that the suffers of this life were promised by their Savior to come, but their hope was in the life after death when God would truly bring them safely home to a place with no suffering and pain and they would be honored for dying for Christ's name sake.
ReplyDeleteI believe that worshipping God even when it wasn't legally right or popular would put every Christian's faith to the test. I believe that I take advantage of the freedom we have in our country to worship as a body of believer's in Christ. I trust in God's word and I believe He will give me the strength through the Holy Spirit if the time ever came that the church here in America was persecuted and forbidden. I would not deny my faith because the goal of life as a Christian should be bringing glory and honor to Jesus Christ our Lord.
I agree with Courtney that it is much better to serve God and believe that He is there to provide strenght for those who are His. We have to trust that He sees the big picture and all things are going to work together and be reconciled to Him.
Britney is right that we should take advantage of the freedom that we have here in America. And this is so cool to me that tonight at church we talked about the Holy Spirit giving us the strength to continue on through trials that we face.
DeleteAnd I also agree with Taurell. I find myself thinking about what I might do in a situation where I would be persecuted because of my faith. This book is in sone ways a wake up call to think about your relationship with God. It has really opened up my eyes and given me the ability to see where I need to grow in my faith with God.
Quan and his family and the other "secret" Christians will eventually be "Safely Home" when they are in heaven, but for now they are living out their faith in an amazing way. Even though they meet secretly and take precautions to not get caught, when they are faced with danger and being martyred for Christ, most of them stand strong and know that their home is really in heaven.
ReplyDeleteAs an American, it's hard to imagine have to bike-ride miles in the dark just to hide out in a small house to attend church with other believers. I pray that I would go the distance and hunger so much after the Word of God that I would do that, but being faced with that in real life is a different question. As much as I would like to say I would, I don't want to be like Peter, saying that I would die for Christ and then turn right around and deny Him (hopefully not three times!)
I really like what you said about how the persecuted christians knowing that this was not there home. They all had to come to that realization early on when things started getting tough.
DeleteI also totally agree with you about having a hard time imagining the hardships these people endure. Sometimes as Americans we forget the cost of things. We never imagine the great lengths people have gone to to provide us with something (i.e. food, plastic spoons, the bible). We take everyday things for granted and sometimes I believe we take our faith for granted. Because, lets be honest. We can usually just set our faith on a shelf for a little while and come back to it when we need it. We've drifted away from NEEDING God and His Word to provide for us daily. I think that this book though will challenge all of us to change the way we think and act about our faith.
...plastic spoons? :)
DeleteI agree, we do "put it on the shelf" and then just pick it back up when we need it.
The title, "Safely Home", is a reflection of the peace and comfort that the persecuted church will feel when they finally leave this world to join Christ. I believe it also refers to the idea that this world is not our home. As Quan, and the house church he attends, both affirmed, this world is not our home. We are simply passing through and trying to win as many others to Christ as possible. We will all be "safely home" one day if we have trusted Christ as our Lord and Savior. But until then we must live out our faith here on this earth.
ReplyDeleteThe great faith that Quan and other members of the persecuted church have is always amazing to me. It's always hard for me to visualize myself actually experiencing the hardships that these people experience every single day. I can only pray that I grow into a relationship with Christ where I am physically desperate to commune with him. This kind of a relationship doesn't develop over night though. At least not for those of us here who have nothing keeping them from God. It can seem hard to be in a true state of constant worship and prayer to God. But I can see myself getting there. With a lot of spiritual guidance and a WHOLE lot of prayer. I pray that I could defend Christ if it came to that.
1. Safely Home is a fitting title because of the inevitable outcome of the story; no, Quan doesn't go back home to Shen and Ming, he goes home to his Heavenly father- that deduction should have been pretty simple considering the painting that the story/inspiration of the book was based on. But why SAFELY Home? Well, in China, everything they do is unsafe. The persecution they face is more than we as Americans can truly come to grips with. They are unsafe, indeed. They must take extreme measures to only attend church, risking their freedom, even their lives. When Quan arrives home, he will be welcomed not only by The Lord and his family, but also freedom and safety, something he's never truly experienced.
ReplyDelete2. As a Christian who has never experienced any persecution exceeding a bit of name calling and heated arguments, it's truly hard to imagine life where everyday is a day I ask myself "Is this the day I die [for Christ]?" I am confident that I would indeed seek out a "secret church" to be fed the spiritual food that I so long for even here in America. I'm sure that the persecution helps them realize how serious knowledge of God and his word is, so I think that it might be extra incentive to go. Although I do realize that Peter walked with Christ in person and still ended up denying him! Maybe it's because I have a fear of denying God and disappointing him that actually surpasses my fear of death or pain that accounts for my confidence in this area, but I still realize that I can do nothing of myself- even have faith in God at all- without the work of the Holy Spirit. And now I think I'm just putting all of my thoughts on here so.... the end.
Your thoughtful answers to the first 2 study guide questions, makes me proud to be your teacher! If you are one who has not yet responded to another student don't forget to do so! Blessings, Mrs. Ford
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