Despite Internet censorship and risk of arrest, Christians in China are using the Web to share the gospel, train missionaries and fulfill the Great Commission.

I discussed these topics recently with a Chinese executive and Web missionary.

For security reasons, I am not disclosing his name or other details.

Mr. X it is truly an honor to meet you. Tell us about your background.

I was born in Taiwan, raised in China, and established a business in the U.S.

My wife and I are empty nesters now. We were called to serve in China in 2003.

So now we live half of the time here and have a home there.

Who are you serving in China?

We have built a platform to reach professional people, college students, and what we call “the post 80 group,” those born after 1980.

God has given you a unique Internet outreach strategy.

In China the blogs are very popular. So, we focus on publishing articles.

In 2008, the government allowed blog authors to begin aggregating their content into “blog farms.” We registered for a farm and invited all the good, mature Christian writers that we know to contribute.

Now we have close to 200 good writers. We are also training some young and emerging writers. The goal is to have 1,000 Internet authors to attract traffic.

China does not allow Twitter or Facebook. So we use Sina Weibo (pronounced ‘way-bore’), a twitter-like service.

We discuss God and the meaning of life. The problems people face every day like school problems for young people, professional issues, and family issues.

We provide good teaching and stories to bring faith alive and make it real for postmodern people.

The campaign against Christians in China is very real. Bringing people together to talk publicly about God must be risky business.

We are not afraid. But, we must be careful to not offend, or embarrass, or cause them to lose face. We don’t touch on things that are too sensitive.

We read through every article before we publish it to be on the lookout for sensitive keywords like Tibetan freedom, Falun Gong or, anti-communist. If you use those then you’re in trouble.

For example, a university student published an article accusing the government of tight control. He vented his frustration against the communist party. He posted the article at 9pm. At 11pm, he was arrested in his dormitory, and brought in for questioning.

Of course, he was scared, and apologized, and signed papers saying he would never do it again.

Unbelievable. They were able to track a single post in a country of 420 million Internet users and get authorities to his room in two hours? Is this ”The Great Firewall” at work?

Yes, and 400,000 paid internet police and voluntary internet commentators using tools to monitor traffic and “guide public opinion.”

By law, all websites with their own domain name that operate inside China are required to obtain an ICP license(Internet Content Provider) permit. Top Internet companies outside must also comply with China’s laws or jeopardize their business interests.

The Internet is something they really have to control. It is dangerous to their survival.

How are local Christian groups dealing with the online restrictions?

Each group has their own secret code and uses technology to avoid being monitored.

When a preacher is coming to town, they might text, “We just had a baby. Come to our home to have a nice celebration.”

You never say “God.” You say, “My Dad is nice to me these days.” Or, “My Dad is really giving me a tough time,” to say that God is testing you.

Cellphones are used widely to send short messages of encouragement because maybe a person is being watched and cannot be approached.

The underground church knows how to do it. They have homegrown servers and move them around.

I know a couple in Shanghai who has a site with many sermons, hymns and inspiring messages. People can download the Bible and get training materials. They are operating without a license and it is a crime. They’ve been arrested several times, but every time they get out of jail they just put up another server.

Some mission experts say the Chinese church could become a great new force in completing the Great Commission.

One night the Lord spoke and said, ‘Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you.’ Acts 18:9-10

If you are a government approved church you can only pastor in a very localized area. You can’t go outside. Outside preachers cannot come to your church to preach. By constitution you cannot preach to anyone under eighteen. China uses the first eighteen years to educate young people as atheists.

They restrict you to the point that you lose the zeal for any evangelistic work.

The House Church in Bejing has found an answer. They are evangelizing Chinese Muslims and training them to become indigenous missionaries in China, Pakistan, Central Asia, Iran, or wherever.

With God’s blessings and protection, and Skype installed outside of China, I am able to train several of these leaders who train other leaders.

I believe the Back to Jerusalem movement will be accomplished by Muslim Christ followers sent out from China over the New Silk Road.

China is a country God will not lose to the evil empire. It is key for spreading the gospel.