China is news. It’s a constantly and rapidly developing economic powerhouse and home to more than a billion people. It is the world’s second largest economy and is projected to be the first in the next decade or two. It’s a massive consumer of fossil fuels and a massive investor in renewable energy. It has a huge army that is increasingly well equipped and has nuclear weapons. It is governed by communists and what happens in China effects what happens in the rest of the world.

How you react to that very brief summary will depend largely on where you’re from and what kind of political atmosphere you grew up. Chances are if you grew up in a right-wing American household you’ll feel the rise of China as a challenge and a threat. Certainly that’s the impression you get.

However nations rise and nations fall (a lesson we in the UK have had to adjust to) and that’s a lesson that God seems happy to keep dishing out. But there’s another angle to this and is, I think, one excellent reason to pray for the continued economic rise of China.

Actually, let me correct that, I can think of 100 million reasons to pray for the continued economic rise of China. This is a church that has been forged in the face of persecution and opposition and there is an increasing number of churches and Christians in that country. From the perspective of the global church the potential missionary impact as Chinese churches gain the resources and freedom to travel is enormous.

So here are some things to pray for:

• The continued growth of the church in China
• That as their nations economy grows and they gain increasing material comfort that they do not follow the pattern of the West and succumb to the god of mammon
• For political freedoms to allow for travel inside and outside China taking the Gospel to places we in the West would struggle to reach

What do you think, China threat or ally?