It's no surprise that the Beijing Olympics have helped to reinforce the truth that China is a growing and dominant power in the world today. From the first sparks of the Opening Ceremony, the world saw with its own eyes that China has come a long way since opening its borders back in 1984. The grandiose architecture of the Bird's Nest and Water Cube only highlights the tremendous power of the Chinese people. As I watch these games, there is a great sense of pride that comes from seeing my home country exhibit such great precision and technique in preparing for the games and also a dominance in many of the Olympic events. In a way, the games have also helped many to put aside their ignorance in believing that China is still a 'Marx-Mussolini-Castro-Stalin' communist society. By and large, China is in essence a totalitarianism, but much have changed, ie. The Tianan Men Square, once the site of the infamous 1989 Massacre where tanks ran over college students is now the center of the 2008 Olympics where over 205 nations gather to compete in the peaceful Olympic games.
But with all the growth and change, many large issues still affect the world's negative perception of China: human rights issues, Muslim groups in XinJiang, Buddhist groups in Tibet, China-Taiwan relations, organ harvesting, and lack of religious freedom. It's obvious that there is still work to be done, and China's far from becoming a nation known for her integrity, fairness, and peace. But I think that's the beauty of it. There's no doubt in my mind that God's getting His hands dirty in China. And we (I'm assuming you're Chinese or of some Asian ancestry) are living in this age and time and bearing witness to a growing world superpower that has a great potential to be molded and transformed by God's love.
In a recent article of missionaries working in Beijing during Olympics:
One outreach success came ahead of the Olympics, when a U.S. team was in China for an exhibition match. The U.S. team and the Chinese team — Britton wouldn't name the sport — gathered in a hotel room the night before the match for a 30-minute prayer meeting arranged by a foreigner who had access to the Chinese team.
"It was very powerful," said Britton, who said he had seen photos of the meeting, where members of both teams prayed and sang. "God pulled it together."
I can't help but get excited about how God can use those of us who are willing to serve to change the next generation of the Chinese people in China. The opportunities are boundless, and people are more willing than ever.
The ephemeral magnificence and glamour of the Beijing Olympics will fade away, and the chinese people will resume their hard-working lifestyles but one thing is for certain, God's glory will continue to shine in China if we answer His call.
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