With the many visits from outside Christians, Chinese and foreign alike, the small Dong house church should be thriving. The opposite is the case. It has shown little spiritual fruit and from all the signs seems to be a Christian exterior painted on top of many layers of unsolved spiritual issues and habits.

Local tourism feeds the desire of money, and one Christian sister steals business from another. Another lady eats with friends and guests in her small shop, and does nothing to address the food sacrifices to the spirits. And the men? The few Christian men are even more weak, leaving a vacuum of leadership.

Their inability to fully understand the Chinese Bible on their own is a barrier, but the little teaching they have received from outside has been little more than spiritual milk. The real need is the Word of Christ living in them. They need to grow in the grace and knowledge of him.

• Who is going to teach them? Let us pray for solid teaching. May the Lord bring teachers who can regularly teach the Word of the Lord and help them along the path of Christ.