During a conversation with my mother at home during Chinese New Year, she mentioned her experience serving with a fellow villager, Mrs. Luo. In rural churches, daily operations and worship services largely depend on the dedication of devout believers. From my memory, Mrs. Luo and my mother were among the key members, often serving together.
Mrs. Luo and Brother Luo, who relocated to my hometown from a neighboring county over two decades ago, are both Christians. Brother Luo stands out in a church where women comprise the majority. When he sings, he is deeply engaged and expressive, unlike the elderly men in daily life who are reserved and restrained even in laughter.
Living in the same alley, Mrs. Luo and my mother naturally became close friends. They frequently visited each other, chatted, prayed together, and went out for visitation ministry. Later, as the tidal wave of migrant labor grew, the Luo couple also left the town for work, returning only for the Chinese New Year and other holidays. It has been a long time since I last heard from them.
During our conversation, my mother shared her experience of praying for others and casting out demons with Mrs. Luo. While such practices may be less common in urban churches, they remain prevalent in rural churches. In grassroots churches, conducting exorcism prayers during visitation is an important service for pastors and believers.
However, in my view, their approach to exorcism is quite broad. For example, if a sister gets sick and does not recover despite treatment, and doctors are unable to determine the cause, they may attribute it to "the devil’s work" and conduct the exorcism prayer for her. They also encourage her to pray and rely on the Lord to drive out evil spirits while continuing medical treatment. Additionally, they believe that certain thoughts or words from humans can create openings for the devil. For example, if a sister catches a cold and, out of worry or past experience, says, "I won’t recover this time without such amount of money," she may end up visiting multiple hospitals and doctors, ultimately spending the exact amount she had anticipated before recovering.
Mrs. Luo is fervent and compassionate, always willing to visit and assist church members. However, she has a misunderstanding that when a demon is cast out of someone, it will inevitably seek another person to possess, or very likely to possess her. This misconception stems from the biblical story of Jesus healing the demon-possessed man in Gadara.
This story describes the demons entering a herd of pigs after being cast out, which then rushed into the sea and drowned. Therefore, Mrs. Luo believed that demons, once expelled from a person, would inevitably seek another to possess. Due to this misunderstanding, she often felt physically weak after praying for exorcism and needed several days of rest. Sometimes, she even believed she was "possessed by demons," which required church coworkers’ intercession.
My mother remarked that Mrs. Luo had been "tricked by the devil" and reminded her that as believers, we have the Holy Spirit within us, so how could the devil enter us? I explained that this passage of Scripture actually reveals both Jesus Christ’s love for sinners and His authority. Out of His love and mercy for the sinners, he casts out demons from them. On the other hand, it demonstrates his authority, with even the demons acknowledging his rule over them. Without his permission, they could not even harm the pigs. Only after seeking his consent were they allowed to enter the pigs. This strengthens our confidence in God's love and power. Indeed, Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, to whom the devil cannot get close.
This incident exposes the lack of biblical truth in rural congregations, where over 80% of believers follow Christ because they or their relatives have experienced miracles or healing. For example, my mother’s family became believers after my uncle, who had been weak since childhood, fell seriously ill. With no other options, they heard someone preaching the gospel in the area, claiming it was "very effective." In desperation, they decided to try and follow Jesus. When my uncle’s health did improve, the entire family came to faith.
Although believers gathered for prayer and had churches in their villages, the lack of pastoral care led to the understanding of fundamental biblical truths remaining limited. Additionally, heretical groups such as "Eastern Lightning" and the "Salvation Sect" were active in the area, leading some people astray. My mother was sad but felt powerless. All she could do was pray for those misled relatives and friends.
Rural churches urgently need to strengthen their biblical foundation. However, due to the shortage of theologically trained ministers, even church staff have a limited understanding of Christian truths. As a result, the spiritual lives of believers are relatively weak.
For instance, many struggle with basic doctrinal questions, such as whether they are considered sinners or righteous after coming to faith. They tend to understand the Scriptures in the literal sense, overlooking the deeper meaning. Some mistakenly believe that illness is a direct consequence of sin and a form of punishment from God. Jesus came to set people free from sin, yet many still do not understand the truth, leaving their spiritual lives still confined within the law, though they may follow Jesus externally, which is both saddening and regrettable.
Fortunately, the situation is progressing. While urbanization has led to a decline in the number of believers in some rural churches, overall, the education level of believers in urban congregations is improving, and more pastoral workers are receiving theological training. Additionally, various Bible training sessions are increasing in churches across the country, which also benefits nearby rural churches.
In the past two years, during occasional visits to my hometown, I attended church and noticed that the county church now provides sermon collections, creed manuals, and other Christian materials for pastors and believers to study. Just before the Lantern Festival, my mother called to say she was participating in a five-day church staff training program organized by the county church. This news has renewed my faith and hope.
- Edited and translated by Poppy Chan
