Kua Wee Seng has served in China Bible missions for close to three decades before he retired in 2021 as Director of China Partnership, United Bible Societies. In his own words (below), he had witnessed the explosive growth of the Churches in China, heard countless of faith testimonies from Chinese Christians, and marvelled at how a country which once destroyed Bibles is now home to the largest Bible printing press in the world.
As I reflect on my past 28 years of ministry with United Bible Societies (UBS) in China Bible mission, I praise the Lord for His Sovereign Work through His Unstoppable Word in China!
I’m amazed at the explosive growth of Christianity in China over the past decades! Christianity was banned with all churches shut and Christian meetings and activities were prohibited during the Cultural Revolution years in the 1960s and 1970s. Since the end of the Cultural Revolution, the population of Chinese Christians has grown exponentially to more than 46 million based on official estimates and much more based on unofficial estimates over the past 40 years.
During my nearly three decades of ministry involvement in China, I have visited many churches in different parts of China and I have heard testimony after testimony of the growth of the churches, especially in the rural areas. Very often, after a person came to faith in Christ, he or she would begin to share his or her faith with family, friends and neighbours. And they would gather at homes to pray, sing hymns and read or listen to the Word of God. The home fellowship would grow and eventually become a church. And this was how churches have sprouted and mushroomed all over China!
As I listened to the testimonies, I’m reminded of Luke’s description of the growth of the early Church in the Book of Acts – the Word of God spread, increased, multiplied and prevailed mightily (Acts 6:7; 12:24; 13:49; 19:20). In the same way, the sharing, preaching and teaching of the Word of God have also contributed to the astounding growth of the churches in China, despite the constraints and restrictions. Praise the Lord for how He has grown His Church in China through His Word!
During the Cultural Revolution, Bibles were banned, confiscated, burned and destroyed. Barely ten years after the end of the Cultural Revolution, UBS helped establish a Bible printing press, known as Amity Press, in China’s Nanjing city in 1987. Since then, more than 90 million copies of Bibles have been printed by the Press for distribution in China. From a banned book, the Bible has become a best-selling book in China! Thank God for His Unstoppable Word!
Besides printing Bibles for China, Amity Press has also printed more than 140 million copies of Bible for distribution overseas, different editions of Bibles in more than 190 languages exported to over 140 countries all over the world. Altogether, more than 230 million copies of the Bible have been printed by the Amity Press since 1987 for China and overseas. Amity Press has grown to be the largest Bible press in the world! Praise God for the amazing miracle of the Amity Bible press!
I also thank God for growing our UBS Bible ministry partnership with the Churches in China. We began supporting the Churches in China with the donation of Bible paper in 1985. Since then, we have increased our support of their Bible printing and distribution ministry. We have also broadened the scope and range of our Bible ministry support over the past two decades, especially in initiating and supporting Bible translation projects, Scripture literacy programmes, Gospel outreach materials, provision of Bible resources and training, and Bible Advocacy initiatives.
Millions of Chinese have been blessed with a copy of the Bible; millions have been reached with the Gospel; and hundreds of thousands have learned to read the Bible. Tens of thousands of pastors and preachers, parents and young people have been equipped with Bible resources and Bible training. A growing number of ethnic minority people groups now have the Word of God in their heart languages.
I thank God for His providence and provision for the Bible ministry needs in China through the faithful prayers and generous support of Bible Societies and supporters all these years. God has taken our offering of five barley loaves and two small fish, blessed and multiplied them to feed the multitudes in China and all around the world.
Although the Bible mission in China has become more challenging in recent years, I believe there is still “a wide door for effective work” (1 Cor 16:9). The Word of God is “not bound” and “cannot be chained” (2 Tim 2:9b ESV and NLT respectively). We continue to trust in the Unstoppable Word of God and pray that His Word “may continue to spread rapidly and be received with honour” in China and throughout the world (2 Thess 3:1 GNT)!
Kua Wee Seng
UBS China Partnership Director, 1999 – 2021
