China: Pastor 'Bike' arrested for questioning yet again

The Chinese authorities have seized Beijing pastor 'Bike' Mingxuan yet again – and threatened to kill him unless he gives up his ministry.

Pastor Bike, head of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was staying at a friend's home in Beijing when more than a dozen police officers arrested him and took him to a local police station. 'They searched me all over my body,' Pastor Bike told ChinaAid, a Release partner. 'They abused me and threatened to kill me.'

Three hours later, Pastor Bike was handed over to another group of officers who took him by train to his hometown, Nanyang in Henan province, where he was questioned again. He was later released – but his bank account, holding nearly £15,000, was seized.

As 7x7 has frequently reported, Pastor Bike and his family have endured a litany of abuse at the hands of the Chinese authorities – from having their orphanage shut down in 2007 to being evicted from several properties in Beijing during and after last year's Olympics.

In a statement issued through ChinaAid, Pastor Bike called on Christians worldwide to 'pray for the Chinese public security authorities… that our Lord Jesus Christ would change their hearts, that they would stop persecuting house churches'.

(Sources: BosNewsLife, ChinaAid)

• Pray for the public security authorities persecuting Chinese house churches.
• Praise God for Pastor Bike's resilience and resolve to spread the Gospel.