秋雨聖約教會關於王怡牧師被判重刑的聲明
A Statement from Early Rain Covenant Church Regarding the Persecution of Pastor Wang Yi
自2018年12月9日以來，本教會主任牧師王怡被當局以“煽動顛覆國家政權罪”和“非法經營罪”之名羈押，2019年12月26日在成都市中級人民法院被秘密開庭審理。 12月30日，王怡牧師被宣布判刑9年，並處罰金5萬元。本教會特作如下五點聲明，表明教會的立場：
1，作為本教會的主任牧師，王怡牧師是上帝和主基督所揀選的忠心的僕人，他在福音真理的教導上符合整本聖經的啟示，符合大公教會所傳承的信經、信條及相關要理問答，符合改革宗長老會華西區會的憲章規定；上帝使王怡牧師在普世教會尤其是在全世界華人教會中擁有的影響力，是因為他蒙主呼召，按主所賜，大有勇氣地在中國特有的文化與政治處境中宣講福音；
2，王怡牧師的證道、講座、書籍和文章，是他牧養信徒、傳布福音的信息。從教會範圍來看，這既是他對所蒙聖職呼召的踐行，也是他對所領受恩賜、恩典的回應，是他履行牧師和宣教士職分的本分；從社會層面來看，這是他對中國憲法和法律所賦予中國公民的信仰自由和言論自由權利的踐行。教會印製的書籍，從未有任何牟利行為，其目的都在牧養信徒和傳福音，從未有過所謂的“非法經營”之行為；
3，王怡牧師自蒙呼召以來，在教會與政府關係上持守基於聖經的“政教分立”立場，在這方面有多年的研究、講道和寫作，在中國教會中廣為人知，他在教會中從來都是教導基督徒要按照聖經順服在上掌權者，即使在教會受逼迫的時候也願意順服政府對基督徒身體的限制、財產的剝奪，從未有過“煽動顛覆國家政權”的言論和行為；
4，王怡牧師被拘捕、被囚禁、被審判，是為基督信仰遭受逼迫，為上帝的榮耀作基督受苦的見證（彼前5:1），他是上帝賜給我們這間教會的禮物和喜樂（弗4.11；腓4:1）；
5，王怡牧師並沒有違法犯罪，當局對他“涉嫌煽動顛覆國家政權罪”和“非法經營罪”的指控，是中國家庭教會遭受不公義逼迫的一部分。無論當局如何判決，王怡牧師都是本教會的主任牧師，是我們所認同和跟隨的主耶穌基督所揀选和設立的忠心牧者。
我們對王怡牧師被判重刑發出在基督裡的勸告和抗議。豈不知政府人員這樣做是得罪上帝的嗎？豈不知這是對上帝授予政府權柄的濫用嗎（羅13:3）？即便如此，我們對你們沒有仇恨，憐憫與公義的上帝反而要我們愛你們、為你們禱告，深願參與這場教案的公務人員，秉公執法，能早日悔改歸信主基督，認識主耶穌在十字架上受難對世人一切罪的代贖和赦免，並得到永遠生命與盼望。
我們邀請寄居全地的普世教會，為因基督和福音緣故被囚禁的王怡牧師、覃德富長老和他們的家人繼續切切代禱。為我們眾人禱告，我們也會為你們禱告，願我們在這末世— 耶穌基督以他降世為人、完美一生、被賣受審、代罪受死、復活升天和賜下聖靈帶來的末世中—以我們的受苦見證基督是道路、真理、生命（約14.6），是這黑暗世界的光。我們也邀請正在遭受逼迫的教會，一起定睛死而復活的耶穌基督，依靠聖靈與已經升到高天之大者右邊的王萬之王、永遠的大祭司和末後的先知緊密聯合，在祂的恩典上剛強起來，屢敗屢戰，屢戰屢敗，為的是踐行大使命，讓福音廣傳，使三一上帝榮耀的名得著稱讚。求上帝幫助我們，讓我們在逼迫中，同享上帝長闊高深的慈愛，直到與祂面對面的時刻。願頌讚、尊貴、智慧、豐富、榮耀、能力和權柄，都歸給我們在天上的聖父，為我們贏得拯救的主耶穌基督，不斷向我們施恩幫助的聖靈保惠師。阿們！
秋雨聖約歸正長老教會
2019年12月30日
A Statement from Early Rain Covenant Church Regarding the Persecution of Pastor Wang Yi
Since December 9th, 2018, our church’s senior pastor Wang Yi has been imprisoned on charges of “inciting to subvert state power” and “illegal business operations.” On December 26th, 2019, he was secretly tried at the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court. On December 30th, the court announced that Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined 50,000 RMB. Our church issues the following statement to clarify our position:
1. As the senior pastor of this church, Pastor Wang Yi is a faithful servant who has been chosen by God and by the Lord Jesus Christ. His teachings on the truth of the gospel are consistent with the entirety of biblical revelation; they are consistent with the creeds, confessions, and relevant catechisms inherited by the universal church; and they are consistent with the constitution of Western China Reformed Presbytery. The influence that God has given Pastor Wang Yi within the universal church and especially within Chinese churches throughout the world is a result of his being called by God and courageously preaching the gospel amidst the unique cultural and political circumstances in China.
2. Pastor Wang Yi’s sermons, lectures, books, and articles are produced for the pastoring of believers and for the spreading of the gospel. From the perspective of the church, he produces these things as a way of fulfilling his call to the ministry and responding to the gifts and grace he has received. By producing these things, he is fulfilling his duties as a pastor and a missionary. From the perspective of society, he is exercising his freedoms of religion and of speech, rights granted to Chinese citizens by the Constitution and laws of China. The books printed by the church have never been printed for profit but only for the pastoring of believers and for the spreading of the gospel. He has never conducted so-called “illegal business operations.”
3. Ever since Pastor Wang Yi received his calling from God, he has always held to the biblical principle of “separation of church and state” regarding the relationship between church and state. He has spent much time researching, preaching, and writing about this. It is widely known in the Chinese church that he has always taught that Christians should submit to authorities in power in accordance with Scripture. He has taught that even when the church is being persecuted, Christians should be willing to submit to the government’s physical restrictions of them as well as to the depravation of their property. He has never said or done anything that amounts to “inciting to subvert state power.”
4. Pastor Wang Yi’s arrest, imprisonment, and trial are persecutions he has suffered for the sake of the Christian faith, and they testify to the sufferings of Christ for the glory of God (1 Pet. 5:1). He is a gift and joy whom God has given to this church (Eph. 4:11, Phil. 4:1).
5. Pastor Wang Yi did not commit any crime. The authorities’ charges of “inciting to subvert state power” and “illegal business operations” are part of the unjust persecutions against the Chinese house church. Regardless of the sentence the authorities pronounce against him, Pastor Wang Yi is the senior pastor of this church and a faithful messenger of the kingdom of heaven whom we stand with and follow and whom the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen and approved.
In Christ, we issue the following exhortation and protest against Pastor Wang Yi’s severe sentence. Do you government officials not know that this is a sin against God? Do you not know that this is an abuse of your authority (Rom. 13:3)? Even so, we do not hate you. On the contrary, our merciful and righteous God wants us to love you and to pray for you. We desire that those public officials and law enforcement officers who are involved in this case would quickly repent and believe in the Lord, that you would know the atonement and forgiveness of sins which the Lord Jesus extends to all through his suffering on the cross, and that you would obtain eternal life and hope.
We invite all sojourners throughout the world who belong to the universal church to pray fervently for Pastor Wang Yi and Elder Qin Defu, who are being imprisoned for the sake of Christ and of the gospel, as well as for their families. Pray for all of us. We will also pray for you. In this eschaton, which Jesus Christ brought about through his incarnation, through his perfect life, through his betrayal and trial, through his substitutionary death, through his resurrection and ascension, through his gift of the Holy Spirit—in this eschaton, may we testify, through our suffering, that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6) and that he is the light of the world. We also invite churches who are currently being persecuted to fix their eyes together with us upon the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, may we be united to the King of Kings who ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high, who is our eternal high priest and prophet of the last days. May we be strong in his grace as we keep on fighting despite repeated setbacks. We do this to fulfill the Great Commission and to spread the gospel, that the glorious name of the triune God might be praised. May God help us and allow us to experience together the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of God until the day we see him face-to-face. May blessing and honor and wisdom and wealth and glory and power and authority be to our holy Father who is in heaven, to the Lord Jesus Christ who obtained our salvation, and to the Holy Spirit our Helper who continually helps us. Amen!
Early Rain Covenant Church
December, 2019
from 立場新聞 Stand News https://thestandnews.com/china/%E7%A7%8B%E9%9B%A8%E8%81%96%E7%B4%84%E6%95%99%E6%9C%83%E9%97%9C%E6%96%BC%E7%8E%8B%E6%80%A1%E7%89%A7%E5%B8%AB%E8%A2%AB%E5%88%A4%E9%87%8D%E5%88%91%E7%9A%84%E8%81%B2%E6%98%8E/
