SHENZHEN - In China today, it is no longer surprising to see stores with names that are biblically related along the streets in mainland China, and Christian businessmen are becoming more numerous.

God is using them to develop all types of ministries, bringing the gospel to the people groups that are without churches and full-time ministers. Their influence is far-reaching.

Towards the end of last month, Christian Communication Inc coordinated a prayer meeting under the banner "Chinese Christian Businessmen and Business Evangelism", that focused on the present conditions of businessmen involved in business evangelism in inland China and the difficulties that they face. They also prayed that they can be used more greatly by God.

According to statistics, close to 30 administrative executives of large corporations are Christians. They treat their staff generously. They do not engage in illegal activities. They do not miss ignore their tax responsibilities, and are honest and reliable, which earns a lot of respect in society.

As a result of this, company workers are positively influenced, and many are coming to believe in Christ as a result. The Christian executives also preach the gospel to other company's executives, scattering the good seeds in the hearts of those executives and managers who are not yet believers.

They cooperate with churches to host bible-studies and evangelism. In the factories along the coast, Christian business owners of smaller scale companies utilise different approaches, including hosting meal gatherings, teaching new facts and bible-studies to allow the lower-income workers to hear the gospel.

In the district of Huadong, several factories have formed a gospel performing arts group, focusing on workers whose lives are often by characterised by arduous and mundane work, and they hold preaching conferences every Sunday.

At each service, hundreds of citizen workers convert to Christianity. During the meal gatherings, Christian business owners take the opportunity to help the managers understand the message of the gospel so that they would be able to preach the gospel to their customers and business providers.

Furthermore, Christian businessmen often times participate in campus ministries and social services. Those among the Huadong coastal areas offer money and their resources to support churches to do campus ministries, and welcome college students from other provinces, and provide them with care and the warmth of a family.

Because of these actions, many have converted to Christianity. Their involvement in social services are timely, opening drug rehabilitation centres and AIDS ministries, as well as opening stores that sell volunteer art works to support the lives of the minority tribes.

However, to be successful in the market place and preach the gospel is not easy. Some may be really good at doing business, but don't have the heart for the Lord; some may have a deep heart for the Lord, but don't know how to influence others; some don't have good testimonies in their homes; some people even lost their trust and faith in the market place.

The Christian businessmen in inland China need to learn to balance the values that are of the teachings of the Bible and that of the world. Therefore, in this aspect, it is very important for them to receive training, where they can know their identity, learn to use their own experience, the talents that God has given them, their influence, talents, character to influence others and proclaim the gospel.

The prayers topics for this months are:
1. Pray that the Lord can bring about more Christian businessmen, who really loves the Lord, and that they may be good testimonies for the Lord in every company.
2. Pray for the company managers, who are Christians, that the Lord can help them to manage the company by following the truth of the gospel, establishing a good reputation, bringing in the true light of Christ, and allowing more people to follow the Lord because of these.
3. Pray for the ministries that Christian businessmen have developed. Pray that the Lord can greatly protect and use them, so that more people can receive salvation.
4. Pray that the Christian businessmen can overcome all temptations. Pray that the Holy Spirit can fill them daily, so that they may be joyful in daily depending on the Lord in their daily work, family, work and society to fight the good fight for the Lord.
5. Pray for more Christian businessmen to receive field service training, allowing them to be as wise as a snake and as innocent as a dove, to enter the people groups and find the lost souls.
6. Pray for the country leaders of China.