The Chinese communist government recently scheduled the secret trial for a member of the Guangzhou Bible Reformed Church who asked for prayers for China on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
As per the International Christian Concern (ICC), the Chinese government has scheduled on February 11 "a secret trial" for Gao Heng who was charged with allegedly "picking quarrels and provoking trouble."
Christianity Daily reported that Gao was arrested last June 4 and detained by the police for simply holding a sign asking for prayers during the annual commemoration of the Tiananmen massacre that happened in 1989.
The massacre resulted in thousands of protesters, which included students, getting brutally killed by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The protesters were "silenced" for dissenting the government.
The police arrested Gao who was at the Guangzhou Metro Line holding his commemorative card that said, "Pray for China on June 4." ChinaAid explained that Gao took a picture of himself while in the Guangzhou Subway Line Two and uploaded it to his Weibo account, which enabled the police to track him.
Gao is said to one among those the government have silenced for honoring those who died in the June 4 massacre, tagging it as a "counterrevolutionary rebellion."
"People usually attributed the cause of all social sufferings to the ugliness of politics and social systems. The root cause, however, evolves from the sinful nature of human beings. In terms of sinful nature, no fundamental difference exists between us and decision-makers, directors, and executors. I say, 'Thank you, God. We are all sinners. But because of Your amazing grace, we have the opportunity to repent, accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and become Your children.'," Gao said in his post together with his photo.
The ICC revealed that Gao "went missing that night" of June 4, 2021 and was discovered to be in prison three days after by his lawyer, Wen Yu. The lawyer learned that Gao was on "criminal detention" after visiting the police station It took another month, sometime in mid-July, before Gao was formally arrested, extending his detention after 37 days. He is currently held at the Guangzhou Detention Center, 62 miles away from his lawyer.
Gao was in the subway station as he wanted to be true to his faith by seeking justice for those who need it. Such is his conviction to live his faith that he viewed his imprisonment as an opportunity to share the Gospel.
"Gao wants to live out his faith according to Micah: 'to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.' He is seeking justice in social and public affairs by helping petitioners speak up and guard their rights. As a result, police have summoned him in the past. He also seizes any opportunity to share the gospel with police officers and state security officials," the ICC said.
"Please pray for brother Gao Heng and his family during this time of uncertainty especially since the government might imprison him with the trumped-up charges," the organization added.
Yu disclosed that Gao wanted his family to be reassured of his love after he was visited on June 12. Gao's pastor, Huang Xiaoning, and their church is helping with the investigation and in ensuring legal options are implemented.
Readers are urged to pray for brother Gao's safety, acquittal, and quick release from unjust detention.
