78YO Pastor’s Witness: It Is Good of Being a Simple Believer

The cross on the top of Gospel Church of Huangyuan, Xining
The cross on the top of Gospel Church of Huangyuan, Xining (photo: Rev. Qin Huangmin)
By Josiah LiSeptember 14th, 2016

"It is better to be simple", a 78-year-old brother whose name is Qin Cizhe from Huangyuan county, Xining city, Qinghai summarized his 67-year journey of faith.

He was baptized in June, 1949 when he was only 11 years old. Having experienced so many things, he finds himself  more and more simple. This is also the teaching from his father Pastor Qin Buying--- "It's enough to have Christ live in me. That's so simple." 

Qin Cizhe holds that more knowledgeable a person is, more ignorant he knows himself is. He states that Jesus' word is his spiritual food. When a person doesn't concentrate on theology or religious sect, but set his heart on seeking God, there will be no dissention and selfish ambitions.

Brother Qin Cizhe has poor eyesight so that he can't read Bible anymore (many Bibles were badly rugged by him) and can only listen to the Scriptures now. He just listens to the Gospels and Pauline epistles with the explanation of the book of Daniel in the beginning. 

His father Qin Buying is one of the first batch of Chinese pastors and later he succeeded his father's position and began to serve in the church. Currently he is still serving as a volunteer. When CCD called him "Pastor Qin" on the phone, he nervously pleaded not to call him pastor but brother, thinking that he is not worthy to be called as a Christian. This also embodies simpleness in faith that we should be transformed and more and more like little children.

His simpleness is also reflected in material. He says he never asks any brother or sister for anything. He who begged for food in the time of economic difficulty lives on the 300RMB insurance premiums.

Faced with the seemingly difficult life, Qin is still very grateful, claiming that he can enjoy the air and the sunshine, have food to eat and a roof over his head. 

During the interview, Qin Cizhe shares some Bible messages time to time. His content is very simple-all closely around Jesus. He thinks that the whole Bible can summarized with sixteen Chinese characters, "In the beginning there was word; incarnation; immanuel; hallelujah" or concluded in a verse, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John3:16)

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