We are absolutely dependent on God to accomplish His mission among the Hui. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no need for us to live among the Hui or spend time traveling among them on a short-term trip. Our money, time, influence, skills and charisma do not turn Hui people to Jesus; it only happens through the work of the Holy Spirit.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6
Sometimes our affluence, resources and manpower lead us to believe we have all the skills and tools necessary to take the Gospel to unreached people groups and plant churches. However, the most important ingredient is not our resources, strategies or methods but the Holy Spirit. We must daily humble ourselves and pray for God to move among the Hui people and open their eyes to see and ears to hear.
We must also remember the reality that the Hui are 15 million strong. They are spread out across China in every county as well as several other countries. The Hui people speak one language (Mandarin), but within Mandarin they speak many different dialects. Culturally, Hui from Northwest China are quite different from Hui in Southeast China. Some Hui are very religious going to their local mosque five times a day while other Hui have never been to a mosque. Religious Hui are even segregated amongst themselves, as Hui from one Islamic sect often refuse to interact with Hui from another sect. The Hui are a culturally and geographically diverse people group. Its diversity leads some people to think they should be classified as several different people groups.
This remind us that the Hui will not be reached with the Gospel due to our might or power. Our best methods, strategies and resources are not going to bring Hui people into the kingdom of God. The power of the Holy Spirit will bring Hui into the kingdom of God, and this is how God wants it – so that He gets the glory. He wants Hui and people around the world to look at what He is doing and realize that the only one who could be responsible is God himself.
We challenge you to be a church, team or family that humbly approaches God on your knees seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit and begging the Spirit to open eyes to see and ears to hear among the Hui. We challenge you to spend more time praying together than you do planning and training. May all your plans, ministries and relationships be bathed in prayer and dependent on the power of the Spirit.
We believe that God desires for faith families all over the world to humble themselves and pray for God to make His salvation known among the Hui. We believe God loves to answer the prayers of His children. We believe that God wants churches to form among the Hui. Therefore, we desire a multitude of voices crying out to God and pleading for Him to pour out His Spirit among the Hui to open eyes to see and ears to hear.
Prayer Requests
- Pray that churches around the world will commit to pray together for the Hui for the next 30 days of Ramadan (and beyond those days as well!)
- Pray that as churches pray for the Hui that God will call many to adopt unengaged, unreached population segments among the Hui.
- Pray that God will open eyes to see and ears to hear among the Hui.
Written by Dirk Dubose (pseudonym). Dirk Dubose and his family live among the Hui where they seek to shine for Jesus.
Republished from May 2018.
**All names have been changed and the picture is not of the storyteller in order to protect the identities of those who have shared their stories and lives with us over the years.