In January of last year, Tim Keller spoke at KL2020, a gospel conference in Kuala Lumpur. God’s presence was tangibly experienced through his protection of and encouragement to oppressed believers.
As Chinese believers continue to experience increasing levels of persecution, the conference focused on building the body of Christ on earth. In the face of suffering, a deep understanding of the Christian’s heavenly citizenship is necessary. The gospel speaks directly to oppressed and suffering believers, showing them the way to live and act in a culture that is increasingly hostile to the gospel. When believers understand their ultimate belonging is “with Christ in the heavenly places,” the way they interact with the world necessarily changes.
Below we’ve featured Tim Keller’s first plenary talk from the KL2020 conference. You can find his other two plenaries from KL2020, In the World, Not of the World and Gospel Reversal, Gospel Renewal, on YouTube.
If you want to learn more about how Dr. Keller and Redeemer City to City work with the church in China, be sure to follow China Partnership, our strategic partner in China. Because Westerners cannot easily work directly to train pastors in China, China Partnership instead comes alongside a nationwide, indigenous gospel movement that offers contextualized training in Chinese, by the Chinese, and for the Chinese people. By supporting this indigenous gospel movement, China Partnership hopes to see a vibrant, life-transforming Chinese church that roots itself in the gospel of grace and affects the foundations of Chinese society as it serves and leads within the global community.
