After the First Opium War, Britain took control of Hong Kong under a 99-year lease. Christian missionaries arrived soon after Hong Kong became a British colony. They provided education, medical care, and social welfare to local Chinese people. Even today, a large number of schools – both private and government-subsidized – are Christian-affiliated.
I grew up attending one of those schools and had the blessing of learning about Jesus from a young age. Back then, I never really questioned whether the Bible stories we heard in class were true, and simply believed them with a child’s heart. I prayed to God every night and even addressed my diary entries to Him. As a quiet, introverted kid, it brought me so much comfort to have someone I could talk to silently in my heart – especially during the two years when my two older sisters were away in the US.
I did eventually reunite with my sisters in U.S at 7th grade.
However, my innocent and peaceful relationship with my Heavenly Father was shattered after a global history class in high school. It was a lesson touching on the historical background of Jesus. I can’t remember my teacher’s exact words, but I still recall the message clearly. He said something like, “Christianity is a Jewish religion. Jesus was a Jewish man who never left Israel. He only preached about his Jewish God to Jewish people.”
I was stunned. Those claims were completely new to me, and I didn’t know how to process them. In that moment, I thought to myself, So Christianity is just like Buddhism — a religion made for a certain group of people. So Jesus doesn’t actually love me; He only loves people of His own race.
Deep down, I wondered if I had misunderstood everything I was taught as a child. If Jesus only loved a certain people, then where did that leave me?
From that day on, I drifted away from the faith that once felt so simple and pure. I stopped praying to God and even began mocking Christianity with my atheist friends and family members.
I might share in another future post how I eventually found my way back to faith. I wanted to write this particular incident in this post because, this week, I’ve been reading the book of Acts. Reading about Paul being chosen by God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles reminded me of my high school history teacher’s message. I couldn’t help but wonder: If I could go back to that day, knowing what I know now, how would I respond to my teacher’s claims?
I would tell my teacher that while Jesus was born into a Jewish family and lived in Israel, His message was never meant to stay within one nation or culture. From the very beginning, God’s plan of salvation was for ALL PEOPLE. Take a look…
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, people from every land could hear and understand the message of salvation in their own language. It shows that God’s love truly knows no boundaries — it reaches across languages and nations. Have you ever wondered how the Holy Bible, a book written thousands of years ago, could be translated into so many languages? There must be something supernatural at work — a divine power enabling people to understand and communicate in languages completely different from their own.
And later, in the book of Acts, we see God choosing Paul – a Jewish man – to bring the gospel to the Gentiles,
Acts 13:47
For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 22:21
Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’
These verses together show that Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles wasn’t his own idea – it was God’s plan from the beginning, confirming that Jesus’ salvation was meant for everyone.
And I will share one more verse that is the driving force behind missionary ministry. It was Jesus’ final command before ascending to heaven.
Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
If I could stand in that classroom again, I would tell my teacher that Jesus didn’t come for just one ethnic group – He came for the whole world. His arms are wide enough to welcome anyone who believes in Him – including me and you.
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