Rev. James Hudson Taylor IV gave a sermon titled “Understand the Turning Point of the Universal Mission of the Early Church in Crisis from the Book of Acts” on the second night of the Second Global Chinese Mission Conference.
Held virtually with the theme “Universal Mission Opportunities for Chinese Church Amid Worldly Crisis” from July 25 to 31, the Second Global Chinese Mission Conference invited seven speakers to give special lectures.
Having participated in the ministry of Overseas Missionary Fellowship for the past 30 years, James Hudson Taylor IV or Dai Jizong, a fifth-generation descendant of Hudson Taylor, has devoted himself to the work of seminary education since August 2020.
He called that suffering great persecution, all disciples except the apostles in the early church were scattered to preach the gospel. Some of the churches were founded at that time by anonymous believers.
"In the 21st century, we have also encountered such an opportunity." James said, "How do we mobilize Christians to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ? Places ministers cannot go, believers can. Believers in the workplace can go to many places with their professional identity.”
James shared that when he went to a meeting a few years ago in Manila, Philippines, he met a female believer who asked him to pray for her because she was going to work in the home of a Muslim in Saudi Arabia and bear witness for the Lord there — a place he could not go. Now there are Muslims in the Middle East who turn to Christianity because of the witness of the Filipino workers in their homes.
Not only in the early church but also in church history, believers scattered or dispersed, helping the spread of the gospel. The same phenomenon happened in the Chinese church. When churches in China encountered a crisis in the 1950s, some people said that the Chinese church might be crushed, but the number of Christians did not decrease.
The pastor said, "Due to the global population movement, God brings people from afar to near, and we could share Jesus with them."
"We gather in order to be dispersed." he continued, "We are to be a witness for the Lord going back to our own posts or to the place where God called us."
The crisis the early church faced ushered a different era, which can be seen in the Church of Antioch. The global mission began in the Church of Antioch, and Paul and Barnabas were sent to do cross-cultural missions there.
James encouraged, "Chinese churches can no longer be absent from cross-cultural missions in the 21st century."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
第二届全球华人宣教大会的第二日晚，戴继宗院长以“从使徒行传看早期教会在危机之普宣契机”为题，从早期教会所遇到的危机中的契机出发来看华人教会在危机中的契机有哪些。
2022年7月25-31日晚，2022年第二届全球华人宣教大会在网络举行，大会主题为“华人教会在世界危机中之普宣契机”，会议邀请了7位不同的讲员，并在会议期间提供各项专题讲座。
戴继宗院长，是戴德生5代后人，过去30年参与海外基督使团的宣教事工，2020年8月开始投身到神学院教育的工作。
当早期教会面对危机，除了使徒其他人都分散出去了，而分散的人都出去开始见证福音了。早期教会有些是一群无名的传道人建立的。
“而在21世纪，我们也遇到这样的契机，”戴继宗继续说：“我们要怎么动员基督徒，怎样动员传道的人宣扬耶稣基督的信息。虽然传道人无法去一些地方，但是传道的人可以去。一些职场的人可以用他们自己职场、专业的身份去到各个地方。”
戴继宗表示这种方式是可行的。几年前他去菲律宾马尼拉参加聚会时碰到了一个姊妹，这位姊妹请求戴继宗为她祷告，因为她想要去一个连戴继宗都去不了的地方，去沙特阿拉伯的一个人的穆斯林的家里工作，为主做见证。而现在有中东的穆斯林信主，就是因为家里有菲律宾的工人为主做见证。
“分散”、“四散”这样的事情不单单发生在早期教会中，也发生在教会历史中，而上帝使用教会的分散和四散去作见证。中国的教会似乎也是如此。当50年代教会面对危机时，有人曾说中国教会不再有希望，但是基督徒的人数没有减少。
戴继宗说：“在世界人口流动中，我们也可以看到一个契机，上帝把远方的人带到我们的身边，我们就可以在我们的身边给他们作见证。”
“我们聚会是为了散会，”戴继宗继续分享：“回到我们自己的岗位，回到神呼召我们的地方，在那里为主来作见证。”
早期教会面对危机时，开启了不一样的时代，这一点从安提阿教会就可以看出。普世宣教的机会在安提阿开始展开，安提阿教会差派保罗和巴拿巴进行跨文化宣教。
戴继宗鼓励道：“21世纪华人教会在跨文化宣教上，不可以再缺席。”全世界没有另外一个族群像华人一样遍布全世界。我们需要思考我们到底是只向骨肉至亲分享，还是也要向其他地方的人分享？
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戴继宗牧师：从早期教会看华人教会在危机中的契机是什么？
Rev. James Hudson Taylor IV gave a sermon titled “Understand the Turning Point of the Universal Mission of the Early Church in Crisis from the Book of Acts” on the second night of the Second Global Chinese Mission Conference.
Held virtually with the theme “Universal Mission Opportunities for Chinese Church Amid Worldly Crisis” from July 25 to 31, the Second Global Chinese Mission Conference invited seven speakers to give special lectures.
Having participated in the ministry of Overseas Missionary Fellowship for the past 30 years, James Hudson Taylor IV or Dai Jizong, a fifth-generation descendant of Hudson Taylor, has devoted himself to the work of seminary education since August 2020.
He called that suffering great persecution, all disciples except the apostles in the early church were scattered to preach the gospel. Some of the churches were founded at that time by anonymous believers.
"In the 21st century, we have also encountered such an opportunity." James said, "How do we mobilize Christians to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ? Places ministers cannot go, believers can. Believers in the workplace can go to many places with their professional identity.”
James shared that when he went to a meeting a few years ago in Manila, Philippines, he met a female believer who asked him to pray for her because she was going to work in the home of a Muslim in Saudi Arabia and bear witness for the Lord there — a place he could not go. Now there are Muslims in the Middle East who turn to Christianity because of the witness of the Filipino workers in their homes.
Not only in the early church but also in church history, believers scattered or dispersed, helping the spread of the gospel. The same phenomenon happened in the Chinese church. When churches in China encountered a crisis in the 1950s, some people said that the Chinese church might be crushed, but the number of Christians did not decrease.
The pastor said, "Due to the global population movement, God brings people from afar to near, and we could share Jesus with them."
"We gather in order to be dispersed." he continued, "We are to be a witness for the Lord going back to our own posts or to the place where God called us."
The crisis the early church faced ushered a different era, which can be seen in the Church of Antioch. The global mission began in the Church of Antioch, and Paul and Barnabas were sent to do cross-cultural missions there.
James encouraged, "Chinese churches can no longer be absent from cross-cultural missions in the 21st century."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Rev. James Hudson Taylor IV: 'Chinese Churches Can no Longer Be Absent From Cross-Cultural Missions in the 21st Century'
