“All our experiences and our paths are measured by the hand of God himself, for he is in charge of all things. We received a vision from God, so we rose up and built the Shangsi Church. Planning for the future is a path that we have never taken. With almost non-existent material resources, Shangsi started from scratch under the guidance of Pastor Ling Daiming.” (Special Issue of the 20th Anniversary of the reopening of Shangsi Church in Guangxi: The Gospel of Shangsi)
Some readers will be like me. It would be their first time to hear of the surname Ling. Yes, according to Chinese-language collaborative online encyclopedia Baidu Baike: “Ling is Zhu Rong’s great-grandfather and is one of the earliest surnames. Later, people of common descendants took their ancestors’ name as their family name and named themselves Ling”.
On December 12, 2020, together with the brothers of Huang Xiang, who is in charge of the Christian Gospel Church in Shangsi County of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, I met Mr. Ling Daiming, whom I have long known and respected, in an old-fashioned Shangsi County residence called the Bell and Drum Tower.
The 94-year-old elder is still vigorous. Despite his advanced age, he is clear-headed and quick-thinking. As he sat on the sofa, he recalled his beliefs and missionary experiences.
Pastor Ling Daiming shared his experience of faith after he traveled from the mainland to Taiwan in 1949. He was engaged in construction engineering in Taipei. After graduation, he worked as supervisor and site director in the construction industry. His whole family believed in God. He went to a seminary in Taipei twice, for three years each time, on a part-time basis, in order to further his study and serve better. After graduation, he was awarded the Master of "Taoism" and was ordained as a priest. The old pastor told me: This "Taoism" is not our traditional Chinese studies in Taoism. It has the meaning of mission. Pastor Ling, his wife, and the whole family of his children came together to dedicate their house to the use of God in the establishment of the "Christian Church of Blessing and Harmony". From then on, God also gave them a greater house and grace. He preached the Gospel in the church in Taipei until he got too old and applied for retirement.
But the elderly pastor said, "A man cannot retire without a divine plan. I can retire but I can’t rest in vain." At the end of 1996, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Mr. Ling returned to his hometown of long ago, Shangsi County, Guangxi Province, where his sister, Ling Ruqing, lived alone and began to preach the Gospel, using the book of Basic Christian Truth. Photos from that year show believers lining up from the sister’s home to the entire lane, sitting and listening to Pastor Ling preach. Mr. Ling told me very soberly that from scratch, after a period of training, Shangsi County has Christians after the reform and opening up. Twenty-eight were baptized the first time, 30 the second time, 35 the third time, 50 the fourth time. . . Until now, there are more than one thousand believers of Zhuang, Yao, and Han nationalities. Brother Huangxiang, now the head of Shangsi Gospel Church, was one of the first to be baptized.
Mr. Ling recalled the construction experience of the church. How the land was approved, and the designer of brother Kong Guoji from Shanghai, who not only refused to receive a cent for his design fees, but also dedicated funds. From 2004 to 2005, during the construction of the church, Mr. Ling worked tirelessly at the site supervision.
Today, Shangsi Gospel Church is no longer a family gathering. A Zhuang style three-story red roof building, with more than 600 square meters, now towers at the site. The church was awarded the title of "Advanced Collective in the Construction of Two Civilizations" in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
"After more than 20 years of God taking us step by step, when we look back we see the grace of God at work. If there was no past, there would be no present,” he said. “With the present, people are running toward the benchmark. Without the present, there is no future to look forward to. So I say we shall remember the past, work on the present, and prepare to make Shangsi Gospel Church a church honoring God and benefiting the people in the future."
Reverend Ling said that he was grateful to God for his longevity. He said that he eats two meals a day, take naps of two or three hours, and sometimes goes for a walk, keeping writing the memoirs of his church work in Taipei. He told me about a time when he was working in Australia, he got a call from his family saying that his wife had been hit by a car. He wanted to go back to Taipei, but he couldn’t get a plane ticket. He was delayed for a few days and could only pray to the Lord. When he finally bought a plane ticket to get back to Taipei, God had protected and treated his wife, and her injury had already been healed! He said with emotion: "This perhaps is the reason why my whole family respects and worships God!"
（The article is originally published by Gospel Times.）
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
“我们经历的事、走过的路，都是经过上帝的手亲自量过的，因为他掌管万有。我们从上帝领受异象，奋起上思教会，筹划未来这条路，我们向来没有走过。在物质条件几乎无有的情况下，在零代明牧师教导下，上思教会从零开始。”（广西上思教会复堂20周年特刊：《上思福光》）
有的读者会和我一样，第一次听说有姓零的，是的，据百度：“祝融氏的曾祖，为非常古早的姓氏之一。其后支庶后裔有以先祖名字为姓氏者，称零氏。”
2020年12月12日，我和基督教广西壮族自治区上思县福音堂负责人黄享壮族弟兄一同，在一个老式的上思县叫做钟鼓楼住宅中，见到了久仰的零代明牧师。
这是一位久经风霜、精神矍铄的九十四岁的前辈。老人家虽然是高龄，但头脑清醒、思维敏捷。他坐在沙发上回忆起自己的信仰和差传经历，如数家珍。
零代明牧师和我回忆起他1949年从大陆到台湾之后的信仰经历。他在台北从事的是建筑工程，学成以后在建筑业担任监工、工地主任等职。老人家全家信主。他为了进深，更好地服侍，他先后半工半读两次在台北一个神学院学习，每次三年。毕业之后被授予“道学”硕士，并被按立为牧师。老牧师告诉我：这个“道学”不是我们传统国学中的道学，就是传道的意思。零牧师和师母以及子女全家都同心合意，将自己家的房屋甘心乐意献给上帝使用成立“财团法人基督教福和堂”。从此以后，上帝也给了他们更大的房屋和恩典。老牧师一直在台北的教会传扬福音，直到年纪老迈，申请退休在家。
但是老人家说“人算不如神算，退而不能休。”1996年底，受圣灵感动，零代明牧师只身一人从台北返回到久违的故乡——广西上思县他的妹妹零如清姊妹的家中，以《基督教基要真理》开始聚会传福音。当年的照片告诉我们，信徒从零如清姊妹的家屋里一直排到整个弄堂，坐在那里，听零牧师传道。老牧师非常清醒的告诉我，从零开始，经过一段时间培训后，改革开放后，上思县有了基督徒。第一次受洗的有28人，第二次是30人受洗，第三次是35人，第四次是50人……直到现在有一千多位的壮族、瑶族、汉族信徒。现在的上思县福音堂负责人黄享弟兄就是受洗的第一批信徒之一。
零代明牧师回忆了上思教堂的建堂经历，土地如何获批，设计者为上海的孔国基弟兄，他不仅设计费分文未收，还奉献了资金，从2004年开始施工，到2005年竣工、献堂，零牧师一直不辞辛苦的在现场监工。。
今天的上思福音堂，已经不在家庭里聚会了。一座具有壮族风格的、有六百多平方米的三层红色大屋顶楼建筑巍然耸立。教会荣获广西壮族自治区两个文明建设先进集体等称号。
零代明牧师说：“二十多年来，蒙神一步步的带领到现在，我们回顾怀念神的恩典，若没有过去就没有现在。有了现在，大家向着标杆直跑，若没有现在就没有将来展望了，所以我说怀念过去，努力现在，准备将来让上思县基督福音堂成为荣神益人的教会。”
谈到零牧师的长寿“秘诀”，他感谢上帝，说，他每天是两顿饭，午睡两到三个小时，有时候还出去遛弯。老人家在台北坚持写为主见证的回忆录。他跟我讲了他曾经历过的一件事情：那一年他在澳大利亚工作，突然接到家里的电话，说师母被车撞了。他想回台北，但是没有机票回不去，耽搁了几天，只好放在向主祷告中。当他买到机票回到台北之后，上帝已经保守医治了师母，她的病已经好了！老人家不无感慨的说：“这也许是我们一家平日敬畏上帝的缘故吧！”
记九十四岁的零代明老牧师
“All our experiences and our paths are measured by the hand of God himself, for he is in charge of all things. We received a vision from God, so we rose up and built the Shangsi Church. Planning for the future is a path that we have never taken. With almost non-existent material resources, Shangsi started from scratch under the guidance of Pastor Ling Daiming.” (Special Issue of the 20th Anniversary of the reopening of Shangsi Church in Guangxi: The Gospel of Shangsi)
Some readers will be like me. It would be their first time to hear of the surname Ling. Yes, according to Chinese-language collaborative online encyclopedia Baidu Baike: “Ling is Zhu Rong’s great-grandfather and is one of the earliest surnames. Later, people of common descendants took their ancestors’ name as their family name and named themselves Ling”.
On December 12, 2020, together with the brothers of Huang Xiang, who is in charge of the Christian Gospel Church in Shangsi County of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, I met Mr. Ling Daiming, whom I have long known and respected, in an old-fashioned Shangsi County residence called the Bell and Drum Tower.
The 94-year-old elder is still vigorous. Despite his advanced age, he is clear-headed and quick-thinking. As he sat on the sofa, he recalled his beliefs and missionary experiences.
Pastor Ling Daiming shared his experience of faith after he traveled from the mainland to Taiwan in 1949. He was engaged in construction engineering in Taipei. After graduation, he worked as supervisor and site director in the construction industry. His whole family believed in God. He went to a seminary in Taipei twice, for three years each time, on a part-time basis, in order to further his study and serve better. After graduation, he was awarded the Master of "Taoism" and was ordained as a priest. The old pastor told me: This "Taoism" is not our traditional Chinese studies in Taoism. It has the meaning of mission. Pastor Ling, his wife, and the whole family of his children came together to dedicate their house to the use of God in the establishment of the "Christian Church of Blessing and Harmony". From then on, God also gave them a greater house and grace. He preached the Gospel in the church in Taipei until he got too old and applied for retirement.
But the elderly pastor said, "A man cannot retire without a divine plan. I can retire but I can’t rest in vain." At the end of 1996, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Mr. Ling returned to his hometown of long ago, Shangsi County, Guangxi Province, where his sister, Ling Ruqing, lived alone and began to preach the Gospel, using the book of Basic Christian Truth. Photos from that year show believers lining up from the sister’s home to the entire lane, sitting and listening to Pastor Ling preach. Mr. Ling told me very soberly that from scratch, after a period of training, Shangsi County has Christians after the reform and opening up. Twenty-eight were baptized the first time, 30 the second time, 35 the third time, 50 the fourth time. . . Until now, there are more than one thousand believers of Zhuang, Yao, and Han nationalities. Brother Huangxiang, now the head of Shangsi Gospel Church, was one of the first to be baptized.
Mr. Ling recalled the construction experience of the church. How the land was approved, and the designer of brother Kong Guoji from Shanghai, who not only refused to receive a cent for his design fees, but also dedicated funds. From 2004 to 2005, during the construction of the church, Mr. Ling worked tirelessly at the site supervision.
Today, Shangsi Gospel Church is no longer a family gathering. A Zhuang style three-story red roof building, with more than 600 square meters, now towers at the site. The church was awarded the title of "Advanced Collective in the Construction of Two Civilizations" in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
"After more than 20 years of God taking us step by step, when we look back we see the grace of God at work. If there was no past, there would be no present,” he said. “With the present, people are running toward the benchmark. Without the present, there is no future to look forward to. So I say we shall remember the past, work on the present, and prepare to make Shangsi Gospel Church a church honoring God and benefiting the people in the future."
Reverend Ling said that he was grateful to God for his longevity. He said that he eats two meals a day, take naps of two or three hours, and sometimes goes for a walk, keeping writing the memoirs of his church work in Taipei. He told me about a time when he was working in Australia, he got a call from his family saying that his wife had been hit by a car. He wanted to go back to Taipei, but he couldn’t get a plane ticket. He was delayed for a few days and could only pray to the Lord. When he finally bought a plane ticket to get back to Taipei, God had protected and treated his wife, and her injury had already been healed! He said with emotion: "This perhaps is the reason why my whole family respects and worships God!"
（The article is originally published by Gospel Times.）
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
The 94-Y-O Pastor Ling Daiming
