After the outbreak of the epidemic which has profoundly changed the world, including the churches and believers, online services emerge to nurture Christians, though having some limitations and deficiencies, which exist in the online communion, for example.
Believer G(pseudonym)’s Church launched a family worship campaign recently, of which the congregation were very supportive, as they know the importance of the family worship which is not easy to carry out. G’s family had carried out a certain number of family services before, however, they did not last very long.
This time, with the participation of several other families of the church, the situation became completely different. For at least 40 days, no matter how busy G’s family was and no matter what happened, the family worship would start either earlier or later, due to the circumstances at that time. Between family members, it’s bound to happen.
His two children were not very cooperative at first due to their young age. One day, at 9:00 pm, they were noisy when the family worship service was about to start, so G was very unhappy, his face downcast. But in the process of reading the Bible, G’s mood had been imperceptibly changing with a gentle heart, as well as his children, who gradually became quieter. At that time, G thought of the story of Peter preaching to Cornelius after God worked in both of them simultaneously, as God moved the hearts of G and his children at the same time that night.
The family worship was held during the period of the strictest lockdown in Shanghai in April or May when many people were full of stress, anxiety, and hopelessness. Not only had G and his wife been affected a lot, but even their two children had become irritable and restless because they could not go out of the house. But when they insisted on conducting the family worship, God let them go through the most difficult time since the outbreak of COVID-19, giving them peace, joy, and hope.
Due to the epidemic and other factors, G believes that believers should realize the importance and urgency of family worship and start to engage in it, just like Joseph, prime minister in Egypt, began to store up food against the next seven years of famine.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
这场迄今为止已经持续了两年半的新冠病毒疫情，深刻地改变了全世界，也深刻改变了处于世界中的教会和信徒们。
疫情爆发之后，很多教会陆续地把聚会转到了线上，试图通过线上聚会继续牧养信徒。在肯定线上聚会的同时，我们也需要看到线上聚会的种种限制和不足，比如能否在线上聚会中领“云圣餐”。
笔者所在的教会前段时间发起了一项倡议所有信徒家庭做家庭礼拜的运动，大部分信徒都非常赞成。家庭礼拜的重要性大家都还是知道的，只是知道归知道，想要开始做却是难上加难。笔者自家也是这样的。这些年也做过一定次数的家庭礼拜了，只是每一次都没有能够很好的持续下来。
然而这一次，因着笔者所在教会认识的几个家庭的一起加入，状况开始完全不一样了。至少在40多天的时间当中，无论当天再忙，无论遇到了什么事情，家庭礼拜都会开始，只是因着当时的情况或者早一些，或者晚一些。但是一定要做，雷打不动，而且是带着所有家人一起来做。
由于两个孩子的年龄比较小，以前也没有怎么做过，刚开始的时候他们不太配合。现在还清楚地记得，有一天晚上9点钟左右马上要开始做家庭礼拜了，但是两个家人特别闹，那时候笔者很不高兴，脸色也变得很难看。但在读经的过程中，笔者的心理和情绪却在不知不觉中不断地改变着，从愤怒中慢慢地走出来。与此同时，上帝也在保守着孩子的心思意念，读经的过程当中，他们也逐渐变得安静下来了。那个时候，笔者就想到了彼得传道哥尼流的故事，在这个故事当中，上帝同时在彼得和哥尼流他们两个人里面动工，就像那天晚上上帝同时在笔者和笔者家人心里面动工一样。
那段做家庭礼拜的时间，正好是疫情封控最紧张的期间。那段期间，不少人被悲观、消极、绝望的信息抓住，每个人里面都有很多的压力和焦虑。笔者家里也是如此，不仅笔者夫妻两人受到很多的影响，甚至连其他两个家人也因为不能出家门的缘故而变得暴躁不安。但是当我们很好的在上帝面前持守家庭礼拜的时候，上帝就赐给我们平安，赐给我们喜乐和盼望，让我们顺利度过了那段疫情封控最艰难的时间(==此句当summary）。
因着疫情和其他一些因素，笔者个人认为，我们需要从现在开始，认识到家庭礼拜的重要性和紧迫性，并且着手开始去做家庭礼拜。就像约瑟在埃及地做宰相的时候，从七个丰年就开始积蓄粮食为之后的七个荒年来做预备一样。
https://www.christiantimes.cn/news/37224
从个人经历谈谈做家庭礼拜给家人带来的改变
After the outbreak of the epidemic which has profoundly changed the world, including the churches and believers, online services emerge to nurture Christians, though having some limitations and deficiencies, which exist in the online communion, for example.
Believer G(pseudonym)’s Church launched a family worship campaign recently, of which the congregation were very supportive, as they know the importance of the family worship which is not easy to carry out. G’s family had carried out a certain number of family services before, however, they did not last very long.
This time, with the participation of several other families of the church, the situation became completely different. For at least 40 days, no matter how busy G’s family was and no matter what happened, the family worship would start either earlier or later, due to the circumstances at that time. Between family members, it’s bound to happen.
His two children were not very cooperative at first due to their young age. One day, at 9:00 pm, they were noisy when the family worship service was about to start, so G was very unhappy, his face downcast. But in the process of reading the Bible, G’s mood had been imperceptibly changing with a gentle heart, as well as his children, who gradually became quieter. At that time, G thought of the story of Peter preaching to Cornelius after God worked in both of them simultaneously, as God moved the hearts of G and his children at the same time that night.
The family worship was held during the period of the strictest lockdown in Shanghai in April or May when many people were full of stress, anxiety, and hopelessness. Not only had G and his wife been affected a lot, but even their two children had become irritable and restless because they could not go out of the house. But when they insisted on conducting the family worship, God let them go through the most difficult time since the outbreak of COVID-19, giving them peace, joy, and hope.
Due to the epidemic and other factors, G believes that believers should realize the importance and urgency of family worship and start to engage in it, just like Joseph, prime minister in Egypt, began to store up food against the next seven years of famine.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Story: Family Worship Helps Christians Go Through Shanghai’s COVID-19 Lockdown
