The Year 2020 is destined to be an extraordinary year in human history. A sudden outbreak of COVID-19 at the beginning of the year caught people by surprise. Until now, the pandemic is still far from over in many parts of the world. Although it is basically under control in China, it could flare up again at any time. Its impact on churches in China is so unprecedented that some churches have not yet been opened for public gatherings.
A year has passed. I would like to use the words "challenge, gratitude, and growth" to review my spiritual journey, which was a kind of service through adversity and difficulties.
1. Perseverance in the pandemic
Since the original church leader was recalled to heaven due to his illness, I was elected to be the director of our church committee on July 21, 2019. I faced a severe test just after I took office half a year later. I still remember when the city of Wuhan was closed at noon on January 23, 2020. The next day, other parts of the country responded immediately. On the same day, churches received notices from authorities to stop public gatherings. This undoubtedly disrupted our original plan for our Chinese New Year thanksgiving service, as well as the whole year's work plan. How could I explain this sort of unprecedented action to our brothers and sisters? Would they think the cancellation of the worship service was due to the preacher’s lack of faith? How to prevent and control the epidemic? These questions immediately rolled in my mind.
First, via WeChat I notified the brothers and sisters of the cancellation of the Chinese New Year thanksgiving worship service and asked them to inform those who are not in the WeChat group. However, some elderly brothers and sisters who had not received notification appeared at the church early on the morning of Chinese New Year. Wearing a mask, I received them one by one and patiently explained to them the reason why we could not gather. I told them to pray and read the scriptures at home for the time being. I also advised them to take protect themselves whenever they had to go shopping. They nodded vaguely and then left slowly.
As more and more people became infected with COvid-19, the situation in Wuhan was getting worse and worse. The brothers and sisters who lived at home for a long time might become depressed and irritable. They needed the comfort of the Lord's words. What should I do? After comparing ideas and getting feedback from others, we decided to hold online worship services. Since last Chinese New Year’s Day, we have been preaching sermons on our WeChat group every Sunday. Those elderly brothers and sisters, who had not used smartphones before, were taught how to use them. Then, they were able to participate in online worship just by one touch. The word of God as well as the voice of the preacher have brought them great comfort.
In April and May, the South Korean heresy “Cinchonic Church of Jesus (SCJ)” was rampant in many places. In order to prevent brothers and sisters from being deceived, we did the following things on days when we could not reach them directly. We mainly used prayer, WeChat, telephone visits and counseling to carry out the pastoral ministry of the church. Thank the Lord for his guidance, I went from being puzzled at the beginning to becoming proficient in my work. When some brothers and sisters died during this period, I often comforted their family members and arranged their funerals by myself or with a volunteer. When the church resumed its on-site gatherings, no “lamb” was lost except those who returned to Heaven.
2. "Lord, don't let me be a rusty vessel."
I do not think I am a very smart person. Because of family financial reasons, I have not received a good public education. However, I like reading so much that I often miss sleep by reading a good book. Ms. Weihong Zhao, the editor of the seminary magazine "Honeydew", happened to be my head teacher when I reported to the Central South Seminary in September, 2000. She immediately arranged for me to work as an assistant editor for the seminary magazine. This gave me the opportunity to start serving God through writing. I wrote for almost every issue of Honeydew during my four years of study. Before Ms. Zhao left to study abroad, she said in class, “A good sermon can only affect hundreds of people; but the influence of a good article is limitless. Since our God pays attention to the written word, you should always work hard and influence more people with your pen.” I still remember these words today, but I have hardly written any articles in the past 10 years, except writing work summaries, application reports, or occasionally writing articles for some internal church publications. I have also written things for courses or papers that need to be completed during advanced studies. I gradually went from writing a complete sermon to finishing the outline and main content at the end. There were a few reasons why I did so. First, there was no "field" for text service after graduating from the seminary. Next, there used to be too many "misfits" as changing from a pure theological student to a pastor after entering the church. The interpersonal relationships in the church were not as simple as I expected. Then, family dragged me away from writing at times. Finally, my busy ministry made it difficult for me to find time to write articles.
In addition to ministry, I read books and accompanied my children every day when we were required to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. I submitted several Sunday sermons to China Christian Daily. After that, I missed my mother, who had been in heaven for more than ten years, so much that I immediately spent more than an hour writing "Memories of Mother on Mother's Day without Mother". I once told my daughter, “This is the only place that the same noun "mother" appears three times in a row in a short eight-word title among decades of your Dad’s articles. It is the Holy Spirit who inspired Dad to write down the testimony about your grandmother.”
Later, I also wrote another article titled “Working for the Lord with Love—Mutual Encouragment of Brothers and Sisters”. A sister specifically mentioned to me, “Amen! I agree with this paragraph in particular. The relationship among churches and that among church staff are definitely not like a rival relationship among peers in the business field. Instead, we all bear witness for the Lord, expand the kingdom of God, and fulfill God's entrustment together.”
3. "Be a good steward of God's various gifts."
When I was studying in the seminary, a classmate often said, "A soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier." But in my opinion, being a church leader is more of a responsibility. Therefore, it should not be earned or obtained through various means. As Pastor Yilu Chen, Executive Vice President of Jinling Union Seminary, said: “Not everyone can wear the same piece of clothing and look good. If you put it on, you might look nondescript.” When I became the person in charge in the church, I felt a heavy responsibility. I pay attention to spiritual practices every morning and especially ask myself to do what the scripture says, such as: “The steward is asked to be loyal.” (Corinthians 4:2). Another verse I follow is “The judgment must begin at the house of God” (Peter 4: 17). We know that serving not only has to be tested by people, but it will also have to be accountable to God in the future. In fact, pastors have heavy responsibilities and heavy future trials. This is especially true for senior pastors. It is better to have a heart that is filled with fear and trembling.
At the beginning of July 2020, the epidemic situation improved. The church I served and the other two churches took the lead in submitting applications for re-opening churches to the public. Our application process would clarify the steps for subsequent applicants. In the past, we always contacted the religious authorities directly. But this time, we had to start at the grassroots level. Here came the questions, “Whom should I call? “and “Which leader knows me?” As the person in charge, I knew I must face reality and do what I should do. Just when I felt “I don't know what to do” and could only pray and put my trust in God, God's leadership came. The law enforcement inspection team of the County People's Congress wanted to inspect our church. The cadres I needed to find contacted me directly. Then they participated in the reception and reporting, bringing everyone together at once. I took the opportunity to request orally about the "resumption of public gatherings" in our church, and also submitted written application materials.
Before the church resumed public gatherings, I needed to deal with another matter. A sister was about to graduate from Guangdong Union Seminary and we needed to arrange her ministry as she grew up in our church and was recommended to the seminary by this church a few years ago. We had to think about ways to enable her to participate in the ministry and take care of her family at the same time. I communicated twice with the responsible co-workers of the two associations, but couldn't come up with any good ideas. The reason was that neither of the two associations had the financial means. At that time, the church had not resumed public gatherings. Therefore, she had to return to the parent club temporarily. Even so, she would still to have funds so she could meet the financial needs of her family. Every Sunday, I was almost always the first to take the lead in giving thanks, which also inspired others to contribute. These persons were originally from this church but working in other cities. The Holy Spirit also moved a church in Shenzhen to help us. A few days ago, our financial staff told me about the financial situation of the church. I was so pleased to learn that not only did the church have no deficit, but it also made a slight surplus during the Christmas period. Although the church expenses are excessive, the God of Jehovah Elek is with us. "Thank God, for he has an inexhaustible gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15).
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Jerry Liu
挑战、感恩与成长——回顾2020年服侍的心路历程
2020年在人类历史上，注定是极不平凡的一年。年初一场突如其来的新冠肺炎疫情，让人措手不及。直到现在，这场疫情尚未过去。在国内虽然基本能控制，但也有随时局部爆发的风险。其对教会的影响也是前所未有，时至今日，从还有部分教会尚未开放公众聚会可见一斑。
一载过去，回望走过的日子，特别在逆境连绵，困难如影随形的岁月，我特别以“挑战、感恩、成长”六个字来回顾过去一年服侍的心路历程。
一、疫情中的坚守
由于原教会负责人因病医治无效，蒙召归天，我于2019年7月21日被推举接做堂委主任，但是刚走马上任半年就面临一场严峻的考验。犹记得，武汉于1月23日中午封城，第二天全国各地立即纷纷响应，教会也在当日接到上级有关部门通知停止开放公众聚会。这毫无疑问打乱了原先的新春感恩崇拜拜计划，甚至是全年的圣工安排，这种前所未有的事情，如何向弟兄姊妹解释？他们是否议论是因为传道人信心不足？如何做好疫情防控工作？这些问题立即在我脑海中翻滚。
首先在教会微信群中通知弟兄姊妹，让他们同时转告那些没在群里的弟兄姊妹暂时在大年初一不返回教会参加感恩礼拜。但是到春节初一一大早，还是有一些没接到通知的年纪老迈的肢体前来，我戴着口罩一个一个接待他们，并且耐心跟他们解释停止聚会的原因，同时告诉他们暂时居家读经、祈祷，若必须出门购物要做好个人防护，他们似懂非懂的点点头，然后慢慢离开了。
可是接下来的日子，武汉的感染人数越发增多，形势逼人。然而弟兄姊妹长期居家，心情肯定郁闷、急躁，他们需要主话语的安慰，咋办？线上崇拜，经过对比和反馈，于是乎，从大年初一开始，每个主日都在微信群里讲道，让那些不大会使用智能手机的，年龄稍大的弟兄姊妹，一点开手机就可以直接参加线上崇拜，听到牧者的声音，得到神话语的安慰。
四、五月份，韩国异端“新天地”到处横行，为了让弟兄姊妹不受到迷惑，在不能出门探访的日子，主要以祈祷交托、微信和电话探访、辅导，进行教会的牧养事工。感谢主的引领，由开始的手忙脚乱到逐渐熟练。在这期间，遇到有弟兄姊妹安息主怀的日子，常是一个人或者带上一个义工出门给予安排后事，慰勉家属。当教会重新恢复线下聚会后，回天家的肢体除外，没有“失落一只羊”。
二、“主啊，勿让我成为锈坏的器皿”
我自认自己不是很聪明的人，因为家庭经济原因，也没有受过良好的国民教育。但是我喜欢读书，常常对一本好书爱不释手。2000年9月，当我背着行囊到中南神学院报到后，神学院的杂志《甘露》编辑赵卫红正好是我的班主任，立即安排我到编辑部作一些助理编辑的工作，这让我开始慢慢有机会接触文字侍奉，四年的神学生活，几乎都给每期《甘露》写稿。直到今天还依稀记得，赵老师要前往海外留学的时候，曾在班上说:“一篇好的讲道，只能影响成百上千的人；但是一篇好的文章，其影响力不可估量，因为我们的神是注重文字工作的神，所以你们要常笔耕不辍，用手中的笔去影响更多的人。”
可是从神学院毕业后，没有了文字侍奉的“园地”，而且刚进入教会，由一个单纯的神学生到牧者身份的转变，还有太多的“不适应”，再加上教会人际关系的复杂，事工的繁忙，家庭的拖累，我渐渐由写完一篇完整的讲章，到最后只是写完大纲和主要内容。在这十多年的时间里，除了写工作总结、申请报告或者偶尔给一些教会内部刊物写稿，或者是去进修时需要完成的课业、论文外几乎没有写过稿子。
在疫情防控居家的日子，除了我的服侍外，每天就是看书，陪伴孩子。我把几个主日的讲章投给福音时报这个平台。之后非常思念已经回天家十多年的母亲，立即花了一个多小时写下《没有母亲的母亲节忆母亲》。我曾经告诉过女儿，这是爸爸在几十年的写文章生活中，唯一一个在短短的十几个字的题目里连续三次重复出现同一个名词“母亲”，那是圣灵感动爸爸写你奶奶的见证。
还有一篇“凭爱心为主作工——与弟兄姊妹共勉”的文章中，有一个姐妹特别跟我提到:“阿们！特别认同这一段：同工之间，教会与教会之间，绝对不像生意场上同行之间的竞争对手关系，而是为了作主的见证，一同在扩展神的国度，齐心完成神的托付。”
三、“作神百般恩赐的好管家”
还在神学院深造的时候，班上一位同学常说:“不想当将军的士兵不是好士兵。”但是在我看来，作教会领袖更是一种责任的担当。因此不是去挣来、或者通过各种手段当上的，正如金陵协和神学院常务副院长陈逸鲁牧师说的:“正如一件衣服那样，并不是任何人都适合穿，如果非要套上去就显得不伦不类。”而我在接过负责人一职时，更感到肩负沉甸甸的责任。每天早上注重灵修，尤以经上的话，如:“所求于管家的，是要他有忠心。”（林前4:2）“审判要从神的家起首”（彼前4:17）等要求自己。因为服侍不但要面对人的检验，将来更是要向神交账。其实，做牧师，责任很重，将来的审判也重，做主任牧师更是如此，要有恐惧战兢、如履薄冰的心才好。
七月初，疫情好转，我所服侍的堂会和另外两间堂率先提交申请材料，为后继申请的堂点指明步骤。这样问题就来了，以前都是跟宗教主管部门直接联系，这时要从基层做起，我要去找谁？哪个领导认识我？但这是负责人该做的事情，也必须直面的现实，正当我感到“不知所做”，只能祈祷交托的时候，神的带领就来了，借着县人大执法检查组要来我堂检查，我需要找的干部直接联系我，同时他们也要参与接待、汇报，一下子就把所有人聚集在一起。我也顺势口头汇报了关于我堂“恢复公众聚会的请求”，并递交书面申请材料。
当教会尚未恢复公众聚会的时候，另外一件事又摆在我面前，就是前几年由本堂推荐，也是在本堂成长的姐妹，即将从广东协和神学院毕业，要如何安排她的侍奉工场？使她既能参予服侍，又能照顾家人。跟两会负责同工沟通了两次，也拿不出什么好主意，原因是两会没有经济能力，此时教会也尚未恢复聚会。如此一来，根据现况，只能暂时返回母会，而返回母会，肯定要发给生活费，才能照顾到其家庭所需。每个主日，我几乎都是第一个带头感恩奉献，由此也带动了从这教会走出去，现在在城市工作的弟兄姊妹踊跃奉献，圣灵也感动深圳一个堂来帮助了我们。教会开支虽然多了，但是耶和华以勒的神却与我们同在。前几天，财务同工告诉我教会的财务状况时，教会不但没有出现赤字，而且加上圣诞节的感恩奉献，还略有盈余。“感谢神，因他有说不尽的恩赐”（林后9:15）。
挑战、感恩与成长——回顾2020年服侍的心路历程
The Year 2020 is destined to be an extraordinary year in human history. A sudden outbreak of COVID-19 at the beginning of the year caught people by surprise. Until now, the pandemic is still far from over in many parts of the world. Although it is basically under control in China, it could flare up again at any time. Its impact on churches in China is so unprecedented that some churches have not yet been opened for public gatherings.
A year has passed. I would like to use the words "challenge, gratitude, and growth" to review my spiritual journey, which was a kind of service through adversity and difficulties.
1. Perseverance in the pandemic
Since the original church leader was recalled to heaven due to his illness, I was elected to be the director of our church committee on July 21, 2019. I faced a severe test just after I took office half a year later. I still remember when the city of Wuhan was closed at noon on January 23, 2020. The next day, other parts of the country responded immediately. On the same day, churches received notices from authorities to stop public gatherings. This undoubtedly disrupted our original plan for our Chinese New Year thanksgiving service, as well as the whole year's work plan. How could I explain this sort of unprecedented action to our brothers and sisters? Would they think the cancellation of the worship service was due to the preacher’s lack of faith? How to prevent and control the epidemic? These questions immediately rolled in my mind.
First, via WeChat I notified the brothers and sisters of the cancellation of the Chinese New Year thanksgiving worship service and asked them to inform those who are not in the WeChat group. However, some elderly brothers and sisters who had not received notification appeared at the church early on the morning of Chinese New Year. Wearing a mask, I received them one by one and patiently explained to them the reason why we could not gather. I told them to pray and read the scriptures at home for the time being. I also advised them to take protect themselves whenever they had to go shopping. They nodded vaguely and then left slowly.
As more and more people became infected with COvid-19, the situation in Wuhan was getting worse and worse. The brothers and sisters who lived at home for a long time might become depressed and irritable. They needed the comfort of the Lord's words. What should I do? After comparing ideas and getting feedback from others, we decided to hold online worship services. Since last Chinese New Year’s Day, we have been preaching sermons on our WeChat group every Sunday. Those elderly brothers and sisters, who had not used smartphones before, were taught how to use them. Then, they were able to participate in online worship just by one touch. The word of God as well as the voice of the preacher have brought them great comfort.
In April and May, the South Korean heresy “Cinchonic Church of Jesus (SCJ)” was rampant in many places. In order to prevent brothers and sisters from being deceived, we did the following things on days when we could not reach them directly. We mainly used prayer, WeChat, telephone visits and counseling to carry out the pastoral ministry of the church. Thank the Lord for his guidance, I went from being puzzled at the beginning to becoming proficient in my work. When some brothers and sisters died during this period, I often comforted their family members and arranged their funerals by myself or with a volunteer. When the church resumed its on-site gatherings, no “lamb” was lost except those who returned to Heaven.
2. "Lord, don't let me be a rusty vessel."
I do not think I am a very smart person. Because of family financial reasons, I have not received a good public education. However, I like reading so much that I often miss sleep by reading a good book. Ms. Weihong Zhao, the editor of the seminary magazine "Honeydew", happened to be my head teacher when I reported to the Central South Seminary in September, 2000. She immediately arranged for me to work as an assistant editor for the seminary magazine. This gave me the opportunity to start serving God through writing. I wrote for almost every issue of Honeydew during my four years of study. Before Ms. Zhao left to study abroad, she said in class, “A good sermon can only affect hundreds of people; but the influence of a good article is limitless. Since our God pays attention to the written word, you should always work hard and influence more people with your pen.” I still remember these words today, but I have hardly written any articles in the past 10 years, except writing work summaries, application reports, or occasionally writing articles for some internal church publications. I have also written things for courses or papers that need to be completed during advanced studies. I gradually went from writing a complete sermon to finishing the outline and main content at the end. There were a few reasons why I did so. First, there was no "field" for text service after graduating from the seminary. Next, there used to be too many "misfits" as changing from a pure theological student to a pastor after entering the church. The interpersonal relationships in the church were not as simple as I expected. Then, family dragged me away from writing at times. Finally, my busy ministry made it difficult for me to find time to write articles.
In addition to ministry, I read books and accompanied my children every day when we were required to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. I submitted several Sunday sermons to China Christian Daily. After that, I missed my mother, who had been in heaven for more than ten years, so much that I immediately spent more than an hour writing "Memories of Mother on Mother's Day without Mother". I once told my daughter, “This is the only place that the same noun "mother" appears three times in a row in a short eight-word title among decades of your Dad’s articles. It is the Holy Spirit who inspired Dad to write down the testimony about your grandmother.”
Later, I also wrote another article titled “Working for the Lord with Love—Mutual Encouragment of Brothers and Sisters”. A sister specifically mentioned to me, “Amen! I agree with this paragraph in particular. The relationship among churches and that among church staff are definitely not like a rival relationship among peers in the business field. Instead, we all bear witness for the Lord, expand the kingdom of God, and fulfill God's entrustment together.”
3. "Be a good steward of God's various gifts."
When I was studying in the seminary, a classmate often said, "A soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier." But in my opinion, being a church leader is more of a responsibility. Therefore, it should not be earned or obtained through various means. As Pastor Yilu Chen, Executive Vice President of Jinling Union Seminary, said: “Not everyone can wear the same piece of clothing and look good. If you put it on, you might look nondescript.” When I became the person in charge in the church, I felt a heavy responsibility. I pay attention to spiritual practices every morning and especially ask myself to do what the scripture says, such as: “The steward is asked to be loyal.” (Corinthians 4:2). Another verse I follow is “The judgment must begin at the house of God” (Peter 4: 17). We know that serving not only has to be tested by people, but it will also have to be accountable to God in the future. In fact, pastors have heavy responsibilities and heavy future trials. This is especially true for senior pastors. It is better to have a heart that is filled with fear and trembling.
At the beginning of July 2020, the epidemic situation improved. The church I served and the other two churches took the lead in submitting applications for re-opening churches to the public. Our application process would clarify the steps for subsequent applicants. In the past, we always contacted the religious authorities directly. But this time, we had to start at the grassroots level. Here came the questions, “Whom should I call? “and “Which leader knows me?” As the person in charge, I knew I must face reality and do what I should do. Just when I felt “I don't know what to do” and could only pray and put my trust in God, God's leadership came. The law enforcement inspection team of the County People's Congress wanted to inspect our church. The cadres I needed to find contacted me directly. Then they participated in the reception and reporting, bringing everyone together at once. I took the opportunity to request orally about the "resumption of public gatherings" in our church, and also submitted written application materials.
Before the church resumed public gatherings, I needed to deal with another matter. A sister was about to graduate from Guangdong Union Seminary and we needed to arrange her ministry as she grew up in our church and was recommended to the seminary by this church a few years ago. We had to think about ways to enable her to participate in the ministry and take care of her family at the same time. I communicated twice with the responsible co-workers of the two associations, but couldn't come up with any good ideas. The reason was that neither of the two associations had the financial means. At that time, the church had not resumed public gatherings. Therefore, she had to return to the parent club temporarily. Even so, she would still to have funds so she could meet the financial needs of her family. Every Sunday, I was almost always the first to take the lead in giving thanks, which also inspired others to contribute. These persons were originally from this church but working in other cities. The Holy Spirit also moved a church in Shenzhen to help us. A few days ago, our financial staff told me about the financial situation of the church. I was so pleased to learn that not only did the church have no deficit, but it also made a slight surplus during the Christmas period. Although the church expenses are excessive, the God of Jehovah Elek is with us. "Thank God, for he has an inexhaustible gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15).
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Jerry Liu
Challenge, Gratitude and Growth: A Review of My Spiritual Journey and Service in 2020
