"Jesus said, 'Can you drink the cup I drink?' 'The cup' not only predicts the martyrdom of the apostles but also reveals the truth and the path Christians should follow today, which is to complete God’s will through sacrifice and dedication. "
Last Sunday at Mochou Road Church, Nanjing, Jiangsu, Rev. Wang Xuefeng shared a sermon with the title "Drink the Cup Jesus Drinks", citing Mark 10:35-45.
This was the first resumed Sunday service since the second wave of coronavirus caused the church to shut down from July 24. Following the COVID-19 protocols, churchgoers entered the sanctuary under the leadership of the acolytes. First, they sang the hymn There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood, followed by the song Humble Thyself to Walk With God from the choir.
Before the sermon, Rev. Wang mentioned that under the influence of the post-pandemic era on the church, some believers didn’t come to the church to worship as they thought that listening to the audio sermons at home was the same. In response to this situation, she stated that during public worship God would give special grace, reminding listeners to cherish every opportunity to gather.
In the sermon, Wang pointed out that not only James or John, but also the other ten disciples, asked for worldly authority, as due to the weakness of human nature people were all controlled by rights and possessions, but Jesus wanted to free them from such ambitions.
The pastor explained that the cup here referred to Jesus’ crucifixion and Christians’ sacrifice and dedication to God. She led the congregation in thinking about whether the Christian life they expected was the same as that in the Bible. They had gathered for many years and were enthusiastic in serving, but maybe they had not yet touched the core of the gospel, which was to take up the cross and follow the Lord.
The servant of God shared her recent experience. As the only daughter, she always planned to take her parents to Nanjing to take care of them, who lived far in the northeast and were reluctant to live with her. Having a hard time agreeing to come recently, her father refused to come again, as he was angered when she and her husband went to the northeast to pack things up for her parents. Both sides were aggrieved and the situation was deadlocked.
One morning, she heard a hymn Jesus You Are Precious which touched her heart. In the praise and prayer, she felt the Holy Spirit's reproach that she couldn’t be wronged for the Lord who had crucified and suffered so much for her. She realized that she was not considerate to her parents, who had a deep desire for love and acceptance behind their seemingly strong attitude.
She found that this was a chance for Jesus to repair her relationship with her father. She and her husband took their parents’ hands to share with them their testimony of believing in the Lord and their love for them, succeeding in bringing them back.
Though she felt as if she had experienced a "death" during the process, she was very grateful, knowing that the secret to victory was to hold on to the Lord in all sufferings. This was the 21st Sunday after the Pentecost and the next Sunday was called the World Mission Sunday. She called on believers to preach the gospel even in their own pain and the pain of the world and accept the challenge to live out the image of the Lord who was the bread of their life.
After reciting the Apostles' Creed, the congregation presented the hymn Near the Cross. Following the Lord's Prayer, the service ended with the hymn tune Threefold Amen.
Mochou Road Church resumed its two Saturday gatherings and two Sunday services from October 16th.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
“耶稣说，我所喝的杯，你们必要喝，不仅预言使徒的殉道，更是启示的真理，也是今天基督徒要走的路，“那就是通过牺牲奉献，让上帝的旨意成全”。”
2021年10月17日，是南京莫愁路基督教堂继7月24日因防疫需要暂停之后，恢复的第一个主日。信徒从各处赶来，测试健康码，测温，在招待人员的带领下有序入场。
开始礼拜，会众同唱新篇赞美诗211首《流血之泉歌》，诗班献唱《谦卑随主歌》。主礼人宣布，本周是圣灵降临后第21主日
王雪峰牧师围绕马可福音10:35-45，以《主所喝的杯，我们必要喝》为题证道。证道前，她提到后疫情时代给教会带来的影响，有人觉得在家听音频也可以，可以不来教堂，针对这种情况，她指出，公共敬拜神会赐下特别的恩典，提醒大家珍惜每一次聚会的机会。
王牧师指出，在马可福音10:35-45中，无论是雅各和约翰，还是其他十个门徒，他们求的都是世俗的权柄，人性是软弱的，都是权利和占有，操控他们，但耶稣要把他们从这样的野心中释放出来。
这里的杯指的是十字架苦难的杯，是流血牺牲的苦杯。也是今天基督徒要走的牺牲奉献的路。
王牧师引导会众思考，我们所期待的基督徒人生和圣经上的是否一致？或许我们聚会多年，也热心侍奉，但可能我们还没触及到福音的核心，那就是背起十字架跟主走。
王牧师分享了自己最近的经历，她的父母远在东北，她作为独生女一直想接父母来南京照顾，可是父母一直不愿意，最近好不容易才同意，可是当他们夫妻俩赶到东北，帮助父母收拾东西的时候，却发生了摩擦，惹怒了父亲，父亲拒绝回南京，双方彼此都很委屈，局面僵住了。
一天清晨，一首赞美诗《耶稣你是宝贵》进入了她耳中，也进入了她的心，在赞美祷告中，她开始想到：主为我钉十架，为我受了那么大的委屈和苦难，我为何不能为主受点委屈呢？她感受到圣灵的责备，认识到自己对父母的心不够体谅，看到在父母看似强势的态度背后，是对爱和接纳深深的渴望。
她也认识到，这是主耶稣要藉着这个机会修复她和父亲的关系。她和丈夫来到父母跟前，拉着他们的手，跟他们分享信主的见证，对他们的爱，最后顺利地把父母接了过来。
王牧师分享，这次接父母的经历对她来说像“死”过一次，但她很感恩，在一切苦难中，得胜的秘诀就是紧紧抓住主。这个主日在普世教会中被称为使命主日,是圣灵降临后第21个主日，呼吁信徒在自己的痛苦中，在世界的痛苦中传扬主耶稣基督的喜讯和福音。王牧师呼吁会众勇敢地接受这个挑战，以耶稣作为我们的精神食粮，在世界上活出主的形象。
会众用使徒信经来回应，接下来献唱新篇赞美诗216首《近主十架歌》。会众同颂主祷文后，大家在《阿们颂》中依次离场。
莫愁路堂自10月16日开始恢复有序开放，目前聚会时间为周六上午和晚上；周日上午和下午。
https://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/58637
南京莫愁路堂恢复线下主日礼拜：主所喝的杯，我们必要喝
"Jesus said, 'Can you drink the cup I drink?' 'The cup' not only predicts the martyrdom of the apostles but also reveals the truth and the path Christians should follow today, which is to complete God’s will through sacrifice and dedication. "
Last Sunday at Mochou Road Church, Nanjing, Jiangsu, Rev. Wang Xuefeng shared a sermon with the title "Drink the Cup Jesus Drinks", citing Mark 10:35-45.
This was the first resumed Sunday service since the second wave of coronavirus caused the church to shut down from July 24. Following the COVID-19 protocols, churchgoers entered the sanctuary under the leadership of the acolytes. First, they sang the hymn There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood, followed by the song Humble Thyself to Walk With God from the choir.
Before the sermon, Rev. Wang mentioned that under the influence of the post-pandemic era on the church, some believers didn’t come to the church to worship as they thought that listening to the audio sermons at home was the same. In response to this situation, she stated that during public worship God would give special grace, reminding listeners to cherish every opportunity to gather.
In the sermon, Wang pointed out that not only James or John, but also the other ten disciples, asked for worldly authority, as due to the weakness of human nature people were all controlled by rights and possessions, but Jesus wanted to free them from such ambitions.
The pastor explained that the cup here referred to Jesus’ crucifixion and Christians’ sacrifice and dedication to God. She led the congregation in thinking about whether the Christian life they expected was the same as that in the Bible. They had gathered for many years and were enthusiastic in serving, but maybe they had not yet touched the core of the gospel, which was to take up the cross and follow the Lord.
The servant of God shared her recent experience. As the only daughter, she always planned to take her parents to Nanjing to take care of them, who lived far in the northeast and were reluctant to live with her. Having a hard time agreeing to come recently, her father refused to come again, as he was angered when she and her husband went to the northeast to pack things up for her parents. Both sides were aggrieved and the situation was deadlocked.
One morning, she heard a hymn Jesus You Are Precious which touched her heart. In the praise and prayer, she felt the Holy Spirit's reproach that she couldn’t be wronged for the Lord who had crucified and suffered so much for her. She realized that she was not considerate to her parents, who had a deep desire for love and acceptance behind their seemingly strong attitude.
She found that this was a chance for Jesus to repair her relationship with her father. She and her husband took their parents’ hands to share with them their testimony of believing in the Lord and their love for them, succeeding in bringing them back.
Though she felt as if she had experienced a "death" during the process, she was very grateful, knowing that the secret to victory was to hold on to the Lord in all sufferings. This was the 21st Sunday after the Pentecost and the next Sunday was called the World Mission Sunday. She called on believers to preach the gospel even in their own pain and the pain of the world and accept the challenge to live out the image of the Lord who was the bread of their life.
After reciting the Apostles' Creed, the congregation presented the hymn Near the Cross. Following the Lord's Prayer, the service ended with the hymn tune Threefold Amen.
Mochou Road Church resumed its two Saturday gatherings and two Sunday services from October 16th.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Jiangsu Church’s Resumed Sunday Service: 'Drink the Cup Jesus Drinks'
