Editor's Note
This summer passed away so fast and it is already September. We thank God for bringing Pastor He here and we hope that the GCCC brothers and sisters will work together with our senior pastor to revive our church.
Thank God that in this issue, sister Lily wrote for the first time “The Most Beautiful Blessing”; Mr Shiulin Hu also contributed his first article to share with us “The Present State of Christianity in China”; sister Pauline wrote “Double Trouble”; sister Laurie wrote about “Sunday School”; sister Pik shared on “God’s Promise and Provision”; Ling Ling shared “The Heavenly Father’s Power is higher than the Heavens; His love fills the world and He protects millions;”. Ningwrote “Onion Skin” describing how his eye problem got treated; Ginny was moved to write “Funeral”; Michael continued to write “Psalm 23:5”; and Frail Soul continued to write “Our Concept of God reflects our Knowledge of God.” The GCCC Quarterly is a platform for us to share. I hope that God will move more of you to start participating and writing.
Please also remember Sister Xiuping and her son Ran in your prayer. We were saddened by the sudden death of Brother Suewei due to a fatal accident. May the Lord continue to comfort and embrace their family with His love, carry them through this difficult time, and hold their future in His Almighty hand. I encourage our church family to continue supporting her with our caring and love. Their future life will need to be adjusted without Suewei who is now in our loving Father’s home.
Thank God that in this issue, sister Lily wrote for the first time “The Most Beautiful Blessing”; Mr Shiulin Hu also contributed his first article to share with us “The Present State of Christianity in China”; sister Pauline wrote “Double Trouble”; sister Laurie wrote about “Sunday School”; sister Pik shared on “God’s Promise and Provision”; Ling Ling shared “The Heavenly Father’s Power is higher than the Heavens; His love fills the world and He protects millions;”. Ningwrote “Onion Skin” describing how his eye problem got treated; Ginny was moved to write “Funeral”; Michael continued to write “Psalm 23:5”; and Frail Soul continued to write “Our Concept of God reflects our Knowledge of God.” The GCCC Quarterly is a platform for us to share. I hope that God will move more of you to start participating and writing.
Please also remember Sister Xiuping and her son Ran in your prayer. We were saddened by the sudden death of Brother Suewei due to a fatal accident. May the Lord continue to comfort and embrace their family with His love, carry them through this difficult time, and hold their future in His Almighty hand. I encourage our church family to continue supporting her with our caring and love. Their future life will need to be adjusted without Suewei who is now in our loving Father’s home.
Our Concept of God Reflects Our Knowledge of God (II)
Author: Frail Soul
Last time I talked about the factors that cause spiritual nutritional deficiency: 1) Superficial bible reading, studying and following; 2) The attitude that praying is a chore; 3) Praise and worship limited to Sunday worship. These will all influence our spiritual growth.
What about unbalanced diets? That is eating some foods and not eating or eating only very little of other foods. Some people only eat a balanced vegetarian diet and do not eat desserts. That is a good habit. A spiritually balanced diet however cannot only emphasize intensive bible study and neglect prayer life, or emphasize prayer life but neglect praise and worship, or emphasize praise and worship but neglect bible study.
Serious pursuit to understand and study the bible in detail is a very good spiritual discipline. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Tim 3:16-17) God’s word is really precious; it can be the lamp unto my feet, the light unto my path, and the abundant wisdom to guide our life. But if we only study the bible as a textbook, it may become just intellectual knowledge that fills our brain but may not lead to good behavior.
It is not enough just to talk about God’s word. If we really know God’s word, our attitudes toward our spouses, children, relatives, brothers and sisters in Christ, friends and co-workers in our daily lives will reflect it. Do we live our lives according to God’s teaching or according to our own self-centeredness? If we do not seriously interpret scripture viewing scripture as the inspired word, we may misunderstand or misinterpret scripture. If we try to interpret scripture out of context, or according to our own understanding, we may twist the truth of the bible and become cultic. If we cannot recognize the truth, we may follow false teachings. If our understanding of God does not have a firm foundation, we may develop a subjective theology that suits our own thinking. That is not honoring God’s teaching.
Do we really earnestly pray to understand God’s word and get close to God with praise and worship? Often we neglect prayer and/or worship, so that our prayer life is dry and we do not learn to pray with effort. are a lot of examples of Jesus’ personal prayers (see the first part of my article in the last issue). He poured out His heart in His prayers to God not just for blessings, but also for the will of God to be accomplished in His life. His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was filled with His struggles and His willing submission to God’s will. Jesus’ prayer was connected with both subjective feelings and objective thoughts. I heard someone say before, “Brothers’ prayers are usually short and direct. Sisters’ are like compositions.” Perhaps men and women have different ways of expression. But prayer is an important part of our spiritual growth. A lot of ministries started with prayers. Church revival must be supported by prayers.
Another imbalance is thinking that singing and praising is only a small part of the worship service because it is not the main entrée (the sermon); it is only a fill-in. Therefore it should be as short as possible. We don’t need to sing too many songs in Service, not to mention time for family or personal praise and worship. There are a lot of praise songs in the Old Testament. In Psalm, the last Psalm (150) teaches us how to praise the Lord: “When the ark of God was moved back to Jerusalem, King David praise Him with different music instruments, songs and dance.” (II Sam 6:5,14) After Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea, there was the Song of Miriam (Exodus 15), and Paul said in Ephesians 5:19 that we should “speak to one another with Psalm, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to God.” 5:13 says, “Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is any happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Acts 16:25 recorded that Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God in prison and the other prisoners were listening to them. Rev 5:9 says that they sang a new song to the Lamb. Since all scripture is God-breathed, therefore we should learn from the words of the scripture.
Prayer is a very important discipline in the believer’s life. Some people are very involved in prayer. They talk to God all the time and have an intimate relationship with God. This should be encouraged. However, they are not as enthusiastic in reading the bible. Why? Is it because they do not understand it or cannot relate it to their lives? Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” This was what Jesus said regarding His Second Coming. Are we prepared? If we only spent time in prayer but not in His word to understand it, we will be confused.
Some may say, “God tells me this in my prayer. I am so close to God all the time and I believe this is His will.” That is subjective, but is there any objective evidence? This has to be examined with scripture. Another barrier is we do not have the appetite to seek God’s word. This is like a child who tells his father his thoughts and his needs, etc, but does not quiet down to listen to the Father’s word. Bible reading and prayers are closely related. Both improve our communication with God, and help us in tandem to do what God wants us to do.
In a family, no matter how harmonious, there will be conflicts. Sometimes I feel that my husband does not understand my feelings and provokes me to anger, and it is difficult to submit. Even though I pray to God to help me to forgive him, it is still difficult to forgive. It is not because God does not listen to my prayer, but because my heart was hard. Jesus said in Matthew 6:12, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” The following verse 13 started with, “And lead us not into temptation…” Very often, our temptation is to allow bitterness to take root and grow in our heart, so that the Word of God cannot work in it. Maybe we have to ask the Holy Spirit to help us, to give us a soft heart to receive His word.
Chinese churches in general do not emphasize music and worship as much as American churches. This may be because of the limited resources, so we cannot expand our music ministry even if we want to. I have been to churches with more than 1,000 attendees with a half hour praise and worship to prepare the congregation to listen to a 45 minute sermon. One time I was out of town and attended a regular Sunday Service. The worship was about 40 minutes but the sermon only lasted 20 minutes. This was unbalanced. Even though singing and praise can move hearts and loosen the soil--and a lot of evangelistic meetings use choirs and worship teams to prepare people to receive the message--that 20 minute message seemed to be meaningless. It gave me the impression that they did not care about God’s word or try to build up the members of the body, but only cared about the congregation’s subjective feelings of participation. A 20 minute sharing or message can be edifying if it is substantive and solid, and the length is not as important as the content. But that church’s worship and message proportion was not appropriate. If it is an evangelistic meeting, a revival meeting or a retreat, it may be fine to have a lot more music.
If you love songs and worship, and spend a lot of time listening on the Internet and singing, I thank the Lord for you--you have a hold on personal worship. But I hope you also grow in the word of God, spend more time to study the bible, and also grow gradually in prayer. If you feel that singing and worship does not feel substantive, is a waste of time because you do not learn a lot, and only bible study and prayer are worthy of your time, I hope you will try to sing more songs that can help you get closer to God. God also is pleased if we praise and worship Him with songs.
We need a balanced growth. We should not have unbalanced nutrition that causes a big head with a small body or heavy feet with a light chest. We cannot just train our upper body muscles but have a weak lower body, or just pay attention to bone health but be blind and deaf. We cannot neglect parts of our body. Therefore we have to pursue bible study, prayer and personal worship. We should look at God’s word as intellectual learning, prayer as a neutral practice and praise/worship as emotional purification, so that we can know God more and grow more in Him.
Last time I talked about the factors that cause spiritual nutritional deficiency: 1) Superficial bible reading, studying and following; 2) The attitude that praying is a chore; 3) Praise and worship limited to Sunday worship. These will all influence our spiritual growth.
What about unbalanced diets? That is eating some foods and not eating or eating only very little of other foods. Some people only eat a balanced vegetarian diet and do not eat desserts. That is a good habit. A spiritually balanced diet however cannot only emphasize intensive bible study and neglect prayer life, or emphasize prayer life but neglect praise and worship, or emphasize praise and worship but neglect bible study.
Serious pursuit to understand and study the bible in detail is a very good spiritual discipline. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Tim 3:16-17) God’s word is really precious; it can be the lamp unto my feet, the light unto my path, and the abundant wisdom to guide our life. But if we only study the bible as a textbook, it may become just intellectual knowledge that fills our brain but may not lead to good behavior.
It is not enough just to talk about God’s word. If we really know God’s word, our attitudes toward our spouses, children, relatives, brothers and sisters in Christ, friends and co-workers in our daily lives will reflect it. Do we live our lives according to God’s teaching or according to our own self-centeredness? If we do not seriously interpret scripture viewing scripture as the inspired word, we may misunderstand or misinterpret scripture. If we try to interpret scripture out of context, or according to our own understanding, we may twist the truth of the bible and become cultic. If we cannot recognize the truth, we may follow false teachings. If our understanding of God does not have a firm foundation, we may develop a subjective theology that suits our own thinking. That is not honoring God’s teaching.
Do we really earnestly pray to understand God’s word and get close to God with praise and worship? Often we neglect prayer and/or worship, so that our prayer life is dry and we do not learn to pray with effort. are a lot of examples of Jesus’ personal prayers (see the first part of my article in the last issue). He poured out His heart in His prayers to God not just for blessings, but also for the will of God to be accomplished in His life. His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was filled with His struggles and His willing submission to God’s will. Jesus’ prayer was connected with both subjective feelings and objective thoughts. I heard someone say before, “Brothers’ prayers are usually short and direct. Sisters’ are like compositions.” Perhaps men and women have different ways of expression. But prayer is an important part of our spiritual growth. A lot of ministries started with prayers. Church revival must be supported by prayers.
Another imbalance is thinking that singing and praising is only a small part of the worship service because it is not the main entrée (the sermon); it is only a fill-in. Therefore it should be as short as possible. We don’t need to sing too many songs in Service, not to mention time for family or personal praise and worship. There are a lot of praise songs in the Old Testament. In Psalm, the last Psalm (150) teaches us how to praise the Lord: “When the ark of God was moved back to Jerusalem, King David praise Him with different music instruments, songs and dance.” (II Sam 6:5,14) After Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea, there was the Song of Miriam (Exodus 15), and Paul said in Ephesians 5:19 that we should “speak to one another with Psalm, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to God.” 5:13 says, “Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is any happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Acts 16:25 recorded that Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God in prison and the other prisoners were listening to them. Rev 5:9 says that they sang a new song to the Lamb. Since all scripture is God-breathed, therefore we should learn from the words of the scripture.
Prayer is a very important discipline in the believer’s life. Some people are very involved in prayer. They talk to God all the time and have an intimate relationship with God. This should be encouraged. However, they are not as enthusiastic in reading the bible. Why? Is it because they do not understand it or cannot relate it to their lives? Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” This was what Jesus said regarding His Second Coming. Are we prepared? If we only spent time in prayer but not in His word to understand it, we will be confused.
Some may say, “God tells me this in my prayer. I am so close to God all the time and I believe this is His will.” That is subjective, but is there any objective evidence? This has to be examined with scripture. Another barrier is we do not have the appetite to seek God’s word. This is like a child who tells his father his thoughts and his needs, etc, but does not quiet down to listen to the Father’s word. Bible reading and prayers are closely related. Both improve our communication with God, and help us in tandem to do what God wants us to do.
In a family, no matter how harmonious, there will be conflicts. Sometimes I feel that my husband does not understand my feelings and provokes me to anger, and it is difficult to submit. Even though I pray to God to help me to forgive him, it is still difficult to forgive. It is not because God does not listen to my prayer, but because my heart was hard. Jesus said in Matthew 6:12, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” The following verse 13 started with, “And lead us not into temptation…” Very often, our temptation is to allow bitterness to take root and grow in our heart, so that the Word of God cannot work in it. Maybe we have to ask the Holy Spirit to help us, to give us a soft heart to receive His word.
Chinese churches in general do not emphasize music and worship as much as American churches. This may be because of the limited resources, so we cannot expand our music ministry even if we want to. I have been to churches with more than 1,000 attendees with a half hour praise and worship to prepare the congregation to listen to a 45 minute sermon. One time I was out of town and attended a regular Sunday Service. The worship was about 40 minutes but the sermon only lasted 20 minutes. This was unbalanced. Even though singing and praise can move hearts and loosen the soil--and a lot of evangelistic meetings use choirs and worship teams to prepare people to receive the message--that 20 minute message seemed to be meaningless. It gave me the impression that they did not care about God’s word or try to build up the members of the body, but only cared about the congregation’s subjective feelings of participation. A 20 minute sharing or message can be edifying if it is substantive and solid, and the length is not as important as the content. But that church’s worship and message proportion was not appropriate. If it is an evangelistic meeting, a revival meeting or a retreat, it may be fine to have a lot more music.
If you love songs and worship, and spend a lot of time listening on the Internet and singing, I thank the Lord for you--you have a hold on personal worship. But I hope you also grow in the word of God, spend more time to study the bible, and also grow gradually in prayer. If you feel that singing and worship does not feel substantive, is a waste of time because you do not learn a lot, and only bible study and prayer are worthy of your time, I hope you will try to sing more songs that can help you get closer to God. God also is pleased if we praise and worship Him with songs.
We need a balanced growth. We should not have unbalanced nutrition that causes a big head with a small body or heavy feet with a light chest. We cannot just train our upper body muscles but have a weak lower body, or just pay attention to bone health but be blind and deaf. We cannot neglect parts of our body. Therefore we have to pursue bible study, prayer and personal worship. We should look at God’s word as intellectual learning, prayer as a neutral practice and praise/worship as emotional purification, so that we can know God more and grow more in Him.
Funeral
Author: Ginny
On the weekend of August 8, our family took a vacation before my older son went back to college and my younger son started his freshman year in high school. We celebrated a belated Father’s Day and our Wedding Anniversary. Due to Philip’s sciatica condition since early this March, and he was not completely recovered in June, we delayed our celebration until August.
That Sunday afternoon while we were still enjoying our vacation, I received a text message from my old church’s prayer partner: Dr. Tsang passed away from a heart attack and his wife caught a flight back from her Africa mission trip. I was really shocked and could not believe this. That night at about eleven o'clock, I received a brother’s phone call from another church that Minster Miss Helen Cheung passed away. In one day, I got two calls with startling news and was really emotional.
The sudden death of Brother Tsang was so unexpected for Philip and me. I remembered when I was a single mom, my 8-month old son and I spent our first Mother's Day with his family. Later his wife visited Shanghai with one of their daughters and they visited our Migrant Performing Troupe. One summer we lived in their Chicago downtown apartment when we came back for vacation. Other than at his daughter’s wedding and sometimes hanging out with his wife, recently we met mostly in brothers’ and sisters’ weddings or funerals. I could not expect this time I would see him in his own funeral.
I knew Minister Helen Cheung through her elder sister Minister Miss Faye Cheung. I met both of them at a sister’s house several times. They both came to me and said that they were thankful to God that I came out of my trial and was blessed by God. Later their health was getting worse, however, that they seldom appeared in public occasions.
Both Tsang and Cheung had their funerals on the same Saturday at the same time. Therefore we went to their wakes on Friday evening and attended Tsang’s funeral on that Saturday.
After a long day that Saturday, at around 7.15 pm, I received phone calls from Yuan Wen and Wendy, they told me that Shuwei had a car accident and he passed away. They asked Philip and I run to Xiuping’s house as soon as possible. We just got over with one funeral, and now heard about another good brother’s sudden death. Our hearts were sad with grief, last week he was still in the church. In the past he and Xiuping came to our house for dinners and meetings, they both worked on the plants in my front and back yards. My heart was heavy and did not know how to comfort our sister. I could only say to God: “I cannot understand why this happened to him, God, I pray that you will give Xiuping and Ran enough strength to deal with their future.” That followed with helping out the funeral and delivering meals from our GCCC brothers and sisters.
These three funerals prompted me to think about our family’s past four funerals. When I was young, we lived with my grandfather from my mom’s side and my grandmother from my dad’s side. We had a 10 people at the dinner table, my mom and dad, the grandparents, four children and 2 maids. It was a happy big crowd. When my grandfather passed away at our home, I was the first one to find out. I was still a child and tried to get him to play with me, but he didn’t move at all and I went to tell my mom, then I found out grandfather had no breath at all. He went back to the Heavenly Home. Then when my grandmother died, I was still quite young. She had a stroke and did not go to a nursing home: I saw how my parents took care of her. One night, I saw a police car and an ambulance came, my parent told the maids to take care of us and they went out. When they came home, they told us that grandmother passed away. My grandmother worshipped idols when she was alive. Therefore, her funeral was different from my grandfather’s Christian funeral. I remembered we were in the funeral home and there were so much smoke and incense. They burned lots of paper houses and cars… I had nightmares seeing that scene. Since I was very young that time, I did not understand why their funerals were so different. Grandfather’s was much more simple and he looked like he was sleeping peacefully.
The third one was my mother-in-law; she also passed away at home. That afternoon I went out with my two sons for a homeschool activity. I said goodbye and left the house. Around 6 o’clock, Philip got home after work before me and called me that his mother passed away. When I came home with the children and got into her room, she looked like she was sleeping peacefully on her bed. The Heavenly Father took her home. Later we moved to Shanghai for missions while working, my father in Hong Kong got a stroke and was in the hospital for almost 2 months. My mom and I stayed at his bedside at his last breath. I whispered to his ear Psalm 23, I told him that God was taking him to a better place. He finally rested on the Lord with no more suffering from his sickness.
In life, death is inevitable, no matter how glamorous or simple lives we have, we still have to face death one day. If we do not know our destination after we go there, it is really scary. If you end up in hell, it will be too late.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11). People cannot fathom the wisdom of God's acts, we can only see and live in a limited space, and also briefly. When the time comes, our physical bodies will have to go and our souls will go somewhere. But He has also set “eternity” (original root word means 'hidden') in the human heart. In the Old Testament refers to the eternal consciousness. Therefore eternal consciousness is in our nature. However, the nature of the world is not in harmony with our nature, only when we return to the same realm can our soul rest.
Before your funeral, do you know if you will be in the eternal home?
On the weekend of August 8, our family took a vacation before my older son went back to college and my younger son started his freshman year in high school. We celebrated a belated Father’s Day and our Wedding Anniversary. Due to Philip’s sciatica condition since early this March, and he was not completely recovered in June, we delayed our celebration until August.
That Sunday afternoon while we were still enjoying our vacation, I received a text message from my old church’s prayer partner: Dr. Tsang passed away from a heart attack and his wife caught a flight back from her Africa mission trip. I was really shocked and could not believe this. That night at about eleven o'clock, I received a brother’s phone call from another church that Minster Miss Helen Cheung passed away. In one day, I got two calls with startling news and was really emotional.
The sudden death of Brother Tsang was so unexpected for Philip and me. I remembered when I was a single mom, my 8-month old son and I spent our first Mother's Day with his family. Later his wife visited Shanghai with one of their daughters and they visited our Migrant Performing Troupe. One summer we lived in their Chicago downtown apartment when we came back for vacation. Other than at his daughter’s wedding and sometimes hanging out with his wife, recently we met mostly in brothers’ and sisters’ weddings or funerals. I could not expect this time I would see him in his own funeral.
I knew Minister Helen Cheung through her elder sister Minister Miss Faye Cheung. I met both of them at a sister’s house several times. They both came to me and said that they were thankful to God that I came out of my trial and was blessed by God. Later their health was getting worse, however, that they seldom appeared in public occasions.
Both Tsang and Cheung had their funerals on the same Saturday at the same time. Therefore we went to their wakes on Friday evening and attended Tsang’s funeral on that Saturday.
After a long day that Saturday, at around 7.15 pm, I received phone calls from Yuan Wen and Wendy, they told me that Shuwei had a car accident and he passed away. They asked Philip and I run to Xiuping’s house as soon as possible. We just got over with one funeral, and now heard about another good brother’s sudden death. Our hearts were sad with grief, last week he was still in the church. In the past he and Xiuping came to our house for dinners and meetings, they both worked on the plants in my front and back yards. My heart was heavy and did not know how to comfort our sister. I could only say to God: “I cannot understand why this happened to him, God, I pray that you will give Xiuping and Ran enough strength to deal with their future.” That followed with helping out the funeral and delivering meals from our GCCC brothers and sisters.
These three funerals prompted me to think about our family’s past four funerals. When I was young, we lived with my grandfather from my mom’s side and my grandmother from my dad’s side. We had a 10 people at the dinner table, my mom and dad, the grandparents, four children and 2 maids. It was a happy big crowd. When my grandfather passed away at our home, I was the first one to find out. I was still a child and tried to get him to play with me, but he didn’t move at all and I went to tell my mom, then I found out grandfather had no breath at all. He went back to the Heavenly Home. Then when my grandmother died, I was still quite young. She had a stroke and did not go to a nursing home: I saw how my parents took care of her. One night, I saw a police car and an ambulance came, my parent told the maids to take care of us and they went out. When they came home, they told us that grandmother passed away. My grandmother worshipped idols when she was alive. Therefore, her funeral was different from my grandfather’s Christian funeral. I remembered we were in the funeral home and there were so much smoke and incense. They burned lots of paper houses and cars… I had nightmares seeing that scene. Since I was very young that time, I did not understand why their funerals were so different. Grandfather’s was much more simple and he looked like he was sleeping peacefully.
The third one was my mother-in-law; she also passed away at home. That afternoon I went out with my two sons for a homeschool activity. I said goodbye and left the house. Around 6 o’clock, Philip got home after work before me and called me that his mother passed away. When I came home with the children and got into her room, she looked like she was sleeping peacefully on her bed. The Heavenly Father took her home. Later we moved to Shanghai for missions while working, my father in Hong Kong got a stroke and was in the hospital for almost 2 months. My mom and I stayed at his bedside at his last breath. I whispered to his ear Psalm 23, I told him that God was taking him to a better place. He finally rested on the Lord with no more suffering from his sickness.
In life, death is inevitable, no matter how glamorous or simple lives we have, we still have to face death one day. If we do not know our destination after we go there, it is really scary. If you end up in hell, it will be too late.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11). People cannot fathom the wisdom of God's acts, we can only see and live in a limited space, and also briefly. When the time comes, our physical bodies will have to go and our souls will go somewhere. But He has also set “eternity” (original root word means 'hidden') in the human heart. In the Old Testament refers to the eternal consciousness. Therefore eternal consciousness is in our nature. However, the nature of the world is not in harmony with our nature, only when we return to the same realm can our soul rest.
Before your funeral, do you know if you will be in the eternal home?
The Present State of Christianity in China
Author: Mr Hu
I. The development of Christianity
When the communist Party started to rule the country, Christianity had only developed for a short period. The number of Christians grew to 700,000 and the number of churches grew to a few thousand. after the great shock and destruction of the Anti-Right Movement and especially the Cultural Revolution, the number of Christians went down to less than 10,000 and the number of churches went down to less than 100. The Opening Up Policy provided the relaxed environment and factors for the development and growth of Christianity. Many western missionaries entered China and reached many places. At the same time, economic developments, increasing living standards and lack of spiritual faith provided the good soil for the development of Christianity. I lived in a small town of 60,000 people and we have 3 churches and about 2,000 Christians. So Christians constitute about 3% of the population. Based on this, we can estimate that there may be 50 to 60 million Christians in China, almost a hundred times the numbers at the beginning of the country and it is still growing. China may become the country with the most Christians.
II. The Constituency and Proportions of Christians
From my conversations with the understanding from deacons elders, pastors and ministers in our area churches, the Christians are 1) 10% male, 90% female, 2) 60% over age 60, 20% from 50-60 years of age, 20% are under 50 year-old, 3) 50% grade school education, 30% junior high, 15% high school, 5% college and above.
III. Reasons to believe
1. Active Christians. These Christians have higher education and idealism, a small number are government workers and school teachers. Because of the traditional moral ethics have been wiped out during the Cultural Revolution. The Marxist/Maoist theories and thoughts are unrealistic humanly speaking and no new belief system has been established. The infusion of Christianity is like a fresh spring, giving people’s barren hearts new strength, a sense of belonging and a new pursuit for their souls. These Christians will be the foundation and strength for the development of Christianity in China.
2. Passive Christian. 90% of the Christians in churches are passive. Some became Christians because they had disabilities or incurable diseases that did not get better with medical treatment or other gods. Some became Christians hoping to get food fortune, wealth, and long life or get peace and blessing for their families. These Christians do not have a good foundation for their faith and are easily shaken if their prayers/wishes are not answered. Some will turn to cults and other religions and bring bad influences for the churches.
IV. Kinds of Models of Churches
1. Three-Self Churches – sanctioned by local government and governed and led by the Religions Bureau.
2. House Churches – organized and governed by Christians, not led or governed by government authorities.
3. Cults – Called “Christian” but actually cultic (such as the Eastern Lightning)
V. Function of the Church
After 30 years of reform and opening, China has achieved a lot of development, material prosperity, rise of living standards, and better material and cultural improvement like never before. However, because of the single-minded pursuit of productivity and wealth and the neglect of spiritual pursuit, there is a lack of faith with moral decline, hard-heartedness and dishonesty. People would pursue wealth by any means and fight each other openly or secretly for fame or fortune. People lie and cheat without need for justification. Speaking the truth on the other hand is rare and needs good reason for it. Laws and rules are just empty words. “Unspoken rules become the norm.” “Money becomes the horse to ride on the difficult worldly road, wine is the soldier to invade into the weak depressed city” have become the rules and mottos for people to follow. Society lacks the most basic moral bottom line. Material social improvement and spiritual cultural decline becomes a strange cycle. Physical wealth and spiritual poverty are inversely proportional. Christianity is like a warm current that brings warmth and hope to the thirsty and hungry souls.
1. Christianity is the home for people’s heart
When a person confesses their sins, repents, gets baptized and is born again to become a Christian, they will not continue to live in pain, depravity and without purpose. Their soul will not be slumbering anymore because the new spiritual life brings a new eternal life, with eternal hope and a blessed home for the soul.
2. Christianity is the antidote to purify the social environment
The greatest commandments in Christian doctrines are to love God and to love others. Christian discipline their speech and behavior with the Biblical teaching, humble themselves toward others, love others as themselves, realize they are sinners and continually confess their sins through their relationship with God. When the number of Christians increases, the society will become more civilized and harmonious and spiritual culture will be higher.
Because the Chinese Communist Party and Government are more relaxed in their control of Christianity, it provides some opportunities to spread and develop Christianity. If we do not cause trouble or threaten authorities, within some limits, the spreading of gospel is allowed.
Finally may God bless our motherland and may the gospel spread throughout every corner of our country.
I. The development of Christianity
When the communist Party started to rule the country, Christianity had only developed for a short period. The number of Christians grew to 700,000 and the number of churches grew to a few thousand. after the great shock and destruction of the Anti-Right Movement and especially the Cultural Revolution, the number of Christians went down to less than 10,000 and the number of churches went down to less than 100. The Opening Up Policy provided the relaxed environment and factors for the development and growth of Christianity. Many western missionaries entered China and reached many places. At the same time, economic developments, increasing living standards and lack of spiritual faith provided the good soil for the development of Christianity. I lived in a small town of 60,000 people and we have 3 churches and about 2,000 Christians. So Christians constitute about 3% of the population. Based on this, we can estimate that there may be 50 to 60 million Christians in China, almost a hundred times the numbers at the beginning of the country and it is still growing. China may become the country with the most Christians.
II. The Constituency and Proportions of Christians
From my conversations with the understanding from deacons elders, pastors and ministers in our area churches, the Christians are 1) 10% male, 90% female, 2) 60% over age 60, 20% from 50-60 years of age, 20% are under 50 year-old, 3) 50% grade school education, 30% junior high, 15% high school, 5% college and above.
III. Reasons to believe
1. Active Christians. These Christians have higher education and idealism, a small number are government workers and school teachers. Because of the traditional moral ethics have been wiped out during the Cultural Revolution. The Marxist/Maoist theories and thoughts are unrealistic humanly speaking and no new belief system has been established. The infusion of Christianity is like a fresh spring, giving people’s barren hearts new strength, a sense of belonging and a new pursuit for their souls. These Christians will be the foundation and strength for the development of Christianity in China.
2. Passive Christian. 90% of the Christians in churches are passive. Some became Christians because they had disabilities or incurable diseases that did not get better with medical treatment or other gods. Some became Christians hoping to get food fortune, wealth, and long life or get peace and blessing for their families. These Christians do not have a good foundation for their faith and are easily shaken if their prayers/wishes are not answered. Some will turn to cults and other religions and bring bad influences for the churches.
IV. Kinds of Models of Churches
1. Three-Self Churches – sanctioned by local government and governed and led by the Religions Bureau.
2. House Churches – organized and governed by Christians, not led or governed by government authorities.
3. Cults – Called “Christian” but actually cultic (such as the Eastern Lightning)
V. Function of the Church
After 30 years of reform and opening, China has achieved a lot of development, material prosperity, rise of living standards, and better material and cultural improvement like never before. However, because of the single-minded pursuit of productivity and wealth and the neglect of spiritual pursuit, there is a lack of faith with moral decline, hard-heartedness and dishonesty. People would pursue wealth by any means and fight each other openly or secretly for fame or fortune. People lie and cheat without need for justification. Speaking the truth on the other hand is rare and needs good reason for it. Laws and rules are just empty words. “Unspoken rules become the norm.” “Money becomes the horse to ride on the difficult worldly road, wine is the soldier to invade into the weak depressed city” have become the rules and mottos for people to follow. Society lacks the most basic moral bottom line. Material social improvement and spiritual cultural decline becomes a strange cycle. Physical wealth and spiritual poverty are inversely proportional. Christianity is like a warm current that brings warmth and hope to the thirsty and hungry souls.
1. Christianity is the home for people’s heart
When a person confesses their sins, repents, gets baptized and is born again to become a Christian, they will not continue to live in pain, depravity and without purpose. Their soul will not be slumbering anymore because the new spiritual life brings a new eternal life, with eternal hope and a blessed home for the soul.
2. Christianity is the antidote to purify the social environment
The greatest commandments in Christian doctrines are to love God and to love others. Christian discipline their speech and behavior with the Biblical teaching, humble themselves toward others, love others as themselves, realize they are sinners and continually confess their sins through their relationship with God. When the number of Christians increases, the society will become more civilized and harmonious and spiritual culture will be higher.
Because the Chinese Communist Party and Government are more relaxed in their control of Christianity, it provides some opportunities to spread and develop Christianity. If we do not cause trouble or threaten authorities, within some limits, the spreading of gospel is allowed.
Finally may God bless our motherland and may the gospel spread throughout every corner of our country.
Onion Skin
Author: Ning
Thank the Lord for all His protection and His healing. He never leaves or forsakes me. May the Lord continue to heal and help brothers and sisters that are sick. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
While this prayer is short, its effects on my life were long lasting.
On the day of the 2013 Thanksgiving church potluck I was taking out some food from the trunk of my car. I tried to close the trunk but because I was in a hurry and not being very careful, I hit my forehead quite hard. At the time I did not notice any apparent injury so I did not think anything of it. Two days later in the evening, I saw something flashing in my right eye. looked like fireworks. I knew something was wrong so I went to bed and closed my eyes hoping that things would return to normal the next day. However, things got worse when I woke up the next day. What I saw were no longer fireworks, but tree branches, rivers and streams. I knew something was wrong with my eye. My wife immediately took me to a nearby hospital’s eye clinic for a check-up. The doctor told me that I had a retinal tear and referred me to a nearby retinal center for further treatment.
The retinal center was full of people so I had to wait for a while. While waiting I prayed to God that the situation would not be too bad. I waited for about 2 hours before the retinal doctor had time to check me. He dilated my pupil, scanned my eye, and found a horseshoe shaped tear. The doctor said that I was fortunate to have come in so quickly otherwise the repair for a retinal detachment would be more complicated and require laying in the hospital for days. I might have lost my vision with a more severe case. The doctor used a procedure called cryosurgery to repair the tear.
About 3 months after the procedure, my vision recovered but there seemed to be a thin veil over my eye that moved with my eyes. At first, I thought that was because I was still recovering. I mentioned that to the surgeon during follow up but he did not seem to be worried about it. The veil persisted for more than a year. In mid 2014 I went to another eye doctor and found out that the veil was due to a complication from the retinal repair procedure called retinal wrinkling.
The middle layer of the retina is the pigment layer. After the retinal repair, a thin layer of connective tissue grew on the surface and caused it to thicken and wrinkle so that the vision became darkened and blurred. The doctor said that we could do surgery to take away the layer to recover part of my vision but also explained these could be risks like infections and even loss of vision in that eye. That frightened me and made my hair stand up. After some consideration I decided to get a second opinion.
Earlier this year, I was in Hong Kong and also got eye check-up. The doctor in Hong Kong explained retinal wrinkling more. He said that the operation should be done under general anesthesia, I would then have to lie in the hospital for two days, than a few weeks I had to sleep on me stomach, and I could not fly for 3 months because of air-pressure changes. The cost was really tremendous. So I gave up on the treatment in Hong Kong and decided to come back to the U.S. but I really did not have any idea as to how to resolve my eye problem and how to treat it. I recalled the scripture, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Ha ha, as the Lord knew that my vision was blurred, He would lead the path I should take. So I prayed unceasingly and listened intently for His guidance hoping for a quick response. Our merciful God did not let me wait for long before answering my prayers. He already secretly sent a messenger.
While I was waiting, I ran into a neighbor. I found out that she also had eye problems and she recommended her eye doctor to me. This lady doctor examined me and then explained my symptoms to me in detail. She felt that I needed the surgery and told me that she had done many such operations. She told me that it was as easy as tearing the skin off an onion. She seemed so confident so I booked a date for the surgery.
The day before my surgery, my other eye suddenly saw flashing stars and a big bright circle. I was shocked and depressed with this additional problem. So I called Mr. Zane for help. He immediately drove me to the University of Chicago Eye Department, the clinic of the doctor who was to perform my surgery the next day. On the way I kept praying to God for a peaceful heart. The doctor diagnosed vitreous retraction with floaters. The retina was ok. So I was relieved. Thank the Lord!
So the surgery proceeded as scheduled the next day. I arrived at the hospital at 5:30 the morning, got registered and went to the waiting area. I changed and then lay down on a stretcher. My heart was unsettled so I prayed to God for His blessing in the surgery. left everything up to Him. Soon I was pushed into the operating room. Inside was the retinal specialist, a cataract specialist, the anesthesiologist and two resident doctors. The procedure only required local anesthesia but I soon fell asleep. Later I woke up and heard the doctors telling me not to move. I felt something pushing my eye and saw the forceps moving. It was scary. The procedure was completed in about an hour. I was pushed back to the waiting area. My brain still felt like floating in the air. I felt hungry and medical personnel gave me crackers and juice. The doctor came and told me that the surgery was smooth. She tore off the wrinkled membrane and put three stitches and also performed cataract surgery with one stitch. Therefore my eye would be red and swollen for a while. I had to use 4 kinds of eye drops and ointments to decrease the inflammation and to prevent infections, etc. During my check-up a week later, the doctor thought that everything was fine, awaiting further recovery.
Thank the Lord! My eye problem for two years has been treated. The doctor said that the vision would slowly recover but I know that with God nothing is scary. We only need to trust Him to have peace in our hearts. We can walk forward even if we cannot see clearly because God’s word is the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path. O God, let me thank you again!
I also need to especially thank the Lord for giving me such a nice wife. I also have to thank Brother Zane for driving me to the hospital and back during those days. On the day of surgery, he came to my home early in the morning around 4 am, I really deeply appreciate the brotherly care and love.
I also have to thank GCCC brothers and sisters for their concerns and prayers. Even though GCCC is not a big church, the love among brothers and sisters not only gives great strength and encouragement to those members who are weak and sick but also manifest God’s love to other people.
May all glory be to the Lord!
Thank the Lord for all His protection and His healing. He never leaves or forsakes me. May the Lord continue to heal and help brothers and sisters that are sick. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
While this prayer is short, its effects on my life were long lasting.
On the day of the 2013 Thanksgiving church potluck I was taking out some food from the trunk of my car. I tried to close the trunk but because I was in a hurry and not being very careful, I hit my forehead quite hard. At the time I did not notice any apparent injury so I did not think anything of it. Two days later in the evening, I saw something flashing in my right eye. looked like fireworks. I knew something was wrong so I went to bed and closed my eyes hoping that things would return to normal the next day. However, things got worse when I woke up the next day. What I saw were no longer fireworks, but tree branches, rivers and streams. I knew something was wrong with my eye. My wife immediately took me to a nearby hospital’s eye clinic for a check-up. The doctor told me that I had a retinal tear and referred me to a nearby retinal center for further treatment.
The retinal center was full of people so I had to wait for a while. While waiting I prayed to God that the situation would not be too bad. I waited for about 2 hours before the retinal doctor had time to check me. He dilated my pupil, scanned my eye, and found a horseshoe shaped tear. The doctor said that I was fortunate to have come in so quickly otherwise the repair for a retinal detachment would be more complicated and require laying in the hospital for days. I might have lost my vision with a more severe case. The doctor used a procedure called cryosurgery to repair the tear.
About 3 months after the procedure, my vision recovered but there seemed to be a thin veil over my eye that moved with my eyes. At first, I thought that was because I was still recovering. I mentioned that to the surgeon during follow up but he did not seem to be worried about it. The veil persisted for more than a year. In mid 2014 I went to another eye doctor and found out that the veil was due to a complication from the retinal repair procedure called retinal wrinkling.
The middle layer of the retina is the pigment layer. After the retinal repair, a thin layer of connective tissue grew on the surface and caused it to thicken and wrinkle so that the vision became darkened and blurred. The doctor said that we could do surgery to take away the layer to recover part of my vision but also explained these could be risks like infections and even loss of vision in that eye. That frightened me and made my hair stand up. After some consideration I decided to get a second opinion.
Earlier this year, I was in Hong Kong and also got eye check-up. The doctor in Hong Kong explained retinal wrinkling more. He said that the operation should be done under general anesthesia, I would then have to lie in the hospital for two days, than a few weeks I had to sleep on me stomach, and I could not fly for 3 months because of air-pressure changes. The cost was really tremendous. So I gave up on the treatment in Hong Kong and decided to come back to the U.S. but I really did not have any idea as to how to resolve my eye problem and how to treat it. I recalled the scripture, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Ha ha, as the Lord knew that my vision was blurred, He would lead the path I should take. So I prayed unceasingly and listened intently for His guidance hoping for a quick response. Our merciful God did not let me wait for long before answering my prayers. He already secretly sent a messenger.
While I was waiting, I ran into a neighbor. I found out that she also had eye problems and she recommended her eye doctor to me. This lady doctor examined me and then explained my symptoms to me in detail. She felt that I needed the surgery and told me that she had done many such operations. She told me that it was as easy as tearing the skin off an onion. She seemed so confident so I booked a date for the surgery.
The day before my surgery, my other eye suddenly saw flashing stars and a big bright circle. I was shocked and depressed with this additional problem. So I called Mr. Zane for help. He immediately drove me to the University of Chicago Eye Department, the clinic of the doctor who was to perform my surgery the next day. On the way I kept praying to God for a peaceful heart. The doctor diagnosed vitreous retraction with floaters. The retina was ok. So I was relieved. Thank the Lord!
So the surgery proceeded as scheduled the next day. I arrived at the hospital at 5:30 the morning, got registered and went to the waiting area. I changed and then lay down on a stretcher. My heart was unsettled so I prayed to God for His blessing in the surgery. left everything up to Him. Soon I was pushed into the operating room. Inside was the retinal specialist, a cataract specialist, the anesthesiologist and two resident doctors. The procedure only required local anesthesia but I soon fell asleep. Later I woke up and heard the doctors telling me not to move. I felt something pushing my eye and saw the forceps moving. It was scary. The procedure was completed in about an hour. I was pushed back to the waiting area. My brain still felt like floating in the air. I felt hungry and medical personnel gave me crackers and juice. The doctor came and told me that the surgery was smooth. She tore off the wrinkled membrane and put three stitches and also performed cataract surgery with one stitch. Therefore my eye would be red and swollen for a while. I had to use 4 kinds of eye drops and ointments to decrease the inflammation and to prevent infections, etc. During my check-up a week later, the doctor thought that everything was fine, awaiting further recovery.
Thank the Lord! My eye problem for two years has been treated. The doctor said that the vision would slowly recover but I know that with God nothing is scary. We only need to trust Him to have peace in our hearts. We can walk forward even if we cannot see clearly because God’s word is the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path. O God, let me thank you again!
I also need to especially thank the Lord for giving me such a nice wife. I also have to thank Brother Zane for driving me to the hospital and back during those days. On the day of surgery, he came to my home early in the morning around 4 am, I really deeply appreciate the brotherly care and love.
I also have to thank GCCC brothers and sisters for their concerns and prayers. Even though GCCC is not a big church, the love among brothers and sisters not only gives great strength and encouragement to those members who are weak and sick but also manifest God’s love to other people.
May all glory be to the Lord!
Psalm 23:
Author: Michael in China 8/13/2015
(Questions & Answers and Thoughts. Personal Devotion, not Standard Answers)
23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (NIV)
Q1. Why is the metaphor of sheep and shepherd no longer used here?
A. In this verse, the metaphor of sheep and man, 2 species that have difficulty communicating with each other probably cannot express the high level relationship between the poet and his Lord. Therefore the poet adopted the metaphor of friends with someone hosting a feast for a guest.
Q2. Why is the table prepared before me “in the presence of my enemies?” Who prepares the table?
A. The Lord prepares the table for me, “in the presence of my enemies”, may be indicating a victory after a battle. This is not an ordinary luxurious enjoyment. Even though some enemies hope to see us defeated and shamed, our Lord prepares a victory feast for us.
Q3. Why did David say, “You anoint my head with oil?” Who anointed David?
A. In the Middle East, a host might customarily anoint guests with perfume. Anointing with oil might signify blessing for prosperity. However David might also be recalling here what actually had happened when he was young: the Lord sent Samuel to anoint David to be the King of Israel. So David was the anointed one. The Hebrew word “Messiah” means “Anointed One”. The Messiah would come from David’s descendents.
Q4. What does “my cup overflows” signify?
A. In Psalm 16, David said, “Lord, you have assigned me my position and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Therefore the “cup” signifies our blessings that the Lord assigned to us and they are delightful.
Q5. In whose wedding was this Psalm sung?
A. As this verse has the metaphor of feasting guests, this Psalm sometimes appears in weddings, such as the wedding in the link below with live singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1j7Fjj4eCw
Q6. In what other occasions might this Psalm be used?
A. a. Funerals (may be related to verses 4 & 6) b. The Jewish Shabbat.
Q7. Why would this Psalm be used in the Jewish Shabbat?
A. Maybe it is related to the rest mentioned in verses 2 & 3: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Maybe it is related to the last verse regarding “The Perfect Rest: yom shekulo shabbat” hoping for the dwelling in the house of the Lord “forever”. But it is more likely related to the “feast” (the “table” in the original language) and the “cup” in this verse. These are the 2 of the 5 things that the Jewish prepare every week before the shabbat (lamp, bed, cup, plate and table). During the preparation, they select the nice cups and utensils; they put fresh flowers and a pair of sweet rolls on the table; they have grape juice in the cups for Kiddush. That is the prayer to sanctify the Shabbat, to remember the Lord’s creation in 6 days, His rest on the 7th day, and His deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Psalm 23 is recited twice on the Shabbat, at lunch and at dinner. Thank the Lord that “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”! Even though it is not yet “the perfect rest, yom shekuloShabbat”, and during the workweek days we often face troubles, yet every weekend we can remember that we have the assurance of rest and victory in the Lord.
This verse begins with the personal pronoun “You”. Our world is not perfect yet and there are “enemies” (signifying all kinds of difficulty in oppression and danger). When we face “enemies”, we do not have peace. But when we face “you”, Lord, we have peace, and we see the wonderful feast “you” prepare for us. The Shabbat is a good opportunity to learn to face “You”.
Q8. Do I have any experience relating to this Psalm?
A. Yes, I have had a few related experiences, some to do with the English version, some with the characters, some with the old Chinese version, and some with the Hebrew version. Originally I did not think to write this but because I mentioned about other’s weddings in answer to the 5th question, I was inspired to talk about one experience.
Many years ago, I was looking for a wife. Someone introduced a person in China to me and I was told that she was from a Christian family. But as she was so far away I could not be sure. So I sent an email in English (at that time I was not able to type in Chinese) to introduce myself and I said that I liked the psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want…” and I attached an English version of the Psalm but I did not mention where it came from to test her. The next day she replied and said that Psalm 23 was the one that her mom liked the most and also many other psalms that she liked (90,103 and 139). I still keep that email, “Thank you for attaching Psalm. It’s my mother's’ and my favorite also. And I love many phases of Bible, eg. Psalm 90, 103 and 139, Proverbs 1:7, 3:5-6, Isaiah 55:8-9, Joshua 24:15 (the last of the verse 15)…many words of the New Testament, etc.” As I read it, I could see that she was not only a real believer, but also much more mature than me. She also saw that I was a true believer and we later got married. Her mom has passed away and we are much older now, but there are still my good memories. So whenever I talk about Psalm 23. I feel a sense of intimacy.
(Questions & Answers and Thoughts. Personal Devotion, not Standard Answers)
23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (NIV)
Q1. Why is the metaphor of sheep and shepherd no longer used here?
A. In this verse, the metaphor of sheep and man, 2 species that have difficulty communicating with each other probably cannot express the high level relationship between the poet and his Lord. Therefore the poet adopted the metaphor of friends with someone hosting a feast for a guest.
Q2. Why is the table prepared before me “in the presence of my enemies?” Who prepares the table?
A. The Lord prepares the table for me, “in the presence of my enemies”, may be indicating a victory after a battle. This is not an ordinary luxurious enjoyment. Even though some enemies hope to see us defeated and shamed, our Lord prepares a victory feast for us.
Q3. Why did David say, “You anoint my head with oil?” Who anointed David?
A. In the Middle East, a host might customarily anoint guests with perfume. Anointing with oil might signify blessing for prosperity. However David might also be recalling here what actually had happened when he was young: the Lord sent Samuel to anoint David to be the King of Israel. So David was the anointed one. The Hebrew word “Messiah” means “Anointed One”. The Messiah would come from David’s descendents.
Q4. What does “my cup overflows” signify?
A. In Psalm 16, David said, “Lord, you have assigned me my position and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Therefore the “cup” signifies our blessings that the Lord assigned to us and they are delightful.
Q5. In whose wedding was this Psalm sung?
A. As this verse has the metaphor of feasting guests, this Psalm sometimes appears in weddings, such as the wedding in the link below with live singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1j7Fjj4eCw
Q6. In what other occasions might this Psalm be used?
A. a. Funerals (may be related to verses 4 & 6) b. The Jewish Shabbat.
Q7. Why would this Psalm be used in the Jewish Shabbat?
A. Maybe it is related to the rest mentioned in verses 2 & 3: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Maybe it is related to the last verse regarding “The Perfect Rest: yom shekulo shabbat” hoping for the dwelling in the house of the Lord “forever”. But it is more likely related to the “feast” (the “table” in the original language) and the “cup” in this verse. These are the 2 of the 5 things that the Jewish prepare every week before the shabbat (lamp, bed, cup, plate and table). During the preparation, they select the nice cups and utensils; they put fresh flowers and a pair of sweet rolls on the table; they have grape juice in the cups for Kiddush. That is the prayer to sanctify the Shabbat, to remember the Lord’s creation in 6 days, His rest on the 7th day, and His deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Psalm 23 is recited twice on the Shabbat, at lunch and at dinner. Thank the Lord that “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”! Even though it is not yet “the perfect rest, yom shekuloShabbat”, and during the workweek days we often face troubles, yet every weekend we can remember that we have the assurance of rest and victory in the Lord.
This verse begins with the personal pronoun “You”. Our world is not perfect yet and there are “enemies” (signifying all kinds of difficulty in oppression and danger). When we face “enemies”, we do not have peace. But when we face “you”, Lord, we have peace, and we see the wonderful feast “you” prepare for us. The Shabbat is a good opportunity to learn to face “You”.
Q8. Do I have any experience relating to this Psalm?
A. Yes, I have had a few related experiences, some to do with the English version, some with the characters, some with the old Chinese version, and some with the Hebrew version. Originally I did not think to write this but because I mentioned about other’s weddings in answer to the 5th question, I was inspired to talk about one experience.
Many years ago, I was looking for a wife. Someone introduced a person in China to me and I was told that she was from a Christian family. But as she was so far away I could not be sure. So I sent an email in English (at that time I was not able to type in Chinese) to introduce myself and I said that I liked the psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want…” and I attached an English version of the Psalm but I did not mention where it came from to test her. The next day she replied and said that Psalm 23 was the one that her mom liked the most and also many other psalms that she liked (90,103 and 139). I still keep that email, “Thank you for attaching Psalm. It’s my mother's’ and my favorite also. And I love many phases of Bible, eg. Psalm 90, 103 and 139, Proverbs 1:7, 3:5-6, Isaiah 55:8-9, Joshua 24:15 (the last of the verse 15)…many words of the New Testament, etc.” As I read it, I could see that she was not only a real believer, but also much more mature than me. She also saw that I was a true believer and we later got married. Her mom has passed away and we are much older now, but there are still my good memories. So whenever I talk about Psalm 23. I feel a sense of intimacy.
God's Promises and Provisions
Author: Pik
It has been a while since I shared in the quarterly. It is not because I did not have anything to write, God’s blessings are innumerable. However, in the past few years, things that happened to me are hard to believe unless you actually experienced them. Recently I had the urge that I had felt before a few years ago when I wanted to leave GCCC. Then I experienced something and I decided to stay. At that time I had this urge to share.
I still remembered those happiest days when Pastor Lee came to GCCC as I thought that God wanted me to stay in GCCC to help Pastor Lee. So I took time off to go with him to visit people to share the gospel. I was very happy. But when Pastor Lee told me personally that he was going to leave GCCC. I was like a deflated balloon. So 2014 was my most unhappy year and I often asked God why He wanted me to stay in GCCC until the end of July when ministers Fan & Leung came to Chicago. Since they live nearby me, I have been taking care of them. One afternoon, I brought something to minister Leung. As we had time, I sat with her in the living room and chatted with her on the couch. That was the first time I talked to someone about why God wanted me to stay in GCCC. I did not get an answer but she said, “Pik, your tears were not be shed in vain.”
On the first weekend in November, there was the Christ’s Workers Seminary’s extension course that runs three times a year. For some reason, I was driving Pastor Ho. He was the second person that I asked but again with no answer. The second Sunday was the anniversary celebration of Short Term Mission Team. Something happened that morning and so on the way to the celebration at Wheaton Alliance Church, I told Mrs. Mak that I would write to the deacons next year in 2015 to suggest inviting ministers Fan & Leung to do some training in GCCC. Of course, we have to pray for this first. On Saturday Nov 22, we had the Praise Team Retreat. I was supposed to work overtime, but I wanted to attend and ask our team members to pray for this. Therefore I went to the Praise Team Retreat instead of working. In the beginning, Ginny gave a Bible to everyone. I signaled that I did not need one because I could not read out loud in Mandarin and I had my own bible on my I-Pad. Ginny asked brothers and sisters to read their favorite bible verses. Some brothers and sisters read. After Wendy Mei read a verse Ginny took the Bible from her hand and gave it to me and said, “Pik, read this one more time in Cantonese. “ I looked at her, wondering if she made a mistake. She repeated herself, “You read it one more time in Cantonese.” Then we sang, prayed and shared. Before the meeting ended, I asked brothers and sisters to pray for me as I was going to write a letter to the Deacons in 2015. After I got home, a question lingered in my mind and it would not go away, and that was, “Why did Ginny asked me to read the Bible verse in Cantonese?”. I totally forgot what verse that was. 10 days later, on Dec 2, around 8 am (I started working at 6 am), that verse suddenly appeared in my mind and it occurred to me and I told myself, “God wanted me to say it out loud.” I could not wait to call Mrs. Mak when I got home. So I called her and shared with her during my first break at 8.30 am. I also wanted to confirm what I was thinking. So at lunchtime I called Ginny’s mobile phone and left a voice message. I got off work at 2:30 and I went to CVS to pick up some medicine. At around 3 pm, my mobile rang and it was Ginny. She asked me why I called her earlier. I said I only wanted to ask her one thing and that was why she asked me to read the Bible verse in Cantonese. She said that the Holy Spirit moved her. As soon as I heard the words Holy Spirit, I could not help but scream out, “Alleluia, thank God!” (People around probably thought that I was crazy). That verse was Philippians 4:13, “ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” When I attended the extension course, Pastor Ho told us to be careful not to read Bible verses without paying attention to the content. Therefore I read Philippians twice. I realized that Paul wrote that in prison and he was in prison because of the gospel. Therefore if I do things because of the gospel, I can do all things though the one who strengthens me and that’s is God’s promises to me.
In the beginning of 2015, I wrote the following letter to the Deacons:
“Dear GCCC Deacons,
Peace in the Lord! Thank you for serving in the church with all your hearts. Your labor will not be in vain. The Lord will remember!
Having been in GCCC for so many years, I deeply hope that God will bless and use our church so that more nonbelievers will come to GCCC to know the gospel. Therefore, I really hope that brothers and sisters will get trained to share our faith with others. I would suggest the church to invite the Chicago Short Team Mission Team’s co-workers, ministers Fan and Leung to come to GCCC to do training. I hope the Deacons Board will seriously consider this suggestion!
May God continue to bless and establish your ministries!
The least in Christ,
Pik-Lin Chiu”
When I handed this letter to Dr. Wong, I asked the Deacons not to make an immediate decision, as a quick decision may be a human decision. Therefore I asked them to pray about that to see what God says before they make a decision on month later.
After a while, I did not hear anything. So I asked Mr. Hsiao and learned that the Deacons decided to hold off the decision while until after listening to Minister Fan’s preaching in our church. However, they heard that the speaker’s schedule was fully booked for the year. I held on God’s promise: as the church was not doing it, I would do it but I had to use the church facilities. Mr. Hsiao said that if there were no other activities in the church on that day, there should be no problem but he still had to check with the Deacons Board. So we decided to have the “Leading Your Family to Christ” Seminar on 8/8. Alleluia, thank God!
On Monday 6/29, as I got home after work, I received a letter from GE (the company I worked for). It said that every worker would receive $2,000 in the mid-July. I shouted, praised, and thanked the Lord: the cost of my late July trip to San Francisco for the short-mission experience (Jesus Love China Tour) and the 8/8 Seminar would be all covered. This was the second time in my 11 years working for GE. The first time was a few years ago where everyone received $5,000 when I needed more than $3,000. GE has more than 10,000 workers and $2,000 per person would not be a small amount. That was God’s provision.
The “Leading Your Family to Christ” Seminar successfully finished. 42 people attended that day. Mr. Chan told me that the Mandarin Fellowship cancelled its annual outing on that day so people could attend the Seminar. This was not something anyone could accomplish. This was the work of God. Alleluia, thank God!
There is one more thing I forgot to tell you all. As we were using the church facilities, Mrs. Mak said that we should give some offering to the church. I of course agreed and the goal was $200. So we had free offering for the lunch. After Mrs. Mak opened the offering box and counted the money, she screamed, “Just right, just right!” It was exactly $200, not more or less. Alleluia, thank God. May all glory and praise be to our God and Father in Heaven.
In September, Pastor He will come to GCCC to shepherd us. We have to listen to His words and follow His ways. Pastor Kwok taught us in the retreat to love our pastors and ministers. The best thing is to listen to his words and his teachings. If he is teaching us from the Bible, we have to respect him. May we encourage one another.
It has been a while since I shared in the quarterly. It is not because I did not have anything to write, God’s blessings are innumerable. However, in the past few years, things that happened to me are hard to believe unless you actually experienced them. Recently I had the urge that I had felt before a few years ago when I wanted to leave GCCC. Then I experienced something and I decided to stay. At that time I had this urge to share.
I still remembered those happiest days when Pastor Lee came to GCCC as I thought that God wanted me to stay in GCCC to help Pastor Lee. So I took time off to go with him to visit people to share the gospel. I was very happy. But when Pastor Lee told me personally that he was going to leave GCCC. I was like a deflated balloon. So 2014 was my most unhappy year and I often asked God why He wanted me to stay in GCCC until the end of July when ministers Fan & Leung came to Chicago. Since they live nearby me, I have been taking care of them. One afternoon, I brought something to minister Leung. As we had time, I sat with her in the living room and chatted with her on the couch. That was the first time I talked to someone about why God wanted me to stay in GCCC. I did not get an answer but she said, “Pik, your tears were not be shed in vain.”
On the first weekend in November, there was the Christ’s Workers Seminary’s extension course that runs three times a year. For some reason, I was driving Pastor Ho. He was the second person that I asked but again with no answer. The second Sunday was the anniversary celebration of Short Term Mission Team. Something happened that morning and so on the way to the celebration at Wheaton Alliance Church, I told Mrs. Mak that I would write to the deacons next year in 2015 to suggest inviting ministers Fan & Leung to do some training in GCCC. Of course, we have to pray for this first. On Saturday Nov 22, we had the Praise Team Retreat. I was supposed to work overtime, but I wanted to attend and ask our team members to pray for this. Therefore I went to the Praise Team Retreat instead of working. In the beginning, Ginny gave a Bible to everyone. I signaled that I did not need one because I could not read out loud in Mandarin and I had my own bible on my I-Pad. Ginny asked brothers and sisters to read their favorite bible verses. Some brothers and sisters read. After Wendy Mei read a verse Ginny took the Bible from her hand and gave it to me and said, “Pik, read this one more time in Cantonese. “ I looked at her, wondering if she made a mistake. She repeated herself, “You read it one more time in Cantonese.” Then we sang, prayed and shared. Before the meeting ended, I asked brothers and sisters to pray for me as I was going to write a letter to the Deacons in 2015. After I got home, a question lingered in my mind and it would not go away, and that was, “Why did Ginny asked me to read the Bible verse in Cantonese?”. I totally forgot what verse that was. 10 days later, on Dec 2, around 8 am (I started working at 6 am), that verse suddenly appeared in my mind and it occurred to me and I told myself, “God wanted me to say it out loud.” I could not wait to call Mrs. Mak when I got home. So I called her and shared with her during my first break at 8.30 am. I also wanted to confirm what I was thinking. So at lunchtime I called Ginny’s mobile phone and left a voice message. I got off work at 2:30 and I went to CVS to pick up some medicine. At around 3 pm, my mobile rang and it was Ginny. She asked me why I called her earlier. I said I only wanted to ask her one thing and that was why she asked me to read the Bible verse in Cantonese. She said that the Holy Spirit moved her. As soon as I heard the words Holy Spirit, I could not help but scream out, “Alleluia, thank God!” (People around probably thought that I was crazy). That verse was Philippians 4:13, “ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” When I attended the extension course, Pastor Ho told us to be careful not to read Bible verses without paying attention to the content. Therefore I read Philippians twice. I realized that Paul wrote that in prison and he was in prison because of the gospel. Therefore if I do things because of the gospel, I can do all things though the one who strengthens me and that’s is God’s promises to me.
In the beginning of 2015, I wrote the following letter to the Deacons:
“Dear GCCC Deacons,
Peace in the Lord! Thank you for serving in the church with all your hearts. Your labor will not be in vain. The Lord will remember!
Having been in GCCC for so many years, I deeply hope that God will bless and use our church so that more nonbelievers will come to GCCC to know the gospel. Therefore, I really hope that brothers and sisters will get trained to share our faith with others. I would suggest the church to invite the Chicago Short Team Mission Team’s co-workers, ministers Fan and Leung to come to GCCC to do training. I hope the Deacons Board will seriously consider this suggestion!
May God continue to bless and establish your ministries!
The least in Christ,
Pik-Lin Chiu”
When I handed this letter to Dr. Wong, I asked the Deacons not to make an immediate decision, as a quick decision may be a human decision. Therefore I asked them to pray about that to see what God says before they make a decision on month later.
After a while, I did not hear anything. So I asked Mr. Hsiao and learned that the Deacons decided to hold off the decision while until after listening to Minister Fan’s preaching in our church. However, they heard that the speaker’s schedule was fully booked for the year. I held on God’s promise: as the church was not doing it, I would do it but I had to use the church facilities. Mr. Hsiao said that if there were no other activities in the church on that day, there should be no problem but he still had to check with the Deacons Board. So we decided to have the “Leading Your Family to Christ” Seminar on 8/8. Alleluia, thank God!
On Monday 6/29, as I got home after work, I received a letter from GE (the company I worked for). It said that every worker would receive $2,000 in the mid-July. I shouted, praised, and thanked the Lord: the cost of my late July trip to San Francisco for the short-mission experience (Jesus Love China Tour) and the 8/8 Seminar would be all covered. This was the second time in my 11 years working for GE. The first time was a few years ago where everyone received $5,000 when I needed more than $3,000. GE has more than 10,000 workers and $2,000 per person would not be a small amount. That was God’s provision.
The “Leading Your Family to Christ” Seminar successfully finished. 42 people attended that day. Mr. Chan told me that the Mandarin Fellowship cancelled its annual outing on that day so people could attend the Seminar. This was not something anyone could accomplish. This was the work of God. Alleluia, thank God!
There is one more thing I forgot to tell you all. As we were using the church facilities, Mrs. Mak said that we should give some offering to the church. I of course agreed and the goal was $200. So we had free offering for the lunch. After Mrs. Mak opened the offering box and counted the money, she screamed, “Just right, just right!” It was exactly $200, not more or less. Alleluia, thank God. May all glory and praise be to our God and Father in Heaven.
In September, Pastor He will come to GCCC to shepherd us. We have to listen to His words and follow His ways. Pastor Kwok taught us in the retreat to love our pastors and ministers. The best thing is to listen to his words and his teachings. If he is teaching us from the Bible, we have to respect him. May we encourage one another.
The Most Beautiful Blessing
Author: Lily
Last night, my daughter and son fought again. My daughter joked that her younger brother was growing too fat like a little pig. He was very upset and said, “I am not a little pig, you are!” She then said this and that about him and he was angry and retorted similarly. He became so upset that he started to push her. Finally what had started as a verbal joke escalated to a physical fight. I was very upset and criticized her but she would not accept it. I criticized him and he did not agree. I was very depressed and told them to go to their own rooms. Both of them slammed their doors.
They often fought over little things. I felt like a failure. My teaching was problematic but I could not find a solution. I was very dissatisfied with myself.
It was late at night. I turned on my computer and surfed aimlessly until I came across this verse from scripture, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.” (Matthew 10:14)
Then I thought: My son is very sensitive; he easily gets upset or starts arguing because others do not listen to him or criticize him in a way that he does not like. He is always bothered and irritated by dusts on his feet. I should teach him to learn to face criticisms.
Then I asked him to come out and sit by me. We read the verse together. Even though the passage is talking about what preachers face, we similarly will face real life criticism from friends, co-workers and even family members. We may be criticized behind our backs or insulted to our face. How to face and deal with these situations is something both adults and children have to learn. “Shake your dust off.” You don’t need to waste your anger to argue that she is wrong and you are right. You don’t need to find evidence to prove that you are not as bad as what others say. You definitely should not have a revengeful heart to return bad words with bad words, like a tooth for a tooth. If you get stuck in a war of words, you will only get more unhappy and lose peace in your heart. What we can do is to ignore them and shake dust off and move on.
He seemed to get it and said, “Mom, thanks for your message. Sis said that I was a little pig. I know I am not and God does not think I am. I am a talented good boy. I will not fight with her again. If she says that again, I will say fine, I am a lovely little piggy, okay?” I smiled and gave him a hug and a kiss. “That’s right! If you don’t care, they cannot do anything. If you get upset, you fall into their trap.”
Our whole family was baptized into Christ in 2006. My husband was seeking comfort and strength from the Lord as he was very depressed because his most loved father was suffering from cancer. I was touched by praise songs and the Holy Spirit worked and planted seeds in my heart before I was baptized.
As I look back over these 9 years, we have wavered many times on this journey. We stopped and re-started attending church multiple times. But with more experience and knowledge, our faith grew firmer. God’s word leads our lives’ different aspects. Everyday we know that God is watching over our needs. Many times we did not see and could not understand at the time. But after a while, when we look back, we suddenly realize God’s deep will. He has been leading our family in the right direction.
My friends all say that I am like a little sun, always filled with positive energy. I tell them that I trust in the Lord. It really makes a big difference. We all face problems but those that really trust in the Lord will not be depressed. The song I love the most is “The Most Beautiful Blessings”: “The most beautiful blessing in my life is to trust in the Lord Jesus. He is walking with me on the mountain or in the valley.” Therefore, those who trust in the Lord have peace in their heart all the time and in all situations.
Hear His words and follow His ways. This is deep in my bone. I may not be able to recite whole passages, but every sentence that touches my heart I will put into practice immediately in my family and in my work. Whenever I am unsettled and confused, I will seek strength and wisdom in His Word. God’s word nourishes our family’s spiritual muscle and makes it stronger everyday.
Thank the Lord for leading us to our new church home, to continue to deepen our roots and to grow in His Grace.
Last night, my daughter and son fought again. My daughter joked that her younger brother was growing too fat like a little pig. He was very upset and said, “I am not a little pig, you are!” She then said this and that about him and he was angry and retorted similarly. He became so upset that he started to push her. Finally what had started as a verbal joke escalated to a physical fight. I was very upset and criticized her but she would not accept it. I criticized him and he did not agree. I was very depressed and told them to go to their own rooms. Both of them slammed their doors.
They often fought over little things. I felt like a failure. My teaching was problematic but I could not find a solution. I was very dissatisfied with myself.
It was late at night. I turned on my computer and surfed aimlessly until I came across this verse from scripture, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.” (Matthew 10:14)
Then I thought: My son is very sensitive; he easily gets upset or starts arguing because others do not listen to him or criticize him in a way that he does not like. He is always bothered and irritated by dusts on his feet. I should teach him to learn to face criticisms.
Then I asked him to come out and sit by me. We read the verse together. Even though the passage is talking about what preachers face, we similarly will face real life criticism from friends, co-workers and even family members. We may be criticized behind our backs or insulted to our face. How to face and deal with these situations is something both adults and children have to learn. “Shake your dust off.” You don’t need to waste your anger to argue that she is wrong and you are right. You don’t need to find evidence to prove that you are not as bad as what others say. You definitely should not have a revengeful heart to return bad words with bad words, like a tooth for a tooth. If you get stuck in a war of words, you will only get more unhappy and lose peace in your heart. What we can do is to ignore them and shake dust off and move on.
He seemed to get it and said, “Mom, thanks for your message. Sis said that I was a little pig. I know I am not and God does not think I am. I am a talented good boy. I will not fight with her again. If she says that again, I will say fine, I am a lovely little piggy, okay?” I smiled and gave him a hug and a kiss. “That’s right! If you don’t care, they cannot do anything. If you get upset, you fall into their trap.”
Our whole family was baptized into Christ in 2006. My husband was seeking comfort and strength from the Lord as he was very depressed because his most loved father was suffering from cancer. I was touched by praise songs and the Holy Spirit worked and planted seeds in my heart before I was baptized.
As I look back over these 9 years, we have wavered many times on this journey. We stopped and re-started attending church multiple times. But with more experience and knowledge, our faith grew firmer. God’s word leads our lives’ different aspects. Everyday we know that God is watching over our needs. Many times we did not see and could not understand at the time. But after a while, when we look back, we suddenly realize God’s deep will. He has been leading our family in the right direction.
My friends all say that I am like a little sun, always filled with positive energy. I tell them that I trust in the Lord. It really makes a big difference. We all face problems but those that really trust in the Lord will not be depressed. The song I love the most is “The Most Beautiful Blessings”: “The most beautiful blessing in my life is to trust in the Lord Jesus. He is walking with me on the mountain or in the valley.” Therefore, those who trust in the Lord have peace in their heart all the time and in all situations.
Hear His words and follow His ways. This is deep in my bone. I may not be able to recite whole passages, but every sentence that touches my heart I will put into practice immediately in my family and in my work. Whenever I am unsettled and confused, I will seek strength and wisdom in His Word. God’s word nourishes our family’s spiritual muscle and makes it stronger everyday.
Thank the Lord for leading us to our new church home, to continue to deepen our roots and to grow in His Grace.
The Heavenly Father's Power is Higher Than the Heavens, His Love Fills the World & Protects Millions
Author: Ning
Recently a scary disaster occurred in Lincolnwood in the Chicago area. A tornado suddenly touched down. If I were not there and did not see the power of the Heavenly Father God with my own eyes, I would not believe. This was the first time in my eighty years of life to experience this and I firmly believe. So I am terrified about this event and I feel the need to tell dear brothers and sisters about this true miracle.
It was around noon on a bright sunny day and I was standing in front of the window looking out onto the main road. Suddenly wind and clouds came and the sky darkened. The rain came with hail that was as big as chicken eggs that dropped in front of my eyes and on the street. Within 10 seconds, the ground was full of hail. Then came the scary powerful tornado. I heard the sounds of numerous trees falling and cracking on the street. Within 2 seconds, the tornado passed the street in front of my house and I saw a 40 foot tall tree, with a trunk that was as wide as a Chinese antique table, that was pulled up with its roots. By the power of God it laid flat on the side of the street. Then the power of God passed breaking and putting down more than 200 tree trunks along the street, but touching nothing else. Along the main road, which was a few miles long with more than 200 houses, none had its roof . Nobody got hurt. No cars on the street got crushed. Not a dog or a cat got hurt. Not a rat or a bird got killed. It was a real miracle. If not for God’s love and protection, I could have been totally wiped out. I was within 10 feet of the eye of the storm but I was protected by God and I was secure. It is really true that God loves the world. He loves even an insignificant person like me. This proves that God’s love is great beyond measure and higher than the heavens.
Recently a scary disaster occurred in Lincolnwood in the Chicago area. A tornado suddenly touched down. If I were not there and did not see the power of the Heavenly Father God with my own eyes, I would not believe. This was the first time in my eighty years of life to experience this and I firmly believe. So I am terrified about this event and I feel the need to tell dear brothers and sisters about this true miracle.
It was around noon on a bright sunny day and I was standing in front of the window looking out onto the main road. Suddenly wind and clouds came and the sky darkened. The rain came with hail that was as big as chicken eggs that dropped in front of my eyes and on the street. Within 10 seconds, the ground was full of hail. Then came the scary powerful tornado. I heard the sounds of numerous trees falling and cracking on the street. Within 2 seconds, the tornado passed the street in front of my house and I saw a 40 foot tall tree, with a trunk that was as wide as a Chinese antique table, that was pulled up with its roots. By the power of God it laid flat on the side of the street. Then the power of God passed breaking and putting down more than 200 tree trunks along the street, but touching nothing else. Along the main road, which was a few miles long with more than 200 houses, none had its roof . Nobody got hurt. No cars on the street got crushed. Not a dog or a cat got hurt. Not a rat or a bird got killed. It was a real miracle. If not for God’s love and protection, I could have been totally wiped out. I was within 10 feet of the eye of the storm but I was protected by God and I was secure. It is really true that God loves the world. He loves even an insignificant person like me. This proves that God’s love is great beyond measure and higher than the heavens.
Double Trouble
Author: Pauline
I am Pauline. I know the GCCC brothers and sisters are very concerned about me. I hope to share through this Quarterly with brothers and sisters about my injury and my thoughts. On July 25 I went to the Seniors Center to play badminton in the evening. There were a lot of people playing. Their badminton often landed on my side of the court and I would hit them back to them. But in the end I stepped on one because I could not see it and I twisted my right foot. It was very painful then. My husband and my friend helped me to sit down beside the court and put ice on it. The next day I had an X Ray in the hospital and found out that a bone behind the 5th toe was cracked. The doctor put me in a plaster cast with instructions that my right foot cannot touch the ground. The doctor advised that it might take more than 2 months to heal. Another unfortunate thing also happened. My husband’s mobile phone was stolen because he forgot to close the car window when he took me to work.
Because of my injury, my husband became the chef of the family. I feel blessed that I can be served. There are also lots of concern, caring, comfort, prayers and blessing from many relatives, friends and church members. I am really thankful and touched. am absolutely sure that the Heavenly Father wants me to understand, to think, to persevere, to discover, and to experience some things though this injury; especially not to grumble or blame, not to blame my teammates’ mistakes, so that I will feel more relaxed, to discover that a lot of people love me and be blessed. Thanks brothers and sisters for your love and care, blessings and prayers. May the Lord guard you and may He continue to heal me, so that I can come back to GCCC sooner to listen to His words with you all.
I am Pauline. I know the GCCC brothers and sisters are very concerned about me. I hope to share through this Quarterly with brothers and sisters about my injury and my thoughts. On July 25 I went to the Seniors Center to play badminton in the evening. There were a lot of people playing. Their badminton often landed on my side of the court and I would hit them back to them. But in the end I stepped on one because I could not see it and I twisted my right foot. It was very painful then. My husband and my friend helped me to sit down beside the court and put ice on it. The next day I had an X Ray in the hospital and found out that a bone behind the 5th toe was cracked. The doctor put me in a plaster cast with instructions that my right foot cannot touch the ground. The doctor advised that it might take more than 2 months to heal. Another unfortunate thing also happened. My husband’s mobile phone was stolen because he forgot to close the car window when he took me to work.
Because of my injury, my husband became the chef of the family. I feel blessed that I can be served. There are also lots of concern, caring, comfort, prayers and blessing from many relatives, friends and church members. I am really thankful and touched. am absolutely sure that the Heavenly Father wants me to understand, to think, to persevere, to discover, and to experience some things though this injury; especially not to grumble or blame, not to blame my teammates’ mistakes, so that I will feel more relaxed, to discover that a lot of people love me and be blessed. Thanks brothers and sisters for your love and care, blessings and prayers. May the Lord guard you and may He continue to heal me, so that I can come back to GCCC sooner to listen to His words with you all.
Sunday School
Author: Laurie
At this year’s retreat, the pastor recommended all of us to attend Sunday School. Why is attending Sunday School so important? In Sunday School, we can go deeper and know better about the truth and teaching of the Bible, as the Bible is inspired by God and is the eternally unchanged truth. Though Sunday School we can know God’s will better.
In this dark age with natural and human disasters, moral decline and self-centeredness of all people the future is grim without hope, and we especially need to pursue God’s word. Man does not live by bread alone. We need the God that gives us strength and His word that equips us, to become a vessel that fits His use, so more people can get the gospel, to know that the world was created by God and He would like all people to be saved and not one to perish. God is the only true God. There is no other way to be saved. The Bible gives us promises and eternal blessings and tells us about the assurance of our salvation.
At this year’s retreat, the pastor recommended all of us to attend Sunday School. Why is attending Sunday School so important? In Sunday School, we can go deeper and know better about the truth and teaching of the Bible, as the Bible is inspired by God and is the eternally unchanged truth. Though Sunday School we can know God’s will better.
In this dark age with natural and human disasters, moral decline and self-centeredness of all people the future is grim without hope, and we especially need to pursue God’s word. Man does not live by bread alone. We need the God that gives us strength and His word that equips us, to become a vessel that fits His use, so more people can get the gospel, to know that the world was created by God and He would like all people to be saved and not one to perish. God is the only true God. There is no other way to be saved. The Bible gives us promises and eternal blessings and tells us about the assurance of our salvation.