Go! Go! Go!
Last week, with a humble and clean heart, we celebrated the festive season by performing the Easter Musical, “Receive. Believe” and cleaning streets and beaches of Hong Kong through the “Little Donkey Action”. “Keeping God’s festivals” is the covenant between God and His people. “Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed,” (Deuteronomy 16:16)
God chose Abraham, and the descendants of him, the “Father of Faith”, Israel to establish His covenant and build an ever-lasting relationship. Faith is not only a personal relationship with God, but a deeper calling from God to His church to “Go”, go to transform the world, go to possess the land, go to the people unaware of His name in order to make Him known so that people shall follow Him.
God is building up and using “611”, who is rising up and blessing many households, families and communities. In every show of “Receive. Believe” musical, different people testified how they had encountered the Resurrection of the Risen Lord that changed their households and rescued their families. We have experienced and seen the Glory of God and thus comprehend more of the Resurrection of the Risen Lord. Dear brothers and sisters, have your household and colleagues been transformed by your life?
God has been imparting visions on us these 17 years, starting from Isaiah 611 and then “couple walking together”, “team walking together”, “Tree of Life”, core values including “Grace before Truth”, “God first, people second, then the earth”; “God’s Kindness”, “New Wine Flowing” and “Pearls”, etc. These have not only enriched our life, but are also keys in reviving and changing many people’s life.
We read on Deuteronomy chapter 9 on Tuesday morning devotion. Before entering the Promised Land, Moses led the Israelites to reflect on their history, reminding them that their victories lied merely on the kindness, righteousness and mighty arms of God. God is doing new things and working wonders among the Israelites, so that all peoples shall know Him, fear Him and turn to Him. Truly! Do not forget but always bring to mind the Grace of God on us.
During the “Sukkot” in 2013, the super typhoon Usagi which was also called “monster hurricane” by the US National Weather Service was closing in on Hong Kong, bringing the air traffic to a halt. Facing this “Usagi”, we were greatly encouraged by God’s Words, “the celebration of Sukkot shall be held safely because ‘God tabernacles with us’”. Therefore, the outdoor worship service and beach baptism continued as scheduled. Tsing Ma Bridge was already closed due to the rain and wind on early hours of Sunday. However, it was reopened later on just in time for “611” bus team to go in and out of Ma Wan where we were to observe “Sukkot”. Amazingly, the outdoor worship service and beach baptism went on with no wind or rain. Heavy rain poured down only after all scaffolding had been taken down, the whole congregation and supplies had safely left Ma Wan.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us rise up with the life of the Risen Lord, embrace the vision that God gives the church. Go to preach the gospel, go to make disciples and go to transform the world so that the glory of Father God can be manifested on earth as it is in Heaven. • [2018.04.08]