Thank God that our curator team and I went to Cheung Chau for a three-day retreat this week! We recounted how God had led 611 through these past twenty years.
We started with reviewing how each of our lives has been transformed by discipleship under the Tree of Life. Some of them described themselves as going from suppression to freedom, some from wandering to being rooted, and some from being a village girl to international. How wonderful is God’s molding of our lives!
God has not only established our lives, but also led us to accomplish the vision of Planting Trees of Life Everywhere step by step. Over recent years, we have planted New Corp 611 in Central and Wonderful 611 in Hung Hom and we have seen how they have prospered greatly. I am filled with gratitude. In this retreat, we have made an important decision: we will send Pastor Baruch and his wife to establish a branch church in Cheung Chau! It is a great step forward in planting Trees of Life in Hong Kong!
Both Pastor Baruch and C-Mo grew up in Cheung Chau, having known each other since their primary school years; they even went to the same church! Later on, Baruch went to Taiwan for further study in Journalism, attending the same university as I. We served together at the Mustard Seed Fellowship for Undergraduates at Taipei Bread of Life Christian Church. He followed God and came to 611 in 2004. He was called to study at our Leadership Institute, and received from God to become Baruch, recording our church’s history for God. God has led him to his destiny, leading him to become the head of our Publishing Department, documenting God’s work in our church together with his team. C-Mo and I have seen how he and his wife have made continuous breakthroughs in their lives and relationship – and we consider them as the right people to return to their childhood home, to plant a Tree of Life for God. This is God’s amazing leading.
As we read Chapter 7 of 2 Samuel in this week’s morning devotion, I saw that David had great faith in God; he wanted to establish a temple for God. David was a man after God’s heart, and God sent Nathan to tell him: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth.” (2 Samuel 7:8-9)
David used to follow the sheep. When he answered God’s calling and followed Him instead, God established his house and kingdom. I have also answered God’s calling and followed God alone and not man; God then brought me back from Canada to Hong Kong to establish 611. From reviving the healing and deliverance ministry to the recent vision of Planting Trees of Life Everywhere, God has been with us all the way. He is accomplishing His purpose of planting Trees of Life all over the earth.
Dear brothers and sisters, today’s world is filled with hardship and challenges and many people have lost confidence in the future. I encourage everyone to be like David, to disregard the circumstances and not follow the world nor man – and instead to follow God alone: to make disciples of all the nations and become Trees of Life. He will surely establish the work of our hands.■[2021.05.30]