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From
Ancestor Worship to Baptism "I know there is a God who loves me and will lead me . . . no matter what happens, I want to serve Him," acknowledges Pei Ling. She is one of the less than 2% believers in Christ Jesus on Taiwan. Pei Ling is the only Christian in her family. Because of family pressures to follow traditional idol and ancestor worship, Pei Ling had to think long and hard about the decision she made to be baptized. In Chinese culture, baptism is a sign that one is making a clear break from Chinese folk religion. This is very difficult because folk religion is so much a part of being Chinese. So you can imagine our joy when seven church members decided to follow the Lord in baptism. What a privilege
it was to be part of this event. Not only did seven members publicly
declare their devotion to Christ, but this was also the first time
that a baptism was held within the church itself. A fellow missionary
built a portable, nonleaking baptismal for churches to use. It was
truly a moving experience for all our church members to witness.
English
Outreach Camp
On April 15, 2000, we started the English outreach class. Praise God! So far, 13 adults have registered and some mothers have tagged along or enrolled their kids. A difficult situation to manage, but they have come voluntarily indeed, an open door of ministry for the gospel. It is our prayer that out of this English class, investigative Bible studies will spring up, and people will come to know and believe in the Living God. As showers of
rain could erode a rocky ground, showers of our prayers have likewise
eroded a hard ground and softened the soil for seed sowing that
would lead to a harvest of some souls in the end . . . because we
have an awesome God! Doctor
of Discipleship For several years we have known a Filipino medical doctor living here in Taiwan, Dr. N. He became part of our Precept Bible Study, and the spiritual impact of this on him was very evident. He was much enlightened from the Word, especially about the gospel that he personally knew for certain his own salvation. Furthermore, the Lord began to cause him to be a real spiritual influence among his fellow doctors and other staff in the hospital where he is working. The hospital staff would often attribute the many blessings that God obviously is doing in their midst to Dr. N's God instead of their own gods. Of course, Dr. N would correct them and refer to our Heavenly Father as the true God of all and not only his—and this would lead to opportunities to further share the gospel. His Filipino co-doctors asked him to lead them in a Bible study as well. Another person
I minister to is Mr. P, who was brought by Dr. N to our Bible study
group a few months ago. Mr. P is an engineer working as an executive
for a foreign athletic shoe company. The changes that the Lord did
in his life in the short span that he was with us were very dramatic.
It was so evident that his wife noticed the changes right away.
My reaction to all these? I stand in awe at the wonderful work God
is doing in our midst and praise to Him for it. I
Even Smoked in Primary School It is a great privilege to give testimony to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the change He has made in my life since I accepted Him as Savior. For thirteen years I had a smoking habit, and even used to smoke in the primary school classroom when the teacher was not looking. As a teenager, I often wanted to quit but found that this habit only grew more deep and strong. This was truly sin's bondage in my life. Through the counsel of Pastor H, I realized that smoking was hurting my body. The Bible teaches that if I do not love myself, I cannot say I have love for God. Through prayer and the teaching of the Word this terrible habit was broken! From the age of sixteen to twenty, I was arrested three times for various misdeeds, but since I was a minor no charges were filed. I had a good-paying job making no small income, so that I could provide whatever pleasures I desired. But in the end I found that these only satisfied my flesh and left me still unsatisfied. As the Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." On September 7th, I visited Chungli Tsung Tsin Tang [the church with which the Powells ministered at that time] for the first time, and that week I realized I was a sinner and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I saw the saving grace of God in my life. Ever since I was young our home was filled with bickering, argument, and fighting. But since I received Jesus Christ as my Savior, I have seen a real change in our family, and the relationships are better than ever before. I find myself genuinely concerned for the salvation of my brothers, sisters and parents. Following Christ has not always been easy. In December, I was fired from my job. I looked for several weeks without success for new work that would allow me to honor the Sabbath worship day that God has established. During that time I became very discouraged. I even began to apply to male hosting services as a gigolo, but I quickly felt that was not right and gave up this plan. At this time, God's Word was a great encouragement: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." I thank God that He kept me from sin, and shortly following the New Year, He provided me with a perfect job with good income and with Sundays free to worship as I desire. I would like
to give thanks to God for His saving grace. I am not the same person
I used to be! Tomb
Sweeping Friendship
This holiday, appropriately translated into English as "Tomb Sweeping Day," involves going to the gravesites of ancestors to clear off weeds and make a spot for the sacrifices of liquor, fruit, and tea, and the burning of paper money. I was able to ask many questions about the whys of doing this kind of ceremony and what it means to them. We then returned to Chris's ancestral home, where a feast had been prepared for over 100 relatives to share in the good fortune that the ancestors had provided for them. Our friendship
is continuing to grow, and so is Chris's thirst for spiritual truth.
He talks about how he thanks God for His blessings and how he prays
to God. For Chris, one of the biggest obstacles in coming to Jesus
is understanding that he is a sinner. I challenged Chris to a weekly
Bible study and we recently completed lesson four. Please pray with
us that the truths we discuss will penetrate his heart and he will
become a believer within this year.
Patrick Chen, a close neighbor and a man who Mark had the privilege of leading in Bible study, wrote: "I stood at the platform on Easter day before the Tiger Village Leihu Community Church narrating to our sisters, brothers, and other people not yet baptized, the mental road I have passed in believing the Lord. Just as you said, God will give you wisdom to use the right words. I am very willing to share my experience with friends I meet, on why I believe our Lord. I will, as advised, make it a rule to go to Tiger Village Church every Wednesday night to Bible study." Referring to an earlier visit to the U.S., Patrick also wrote: "While sojourning in Baltimore, I visited Ruth's father in 1998. He drove me to church, urged me to believe in God, and gave me some books about God on a certain night. Now I think I should let him know his efforts were not in vain at all!" Praise be to God! Both Patrick and his son, Alfred (who our daughter Grace tried to point to God as she taught him English) followed the Lord in baptism. They came to faith in Christ shortly after the1999 earthquake. Ruth's friend Lydia Hu had the privilege of leading them to put their trust in Christ. It is so good to see God's saving grace in the lives of these dear ones.
Worthless
in the Eyes of Man, Precious in God's Sight Lydia Hu's parents were told that if they did not give her away as an infant, she would become handicapped. When she was three she contracted polio and was left crippled. So as she grew up, the harsh belief that she must have done horrible sins in the past life to end up like that caused Lydia to despair of living. She hated herself, became sullen and pessimistic, and consequently did not have many friends. But she was to become the answer to my prayer as a first-term missionary for a special friend in this foreign land. Lydia writes in her testimony of what was going on in her heart and life when we met. "When my operation was over and I could go home to recuperate a while, gloom and depression filled my heart. I decided then and there to commit suicide. That time period in my memory is one of pain. It was right at that time that the Lord showed His grace to me. He let me meet Mrs. Ruth Harbour. Through her care the Lord let me understand He loved me. The verse, If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new' changed my life as the Lord Jesus Christ entered in. In the past I felt I was stupid and weak. Now ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' A testimony to God's grace is that I can now even teach Sunday School, give my testimony, and sing before whole groups of people. If I don't rely on Him, I can't do anything. The benefits and blessings of serving the Lord have come to me and to the people around me that I love. For a long time I have taught a clever nephew of mine to pray and dedicate his life to the Lord. I hope the Lord can use him one day as a good pastor. Although I grew up in a Buddhist home, because I trusted the Lord, now there are 10 Christians in my family. But still three-fourths of my family members are not saved. I need to work harder at praying and showing concern for my unsaved family members. God's promise will never be unfulfilled, that as we seek first His kingdom and righteousness, other things will be given us. Thank the Lord for how gracious He has been to me. Although I was weak, insignificant, and worthless in other people's eyes, in God's eyes I became a blessing." What a special
blessing it was to me for Lydia to actually become my co-worker
in our new church work this past year. When there were not yet any
co-workers within our fledgling church, Lydia came alongside and
helped me to organize the Sunday School program. But most often
Lydia is to me a faithful prayer partner and friend, one who is
most eager to get out and share the gospel and the love of Christ
with those who need Him. |
Last
March Judy and I went to visit her friend Grace, whose son Judy
had tutored in the past. Grace, who claims to be a Catholic, enthusiastically
welcomed us to start a free English outreach class in her apartment
complex. "That's wonderful if you could come here and teach,"
she exclaimed when we made the offer. "We can use the social
functions room on the ground floor as our classroom." We explained
that during break time, we would be singing Christian songs and
sharing some messages. She didn't oppose. Barely a week had passed
after that visit when Grace called up Judy to say that several of
her neighbors had already indicated interest in joining the class.
And that was even before I was done printing out the flyers! Judy
and I both gaped in wonder when we learned this news. "It is
the Lord's doing! He has opened this door of ministry for us!"
I excitedly told Judy on the phone. Later, I learned that Grace
is the apartment complex's management committee chairperson—a
neat contact that the Lord has prepared and is using now, given
the connections and relationships she has with her neighbors.
"It's
5:15 a.m. and it's a holiday. Can't I just sleep?" I grumble.
"I know I am going to be tired, but it is going to be worth
it," I think to myself as I drag my feet off the edge of the
bed. As I get dressed, I ponder my friend Chris's words from our
last English class. He said, "I think I will become a Christian
one day, maybe even this year." This was the first time in
our five years here that someone straight out told me he wanted
to follow Jesus. So with this to encourage me, I make the effort
to be at Chris's home by 5:45 a.m. to be with his family on a special
Chinese holiday. I want to know his family better. I want to spend
time with him in order to have opportunities to answer his questions
about Jesus.
What
of the Mr. Wu who has vowed to become a Buddhist monk because of
miraculous healing in his body when he cried out to his idol god?
Or Mr. Lui, Mr. Mui, and the Hsus ("Shoes"), Ruth's friends
from the night market? How about our last landlord, Mr. Lao, who
hardened his heart against the gospel message? May the Lord enable
us to persist in prayer for them. May God in faithfulness use the
Word planted in their hearts and the influence of caring Christians
to drive them to Himself.|
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