This year, our church theme is “A Gospel Community in a Global City”. We have been studying the book of Romans. In Romans, we learnt that the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes. None of us is righteous, all of us fall short of the glory of God, and have gone astray. But God in His grace and mercy, demonstrated His love for us, that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. In Christ, we have a relationship with God and nothing can separate us from the love of God. This is the hope we have in Christ, yet, there are many in this world who do not know Christ, are broken-hearted, troubled, live in fear, cannot find peace and are lost.
Do we pause and consider the brokenness and needs of people who live around us in this world? As children of God and a community of believers, who have received Christ and experienced God, His love and goodness, do we testify and share it with others? Do we pray for the lost, care for them and share the Good News?
What are the challenges that you face as you consider sharing the gospel? I would like to share two accounts here.
The first account is from a sister I met during my recent time in Indonesia. In her teens, a crisis in her home caused her to consider deeply the question of “Who is God?”. She searched the Scriptures and later came to faith in Jesus Christ. However, she faced great opposition when she first became a believer. It was a difficult time. Initially, many of her friends from school moved away from her, did not want to befriend her, and rejected her. She was isolated. Later, she went to another town to study at a high school. During that period she stayed in a hostel. Most of the students who lived in the hostel are of a different faith. As before, they were likely to reject her. Yet, interestingly this time, something changed as she lived out her faith, prayed and cared for others. Contrary to the past, she was well accepted there. She made many good friends. Over time, these friends out of curiosity, also began to ask her about the Bible: what are the stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc, about in the bible? She gladly shared each story with them.
The second account is my personal experience. For more than 12 years, lady TK has been someone on my heart. I visited her often, talked to her, and prayed with her, especially in the past when I was still working in the accounting firm. Once, the Lord gave an idea and I bought an audio bible for her, which was in her own language. For a period of time, she listened consistently to the gospel stories. And when I visited her, she could tell me in her own language that “Jesus is good”, “Jesus is the greatest”, and “Jesus saves people”. She may not have believed in Jesus then, but the seeds were sown. I was excited. Yet, over time, I became busy, I became cold-hearted. There were also many conflicts and quarrels in relationships surrounding this lady. I was discouraged and stopped visiting her. When I came back from Indonesia recently, I began to realise my mistake. I should not have given up on her even in the midst of difficulties. By God’s grace, I was recently reconnected with this lady. My prayer is for her to experience God’s love and peace that she may know that Jesus is God.
What are your experiences in praying, caring and sharing the Good News? How can we, as a gospel community, spur one another in sharing the gospel, both in good times and bad times? Let us not give up in living for Jesus, and sharing the gospel, for the gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.
By Chen Yahui, Pastoral Staff (YCKC Bulletin 29&30 July 2017)