FAITH
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A JOURNEY WITH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST |
WORKS 2!
…..an Arts Ministry Newsletter On Evangelism
There’s Hope
I have a group of very close friends from JC, and recently what God has been teaching me about evangelism has sparked off a greater fervor to pray daily for their salvation. There are around 12 of us in this group, with around 5 Christians and the rest either non-Christian/backslided Christians.
I have always struggled to reach out to these friends because they are all very intellectual and also quite anti-Christian in their outlook. And after a few occasions of trying to invite them for church services or evangelistic events, I have stopped trying. Honestly, what hinders me from actively doing more is basically my fear of harming the friendship, and also because I just cannot see them becoming Christian.
Yet, this thought came to mind recently. Who am I to decide whether or not a friend is “ready” or “suitable” enough to be saved? Jesus came to save ALL, and I do not have the right to pre-determine whether someone is “worth” sharing the Gospel to.
Attending the Evangelism Training during the break gave me a lot more to think about. I was very struck by Desmond’s sharing on Connecting Evangelism, because it helped me to refine my previous misconceptions of evangelism as simply sharing the Four Spiritual Laws. Instead, it confirmed my idea that we must be flexible enough to use different methods in different circumstances, and I think that in the case of my friends, this would mean engaging them on the level of their needs, and regularly praying for them.
Some incidents that happened recently also encouraged me not to give up. One, a friend who has always been closed to Christianity suddenly expressed more interest in knowing more about it, and also shared more openly about how his life feels very meaningless right now. Two, there have been quite a few opportunities to engage my friends on apologetics topics online (e.g. on Facebook or over MSN), and these have been useful in giving me an idea of where they stand with regards to spiritual issues. Third, a new Christian recently joined my cell group in church, and hearing of how he was always seeking, but never understanding till God opened his eyes one day to the truth of the Gospel, encouraged me to continue praying that one day my friends’ spiritual eyes will be opened.
Beyond all that, what is tugging most at my heart now is the fact that I can see how they really need God, and I wish that they can recognize that too. But I believe that these things take time, and so for the last year that I am going to be of influence in their lives (before they go overseas to study), I want to commit myself to praying daily for their salvations, equipping myself with the skills and knowledge needed to connect with them, and speaking boldly when given the chance to.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
Shu May
Year 2
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かみさまがやられた
( GOD DID IT! )
I have always been trying to reach out to a close friend of mine since JC. God has impressed upon my heart to keep reaching out to her. However, I was afraid of my inadequacies; not able to connect to her, relate to her questions etc. Occasionally, during our conversations, I would say stupid things like “Hey… eh… here’s a magazine… my church… make one… eh!” I felt really frustrated many times because I simply could not connect to her and share to gospel to her. And each time when I tried to give her Christian materials and inviting her to church and letting someone else do the sharing, I will stumble and get really nervous.
Finally one day, I told her “I am doing all these because…I hope you will find true love.” And it connected! Not to me of course but to the need that she has been searching. She said she felt that she was not holy enough to receive Christ and we began explain certain truths about the Christian faith. I stumbled as usual, trying to squeeze Christian stuffs occasionally during outings, dinner etc, and really felt like an idiot. Sometimes I wondered what I shared makes any sense to her. Nevertheless, I just kept trying and trying. Sometimes I felt like just move on and since our paths kind of separated after JC when I entered army, maybe it’s time for me to take a break.
Just about 2 months ago, I received a call from her and she said “Adam, I went to a friend’s church and I felt something different, it felt so different…I don’t know how to explain.. and I received Christ!” I was stunned. Speechless. She thanked me for the times I spoke to her about Christ because it was a huge stepping stone for her. But to me, it must be God. How can God use those silly conversations to convict her heart? How can God change the way she has been thinking all the time about life? He can, because He is God.
Last week during the term break, I witnessed her baptism. My heart melted. As I hear her testimony of God’s amazing work and how I was mentioned in her journey, watched her being dipped into the pool, my heart whisper in a still small voice “It’s worth it, all the years, it’s worth it” I felt like a guardian angel as I witness this miracle of God. This can only be God’s doing, I am glad He used me during the process.
I am once again affirmed of my calling to full time ministry. Everyone has their own calling, but to me, this is something that I want to do for my whole life. This is one thing that I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever.
Adam Lee
Year 3
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He Who Hears And Answers
Earlier in the year, the opportunity came for me to go on a Gen12ii mission trip with Campus Crusade to Khon Kaen University in NE Thailand. I was very excited about the trip as I have a heart to see the Thais turn to Christ as well as I had been learning the Thai language in NUS for the past 3 semesters. This mission trip was a new experience for me as my previous trips were to villages, ministering to children and adults but this time we were going to minister to my peers, university students.
Right from the start, God heard the humble prayers of each of the members and answered them in His time. Several of my team mates were on their first mission trip and were quite apprehensive about the support raising. As the weeks went by and as the support came in, God blessed us with what we needed and more! Mouths that spoke words of apprehension now sung praises in awe.
Touching down in Thailand, we were greeted by the local Crusade staff and were briefed about the days ahead while we were there. Right from day 2, we were on campus every weekday making new friends and meeting up with friends made on previous days. For my partner, Jason, and me, we started off slow. But as we were reminded of our purpose we thickened our face and approached people. The Lord is faithful and knows how to pace us. The first strangers Jason and I approached were very warm and welcoming, one of whom is a Christian. As I reflected at the end of the first day, I realized that all the strangers we met went away, knowing that we are Christians. Even though no Gospel message was shared, the work of the Lord was already taking place.
All through the trip, we kept a team log of the things that we trusted God for as well as our thanksgivings. This served for us as a memory of God’s goodness and faithfulness, just as in the days of Joshua when the people set up a memorial after crossing the Jordan. Indeed God heard our prayers and answered them all and even more than what we could have hoped or imagined. I’ll just tell of three events that left a deep impression in me.
Divine appointment
During the trip, we held English and Chinese lessons, for which I was the contact person. Late one night I received a call from an unknown number. From the phone conversation, we arranged to meet for lunch the following week. During the lunch, I enquired as to how the student, Lion, got my number. To my surprise, he called the wrong number and yet was willing to talk and agree to meet up with a stranger. There was definitely more to this than mere accident. My partner and I continued to keep in contact with him and invited him to one of our parties. In our third meeting, Jason asked him if he had any questions about Christianity. While that felt strange to me as a question to ask to bridge to the sharing of the Gospel, Lion’s answer surprised me. He wanted to know the story that gave rise to the song Silent Night. Limited by my Thai, we motioned for a Thai Crusade staff to join us and answer his question. This eventually led to the sharing of the Gospel and when asked if he would want to receive Christ, he nodded. In that moment my heart rejoiced and I could imagine how the angels in heaven were rejoicing as well at the decision of his. The call made may seem like a mistake to many but God had intended it for His purposes. No man’s plan could have orchestrated for us to meet Lion and share the Gospel but that it is the Lord at work, seeking out the lost and bringing them back to Himself.
Divine providence
In traveling to the university everyday, we would have to walk about 10 minutes to the main road to take a bus which would take another 20 minutes to get to the university and we would have to squeeze with other passengers for space on the bus. It was the same when we got back each evening. One evening as we were heading back as a team, I was prompted to ask a bus driver if he would take the whole team and drive us all the way back to the hotel. To my surprise, he agreed and for no extra charge. Reaching the hotel, I was prompted to ask the driver to come pick us up the next morning to send us to the university. Much to our delight, he agreed. From that day on, he came day after day, sending us to school for no extra charge. Even on days when he was on leave, he would instruct another driver to pick us up. While we thought that this arrangement could have been easily achieved, we were wrong. Other attempts at asking a driver to send us back to the hotel were met with higher fares. When we told the Thai Crusade staff about our transport arrangement, they were surprised that we were able to get it for no extra charge. While the time spent each day with the driver was short, the relationship grew and he came for our Singapore Night party and even came to send us off on the day we left Khon Kaen. The “chartered” transport was by no means gotten by eloquence but only by His providence.
As the end of the trip drew near, we planned for a Singapore Night party as an event where our friends could know more about Singapore as well as hear a testimony and be challenged to accept Christ. We planned for it to be held on a Friday evening and we set a faith target of 70 students. When we told our plans to the Thai staff, they were telling us that Friday is a day where students who are from provinces other than Khon Kaen would head home for the weekend thus we should not be expecting too many people. By the end of the day before the party, we had about 40 students who had confirmed their attendance for the party. We were discouraged but we never gave up hope. We continued to pray and invite our friends, and seeking their confirmation of attendance. Location wise, we had to choose between a small hall which could accommodate 40 students and a larger hall which could hold many more people. By faith we went ahead with holding the party in the larger hall. When the night was over and the numbers tallied for the attendance, it came up to almost 100 people and amongst them some prayed to receive Christ at that party. When we live by sight, we are easily affected by the situations around us. But when we live by faith, nothing really matters.
The entire trip can be summed up in a line “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Psalm 126 : 3) We came back rejoicing at the great things we saw God doing over in Thailand, both amongst the team and the people we were reaching out to. In a foreign land, speaking a foreign language, I came to one conclusion – the work of evangelism is the Lord’s not ours. We just have to do our part in telling the Good News.
Wayne
Year 3
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Dearest Crusaders,
Do continue to let us hear your stories!! May you stand firm and be encouraged as you continue to press on for Him!
Remember…
One Semester
One Friend
One More For Chirst!
More faith stretching stories to be told…
Contact:
Xiaojun 98150521 xiaojun87@yahoo.com.sg
Or
Ruth 91556086 suoregand@hotmail.com
On Behalf Of E Comm.
