Evangelism

E-Comm

E Comm presents to you…..

FAITH

A JOURNEY WITH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

WORKS

…..an Arts Ministry Newsletter On Evangelism

Evangelism Efforts in Japan

During the school holidays, I had the privilege and opportunity to go on a Gen12ii mission trip to Tokyo, Japan with a team of Arts Region staff and crusaders.

When the team was there, we had the chance to interact with the Japanese Campus Crusade staff and stinters, otherwise known as Student Impact members, who took great pains to ensure our comfort during our stay there. They led us into the mission field proper, leading by example and guiding those of us, like myself, who had little experience with mission work and evangelism. From their own unselfish sharing, I learnt many different strategies and sensitivities that I could apply to my own actions.

Most significantly, what impressed on me most of all was their constant encouragement not to give up and feel disappointed upon failure. Initially, I took this advice lightly, thinking that it came from a lack of faith and confidence in the ability of God to change lives. However, as I continued to interact with the Japanese students and share the gospel, I began to understand why such encouragement meant so much to them. I began to see my own efforts come to naught, and confidence in my own abilities shaken the more I tried. Receiving Christ into their lives was, in my opinion, nearly impossible for a Japanese student to do. It was almost as if nothing I did work, and to top it all, I was ashamed to share it with anyone. Then, one night as I was praying and brooding over my own helplessness alone in the room, two verses came to me:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Cor 12:9

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb 10:25

In a span of one night, I transferred my dependence on my own inadequate abilities onto God’s infallible power, and began to encourage those around me never to give up, like the Japanese staff had been doing. Within the next three days, I met up with a new Japanese contact I had never met before, Yuta, and he rededicated his life to Jesus, marking out what probably was the happiest and proudest moment of my first mission trip experience.

Besides the staff, another remarkable group of people are the Japanese Christians themselves. The members of the Takenotsuka church service that the team attended during the first Sunday in Japan may have had been small, no more than fifty members. Nevertheless, their dreams for God were enormous. The congregation fellowships in a manner similar to that of the Early Church, partaking in food, enjoying sports and helping out one another in whatever way they can. Another defining moment was how an elderly lady from the Noboride church that we attended on the second Sunday of our stay, upon knowing that I could communicate in basic Japanese, kept encouraging me to come back and evangelize to the Japanese people. Although I could not make out what she was telling me totally, I could draw information about her love for her son back in Osaka whom she had been praying on his behalf for many years. Throughout the entire 1km walk to the nearest train station, she held on to my hand and kept inviting me to come back to Japan, and telling me how much the Japanese people needed Jesus. By the time we said goodbye to the Noboride congregation members, I was struggling to hold back my tears.

What I learnt and admired most was the daring hope of the Japanese Christians and missionaries to dream big dreams on behalf of our God. Despite continuous failure, being mistakenly perceived to be a cult group, and their own tiny, diminishing population, they still hold on fast to the promises in the Bible. What about us Christians back in Singapore? Do we dream big dreams worthy of the splendor of our King, or do we bask indulgently in the safe environment God has blessed us with, reluctant to step out of our comfort zone?

Finally, do continue to keep both the Japanese people and yourselves in prayer. The ground over there is in need of a spiritual revival, and it is my strong conviction that it is only a matter of time before our Lord will work His miracles and quench the growing population thirsting for the truth. For those who have a strong calling for Japan, go! You do not want to miss out of the blessings that God promises to those who will seek His kingdom first by faith in what is unseen, as well as play a role in what could be one of the most important pieces of the puzzle towards the day of the coming of our Lord.

May God bless you and keep you.

Victor Hui

Year 3

Special Programs IC

Tokyo Team, Gen12ii ‘08

P.S. Just before we left, the leaders of Takenotsuka church showed the mission team their dream: a giant plot of land near the train station where they will be building their new church. Continue to keep them in your prayers too. J

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A Step Closer

After returning from a fruitful mission trip to Thailand and having witnessed the power of God, I felt the burden and urgency to share the gospel with my pre-believing friends. On the plane back from Thailand, God suddenly brought to mind the name of a friend I had met in my first semester in NUS. I have not spoken to this friend for about a year now and was wondering how to contact her after so long. Would it be weird to suddenly ask her out or talk to her?

God is good! For when I turned on my handphone when I touched down at Changi Airport, I received a SMS from her, asking me how I was doing and if I wanted to meet up with her! I immediately replied saying I had just returned from Thailand and would love to meet up with her.

The following week, I met up with this friend at Science canteen. We had lunch together and spent a great time catching up. I really wanted to share the gospel with her, but was hesitant as I did not know how to bridge the gospel into our conversation. I was sharing with her what happened in the mission trip to Thailand when she suddenly asked me why do I go to church. Praise the Lord! I was able to share with her my testimony; being born in a non-Christian family, how my friend had brought me to church and how subsequently, I had experienced the love of God and the realness of the living God and decided to become a Christian.

She was silent for a while and I could tell she was thinking about what I had said. I then asked her if I could share the gospel with her so she could know my God loves her too. She said “okay”, so I shared with her very simply the message of the gospel. After I shared the gospel, she said that she was very amazed at how so many of her friends are also Christian and how God seems to be bringing people in her life to share the gospel with her.

Then, I felt God reminding me that I had a book in my bag and to give that book to her. I struggled for a while, because I had brought that book for another friend for her birthday, and it was a Christian book, would my pre-believing friend read it even if I gave it to her? In the end, I decided to obey and give that book to my friend. I took out that book and gave it to my friend. That book was titled “Is that really you, God?” by Loren Cunningham. When my friend saw the book, her eyes immediately brimmed with tears because the title was the question that she had been asking “Is that really you, God?”

She shared that she had wanted to believe in Jesus, but was not sure if it was really God speaking to her. Her parents were Buddhists, and she was also afraid how they might respond if she became a Christian. I was then able to discuss and reassure her concerning some of the fears she had.

I thank God for the opportunity to share the gospel with this friend of mine. Although I was very scared and did not know how to share the gospel at first, I am glad that God opened a door for me to share the gospel. I learned that as long as we are willing to obey Him, He will make a way! (despite all our fears and many questions “how?” “what if…?”)

Thank God that I was able to bring my friend a step closer to Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord!

Zhon Yun

Year 3

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Dearest Crusaders,

Above is the first ever newsletter on Evangelism for this academic year! =D

We WANT to collect MORE STORIES of you and your journeys with God, be it STRUGGLES, TRIALS or VICTORIES in Evangelism! With these faith stretching stories that God has provided you with, may you use these testimonies to encourage other fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to know that the movement for God is on at all times as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission that Jesus has given to us. May you be blessed, encouraged and be on fire to press on towards fulfilling the Great Commission!! =) =)

We truly believe that each and everyone of us has a story to tell.

So if you would like to contribute your stories with us,

Do contact:

Xiaojun     98150521 xiaojun87@yahoo.com.sg

Or

Ruth     91556086 suoregand@hotmail.com

WE REALLY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOON! =D