Faith Chaser 第三课的分享: 一个未曾听过的传道人感恩 • 我 们 爱 ， 因 为 神 先 爱 我 们 。(约 翰 一 书 4: 19)
• 一个未曾听过的传道人感恩 (Extracted with permission from a paper of the writer)
“.....Christian leaders who know God and who know how to lead in a Christian manner will be phenomenally more effective in their world than even the most skilled and qualified leaders who lead without God… The most likely to succeed as an effective spiritual leader, is to commit absolutely obedient to God’s will when developing visions and setting direction for their organization… A good leader not only is a good follower as he knows God is his leader, but also showing greatness in his serving other as a servant leader within his organization or church, because Jesus has established this model (servant leadership) for Spiritual Leaders..... “
(By Henry & Richard Blackaby. Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda. Nashville, Tennessee: Bradman & Holman Publishing Group, 2001. 28-29.)
As a retired pastor now and thinking back about my past 3 ½ years of Chinese Ministry in Red Deer, my memory can be reflected similar to the psalmist who has described in Psalm 78 focusing on the sinfulness of Israel and God’s goodness to his people. This former pastor would like to use Psalm 78 as a guide and format to write a prayer reflecting himself of being a shepherd and servant leader in his church before:
Our Heavenly Father:
We come to you this moment and make thanksgiving to you as you are our father in Heaven, you are our mighty God and creator of the universe and you have made us to be your children.
We would like to worship you days and nights, and talk about your goodness and mercy in our Chinese Church in Red Deer and among our brothers and sisters in the Chinese Congregation.
Thank you Lord for helping Chinese People come to reside in Red Deer for more than 45 years. Due to cultural differences as they are hard workers, they feel lonely and isolated in the society at all time. You love your children and care for them so much that you would send your first shepherd, Pastor Rev. Peter Poon from the Edmonton Chinese Alliance Church to create a home church in 1978 for your children so that they may be received in your house and have warm fellowship and worship in the Chinese Church with the Foreign Chinese students who were growing in number at the local College since 1978. You have shown your goodness and mercy to your people and that Chinese and Chinese families had started to populate in Red Deer ever since.
However, they forgot about your grace and blessing from time to time and had continued to distant themselves from the house of Lord, and rather like to bring their children away from church and spent much time in the local casinos, worship idols and ancestors, and left many homes broken and children scattered to other close by big cities. They even let go of their pastors more than nine times in the 30 years plus and would abandon go to church that has become a habit, or simply let their church die off herself sooner or later.
Thank you, Lord for your faithfulness and abundant provisions that you have given the people another chance to repent and time to revise and rebuild their church and that you had sent your servant (the former pastor) to come to Red Deer in April, 2007 and gave him the following plan (law) to follow, so that your house could be rebuilt within the reach of his people. We praise your name and recalled the stages of his present as a pastoral staff in the Chinese Ministry that may be revealed as follows:
(1) Stage I (2007-2008): Caring and reviving the Chinese Church to become an established Chinese Congregation with the Deer Park Alliance Church in the community of the City of Red Deer;
(2) Stage II (2008-2009): Normalizing the Chinese Congregation in the mission to become a functional part of the body of Christ's church at the Deer Park Alliance Church;
(3) Stage III (2009-2010): Implementing initiatives and reach out programs to the lost souls in the Chinese community. Enable them to have a chance to get to know Christ and gospel we may deliver to the Chinese from our Deer Park Alliance Church; and
(4) Stage IV (2010 - 2011): Looking into towards the summer and fall in 2010 and finding a possible younger pastor and his family full time residing in Red Deer to continue and expand the Chinese congregation with this already established Chinese church in Red Deer.
Thank you Lord, for your mercy and goodness that has let us confirm the above testimony of Scripture in the Psalm 78. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, and nothing but being created anew by the Holy Ghost can cure the ungodliness of any. Thank you and let us know God's patience, and warnings, and mercies, emboldens them to harden their hearts against his word. And the history of kingdoms is much the same. Judgments and mercies have been little attended to, until the measure of their sins has been full. And higher advantages have not kept churches from declining from the commandments of God. Even true believers recollect that for many a year they abused the kindness of Providence. When they come to heaven, how will they admire the Lord's patience and mercy in bringing them to his kingdom!
Thank you Lord for showing us this Psalms 78 and let us experience the same of your forgiveness to our sinfulness in the church and your goodness to our Chinese people to prevent your present and future judgment against them.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
[youtube]BISdhNEgDTQ[/youtube]
这是我的手 歌词 ——————————————
主再来的日子已临近 (以下重复2次)
神的儿女当祷告警醒
主曾呼召属他的儿女
当往普天下去传福音
我已听见主声音
谁肯为我们而去
献上自己为活祭
是圣洁 是神所喜悦的
主这是我的手 主这是我的心
我完全降伏你 我全然献给你
主炼净我的手 主炼净我的心
我无论何往 一定跟随你
——————————————
主这是我的手 主这是我的心 (这里1 次)
我完全降伏你 我全然献给你
主炼净我的手 主炼净我的心
我无论何往 一定跟随你
————————————
我已听见主声音 (这里重复3 次)
谁肯为我们而去
献上自己为活祭
是圣洁 是神所喜悦的
—————————————
主这是我的手 主这是我的心 (这里重复4 次)
我完全降伏你 我全然献给你
主炼净我的手 主炼净我的心
我无论何往 一定跟随你
—————————————
。。。祝大家有个愉快的星期三夜晚。。。