2017-02 (二月禱告信)

弟兄姊妹主內平安:

農曆新年蒙恩!願主的恩典在今年豐豐富富的臨到您和您一家,讓您屬天的生命,一年比一年更豐盛,使您在主耶穌得國降臨的日子,可以豐豐富富的進入祂榮耀的國度。

帶領福音朋友作決志禱告

當年耶穌對祂的門徒說:「舉目向田觀看,莊稼已經熟了(原文作發白),可以收割了。」今天也是如此,雖然很多人說新一代的年輕人很難信主,其實有很多人的心已經預備好,等著我們去收割了。這幾年校園事工的收割率實在比以前高,平均每兩週就能帶領一位福音朋友作決志禱告,很多人只聽了約二十分鐘的福音談道,就甘心樂意的作了決志禱告,這是因為主已經預備好人的心去相信接受福音,莊稼已經熟了,可以收割了,再等就是錯過機會。只是很多人覺得帶領人信主的工作,必須由牧師去作,福音朋友的心看來已經準備好了,教會一些同工以為要讓牧師來帶領人作決志,這雖然是對牧師的尊重,其實完全沒有這個必要,牧者也盼望弟兄姊妹能帶領別人作決志禱告,這樣他們也可以經歷帶人信主的喜樂,就更樂意去傳福音。有些人可能不知如何帶領人作決志禱告,以下方法可以幫助您:

  1. 多為福音朋友禱告。
  2. 探訪時,問候與關懷的時間不要太久,不要超過十分鐘。
  3. 透過關懷的事,儘早轉入福音的正題。
  4. 耶穌與祂的十字架是我們福音的中心。
  5. 簡單扼要的說明福音的四重點:1. 有神、2. 有罪、3. 有審判、4. 有救恩。(四個屬靈的定律、福音橋、羅馬路等都可以)。
  6. 靠主放膽請他們接受耶穌作救主。
  7. 他們願意接受主,我們就教他自己開口禱告,認罪與接受耶穌為救主。(盡可能讓福音朋友自己開口禱告,這樣較清楚他心中所想的。)
  8. 說明禱告的內容是:1. 稱呼耶穌,2. 承認自己為罪人,3. 請耶穌作救主,4. 願意跟從耶穌。5. 奉耶穌的名禱告、阿們!
  9. 反覆說明禱告的重點(兩、三遍)。
  10. 帶領的人開口先禱告,求主幫助福音朋友現在能開口禱告。(要短、要淺 - 用福音朋友的程度,不要太「長」、太「屬靈」)。
  11. 等福音朋友開口禱告。若他不開口,可以自己還是閉上眼睛,輕聲用兩句話鼓勵他開口禱告。
  12. 他禱告時帶領的人要專心聽,注意他有沒有說到:認自己的罪與接受耶穌為救主。
  13. 他禱告後帶領人可以為他作祝福與交托的禱告。
  14. 使他確信自己從現今起,就是神的兒女,是個基督徒。
  15. 用一點時間幫助他每天禱經與禱告,每週要參加聚會。
  16. 講完福音重點後,他們若表示目前不能接受時,我們也要面帶笑容。
  17. 不要問福音朋友有沒有什麼問題,除非是他提到問題。
  18. 總要從問題的回答轉回到福音的主題。
  19. 不談進化論、科學與信仰的問題,除非被問到,或是他已表示目前還不能接受耶穌時。
  20. 學習按聖靈的帶領行事,總時間不要超過一小時。

三月福音營 (三月17晚至20日午):

三月福音營是傳福音的好時機,經過近一學期的傳福音與關懷事工,很多福音朋友的心已經預備好接受主,我們可以趁著這次福音營,讓他們在離開校園前,能得著基督,帶著新生命回家為主作見證。有些人馬上就畢業,在面對求職身份的困難,心中常有惶恐,只有耶穌才能安慰他們的心,我們可以趁這時刻,趕緊將人帶到主的面前。弟兄姊妹要盡早報名參加,再邀請福音朋友,因為弟兄姊妹若不先報名參加,福音朋友是不會報名的。聚會當中,福音朋友也需要弟兄姊妹作陪談,看顧他們的需要,使他們感覺溫暖,專心聽道。也請為福音朋友個別禱告,求主在他們心中工作,並得著他們的靈魂。這次福音營的主題正是:「奇異的愛」,講員是:馮偉牧師、與莫悅照長老,加州短宣隊也會來幫忙並分享專題。欲知詳情及下載報名表, 請至中心網站查詢 。報名表也將儘速於近日寄至各教會與團契,在網上已經可以下載。

五月門徒與讀經營 (5月21晚至26日午):

為各地校園團契建立下學年度的新同工,裝備畢業同學進入職場後,能繼續作主的門徒,作個帶職事奉的人,也裝備暑期回國的弟兄姊妹,回家為主作見證,傳福音。講員有:莊祖鯤牧師、周偉恩牧師等。請從中心網站看最新信息。

帶職信徒訓練營 (5月26晚至29日午):

為了幫助平常上班的弟兄姐妹,不僅在主裏有長進,也能在教會或團契有效的服事主,成為一位小牧人,帶領年輕弟兄姊妹追求主,成為教會與牧者的好同工,可以作學生們的好榜樣。此聚會僅限全職工作者參加 (TA, RA 或博士班學生均不算全職上班者), 講員為:周偉恩牧師等。請從中心網站看最新信息。

青少年門徒訓練營(6月4日晚至10日午):

幫助初中以上至大學生以英文為主的青少年基督徒學習作主的門徒,並在大學時能在校園見證主,帶領同學歸主,在社會工作時,能為主而活。請從中心網站看最新信息。

八月讀經營(7月30日晚至8月5日午):

讓各教會及查經班弟兄姊妹一同在研讀聖經上追求主,打好聖經基礎,養成讀經習慣,認識神,並藉此享受神生命的供應,也能成為神話語供應的器皿,帶領別人在主話語上扎根生長。內容為:歷史書(二)分裂王國的列王與先知。講員是:汪川生牧師、李玉惠姐妹及中心同工等。請從中心網站看最新信息。

代禱事項:

  1. 為冬令會信主的弟兄姊妹禱告,求主幫助他們繼續追求與成長!並能參加五月份的門徒與同工訓練營。
  2. 為三月福音營的準備工作禱告,求主預備人心參加。
  3. 為福音營的邀請工作禱告,求主的靈感動弟兄姊妹早日報名,並早早邀請福音朋友參加。
  4. 為福音營的講員禱告,求主的靈工作,加添他們智慧與話語,在這新時代帶出新一代的果效。
  5. 為中心的建造與維修工作禱告,求主賜福與帶領。
  6. 關靜純姊妹在一月底退休,求主繼續賜福與使用她。
  7. 為新同工李正弟兄禱告,求主賜福他一家,並為他身份申請禱告,盼望早日完成,早日可以正式開始中心的事奉。
  8. 為江姊妹本月忙碌的年度稅務工作禱告,所有弟兄姐妹去年的奉獻收據, 將約於二月中 旬左右寄出, 謝謝您的耐心及等待。
  9. 為六月青少年門徒訓練營禱告,求主預備年青人的心來參加。
  10. 中心需要更多對校園有負擔的同工一起在美中服事, 請代導並求主預備。
  11. 為中心各同工的身體、靈命與事奉禱告,求主賜福。

敬祝以馬內利

高榮德敬上

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, peace to you in our Lord:

Have a blessed Chinese New Year! May the grace of the Lord shower upon you and your family abundantly so much so that your spiritual lives grow year after year, allowing you to enter His glorious Kingdom upon the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lead nonbelievers to pray to accept Jesus as Saviour

Jesus once said to His disciples, “lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.” This also holds true for today. Even though a lot of people argue that it is harder for the younger generation to come to faith, the reality is that many hearts are ready to receive Christ, only waiting for us to “harvest”. The rate of harvesting souls among campus ministries went up the past few years, averaging one new believer every two weeks. Many of them listened to barely twenty minutes of the Gospel message prior to praying to accept Jesus with their willing hearts. This is totally God’s work as He prepared their hearts to receive the Gospel. The field is white and ready for harvest; waiting will miss the opportunities. Unfortunately a lot of people believe that leading people to Christ has to be done by pastors. When such Christians happen across nonbelievers who seem ready for conversion, they would still refer them to their pastors. This may reflect reverence for pastors or uncertainty. It is totally unnecessary. Indeed, pastors would love to see brothers and sisters leading others to pray to accept Jesus, so as to experience firsthand the joy of harvesting, which in turn may motivate them to share the Gospel more willingly. Some of us may not know how to lead others to pray to accept Jesus. The following steps may help you.

  1. Ask God often to stir the nonbelievers.
  2. During visitation, limit casual chat to no more than ten minutes.
  3. Use caring as an icebreaker; lead into Gospel as quickly as possible.
  4. Jesus and the Cross are the focal points of the Gospel.
  5. Succinctly present the four key points of Gospel – 1. There is God. 2. All have sinned. 3. There is judgment. 4. There is salvation. (You may use the Four Spiritual Laws, the Gospel Bridge, the Roman Road, etc.)
  6. Trust in God and bravely invite them to receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
  7. If they are willing to receive Christ, teach them to pray aloud in their own words in order to repent and receive the Lord Jesus as the Savior. (Encourage the nonbelievers to open their mouths and pray so that we know clearly what they were thinking).
  8. Explain the content of the prayer: 1) address to Jesus; 2) confess oneself as a sinner; 3) ask Jesus to be the Savior; 4) express willingness to follow Jesus; 5) pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!
  9. Repeatedly state the key points of the prayers (repeat two to three times)
  10. The leader should initiate the prayer by asking God’s help so that the nonbelievers can pray aloud in their own words. (be concise, easy to understand; don’t be too long or too spiritually jargoned)
  11. Wait for the nonbeliever to pray. Should he or she stay silent, still keep your eyes closed and gently say a couple of words to encourage him/or her to pray.
  12. 12sten intently while the person prays. Make sure the prayers include confession of sins and invitation of Jesus as the Savior.
  13. Bless and lift up to God the new believer right after the decision making prayer.
  14. Assure the new believer that from now on he or she is a child of God and a Christian.
  15. Spend time to make sure the new believer read the Bible and pray daily and join the church weekly.
  16. Should the nonbeliever be unready to receive Christ after the Gospel presentation, we still should show kindness and smiles.
  17. Do not solicit questions from the nonbeliever, but do hear questions they raise.
  18. Answers to questions should always point to the Gospel.
  19. Avoid dwelling on evolution, why does God allow evil, and other such matters unless these topics are being brought up or the nonbeliever indicated he/she is not ready to accept Jesus yet.
  20. Learn to walk according to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Limit the length of sharing to no more than one hour.

March Gospel Camp (from the evening of March 17 to noon of March 20):

March Gospel camp is a good opportunity for sharing the Gospel. After hearing the Gospel and being cared for nearly one semester, many nonbelievers’ hearts are ready to accept the Lord. Through the Gospel Camp, we may help them accept Christ before leaving the campus and be able to witness for the Lord to their families with a new life. Some of them will graduate very soon and may dread of the challenges relating to job hunting. Only Jesus can comfort their hearts. We can make use of this opportunity and lead them to the Lord without delay. Brothers and sisters should apply themselves for the camp as soon as possible and then invite nonbelievers. This is because if Christians do not attend the meeting, nonbelievers will not attend either. During the camp, Christians also need to counsel and accompany nonbelievers and take care of their needs so that they will feel being loved and can concentrate on the messages. Please also pray for each individual nonbeliever and ask the Lord to work in their hearts and win their souls. The theme of the Gospel camp is Amazing Love. The speakers are Pastor Wei Feng and Elder Y. C. Mok. California Short-Term Mission Teams will also come and help with workshop sharing. Please go to the CWC website for details and the registration form. The registration forms will be mailed to each church and fellowship in the near future and is already available to download from the CWC website.

May Discipleship Training (from the evening of May 21 to noon of May 26):

The purposes of this training are to build up new coworkers for the next semester at various local campus ministries, to equip graduates to continue to be disciples of the Lord and a tent-making minister after beginning their career, and to equip those who will go back to China in summer to witness for the Lord and share the Gospel with their families. The speakers are pastor Tsu-Kung Chuang and pastor Stanley Chow. Please go to the CWC website for the latest update.

Lay Minister Discipleship Training (from the evening of May 26 to noon of May 29):

The purpose of this training is to help brothers and sisters who work full-time not only grow in the Lord but also effectively serve Him in their churches or fellowships. We hope that they will become little shepherds, lead young brothers and sisters to seek God, grow into good coworkers to their churches and pastors, and become good role models to the students. Only those who work full-time can attend this camp. TA, RA, or doctoral students are not considered full time workers. The speaker is pastor Stanley Chow and others. Please go to the CWC website for the latest update.

Youth Discipleship Training (from the evening of June 4 to the noon of June 10):

This training exists to help English speaking youths from middle school to college age learn to be disciples of the Lord, to witness for the Lord on college campuses, to lead classmates to Christ, and to live as a devoted Christian as they enter the workforce. Please go to the CWC website for the latest update.

August Bible Camp (from the evening of July 30 to the noon of August 5):

The purpose of this camp is to encourage brothers and sisters from various churches and Bible study groups to seek the Lord by studying the Bible, build a solid biblical foundation, develop a habit of daily Bible reading. They will know God deeper, so that they will enjoy God’s provision of spiritual food, become a channel of God’s Word, and lead others to take root in the Word of God. This time we will study the Old Testament History (II): Kings and Prophets during the Divided Kingdoms. The speakers are Pastor Chuan Sheng Wang and Sister Grace Lee. Please go to the CWC website for the latest update.

Prayer Requests:

  1. Please pray for brothers and sisters who have accepted Christ during the Winter Conference. May the Lord help them continue to grow and be able to attend the May discipleship and co-worker training camps.
  2. Pray for the preparation of the March Gospel camp. May the Lord lead people to attend.
  3. Pray for the invitations to the Gospel camp. May the Spirit of God urge brothers and sisters to apply early.
  4. Please pray for the speakers of the Gospel camp. May the Spirit of God provide them with wisdom and messages to evangelize the younger generations.
  5. Please pray for the construction and maintenance work at CWC. May the Lord bless and guide it.
  6. Sister Ching Chun Kuan retired at the end of January. May the Lord continue to bless and use her.
  7. Please pray for the new coworker, Brother Aaron Li. May the Lord bless his family. Please pray that his visa application will be approved and that he will be able to start his ministry at CWC soon.
  8. Please pray for Sister Cindy Chiang’s busy tax related paper work this month. All the offering receipts will be mailed approximately in the middle of February. Thank you for your patience.
  9. Please pray for the June youth discipleship training. May the Lord prepare the hearts of those who will attend.
  10. CWC needs more coworkers who have burdens for campus ministry to serve in the Midwest. Please pray that the Lord will provide.
  11. Please pray for CWC coworkers’ health, spiritual lives, and ministries. May the Lord bless them!

Emmanuel

Billy Ko
Pastor