Dear Brothers and Sisters, Peace to you in the Lord!
Last Monday (May 30th), we just finished our May discipleship and May Lay-minister training, and from this Sunday (June 5) Youth Camp is in progress! Although busy, seeing that the spiritual lives of brothers and sisters in the past two camps have been stirred up and cultivated by the Lord, we feel that the labor in the Lord is not in vain! As of June 1, those who have signed up for the Bible Camp have started working on the designated homework, and the co-workers will also spend quite a few time reading the reports handed in by the brothers and sisters, a busy summer for the co-workers is expected. Please continue to remember us in your prayers.
The following message was shared by Pastor Ko at the 6:30 pm online prayer meeting on March 6th.This is the last message he shared on earth. It also can stand for his whole life’s experience and witness.
Jacob’s life was shaped to be someone who could bless others
When you heard the name Jacob (son of Isaac), what kind of person do you think he was? Some said he was a man who wanted God’s blessings. Is it good or bad to pursue God’s blessings? In fact, it is good to pursue God’s blessings (promises), but if pursued too much with human motive, it will bring you trouble.
Jacob was such a kind of person! For example, making friends as a child with someone like Jacob can be very painful, because he never gets what he wants in a proper way, but always by trickery. This was the case with Jacob and Esau. Esau was deeply distressed by Jacob when growing up, because many of the good things were taken by Jacob. We can say that Jacob was a man who brought sufferings upon others. But God didn’t want Jacob to live in this state forever, He wants him to be His channel of blessings.
To become a blessing of God, one needs to be changed by Him. It is because of the change God had done in Jacob’s life that he became a man who gave blessings to others, rather than robbing blessings from others. For by the nature of the old self, it would be very difficult for a person to give blessings to others, God had taken a long period of time shaping Jacob.
On the face of it, in his youth Jacob deceived Esau his firstborn status with a bowl of red soup, but his father, Isaac, did not recognize such status and still wanted to bless Esau, his first-born son, therefore, Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, asked him to cheat again. No matter how many times Jacob cheated, he did not actually get what he wanted. And Esau, on the other hand, did not understand how precious the heavenly blessings were, despised the status of the firstborn.
God’s intention was to make this family a family of God, an example of entering the kingdom of heaven, so God wants this family not to treasure the blessings of the earth, but to value spiritual life. What were the blessings Isaac given to his son? It was ” the heaven’s dew and earth’s richness,” which he was referring only to the nectar of nature from the sun and rain, not to what God really wanted them to get. The true heaven’s dew is full of heavenly glory, beauty, radiance, and abundance, but what Isaac gave had no such benefit, only the benefit of the earth, so God wants to turn their eyes to the treasure in heaven, who is Christ, the eternal life. It is God’s intention for the man to have life and have it to the full, and to experience the sweetness of Christ in life.
The first step God wanted Jacob to learn was to let go of what he or others thought was good in order to attain heavenly glory. This is also what God wants us to have. If we want to become a blessing to others that they may receive heavenly blessings, we must also pay attention to what we love in our hearts. If it is not from the Lord, it is not truly a heavenly dew, what God wants us to receive is that all the heavenly benefits that are eternal.
Through years of training and cultivating by God, Jacob’s life had changed and eventually gave back the blessings he tricked from Esau. When Jacob was changed by God and He had become all Jacob’s goodness, he received true heavenly blessings. Because the beauty of Christ humbled him, Jacob was able to come to his brother and kneel before him and return to him the blessings he had previously deceived from their father.
God was particularly gracious to Jacob, He changed Jacob from a man who pursued blessings for himself to one who blessed others. When Joseph led Jacob to see Pharaoh, Jacob did not say anything but immediately blessed him. The Book of Hebrews tells us that it is not for a person to bless whomever he likes, but “… the lesser is blessed by the greater.”(Heb. 7:7). As the most powerful person in the world at that time, Pharaoh might have questioned Jacob in his heart, “In what position you dare to bless me, the enthroned Pharaoh?” but because he valued Joseph, Pharaoh only asked how old Jacob was.
Jacob said directly to him, “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and difficult…” We should pay attention to this, Jacob did not say his days in Egypt, but in this world. Jacob meant that “I am the representative, the ambassador, of heaven. I am not sojourned in Egypt, but in this world, and because I am the representative of heaven, you are just the representative of Egypt, so my status is higher than yours.” Egypt will change, Egypt will come to the past, but the Kingdom of Heaven will be forever. Jacob also said, “My years on earth have been few and difficult,” not because he lacked food to eat or clothes to wear, but as the representative of the kingdom of heaven, he had not been doing well to please God. God changed Jacob’s life, giving him the work and ability to work, to bless Pharaoh and the people of Israel.
May the Lord help us that we are willing to be changed by Him, to value our status as ambassadors of heaven, and to become people who can bless others. Although we are scattered all over the world, we must always remember that we are the people of heaven who live on earth, sent by God to bring the blessings of heaven to all the people on earth, and to bring God’s love to people, so that more people can have life in Jesus Christ.
May Meeting Report:
(1)May Discipleship Training and Lay-minister Discipleship Training (5/22-30)
Nearly 60 people attended the May Discipleship Training. By the wonderful messages from the speakers Pastor Tsu-kung Chuang and Pastor Jiasong Huang, all brothers and sisters have been encouraged spiritually. On the following Memorial weekend, nearly 140 brothers and sisters came with more than 60 of their children to participate in the Lay-minister Training. This is the largest attendance for this meeting since the pandemic, and every room in the Center was fully utilized. Although Elder Kaleung Lee wasn’t able to come because of illness, God used Pastor Chuang who graciously filled the gap with extra time and effort . Although a large number attended the camp, meetings went smoothly and orderly. These brothers and sisters are leaders of their church and fellowship, usually providing for the spiritual needs in the church. By attending the camp, they have been equipped more to feed God’s flock when they go back. As full-time working people, these brothers and sisters were very thirsty for God’s Word, and many have expressed that they have learned a lot and gained spiritual benefit in the meeting. In addition, most of the participants are of similar age and professions (they either teach in schools or work in companies), their children have been coming with their parents and are familiar with each other, and we have seen them having a good time fellowship with each other in and after class. We give all the glory and praise to the Lord. My personal feeling is that Pastor Ko had always loved to see many people come to pursue the Lord, even though he was not among us, he must have rejoiced with us in heaven. Pastor Ko’s garden tomb is just behind the Canaan Hall, and many brothers and sisters have also walked up there in remembering him.
Future Meetings
(1) August Bible Camp (7/31-8/6)
This time we’re going to study the Pentateuch. As we all know, the CWC Bible Camp is a six-year study of the Bible. We are starting a new round this August. The Pentateuch is a very valuable scripture, with thorough teaching on the history of Israel, the beautiful footsteps left by the patriarchs, and God’s establishment of the priestly kingdom. There are also great lessons and reminders for us to walk on the spiritual path today. Up to June 1, eighty brothers and sisters have signed up and started the designated study report. Please do not miss this opportunity if you are interested in the study of Pentateuch . Strict deadline is June 15. Reading schedule and registration form have been posted on CWC website. The speakers are Pastor William Sun and CWC co-workers. Pastor Sun is the president and Old Testament professor at Christian Leadership Institute and is regularly traveling to Asia in training at different churches. Please pray for this camp. Please Click Here for details and registration form.
(2) August Discipleship Training (8/7-13)
In the past, Pastor Ko especially liked to encourage brothers and sisters to attend the August discipleship training because this is the best opportunity to train new co-workers for the church, as well as Bible study and fellowship groups before the start of Fall semester! Now that the pandemic is slowing down, we expect more new students will be coming to campuses this new semester. Due to the impact of the pandemic, the number of church congregations has decreased, so let us receive training first in order to meet the evangelical opportunity God has given us. Thank be to the Lord, Pastor Kuang-FuYang and Pastor King Tai Tie will be the speakers. Pastor Yang has been the pastor of the Baltimore Chinese Christian Church and the senior pastor of the Chinese Christian Church in Phoenix, Arizona. After retiring in 2020, he continues traveling around serving the saints. Pastor King Tai Tie had acknowledged the importance of discipleship training while studying at Dallas Theological Seminary and pastored the Chinese church at Denton, TX thirty some years ago. For that reason, every May, he had always organized and led a group of brothers and sisters from his church driving in several cars from Texas to participate in the CWC’s discipleship training and also did the teaching. After graduating from DTS, he returned to Malaysia. He had pastored Sibu Methodist Church, and served as lecturer and dean of Sibu Methodist Theological School. Pastor Tie came back to the States last year as Interim Senior Pastor of Dallas Chinese Fellowship Church and Adjunct Professor of Homiletics in the DMin program at Dallas Theological Seminary. When heard of his return to the States, we right away invited him to come and teach in the discipleship training camp. The registration form has been posted on the CWC website, please download the form and register online, please also prepare yourself, and pray for the brothers and sisters you have invited to the meeting. Please Click Here for details and registration form.
(3) August & September Short-term Missions
In 2020 and 2021, while facing many difficulties during the pandemic, we still sent out short-term mission teams in August and September, which not only inspired many local churches, but also bore a lot of fruit. This year the Lord has shown us the effect of “ a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Up to now, we have been contacted by eleven churches from North Carolina, Northern California, Southern California, Texas, and they have actively prepared to send short-term mission teams to share the gospel in the vast field of the Midwest. We are deeply thankful to God for this. As in the past, we will send out mission teams in August and September. August teams will be during one week after the discipleship training camp and the beginning of Fall semester from August 19 to 28. September teams will be five days after Labor Day from September 9 to 18. In August we will go to “near” states such as: Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska, etc., and in September we will go to “far” states such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, South Dakota, North Dakota, etc. If your church or fellowship would like to work with the mission teams in your area, please contact us as soon as possible. Now these churches have been actively training the team members since “the crops are white for harvest, … he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. “. Please remember the holistic needs of the short-term mission team members in your prayers.
Remembering Pastor Ko
- The construction of the Ministry Garden Tomb is still in progress. However, recently the worldwide supplies has been affected by the shipping that building materials into the United States is taking a long time, also because the co-workers have to concentrate on preparing for the May Discipleship Training, May Lay-ministers Training, and the Youth Camp, so the project has some delays, please pray for the completion of the project before Fall.
- Ways You Can Participate
In the previous two newsletters, we mentioned that you can write an article remembering God’s servant and sharing about his impact on your life. So far, we have not received enough articles for the commemorative collection. There is another month till the deadline, You still can write the article with photos if you have any, upload it on the CWC’s website, or send it to the Editor-in-Chief pastorkobook@gmail.com. Deadline is the end of June, we plan to finish the editing by the end of October, send it for printing in November, and distribute it to brothers and sisters in the Winter Conference. If you have photos taken with Pastor Ko, you may also upload them on the CWC’s website to share. A Memorial Service will be held on one of the afternoons during this year’s Winter Conference (Dec. 22-26), please set aside a time to attend.
Sunday Online Bible Reading & Prayer Meeting
Please attend the online Bible reading and prayer meeting every Sunday at 6:30pm (Central Time) via Zoom so that we may be equipped for God’s kingdom, the account number is: 8110999917, password: 737903. In order to follow the progress of the Bible Camp, we are currently studying the Book of Exodus. We especially encourage those brothers and sisters who plan to attend August Camp to join this meeting every week.
Prayer Requests:
(1) For Meetings:
- Youth Camp: Pray for the Youth Camp that is taking place this week, asking the Lord to open the young people’s hearts to receive the Word they have heard, and with the evangelical training on Thursday afternoon they may boldly share the gospel of Jesus with those around them, and also asking the Lord to keep them safe in their rafting activity. Pray that these young people will set their minds and live for the Lord for the rest of their lives after this training.
- August Bible Camp: Pray for those who have registered and have started preparing for the study reports, and for those who have the heart to take root in God’s Word, but have not yet signed up to take action quickly and start preparing for homework. Please also pray for CWC co-workers who not only need to prepare messages, but also to help and guide brothers and sisters for their reports.
(2) For Coworkers:
- Mrs. Ko: After helping in the May training and June Youth Camp, Mrs. Ko will be traveling to help her expecting daughter, Sarah, whose baby is due in June. Please pray for a safe journey.
- Sister Cindy Chiang : In June, in addition to serving in the Youth Camp, I will be working on the itinerary for the August and September short-term mission; arrange and read the study homework from brothers and sisters for August Bible Camp; and also making preparation for August Discipleship Training. In the busy daily schedule, please pray that I will always be close to the Lord and draw wisdom and strength from Him, and make good use of my time whether it is dealing with office work during the week or preaching on weekends, and regain new strength daily from Him.
- Brother Qinglong Liang: Ask the Lord to guide in my personal prayer life with a sensible heart towards Holy Spirit; have the wisdom to lead the whole family to pursue the Lord and serve Him; help brothers and sisters to establish a stable spiritual life; have the wisdom to work with brothers and sisters in preaching the gospel and cultivate disciples in the Midwest; increase fellowship with brothers and sisters everywhere; ask the Lord to give wisdom and ability to serve in June Youth Camp; and ask the Lord to give wisdom to accurately handling and sharing the Word of Truth..
- Pastor Charles Huang: Pray for the student ministries this summer that God will use the church fellowship to share the gospel effectively. Pray for pulpit and teaching ministry in the church that God will give the light of His Word in shepherding the flock. Pray that the three children have smooth adjustment in learning and have good relationships with teachers and classmates
- American coworker Scott Jerome: Scott hurt his arm while working on Pastor Ko’s “Ministry Garden Tomb” which affected his regular maintenance work. Please pray for complete healing from the Lord. Please also pray for their family’s spiritual life and ministry, and for the growth of the children in the Lord.
(3) For Expansion Project: Pastor Harold Shull’s wife was recently diagnosed with cancer. May the Lord comfort and heal her. Pray that the Lord shower them with more peace, joy and grace as they travel back and forth to the hospital. The construction of children’s activity centers has also been temporarily affected.
(4) For Financial Needs: Please Pray for the CWC monthly financial need, asking the Lord to manifest His abundant provision and allow more brothers and sisters to experience the blessings of offering.
(5) For CWC: Pray that the Lord will bring more co-workers to the CWC ministry for the furtherance of the gospel ministry in the Midwest.
Emmanuel
In the Lord,
Sister Cindy Chiang