Dear Brothers and Sisters, Peace to you in our Lord!
In mid-April, President Biden signed a bill ending the national emergency related to the Covid-19 pandemic, which means: the national and public health emergency declared by former President Trump since March 2020 has become a past. This is a good news for us who have been bound in all aspects for the past three years, and we can finally get out of the shadow of fear! For this reason, many people are preparing to take the opportunity to return home to visit family (airfare has become especially expensive). Jesus has reminded us that ” for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.” (Luke 16:8), so how can we not rise to the tide from the change in the world, equipping ourselves and actively return to church to serve the Lord? The registration to the two May Trainings have not closed at this time, there is still time for you to at least sign up www.cwcnet.org and attend one of these meetings.
As mentioned in April prayer letter: It is undeniable that since 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has caused an upheaval of the century to the whole world. It certainly has had a great impact on churches, especially the Chinese churches! This year I would like to invite CWC coworkers and Board members to share a series of views on “Church Regrouping after the Pandemic” in our monthly prayer letter. In this issue, I’m going to share about “the importance of being rooted and built up”.
Rooted and Being Built up
“Root” has two meanings in Chinese Bible, one is related to plants, roots; and one is related to buildings, foundation. In any case, plants without roots, or buildings without foundation, will not survive for long, and can easily collapse. In the same way, if a Christian’s spiritual life lacks a root/foundation, it might not show any differences in good days, but he will not be able to stand firm but fall and collapse when storm comes.
(I) What is rootless? What are the results without roots?
On the day Jesus got into a boat and preached a sermon about “parable of sowing ” (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) that a sower went out to sow, and the seeds fell on four different types of soils: roadside, shallow ground, among the thorns, and good soil; and of course, these four seeds produced different results. Here we look only at the second type of soil: the “shallow ground”, Jesus later explained: “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary (which means it sprouts fast because of shallow ground), and when affliction or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he falls away. The seed here is “the word heard”, the Word of God.
In North America in the 21st century, we have so many opportunities to hear spiritual teachings in the Discipleship Training, Bible Camp, Winter Conference, etc. where the speakers are “renowned” and gifted preachers who God use greatly, and even the pastors of our own local churches are also great preachers. Is it reasonable to say that we are all spiritually strong and our church is thriving? Maybe! But that is the condition before March 2020! When COVID-19 hit us off guard, and after the president issued the “shelter-at-home” order, workplaces, schools were closed, churches in-person meetings were suspended, and they were switched online, although this is a temporary expedient under such circumstance. But I have seen that Chinese churches have suffered a great deal of vitality since then. For example, in May 2020 Missouri has lifted the shelter-at-home order, and when all believers in my surrounding American churches have all joyfully returned to churches for in-person meetings, but to this day, averaging only 50% (60-70% for some) of the congregation in Chinese churches have returned to the churches, let alone resume serving in church ministries, or go out for visitation! This phenomenon makes me ponder and reflect, does what we have been teaching and pass on only stay in the big brains of brothers and sisters, and do not penetrate into the hearts of them? That is, there is no roots! So, when great tribulation or great persecution comes, we dry up (13:6) and fall (13:21)?
Paul also mentioned this: He said to the believers of the church in Colosse, “ Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” (Col. 2:6-7). Each of us today has also accepted the Lord Jesus and should walk with Him! But how to walk with Him? Paul says: through (1) been rooted, (2) being built up, (3) being established, and (4) are overflowing with gratitude. Being built up, being established, and overflowing are all present tenses, which means walking with God is an ongoing process, only “been rooted” is a simple past tense, which means that every Christian after believing in Jesus should take good roots in our faith.
Besides the roots on the plant, another root is the foundation of the building. After Jesus had finished his Sermon on the Mount that day, He concluded: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell–and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27). Similar to the parable of Sower above; here, the same house, the same experience “rain, floods, winds slammed against the house”, the house built on the sand collapsed, and it fell greatly! The difference lies in the “foundation”! One house is built on the rock and the other on sand. In the same way, Jesus gives us the answer: The difference is: Do we hear Jesus’ words and act on them?
In North American people who have Ph. D degrees or postdocs are easily seen in churches and Bible study groups. But often time after hearing the sermon, we tend to point fingers and criticize the preachers, rather than reflect upon: “What did God say to me today? How can I actually apply it in my lives?” We are used to hearing lots of messages (zoom is always available). Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, we can go online listening to the Sunday sermons of the “big churches, famous speakers” from that morning! Since it’s so convenient that we can hear the message of Sunday worship service at home even in shorts and sipping coffee, we no longer want to dress neatly, drive to our home churches for the message from our “underheard preacher” on Sunday mornings. Without involving church ministry and fellowship with brothers and sisters, our spiritual foundation is in jeopardy, and this is also the crisis surfaced after the pandemic.
Take an example! “Love the Lord, more than these, take up the cross and follow the Lord” are familiar Bible phrases, but when difficulties or challenges come, do we still believe: God is still in control? And not a hair of our head will perish if God does not allow. (Luke 21:18)? (Think again: COVID probably wouldn’t have hurt our lives had God not allowed)! Yet we seem to have forgotten it all! Our fears and strategies are more like those who without God. Recently, I re-read the testimonies of Pastor Calvin Chao and his wife, who in the 1940-50s, when all supplies were in shortage during the war, served the Lord entirely by faith. Sometimes when they needed to serve in another city but lack of money for tickets. One time when they faced the same situation before going out to preach the next day, God moved both of their hearts at the same time that “there was one thing you have not offered, the wedding ring on your hand.” They obeyed God and decided to pawn the marriage token. On the way, Pastor Chao told his wife: “Don’t go because after this ring is pawned, I’m afraid we won’t have the money to redeem it back in the future, I’m afraid you will be sad!” But they still went together that day. When they returned home, Pastor Chao, being the head of the household, was so sentimental that he picked up a pen and wrote the hymn, “Lord! I Love You!” The chorus is: “Lord! I love you with my heart, love you now, love you forever, let the oceans dry up and rocks crumble, Lord! I love you with my heart”. In that turbulent and difficult generation, many young people’s hearts were touched by this song, and they had offered themselves to the altar of the Lord without hesitation and brought about a revival of that era.
Paul also mentioned this: He said to the people of the Corinthian church, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is {to be} revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss… (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Our foundation is Jesus Christ, but we are to build upon it with precious stones. Without a foundation, we will be drifted with the tide of the world (Ephesians 3:14-16) to a point that our love fades, and the foundation of loving God is destroyed, and no matter how big the building on it was, it will collapse.
(II) How to be rooted and built up?
In this age of turbulence, I remind myself: Every time we heard God’s Word (and I still encourage everyone to come out and equip ourselves with God’s Word, not just at home and behind closed doors), don’t just let it stay in our heads, because the knowledge often makes us so-called “intellectuals” prouder like duckweed without roots! We need to meditate on God’s Word day and night (Psalm 1:3). Second, after hearing the Word, apply it practically even when your mind tells you that it is unreasonable and impossible, but God’s Word is not for us to bargain. We can always remind ourselves that in the presence of God, we should keep pure hearts and turn our thoughts onto the Lord. Have we applied God’s Word to our personal lives and in our families? Especially if we serve and are coworkers in the church; are the decisions we make in the church in accordance with God’s will, or are they decided in a so-called “democratic” way, where the majority rules? Oftentimes, we have brought the world into the church without knowing it, which means that we are really not in tune with God’s Word and God’s will. Especially during and post-pandemic, we may have accustomed to using the world’s methods to take short and convenient countermeasures.
(III) Let us encourage one another (Heb. 10:24)
It is easy to go downhill, but to go up, turning the tide, or being the mainstay requires us to remind and support one another, because Jesus says, “if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” (Heb. 10:38). Let us once again “strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,” (Heb. 12:12-13) from lack of alert during the pandemic, and ask God to transform this “crisis” into a “turning point” of our spiritual training.
Future Meetings:
(1) May Discipleship Training (5/21-5/26)
The speakers of this Training are: Elder Daniel Luan, Pastor King Tai Tie and CWC coworkers. You can find out their introduction in the last newsletter or on the CWC website, so I won’t repeat them here again. They will cover topics such as” The Root of the Evangelicals and Legacy of Faith”, “Walking in the Light” (Book of 1 John study), “Book of Malachi study”, the “Seven Steps of Prayer”. and the evening revival messages will be “Walking to Higher Ground”, “The Inner Life”. Discipleship Training is definitely not just for students or new believers! I often say, “Old Christians like me, who have graduated from seminary and been teaching people to read the Bible, will regress to a point of hopeless when I feel that I no longer need to be spiritually equipped!” Brothers and sisters who know me well know that I don’t like to cook, but CWC fulfills what Jesus said: “You give them something to eat.” This eating is not only provision of spiritual food, but also physical food. Therefore, during the meetings, I have no choice but sacrifice myself serving in the kitchen preparing meals. But after dinner, our kitchen will be closed, and all the coworkers would cherish the time sitting in the classroom, listening to the evening messages closely! I urge you to also cherish the opportunity to be equipped! The registration form has been sent to the churches and posted online, and the registration deadline is May 19, please start preparing yourself, encourage brothers and sisters to come together, and pray for this meeting, speakers, and staff.
(2) Memorial Weekend Lay-Minister Training (5/26-5/29)
We mentioned in the last issue that Pastor Ko always noted that in Midwest America since the full-time ministers are few and the students’turnover rate is high, those who reside locally to work or teach become a stable force in campus fellowships and churches. They are more mature and have certain life experiences. If they can be well-equipped not only in Biblical knowledge, but in character, life witness, and walking in the Words of the Lord, they can be good examples for the young students. This camp is especially for the believers who are working full time. It is short, only taking up an extended weekend. Even so, participants still need to attend full time with diligence. We suggest brothers and sisters consider taking Friday afternoon off so that you can arrive at the camp on time by 5:30 pm for the meetings. This camp is only held once a year. Please seize this opportunity to attend. If you are working people but like to attend the Bible Camp (requiring the attendance of Disciple Training Camp within the past two years), this is a great opportunity for you. Full-time students (TA, RA or PhD students are not counted as full-time working people) must first attend May Disciple Training Camp (May 21-26) before eligible to attend this camp. Besides Elder Daniel Luan, Pastor King Tai Tie and CWC coworkers, Elder Ka Leung Lee is another speaker. The topics to be shared by the three speakers will help the lay-ministers to deepen their spiritual lives and equip them with ministry skills, such as: “True Godliness”,” Book of Haggai study”, “Knowing and Experiencing the Holy Spirit”, “How to Lead a Bible Study Group”, “Team Ministry”, “Being a Good Steward of Time”; and evening revival messages will be: “Pursuit of the Excellence”. The registration form has been posted online. Please Click Here to download. Please do not miss this opportunity and start preparing yourself early, and encouraging other brothers and sisters to participate in this meeting. Please also pray for the meeting. The application deadline is: May 19.
(3) June Youth Camp (6/4-6/10)
The Youth Camp is the most anticipated camp for the youths. This year we have a number of speakers: Brother Edwin Lin and his wife Elanor Lin from California, Pastor Steve Tan and Pastor Berry Edwards. You can find out their introduction in the previous newsletter or on CWC website. The four speakers will share topics such as: “Abide in God’s Word”, “Godliness”, “Truth”, “Faith”, and “Being True Disciples”. If you want your youngster to learn more about God and lay a good foundation in God’s Word before they go to college, please start preparing and encouraging youths of your church to attend. T-Shirt making is back this year, And we are going to spend one afternoon to go on mission. For more information, please download it online and the application deadline is: May 30.
(4) Holy Land Study Tour (6/19-6/30)
Praise the Lord that 56 people, a record high number, have already signed up for the Holy Land Study Tour. This shows that brothers and sisters have the desire to learn, and also because everyone wants to go out after three years of the pandemic. The Jerusalem travel agency is very cooperative with us and willing to accommodate our requests that we are able to arrange the itinerary according to the Bible and is different from the other groups: we will go to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel, that is, follow the route of Israel’s exodus from Egypt (Exodus, Numbers, Joshua), cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan (Israel), and continue studying the life of Christ. Thank the Lord! Our Holy Land handbooks are done and postal mailed to all the attendees. If you would like to participate, there are 3 more seats available. This is the last call. please click here for itinerary and registration form.
(5) August Bible Camp (7/30-8/5)
This time we are going to study the history book “Kings and Prophets”, which includes: 1 Kings 11-22, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles 10-36. So far, more than 50 brothers and sisters have signed up. If you are interested in participating the camp, study schedule and registration form have already been posted on the website, please download. The speaker will be Pastor James Ip. Pastor Yip is an Old Testament professor at Christian Witness Theological Seminary in California. Strict registration deadline is June 15, please click here for details and the registration form.
Remembering Pastor Ko (Pastor Ko’s Commemorative Book and Ministry Memorial Garden)
(1) Commemorative Book: We hope that those who received this book will read and cherish it. I often say: I don’t wish that you throw away this book because you are moving and have too many things to take with you! Since we have taken the printing maticulately and only have limited copies of printing (one book weighed more than a pound), and therefore we don’t want to give casually. In mid-April, I have sent out the book in the following order: (a) family members, (b) article authors, (c) Churches and the Bible study groups in the Midwet (so that everyone can read it from their church libraries), (d) churches on the east and west coast who have been supporting the Center, and (e) brothers and sisters who have close relationship with Pastor Ko and have been supporting the Center in the past years. If you are the article authors or the leader of the churches and the Bible Study group in the Midwest, but have not received it, you may give me a call or email me. I will give you one copy.
(2) Ministry Garden: The gazaboo has been set up last month and make the garden more pretty. The buds we planted last year are sprouting now when the weather is warmer. Please pray for the next steps of the garden project when spring and summer are suitable for it. Please pray the Lord to give us wisdom to complete this task (because we are doing it by ourselves). When you come to attend meetings this May, you can sit in the gazaboo not only overlooking the beauty of the Lake of Ozark, but also spend time with God in devotion. May the Spirit that touched Pastor Ko inspires us in double portion. If you have a burden on this project and are willing to be a part in this ministry, your offering can be designated as “For Memorial Garden”.
August and September Short-term Mission
Thank the Lord! All pandemic related restrictions have been lifted. No matter how many new students will come in the fall, let us strive to win lost souls for the Lord among the old students during the summer. This year we have two short-term mission opportunities: one is from August 18 to 27 and the other is from September 8 to 17. Several churches from west coast and Texas have contacted us already. We thank the Lord for encouraging their congregation to come out of their comfort zone and to share the gospel in the campuses in Midwest! Please pray for their preparation and recruitment of team members in the churches. At the same time, for those churches and Bible study groups in the Midwest, if you are willing to cowork with the short-term mission teams to share the gospel in your area, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can make appropriate arrangements.
Sunday Online Bible Reading & Prayer Meeting
During the pandemic, many churches went online, and Pastor Ko started this Sunday evening Bible study and prayer meeting to lead brothers and sisters continue to have a life of Bible reading, prayer, and spiritual sharing. Though in sickness, Pastor Ko still had come and led the meeting, and brothers and sisters at the same time had interceded for Pastor Ko’s health before the Lord. Although Pastor Ko has gone to be with the Lord now, we will keep this prayer meeting going to unite brothers and sisters spiritually. We are studying the scriptures in accordance with the progress of Bible Camp to help brothers and sisters prepare in advance. Currently we are in the books of History. We encourage those brothers and sisters who plan to attend August Bible Camp to join this meeting every week. The online Bible reading and prayer meeting every Sunday at 6:30pm (Central Time) via Zoom, the account number is: 8110999917, password: 737903.
Thanksgiving and Prayer Requests
1. For future meetings: May Discipleship Training, Lay-ministers Discipleship Training, June Youth Camp, June Holy Land Study Tour, preparation of August Bible Camp, and preparation of hearts of Brothers and Sisters who will attend these events.
2. For Coworkers:
- Mrs. Sylvia Ko: Thank the Lord that the results of the routine physical examination in April showed everything is normal. Please pray for the grace and healing of her arthritis which was inflamed at the end of last year so that she is able to move freely and taking care of her little grandson.
- Sister Cindy Chiang: Facing many administrative work and meetings at CWC, pray that the Lord grant her wisdom and knowledge so that her ministry and decisions at the Center be in accordance to God’s will and pleasing to the Lord. From May to September, she will be very busy. Pray that the Lord will sustain, protect, and bless her with good health, strength and joyful spirit in serving God.
- Brother Qinglong Liang: Pray that the Lord will give him obedient heart serving at the church and families according to God’s will. Pray that the Lord will give wisdom to his wife and the ability to raise children according to God’s will. May the Lord guide him in the power of the Holy Spirit to expand the Kingdom of God in CWC and Midwest.
- Pastor Charles Huang: Pray for the student ministry in Champaign, Illinois that the Lord use Pastor Charles to build up the spiritual lives of the students. Pray that Pastor Huang shepherd the church with the word of God with wisdom. Also pray for his three children that they are blessed by the Lord with school work and spiritual growth.
- American coworker Scott Jerome: Becci, Scott’s wife, will have an MRI coming up for her arm, and Scott is waiting for the result from blood work. May the Lord heal and give peace to them. Becci will be leading American coworkers serving in children program in May meetings, and Scott will be preparing for the campground. May the Lord bless the work of their hands.
3. Remembering other bodies:
- Pastor Harold Shull: Now retired and his wife has cancer, pray that the Lord heal her.
- Pastor Danny Li (Pastor Ko’s nephew): Pray for her Mom who has cancer to be healed, pray also for the family. Pray that the doctors have wisdom to provide proper treatment.
4. Please Pray for the CWC monthly financial need (general fund, building fund, training fund, etc.) 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