Oct 17-18, 2020
李耀全牧師

親愛列宣家的弟兄姊妹：

儘管我們現正受著疫情大流行的限制，令人感到振奮的是，我們中間許多、許多的肢體仍存著極為喜樂的心竭誠地為主擺上。很高興地看到各團契不會因著無法實體在一起聚會所帶來的不便而受阻礙，反而彼此藉著透過視頻及使用其他製作程式見面，帶出令人難以置信的果效。身為兩個粵語團契-雅各團和以利亞團的導師，我只是在其中的一個微小的個例。現時，主日午堂和普通話崇拜也開始藉著視頻來召集會眾參加敬拜聚會，看到如此多的肢體加入視頻敬拜以作出回應，實在令人鼓舞。願榮耀歸於神！

是的，在這時期，最重要的是我們能夠喜樂地生活並能以事奉神為樂。這就是為什麼我們在本季“開到水深之處”的講道系列中專注於，從保羅給腓立比教會的書信學習在困難和挑戰中仍能保持喜樂的秘訣及原因。讓我們來注意本書的重點，保羅在這四章書信中至少11次提到“喜樂”。以喜樂為講道系列的主題如下：

1. 歡歡喜喜的感恩 (1:1-11)
2. 存喜樂的心事奉 (1:12-30)
3. .“喜樂的成全- 以基督的心為心”  (2:1-11)
4. 事奉基督是真喜樂 (2:12-30)
5. 在阻力中的喜樂 (3:1-11)
6. “我的喜樂和冠冕, 靠主堅定不移”  (3:12-4:1)
7. “靠主常樂”  (4:2-9)
8. 在主供應中歡欣喜樂 (4:10-23)

在接下去以先，讓我們來回溯腓立比教會建立的事蹟，是他們與保羅建立關係的背景（徒16:6-40)。腓立比教會是保羅在歐洲建立的第一所教會，是保羅回應馬其頓呼聲的結果。保羅首先因被聖靈和耶穌的靈所阻止，無法前往原定之目的地，其後切合馬其頓異象中那人的呼求，敦促他“請過來…幫助我們”（徒16:6-9）。作者路加（顯然是團隊中的一員）告訴我們：“保羅見了這異象，我們就認定是神呼召我們去傳福音給他們，於是立刻設法前往馬其頓。”（徒16:10）。這是神使命的美麗圖畫：清晰的指示和呼召、回應福音的需要和團隊合作精神。

在猶太人敬拜神的安息日，保羅和他的宣教團隊於城門外河邊的禱告地方找到了呂底亞和一群婦女。呂底亞是“神的敬拜者”（極可能是一位虔誠的猶太人），因為呂底亞來自推雅推喇，(以昂貴的染料的聞名的呂底亞地區）。她是紫色布料（適合上流社會人士和貴族使用的昂貴紫色服飾）的銷售商（徒16: 13-14）。在保羅與呂底亞分享福音之後，她專心尋求神的話，“主打開了她的心”。她與家人（可能包括僕人們）也一起受洗。其後，她開放了自己的家，並熱誠地邀請保羅和他的團隊停留在她的房子裡，這房子最終成為了那城裡的基督徒敬拜聚會的中心（徒16:14下-15:40)。腓立比教會成立之初的美麗故事真是動人，這也解釋了為什麼這地區的教會在保羅心中佔有特殊的地位。

數年後（主後62年。1:13; 4:22），保羅於羅馬寫信鼓勵腓立比教會的信徒要常常喜樂，因為即使他自己身在被囚之中也常存喜樂。教會在他心目中佔有特殊的位置(1:7上)，因為他從教會成長之始就在那裡(1:5)，他希望那裡的信徒能夠深信 “我那在你們中間開始了美好工作的，到了基督耶穌的日子，必成全這工作”。(1:6) 保羅提醒腓立比信徒，他們與他“從第一天到現在都是福音的夥伴”。他形容腓立比信徒為 – 他 “恩典的同伴（共同夥伴），無論我是在捆鎖之中，或是在辯護和證實福音的時候，你們都和我一同分享神的恩”。(1:7下)。保羅為著腓立比信徒感謝神，並在為他們祈禱時心存喜樂(1:4)。他之所以能夠做得到，是因為他內心深處滿有“基督耶穌的愛”。

在整本腓立比書（喜樂的原因）從首到尾可見到貫徹全書的關鍵主題是“夥伴關係”（希臘文：koinonia）的概念，在不同的情況下作不同的翻譯：

1.在福音的事工上“有分” – 新譯本 (“ partnership” in the gospel) (1:5)

2.“一同分享神的恩典” – 新譯本 (“all partakerswith me of grace…” )(1:7)
3. “靈裡的契通” – 新譯本 (“participation(fellowship) in the Spirit”) (2:1)

4. 在祂所受的苦上“有分” – 新譯本 (“sharehis (Christ’s) sufferings…”) (3:10)

5: “有份於”我的盈虧得失- 現代中譯 ( “…entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving” )(4:15)

讓我們稍作停頓，總結一下保羅作為牧者與腓立比教會信徒之間的伙伴關係，正如本章的前八節經文所顯示的：

1.保羅(與他的屬靈兒子提摩太一同)自稱為“基督耶穌的僕人”。

2.保羅承認接納所有的腓立比信徒，特別是領袖（教會監督和執事）。

3.保羅首先也是最重要的，是為所有人祝福。

4.即使保羅被囚，他也經常為教會祈禱，並充滿喜樂。

5.保羅將這關係視為福音中的長期“夥伴關係”（Koinonia）。

6.保羅確認他的事奉是為著救主基督和那再來之王的事工。

7.保羅之所以能喜樂，是因為他被基督的愛與深情所充滿。

我們所看到的是一幅多麼美麗的圖畫。我真希望每個基督教會都是這樣。若將之應用於我們的教會，我們可試循下列問題去思想：

1.我們的牧師是否謙卑地確認自己是“基督耶穌的僕人”？

2.我們是否對我們的教會領袖（長老和執事/女執事）給予應有的尊重？

3.我們是否互相祝福和互相支持（而不是尋找彼此的缺點）？

4.我們是否認真對待教會的祈禱事工並為彼此代禱？

5.我們是“福音的伙伴”還是我們在關注自己的興趣和觀點？

6.我們是否確認事奉是為基督所的擺上，而不是看為屬於我們自己的寶貝？

7.我們會因為擁有“基督的愛”而喜樂嗎？還是我們帶著批判心態而又在心內常存苦澀？

當我們深入研讀本書時，我的祈禱就如保羅一樣；“我所禱告的，是要你們的愛心，在充足的知識和各樣的見識上，多而又多，使你們可以辨別是非，成為真誠無可指摘的人，直到基督的日子，靠著耶穌基督結滿了公義的果子，使神得著榮耀和讚美。” (1:9-11) 阿們！

主僕

李耀全主任牧師

Oct 03-04, 2020
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Church without walls 3: Transform our Church community to a “Community Church”
(「社區教會」：轉化群體深入社區)

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Our children and young people have gone “Back to School” in September with a lot of fear and anxiety that still lingers. We feel the same as we begin to return to our work place to work. As a Church, we have been very cautious to return to some small group gatherings under our RTC. We are living in strange and uncharted territories. Because of the pandemic, I have encouraged us in the past two months to look at what it means to be a “Church without walls” in three important ways:
1. Transform and buildup the Church with more cell groups
(「化整為零」：轉化教會建立小組)
2. Transform and equip members to be “ambassadors for Christ”
(「基督使者」：轉化信徒人人皆兵)
3. Transform our Church community to a “Community Outreaching Church” (COC)
(「社區教會」：轉化群體深入社區)
Now we would like to focus on the third of these directions: can our Church community become a Community Outreaching Church? What does it mean for us?

RCAC as a Community Outreaching Church within the Alliance family

First of all, unlike some independent communities or community churches, let us remind ourselves that we are a member church in the Canadian Pacific District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Canada and established in Richmond, BC since 1967. As a C&MA member Church, we are part of the Global Mission of our denomination with over 200 missionaries on the field. As we were started by Chinese and serving mainly Chinese in our Richmond community, we are also part of a fellowship of over 100 Chinese Alliance Churches in Canada. Starting as a predominantly Chinese immigrant church from Hong Kong, from all over Asia and now also from mainland China, we have taken root in our Canadian community, and going into the third generation. We have also developed into a church with multiple congregations, including English, Chinese and Mandarin (Putonghua). That is our identity as Richmond Chinese Alliance Church and we are proud of it.

We as a church are very thankful also that we are a very tightly knitted community. During the pandemic we are happy to see our many Fellowships and Care Groups are functioning as small caring communities, the members caring for each other. At a time when the five different congregations cannot meet physically in the Church at 10100 No. 1 Rd, many smaller groups are still meeting regularly virtually by Zoom and other means. Indeed this is one good example of the “priesthood of all believers,” with all members serving each other, especially when pastors can no longer do their pastoral work by bringing the congregants together. This is a sign of a healthy church and we praise God for His blessings.

However we should be careful that our Christian community while being close to each other do not become too close that we are closed to others outside our circles. We therefore need to be a church community that outreaches the larger community and be a Community Outreaching Church (COC).

A Biblical Model of a community outreaching church

Before we delve into what we mean by a COC, let’s like at a classic Biblical example in the Christian community in Jerusalem. In Acts 6:1-7, we read of how the growth of the church created problems when a number of Greek-speaking Jews (from the diaspora) became Christians. The primary language of the Hebrews who were native Palestinian Jews was Aramaic. The resulting language barrier led to the neglect of some needy widows, and the apostles called upon the Greek-speaking community to choose leaders (deacons) to meet the need. These 7 people chosen were appointed as deacons of the church to take care of the needs of the young Christians, so that the apostles could devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. These men were people of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, including Stephen who became the first martyr of the church. Several principles can be gleaned from this incidence:
1. The apostles had to devote themselves to the primary tasks and ministries of the church.
2. At the same time, the need for social concerns in the community should not be neglected.
3. The church should have a special ministry devoted to care for the needy in the community.
4. The best people from the church were chosen to take care of the social concerns needs.
5. There is a need to maintain the unity of the church of people from different background.
6. Because of this, the ministry of the word prosper, and the church grew.
7. Because of this, even the established religious groups “became obedient to the faith.”

The Purpose-Driven Church and its mission

Rick Warren in his best seller “The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message and Mission” (1995) reminds us that our ministry should be based on God’s purpose, as in the Great Commandment (Mt. 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19-20). They include worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission. He also emphasizes that we should focus on building people and not building the church. Indeed our ultimate mission is to build people within and outside the church community. I am thinking more than just organizing more evangelistic campaign. The question is how can a church impact culture, and make a lasting impact on your community.

Example of a Community Outreaching Church

In a challenging article, How Can a Church Impact Culture? by Alan Platt in January 29, 2018. Alan grew his church in Pretoria, South Africa, Doxa Deo, from a meager congregation into a flourishing 30,000 member church across 11 fully integrated campuses. In the simplest of terms, his City Changers Movement works only by making the church an integral and irreplaceable component of society. I personally find his vision and scope very daunting and perhaps way beyond our reach, but the 5 simple concepts he lays out are relevant for us as we try to posture our Church to become a community outreaching church in the future. These concepts are:
1. Changing our mentality. The idea here is not to be scared about the difficult situation within the society, but try to show compassion for their situation and simply love them like Jesus. For example during the current pandemic, there are people who act out in fear, hate and anxiety. Can we show compassion to them instead of shunning them.
2. Developing a strategy. Beyond compassion, we need to plan for greater things to happen. Often we do not see breakthroughs because we are always so cautious that we do not plan. Asa church we need to move out of our comfort zone and start thinking outside the box.
3. Take small steps. We should look for little problems we can solve now and slowly move onto bigger things. This way we gain confidence and become more socially relevant. For example we know the new immigrants have some specific needs, can we try and find out and meet them.
4. Multiplying the impact. Send out the people in your church to serve their communities. We have partnered with other organizations, like making and handing out sandwiches. Recently some members have made masks for the CCM to give out to people who need them.
5. Engage the other side. Continue to look for ways to connect with different sectors of society, including business, sports, education, social services and other, to reach out to people where they are. That’s how we can make Christianity into more than religion—it will be a movement.

All these begin with mindset shifts of the pastors and leaders of the church, certainly a big challenge for myself. The author lists three shifts for leaders to consider, as follows:
1. Transforming vs. Informing. We need to preach and teach our people to confront the issues of the day, and transform the members into real agents for change in their communities.
2. Incarnation vs. Dualism. We need to change the dualistic mindset of good vs evil, the church vs the world. We need to believe in the power of the Spirit and Christ’s love in bringing change.
3. Missional vs. Attractional. The success of a church is not in the total number of worshippers, but how the church is serving the needs of people in the community around us.

I know we are a long way from this ideal, but let’s strive towards it, one step at a time.

Your servant in Christ,
Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor

Oct 03-04, 2020
李耀全牧師

列宣家親愛的弟兄姊妹：
正當我們的孩子及青少年在九月份懷著不安和焦慮的心情重返校園之際，我們重返工作場所的心情也相同。作為教會，我們也按照“重返教會指南”，小心謹慎地開放小組實體聚會在教會進行。我們現正處於前所未見的情況，面對著前面尚未知悉的境界。因著疫情的蔓延，我在前數期的教牧心聲中也循著下列主要的三方面去看：作為“無牆壁阻隔教會” 在身處疫情中的意義，藉以彼此勉勵。

1. 「化整為零」：轉化教會建立小組
2. 「基督使者」：轉化信徒人人皆兵
3. 「社區教會」：轉化群體深入社區（COC）

在此，讓我們集中來看以上關注重點中的第三方面：我們的教會可否轉化成為深入社區的群體？對我們而言有什麼意義？

我們的教會可否轉化成為深入社區的群體
首先，讓我們自我提醒，我們是加拿大宣道會太平洋區的堂會的成員，自1967年以來在卑詩省的列治文成立。這是我們獨特及與其他的社區或社區教會不同之處，作為宣道總會的堂會，我們是全球宣道會中的一員，有200多名宣教同工在工場中事奉。本會由華人創立，主要在列治文社區服事華人，我們亦隸屬於加拿大超過100多間華人堂會之一。作為主要服侍移民的教會，我們從香港，亞洲各地的移民開始以及延展至中國大陸的移民，我們已植根於加拿大社區，並已進入第三代。我們亦發展成為由兩文三語所組成的教會，包括英語，粵語和國語(普通話）。那就是我們作為列治文華人宣道會一份子所感到自豪的。
我們為著教會能成為一個緊密聯繫的群體而十分感恩。在疫情大蔓延期間，很興幸能看到我們許多團契的和愛心關懷組別，正在以小組方式進行運作，以達至彼此關顧。雖然我們五個在不同時段崇拜的會眾現時仍無法於教會堂址內實體見面，但許多小組和團契實際上仍通過Zoom和其他方式定期聚會。實在的，特別是當牧者們無法召集眾人回堂來實體關顧牧養時，所有肢體仍能彼此服事，這就是“信徒人人皆祭司”的一個美好例子。這是健康教會的標誌，我們感謝讚美神的恩眷。
但應該注意的是，我們的基督徒群體不要因彼此之間過份緊密，以至阻礙我們不與圈子外的其他人交往。因此，我們需要成為一個可以擴展到更深入社區的教會群體，並要成為一個社區外展教會（COC）。

社區外展教會的聖經模式
在深入研究社區外展教會的含義之前，讓我們先來看看耶路撒冷初期教會的聖經例子。在使徒行傳6：1-7中，我們可見到當時一些講希臘語的猶太人（來自海外的猶太人）在成為基督徒時，如何構成教會成長的問題。在巴勒斯坦土生土長的猶太人的主要語言是亞蘭語。由語言上的障礙導致一些有需要的寡婦被忽略，使徒於是呼籲說希臘語的群體選出領袖（執事）來滿足需要。選出的這7個人被任命為教會的執事，以照顧年輕基督徒的需要，以能容讓使徒們可以專心地祈禱和傳道。這些執事都享有良好的聲譽，被聖靈充滿和具備智慧，其中包括成為教會率先殉道的司提反。從而，我們可以總結出幾個原則：
1.使徒們必須專心委身於教會的主要事奉和職務。
2.與此同時，不應忽略對社區問題的需求。
3. 教會應該設有專責部門來照顧社區中有需要的人。
4.從教會中選拔最好的人來照顧社會關注的需求。
5. 教會有必要維持不同背景會眾的合一。
6.因著達成上列條件，教會得以興旺，教會也能增長起來。
7. 因著達成上列條件，即使是那些早已存在的屬靈團體也“信從了真道”。

《直奔標竿》：以神的旨意為目標的教會
華里克（Rick Warren）在其1995年出版的暢銷書籍中《直奔標竿：在毋須妥協您的信息和使命的前提下成長》提醒我們，我們的事奉應以神的旨意為基礎，就像主耶穌所講《最重要的誡命》（太22：37-40）和大使命（太28：19-20）。其中包括敬拜，團契，門徒訓練，事奉和宣教。他還強調，我們應該專注於建立信徒而不是建設教堂。確實，我們的最終使命是建立在教會中及社區內的人。我在考慮的不僅是組織更多的佈道運動。最重要的問題是教會應如何影響文化，並對您的社區產生持久性影響。

轉化群體深入社區（COC）之典範
艾倫·(Alan Platt) 於2018年1月29日所撰寫，甚具挑戰性的文章中提到，教會應如何影響文化？艾倫在南非比勒陀利亞的Doxa Deo教堂從人數寡小的會眾發展成為一個三萬會眾的教會，並擁有11個整全的堂址。簡單來說，他的改變社區運動只能通過使教會成為社區不可或缺的組成部分來發揮作用。我個人認為他的視野和範圍非常艱鉅，也許超出了我們能做到的範圍，但是他提出的5個簡單概念對我們來說很重要，因為我們正嘗試使教會在將來能成為社區外展教會。這些概念如下：

1. 改變我們的思想型態(心態)。意思是不要被社會中存在的困難處境所阻嚇，而是要對他們的處境表現出同情心，並像主耶穌一樣愛他們。例如，在當前的疫情大流行期間，有些人表現出恐懼，憎恨和焦慮。我們能否對他們表同情而不是迴避他們嗎？
2. 制定策略。除了與人表同情之外，我們還需要定出更大的計劃去實行。通常我們看不到突破，因為我們總是極為謹慎以至我們沒有計劃。作為教會，我們需要跨越舒適區並開始在框外作思考。
3. 採取小步驟。我們應該尋出現行可以解決的小難題，然後循序漸進以發展更大的事情。通過這種方式，我們獲增信心後，可作出更適切社區的步驟。例如，若我們知道新移民有某些特定的需求，我們可否嘗試針對並滿足他們的需要?
4. 增加影響力。派遣教會肢體以服務社區。我們已和其他組織合作，例如參與製作和分發三明治。也有一些肢體於近期為中信製作了口罩，以分發給有需要的人。
5. 與其他方面聯繫。繼續尋找與社會各階層（包括商業，體育，教育，社會服務及其他領域）建立聯繫的方式，以接觸他們所在的地區。如此，我們就能使基督教不僅僅是宗教，更會成為一個運動。

上列所有應都先從教會牧者和領導的觀念轉變開始，這對我自己來說當然是一個巨大的挑戰。作者列出了以下領導層應作考慮的三方面轉變：

1. 轉化與知會。我們需要宣講和教導我們的會眾去面對當今的問題，並將其會眾轉變為真正推動社區改變的推行者。
2. 道成肉身與二元論(入世觀與二元論)。我們需要改變非善則惡，教會不能與世界共存(共立)的二元觀念。我們必須相信聖靈的能力和基督的愛帶來的改變。
3. 宣教心與吸引力。教會的成功不在於信徒的數量，而在於教會如何滿足我們周圍社區人們的需求。

我很明白，我們距離這一理想還有很長的路要走，但讓我們循序漸進地(一次一步地)朝著這目標努力進發。

主僕
李耀全牧師

Sep 12-13, 2020
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon LeeDear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Transform and equip members to be “ambassadors for Christ,” how?

Last time I shared with you all the what’s and why’s of being “ambassadors for Christ.” Indeed, Paul, the apostle to the gentiles, was an “ambassador for Christ” par excellence. He refers to himself as “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle (the sent one), set apart for the gospel of God.” (Rm 1:1) I am so glad that we in the Christian and Missionary Alliance have got it right – the two foci that bind us together are: the deeper life and global mission. We are to grow deeper in Christ so as to be His ambassadors (missionaries), both near (our Jerusalem – Richmond) and far (the ends of the earth – Global Advance.)

The pandemic and the new normal have made me realize our mission can no longer be measured by the work of a handful of “trained” pastors and international workers, nor by the proximity or distance of our “mission field.” I remember the words of Moravian missionary Count Zinzendorf who declared (in early 18th century): “Missions, after all, is simply this: Every heart with Christ is a missionary, every heart without Christ is a mission field.” At a time like ours, we need every Christian to be an “ambassador” (missionary) and every contact we have (both physically and via the internet) as our “mission field!” Indeed we are all missionaries and the mission fields are at our finger tips. This is exactly what “priesthood of all believers” mean!

We need to have a paradigm shift in our “church and mission” strategies and we cannot be contended with reforms here and there, now and then. Our renewed call to “transformation” (Romans 12:1,2) is forced upon us as we are challenged by the prolonged pandemic, when we cannot returned to our old normal and cannot do business as usual. We need to rethink and reimagine what it means to be a member of RCAC!

But how? Let’s start with training

Well, I am sure there are 101 ways to respond to this question, and each of us has some ideas that will help in this process! What remains is actually to coordinate our efforts with one accord, which is the very spirit of the Great Commission. We have always believed in this as it is nothing new. We only need to do it more diligently and intentionally.

But whatever strategies we use, we need to start with training. This is because the challenge we face is great, and in the pandemic, we face new situations that require using wisely all the training and skills we have and adapt them to the ever changing challenges. We can think of training in four main areas: training in the Word, in godliness, in building up the Church and in spiritual battle.

1. Training in the Word:
First and foremost we need to know the Word of God even more deeply than before. Paul instructs his spiritual son Timothy saying, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) The Scripture is of paramount importance first of all because it is God-breathed, inspired by God Himself, and is practical and useful in our learning, discipline, reformation and a sanctified life. The emphasis here is the building up of the character of the soldier of Christ, “the ambassadors for Christ.” It is so encouraging to see so many of our people take advantage of the online courses and seminars during this pandemic. There are also many opportunities in our Church, e.g. Ten Steps Bible Studies Method (in Chinese). In October I am also going to start a “Diving Deeper” Zoom time in Cantonese every Sunday at 2 p.m. for sharing with members.

2. Training in godliness:
Apart from training in the Word, Paul urges Timothy to be trained in godliness – “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”(I Timothy 4:8) Paul elaborates this in his letter to Titus, for it is the grace of God that has come to bring us salvation and then “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” (Titus 2:12) Let no one be just filled with head knowledge, and is unable to live out the Word of God. An ambassador for Christ must be a person of strong moral character against the corruptions of this world. So we are glad to see that during the pandemic, there are more people attending all our prayer meetings, as it is an exercise in godliness.

3. Training for building up the Church:
Paul reminds us that the equipping of the saints (sanctified people of God) is first of all, for the building up of the Church. He says, God has gifted different people “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:12) Christians are to build up one another by caring genuinely for each other, and bringing the Church to maturity. There are presently certain groups in our Church taking special training in caring ministries. In October, I will have a special series on mental health in Cantonese which will include areas like depression, anxiety, broken heart syndrome and PTSD.

4. Training in spiritual battle:
To the Christians in Ephesus, Paul concludes his teaching with this word: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Eph. 6:13) As said often, we are equipped to serve. Let us take every piece of the armor of God and be prepared for battle. We are actually in a spiritual battle in the Coronavirus pandemic, and we can win with God’s help, and be able to stand firm against the onslaught of the devil. So the ambassador for Christ becomes the soldier for Christ, following Christ our commander. Even though we have to postpone our entire major evangelism program (Alpha Course) and short-term missions, we are still carrying on training in Evangelism Explosion and Kairos (mission). We are glad that we can go ahead with our baptism during Thanksgiving this year, and we are glad that there are many candidates, including many from the Putonghua congregations. Praise the Lord!

We can of course do more. Each congregation can also think of creative ways to represent Christ to those whom we are in contact. We should not wait for people to come to us; rather we should reach out physically or virtually. Christ was the Word that became flesh, that dwelled (tabernacle) among us, in order to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Christ said as the Father had sent Him, so He has sent us into the world, and to be His witnesses. We are sent to the world but we are not of the world. Our ministry therefore should be incarnational. Let us in RCAC be the salt and light to the world, as we all fulfill our call to be “ambassador for Christ.”

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Simon Lee