2023.07.08/09

列宣家的弟兄姊妹大家好。感謝神，能夠在這裡和你們分享在這一段日子中所經歷的。

大家可能知道，在過去的兩個星期，我們一家五口回到台灣探望師母的父母。而在這一段旅程中，師母和我也順便探望在當地服事的宣教士。（不好意思，由於特殊的原因，我不能在這裡分享他們的名字）

宣道會嘉義堂剛剛開始在一個新的地方聚會。師母和我來到當中，非常高興看見列宣家所支持的宣教士。我很好奇為什麼會選擇在嘉義呢？原來，在嘉義設立宣道會的目的，就是希望能夠接觸到一班當地的農戶和一些在社會上比較貧窮的人，讓這些人都能夠聽聞福音。我對這個異象非常感動，因為要做到這一點，必須先要成為當地的人的鄰舍，也就是說，宣教士的生活是非常簡單的。除了生活條件不是太好，我們的宣教士還要學習使用當地的詞彙。雖然他（她）們會講國語，但是，用的詞彙就要重新學習。除了要重新學習詞彙和過一個非常簡單的生活之外，我們的宣教士還要學習使用摩托車代步。他（她）們所擺上的，不是一點，而是全部，包括孩子們也需要重新適應。但是，他（她）們卻是喜樂的。為什麼呢？因為知道服事的目的是什麼。

在當天的崇拜中，其中一位宣教士的分享就見證了這一點，那就是他（她）們所做的是要把好消息分享給當地的人。這個好消息就是耶穌基督的救恩。如果是好消息的話，就不要太計較現在所面對的。無論環境有多困難，他（她）們一家還是義無反顧擺上一切，願意用生命來與當地的人交流，把好消息分享。

當我們詢問他（她）們需要什麼的時候，他（她）們所想的就是如何能夠讓教會提供更多的設施來與當地的人聯繫。譬如說，希望能夠有一個地方讓小朋友可以學習聖經。所想的不是自己的需要，而是如何用不同的方法來分享福音。

我們如何看待福音呢？對我們來說，福音是好消息嗎？我們如何回應這個好消息呢？我們都是因為這個好消息而成為神的兒女。我們有想過如何把這個好消息傳遞出去嗎？在我們的宣教士的心中，不是如何讓孩子生活好一點或者是有好的教育，而是要讓宣道會嘉義堂成為福音的渠道。師母和我很願意成為他（她）們的夥伴，用各種方法來支援和鼓勵他（她）們的服事。我期盼你也會有同樣的感動。如果想知道如何協助在嘉義的福音事工，請和我或師母聯繫。

願神祝福你們，願神祝福列宣家。

主僕，
劉展權牧師

2023.05.13/14

From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Mark Liu

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

It is by God’s Grace that I can use this space to share with you the latest about the Mandarin Ministries.

Before the Lord Jesus returned to heaven, He gave His disciples, including us, a command:

Matthew 28:19-20 “19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations...”

Our Lord commanded us to go and share the gospel. There are many ways to do so. Besides the ministry at Tsawwassen, we have also started a monthly worship at Rosewood Manor, a nursing home, since the end of April this year.

At the end of last year, we contacted the person in charge of the nursing home to explore whether we could conduct worship there once a month. Praise the Lord that we received very positive response. Since the COVID-19 pandemic was still serious at the time, we decided to wait until the spring to start this ministry.

Besides the brothers and sisters from the Mandarin ministry, some brothers and sisters from different Cantonese Congregation also participate in this ministry. On April 30th, a group of 12 people (including two elders, Katherine Yeo and Joe Tong) came to serve in this nursing home.

I am very grateful to the nursing home for providing a staff who is dedicated for coordinating with us. Before the worship started, we witnessed the staff of the nursing home, working hard to bring those who are in wheelchairs or resting in beds to us. There are also some who come on their own. Before the worship started, there were 28 people who live in this nursing home joining us.  Praise the Lord.

We chose two hymns, “Give Thanks” and “Great is Thy Faithfulness” as the first worship hymn. After that, I used John 3:16-17 to share the message. Since most of the participants are English-speaking, I shared the message in English. After sharing, the Holy Spirit inspired me to make a calling. Several people raised their hands, accepting Christ as their own Savior. For those who could not raise their hands, I encouraged them to say “yes”. I remember a resting-in-bed lady who kept saying “yes”.  I was touched.  Thank God, ten friends accepted the salvation. Afterwards, I invited co-workers to go to these people and pray for them. At the end of service, I also got to know a couple who had been missionaries in Haiti. They are now living in this nursing home. Praise the Lord for allowing us to serve, not only to those who have not heard of the Gospel but also those who used to serve the Lord elsewhere.

On the way home, I kept humming “Give thanks” in my heart. Thank God for enabling us to serve, bringing the Gospel to those who live in the nursing home. The Gospel should not stay in church building. The Gospel should reach to different places so that people can hear.

May God bless you all.  May God bless RCAC.

His servant,
Rev. Mark Liu

2023.05.13/14

列宣家的弟兄姊妹大家好，

感謝神的恩典，讓我能夠在這裡和你們分享國語事工的近況。

當主耶穌還沒有回到天家之前，祂給予門徒和我們一個命令：馬太福音28:19-20 “¹⁹ 所以，你們要去使萬民作我的門徒…。”這個命令就是要我們走出去，把主耶穌的福音分享給其他人知道。走出去的模式可以有很多種，除了最近在Tsawwassen開始了國語事工之外，我們在四月底也開始在一家老人院–Rosewood Manor 開始了每月一次的崇拜。

我們在去年年底就與老人院的負責人聯繫，探討是否能夠以教會的名義在那裡舉行崇拜。感謝神的恩典，我們獲得了院方積極的回應。由於當時新冠疫情還是比較嚴重，我們決定等到春天的時候才開始這個事工。

感謝除了國語事工的弟兄姊妹參與之外，一些粵語堂的弟兄姊妹也參與在這個事工中。我們在4月30日，一行12人（包括兩位長老，楊劉宜家及唐永明）來到這個老人院服事。我們當時不知道會有多少人會參與。不過，我們禱告，求神帶領。其實，人數不是重點，我們期盼讓住在老人院的朋友們能夠聽聞福音。

很感謝院方的員工。在還沒有開始前，我們就見證了他（她）們把一些坐在輪椅或者是躺在病床上的老人家帶到我們當中。也有一些是自行走過來的。在崇拜開始前，有28位住在這個老人院的朋友們來參與。感謝神。

我們選了兩首詩歌，“獻上感恩”和“祢真偉大”作為第一次的崇拜的詩歌。之後，我使用了約翰福音3:16-17節作為分享。由於大部分參與的都是說英語的，我就以英語和大家分享訊息。在分享完後，聖靈感動我做一次呼召。就在那個時候，有幾位朋友舉手。有一些不能舉手的，我就鼓勵他們說“yes”。我很記得有一位躺在病床上的婆婆，不斷說“yes”，讓我覺得非常感動。感謝神，有十位朋友接受救恩。之後，我就邀請同工們走到這些決志的人當中，為他們禱告。在服事當中，我也認識了兩位曾經在海地這個國家當過宣教士的夫婦。他們倆現在住在這個老人院。很感謝神讓我們能夠服事他們。

在回家的路上，我心中不斷哼著“獻上感恩”。感謝神讓我們能夠服事。把福音帶給住在那裡的朋友們。福音不應該停留在教會建築物裡，而是要帶到不同的角落，讓人能夠聽聞福音。

願神祝福大家。願神祝福列宣家。

主僕，
劉展權牧師

March 25/26, 2023

From the Pastor’s Desk – Rev. Mark Liu

Hello, brothers and sisters, thank God for giving me the opportunity to share with you some of my thoughts through this channel.

If I tell you that everyone will face suffering, I believe no one will disagree. Maybe you are in suffering right now. There are many kinds of suffering. First, we cannot and should not judge the suffering others are facing. Because at one level, this type of thinking is pride.

Regarding suffering, the Bible stresses more about how to get out of suffering rather than knowing why suffering happens. Job is a good example. It seems to the end, Job was not told about why sufferings happened to him.  He thought he deserved an answer but God did not give Job the answer.  God gives Job more: Himself.  In fact, when we think carefully, we will find that knowing the cause of suffering is not what we most want to know. Although, our instinctive reaction is to ask “why”. But, in all fairness, do we really want to know why? Or do we want to know the way out of suffering?

When Moses told the Israelites to obey God’s commandments, or they would face difficulties, the Israelites thought that they needed to maintain their relationship with God through a set of behaviors. But they did not know that behaviors are just the sign, and what is more important is the relationship with God. The first and second of the Ten Commandments speak of the importance of a relationship with God.

When we care about a relationship, our whole life will be changed because of this relationship. First, the cross of Jesus Christ enables us to restart our relationship with God that was broken by sin. By accepting salvation, we can re-establish our relationship with God. However, this is just the beginning. Many times we only stay at the beginning stage, but we do not cultivate the relationship with God. In the Bible, when it comes to the verb “cultivate”, it is often used in the present continuous tense. This means that we must persevere in building a relationship with God. This relationship is actually not equal, because we are not in the same position as God. God is the Creator and we are created by Him.

In John 17:1-26, Jesus Christ allows His disciples and us to hear His prayer up close and know His close relationship with His Father. This relationship with Heavenly Father helped Jesus faced suffering. If this is the case, we can also learn from this. When we care about our relationship with God, we will look at our lives from a higher perspective with a wider dimension. In Jesus’ prayer, He said all of these are to glorify God. Can suffering glorify God? Yes. The answer lies in our relationship with God. Are we willing to use our lives to glorify this God who loves us? Perhaps this is the crux of facing suffering.

May God bless you all.  May God bless RCAC.

His servant,
Rev. Mark Liu

2023.03.25/26

弟兄姊妹大家好，感謝神的恩典，讓我能夠在這裡透過文字和你們分享一些想法。

如果我告訴你，每一個人都會面對苦難，相信沒有人會有異議。可能你現在就是在苦難中。苦難有很多種。首先，我們沒有辦法，也不應該評斷別人的苦難。因為在某一個層面來說，這種評斷就是驕傲。

對於苦難，聖經用了不少的篇幅來告訴我們如何走出苦難，而不是知道為什麼苦難會發生在我們的身上。約伯就是一個很好的例子。其實，當我們細心思考時，就會發現，知道苦難的來由並不是我們最想知道的。雖然，我們的本能反應就是會問【為什麼】。但是，平心而論，我們真的想要知道為什麼嗎？還是我們想要知道能夠走出苦難的方法呢？

在舊約，當摩西告訴以色列人要遵守神的誡命，要不然就會面對困難的時候，以色列人以為是透過一堆的行為來維持與神的關係。卻不知道，行為其實只是表徵而已，更重要的就是與神的關係。十誡的第一和第二條就是講到與神的關係的重要性。

當我們在意一段關係的時候，整個人的生命都會因為這個關係而改變。首先，耶穌基督的十字架讓我們能夠與神重新開始因著罪而破裂的關係。接受了救恩，我們就可以與神重新建立關係。但是，這個只是開始。我們很多時候只停留在開始這個階段，卻沒有好好建立與神的關係。在聖經裡，當講到“建立”這個動詞的時候，往往都是用上現在進行式的。這個就代表了要持之以恆地與神建立關係。這個關係其實不是對等的，因為我們與神不是處在相同的位置上。神是創造主，我們是被造的。

在約翰福音17:1-26，耶穌基督讓門徒和我們能夠近距離聆聽祂的禱告，從而知道祂與天父的關係是如何密切。與天父的關係幫助耶穌面對苦難。如果是這樣的話，我們也可以開始學習。當我們在意與神的關係的時候，我們會在一個更高的角度，更寬的維度來看自己的生命。在耶穌的禱告中，祂說這一切都是榮耀神。苦難也可以榮耀神的嗎？可以的。答案就在與神的關係上。我們願意用生命來榮耀這一位愛我們的神嗎？可能這個就是面對苦難的癥結所在。

願神祝福你們。願神祝福列宣家。

主僕，
劉展權牧師

2023.01.28/29

Hello, brothers and sisters of RCAC. May you all have a blessed Chinese New Year. You may not celebrate the Chinese New Year.  But no matter which new year you celebrate, one thing is certain, we will send our best wishes to each other.  Behind these best wishes is the wish that this year will be better than last year.

In the past week, I thank God for allowing me to share with the Mandarin Congregation through the Gospel of John. In last week’s sermon, I talked about what a fulfilled life is through the miracle of Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand. First, this miracle is recorded in all four Gospels. Apart from the resurrection of Jesus, this miracle is the only one recorded in all four Gospels. Since each Gospel was written for a different purpose, and each Gospel writer decided to include this miracle in the respective book, there must be a significance to the miracle.

Jesus Christ broke our inherent logic through feeding the five thousand. How did the logic come about? Logic is accumulated through our life experiences. In other words, the foundation of logic has a historical background behind. And because of this, no matter who we are, we approach things according to a similar logic.

Through feeding the five thousand, Jesus wants to tell us that to follow Him, we must first let go of our inherent logic. Because He is the source of all power. There is no Jesus in worldly logic. However, as a child of God, the logic of dealing with things must first put Jesus Christ in the most important position. In the miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus fed the five thousand people (actually more than ten thousand people) with the five barley loaves and two fish that a child was willing to offer. Jesus can turn nothing into something, why would he rely on a child’s five barley loaves and two fish? It is logical that five barley loaves and two fish cannot feed five thousand people. But Jesus does not act with logic. Because God is above all, that is to say, logic cannot bind God’s deeds. When we face the present difficulties, we may all think logically. This is an inherent way of thinking, the apostles were like this, and so are we. However, Jesus told us that to rely on Him is to use a new perspective, a new logic, and this new logic is not taught by the world, but taught by Jesus. Everything starts with Jesus Christ.

In the new year, may we all put Jesus Christ first. May the Holy Spirit help us see that when we trust in Jesus, there is a life of fulfillment. This satisfaction is not given by the world, but by Jesus Christ. And this satisfaction can be obtained because Jesus Christ gave up everything in heaven, dwelled among us, and carried our sins.

May God bless you all. May God bless RCAC.

His servant,
Pastor Mark

2023.01.28/29

弟兄姊妹大家好。新年蒙福。新年的時候，我們都會向對方送上祝福的字句，用這樣的方法來向對方給予問候並祝賀。在新年的時候，我們都會希望今年比去年好。無論如何，新的一年的來臨都會給予我們一個機會，對今年有一個盼望。而這個盼望，無論是什麼內容，大部分都是希望今年比去年好。

在剛過去的一週，感謝神的恩典，讓我能夠透過約翰福音和大家分享。在上週的講道，我透過約翰福音的五餅二魚和大家分享什麼是一個滿足的人生。首先，這一個神蹟在四本福音書都有記載。除了耶穌復活之外，就只有這個神蹟在四本福音書都有記載。由於每一本福音書寫作的目的都不一樣，而每一個福音書的作者都決定把這個神蹟放在書中的話，一定有這個神蹟的重要性。

耶穌基督透過五餅二魚來打破我們固有的邏輯。邏輯是如何來的呢？邏輯是透過我們人生的經歷累積而來的。也就是說，邏輯的根基有著一種歷史背景在背後的。也因為這樣，無論我們是誰，都會依照類似的邏輯來處理事情。

透過五餅二魚，耶穌要告訴我們，跟隨祂就必須先把固有的邏輯放下。因為祂是一切能力的源頭。人類的邏輯中沒有耶穌。但是，作為神的兒女，處理事情的邏輯就必須先把耶穌基督放在最重要的位置。在五餅二魚的神蹟中，耶穌用一個小孩子願意奉獻的五餅二魚來餵飽五千人（其實應該是超過一萬人）。耶穌可以從無變有，為什麼要靠一個小朋友的五餅二魚呢？五餅二魚不能餵飽五千人，這個是邏輯。但是耶穌不會以邏輯來行事。因為神是在萬有之上的，也就是說，邏輯不能綑綁神的作為。當我們面對目前的困難的時候，我們都可能會以邏輯來思考。這個是固有的思考模式，使徒是這樣，我們也是。但是，耶穌告訴我們，倚靠祂就是要用一個新的眼光，新的邏輯，這個新的邏輯，不是世界教導我們的，而是耶穌教導我們的。一切都是以耶穌基督為先。

在新的一年，願我們一切以耶穌基督為先。讓聖靈幫助我們看見，當我們倚靠耶穌的時候，會有一個滿足的人生。這個滿足不是世界能給予的，而是耶穌基督所給予的。而能夠獲得這個滿足，是因為耶穌基督放棄天上的一切，來到我們的中間，並頂替我們的罪而成就的。

願神祝福大家。願神祝福列宣家。

主僕，
劉展權牧師

December 17/18, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk :Rev. Mark Liu

Hello, brothers and sisters. Merry Christmas. Wishing you all have a joyful Christmas Holiday.  This year, may we also take the opportunity to bring “Jesus is the Light of the world”, this important message, to your family, neighbors and colleagues.

This year’s Christmas Eve Service is special. Because the event will not only happen at RCAC but also at Tsawwassen.  The theme of this year’s Christmas Eve Service is “Jesus is the Light of the World.” (Chinese congregation) Whether in Richmond or Tsawwassen, we aim to remind our brothers and sisters that “Jesus is the Light of the World” through hymns, scriptures meditation and candles. The Great Commission given by our Lord Jesus Christ is to bring this important message to every corner of the world.

In John 8:12 (ESV)

¹²Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus said He is the Light of the World. The presence of light is important. We don’t like the dark, we may even be afraid of the dark. In this verse, Jesus tells us that He is the Light, not any light but the Light, and that in Him there is no darkness. That’s a declaration. In His life we see no darkness, only light. When we look for things, we cannot find them in the dark. We need light. In other words, through the life of Jesus, we find the true meaning of life. We have been searching, and it turns out that the true meaning of life is obtained through Him.

So what does the light of life represent? This meaning is very broad and far-reaching. One of them is that when we are willing to accept the Lord Jesus and follow Him, then we are new creations, the old things have gone, and everything has become new. We are not in the dark. When we live out the salvation, we become light, helping others to know Christ. We are like a signpost pointing to Jesus Christ.

When we think of light, we know that light needs to be gathered in order to become bright. This is why our faith is not to be alone, but to unite with brothers and sisters. This year’s Christmas Eve Service will remind everyone of this important point. Together we bring the light of Jesus out. We need to look for different opportunities to share the Gospel. RCAC hosts many different events for the purpose.  We aim to organize different events to meet friends.  We also have a ministry in Tsawwassen, and we will also hold an Evangelistic Meeting by Jo-Lam Wong on Jan 7 next year. All these are using practical ways to reach to people that Jesus is the Light of the World. All these activities require your support. I hope that you can connect with your pastors and actively participate in various activities.

May God bless you all, may God bless RCAC!

His servant,
Rev. Mark Liu

2022.12.17/18

弟兄姊妹大家好。聖誕快樂。祝願大家有一個充滿喜樂的聖誕佳節。並期盼大家把耶穌的光分享給自己的家人，鄰舍和同事。

今年的平安夜聚會是特別的。因為今年的平安夜聚會，除了在列宣家舉行之外，也會在Tsawwassen舉行。而今年的主題是耶穌是世界的光。無論是在列治文或者是Tsawwassen，我們期盼透過詩歌，經文和點燃燭光來提醒弟兄姊妹，耶穌是世界的光。我們被賦予使命，把耶穌是世界的光這個重要的訊息傳揚出去。

在約翰福音8:12 耶穌又對眾人說：“我是世界的光，跟從我的，必定不在黑暗裡走，卻要得著生命的光。”

耶穌說祂是世界的光。光的出現是重要的。我們不喜歡黑暗，我們更可能會害怕黑暗。在這一節經文裡，耶穌告訴我們祂就是光，在祂的裡面沒有黑暗。那就是一種宣言。在祂的生命中，我們不會看到黑暗，只有光。我們尋找東西，在黑暗裡一定找不到，需要有光。也就是說，透過耶穌的生命，我們找到了人生的真義。我們一直在尋找，原來生命的真義就是透過祂的生命而獲得。

那生命的光是代表什麼意思呢？這個意思非常廣，而且深遠。其中一個就是，當我們願意接受主耶穌，並跟從祂，那我們就是新造的人，舊事已經過去，一切都變成新的了。我們不在黑暗中。當我們活出這一份的救恩的生命的時候，我們就成為了光，幫助其他人也能夠認識基督。我們就像是一個路標指著耶穌基督。

當我們想到光的時候，就知道光需要聚集起來，才能夠變成明亮。這個就是為什麼我們的信仰不是單打獨鬥，而是要和弟兄姊妹聯合在一起。今年的平安夜聚會將會提醒大家這個重點。我們聯合起來，把耶穌的光帶出去。我們需要尋找不同的機會，把福音帶出去。列宣家舉辦很多不同的活動來接觸新朋友。我們也在Tsawwassen 有事工，也會在明年1月7日舉行【王祖藍“百變人生”佈道會】。凡此種種就是要把耶穌是世界的光這個訊息，用實際的行動展現出來。這些活動都需要你的支持。我盼望你能夠與教牧同工聯繫，積極參與各項活動，讓列宣家成為一個永不磨滅的燈台。

願神祝福大家，願神祝福列宣家。

主僕，
劉展權牧師

2022.11.26/27
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Mark Liu

Hello brothers and sisters of RCAC. It is by God’s Grace that I can share with you some of my recent thoughts.

Mark 16:15 (ESV)
15And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Here, Mark, the author of this Gospel, clearly captured the command of Jesus Christ, which is to share the gospel. We need to pay particular attention to the verb used because the verb shows to us that it is Jesus’ command, not a suggestion. To be able to command is because one has authority. Lately we’ve been thinking about Jesus Christ as our return King, and this provides the reason for Jesus Christ’s authority.

Jesus commanded us to evangelize. The name “Christian & Missionary Alliance” of our denomination clearly indicated this command. In a nutshell, we take mission as our primary job. Every time we tell the world the name of our denomination, we are telling the world and reminding ourselves that missions (evangelism) is in our core DNA.

Many of the ministries of RCAC are carried out because of this direction. We have praise dance, Chinese and Western food classes, for example. These activities are set up to respond to Jesus’ command. Besides inviting people to come to join these activities, which is about inviting people to come to RCAC, we also need to go out. This is the reason we have started a ministry in Tsawwassen.

We started a Bible study class in Tsawwassen in mid-July this year. Every Saturday afternoon, my wife Fiona, my daughter Myra and I serve there. We are like missionaries, except that instead of going to another country, we go to a place where is 20 minutes away from us. The purpose is to bring the Gospel to the local Chinese. Thank God, at the beginning, we had five brothers and sisters participating, all living in the Tsawwassen area. Thanks to God’s provision, we have new friends joining us almost every week, usually one or two, not too many. My wife said it well, God is very kind to us because if He brings in many new friends at one time, we may find a hard time to cope with.

In September, we started a Chinese Bible class for kids. The program is set up so that the parents can leave the kids to learn Chinese while they stay for the Bible Study. These Chinese Bible Class helps kids to learn the Bible and Chinese at the same time. Thank God for giving us Jaco and Yvonne Cheung, who have been serving there every week since mid-September. We even participated in a leaflet distribution activity, around the community of Tsawwassen, with the brothers and sisters of Tsawwassen Alliance Church. I think this is what the universal church should look like – working together to advance the gospel.

In the past weekend, as the Bible Study class turns to its 4-month anniversary, we have 26 brothers, sisters and friends participating, in which 22 of them live in Tsawwassen area. The number of children joining the Chinese class has reached around 10. On the one hand, we are grateful, on the other hand, we need to explore what God’s will is. This is the reason, under the leadership of our District, we formed a small discerning community including the two elders of RCAC (Gary Wong and Eddie Yu). We look forward to discerning God’s Will together for this ministry. However, one thing is for sure, that RCAC is responding to the command of Jesus Christ.

May God bless you all.

His servant,
Rev. Mark Liu