2022.12.24/25

From the Pastor’s Desk:Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

First of all, merry Christmas to you all! May the new year 2023 brings you God’s blessings, good health and spiritual growth!

2022 has been a roller-coaster year. We have gone through three years of Covid and even after 4 vaccinations I could not be spared catching COVID. This year for me, apart from facing challenges in ministry, in the first half of the year I was rear-ended, my car was totalled, and I suffered a whiplash injury to my neck for months. Then in November after a successful short-term mission to Malaysia, I was infected with severe UTI (urinary tract infection) in Hong Kong and was hospitalized. But all these events let me experience the unfailing faithfulness of God, His ever-present protection, and His mighty hand in healing at work. For example, I found out I had UTI in a very timely way and after an aggressive course of antibiotics at the hospital I was completely cured in 7 days! I really want to thank many brothers and sisters for your fervent prayers for me and Lydia. Praise the Lord for his grace and mercy!

From the Church’s perspective, in 2022, we faced a lot of challenges, but even in the third year of Covid, we had over 30 brothers and sisters (including many individuals privately) got baptized.  All 5 worship services, children ministries and fellowships have resumed in-person gatherings and activities weekly. The Chinese adult Bible classes and the Cantonese prayer meetings continued strong online. The mandarin worship was moved to Saturday morning at 9 am, meeting in the sanctuary with a steady attendance of over 80 people weekly. Rev. Mark Liu and the mandarin congregation has also launched a gospel outreach to Tsawwassen. The AYAYA congregation continues to reach out to newcomers from Hongkong and the weekly attendance has grown rapidly to as high as 200 people. Evangelism and mission efforts continue. This year we have two pastors ordained, namely, our mandarin pastor, Rev. Mark Liu and our AYAYA pastor, Rev. Francis Chan. Congratulations! For all these things God has done for RCAC, we need to give thanks to Him! May all the glory be given to God and God alone!

I pray 2023 will be a year of renewal for RCAC. The theme for the church has been set as “Deeper life, broader vision.” Let’s pray that we will stay united as a church which is comprised of people of 2 written languages and 3 spoken languages, so that people can see we are the disciples of Jesus Christ. The Board has appointed Rev. Collins Kung as the Administrator, and he has taken the baton to lead the pastoral team and coworkers moving forward in building the Church. We pray that our brothers and sisters at RCAC will give your full support to Pastor Collins. Let us also pray that we will find the next Senior Pastor soon. May the gospel spread speedily, the Church grows positively, and the Kingdom of God continue to expand, so the name of God is lifted high!

After a decade of ministry, I believe I have completed my calling to serve at RCAC. Instead of saying “retiring” I like to say I am stepping down as I also believe a pastor never stop being a pastor in serving others.  It is true that the work is never completely done, but by stepping down, I hope that the next mature pastor will come to take the Church to new heights. Here I like to thank my pastoral team members and coworkers for their strong support, making my work more effective. At the same time, I want to apologise to those I have failed to serve because of my limitations, I beg for your forgiveness. As this is my last article, may I urge you to remember each other in the Lord. Good-bye (God be with you)!

Moving forward, may I present these words to you for our mutual encouragement:

“8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh 1:8,9)  

Your servant in Christ
Pastor Simon

 2022.12.24/25

親愛列宣家的弟兄姊妹：

首先恭祝大家聖誕快樂，新年蒙恩，身體健康，靈命長進！

2022年可說是像坐過山車的一年，我們都捱過Covid大流行的第三年，連牧師也不能免疫而「中招」。牧師個人在面對事奉挑戰之餘，又在上半年遇上車禍傷了頸項，十一月馬來西亞短宣回途上在港患上嚴重的尿道炎…。但這些經歷卻讓牧師更經歷神的不變的信實、處處的保守和大能的醫治，就如神讓牧師及早發現尿道炎，又讓牧師迅速在醫院得到特效抗生素的治療，在七日內完全康復！謝謝眾多弟兄姊妹為我和師母代禱。感謝主的恩典與憐憫！

從教會整體來說，在2022年Covid大流行第三年這年間，教會有不少的挑戰，但竟然有超過30位弟兄姊妹(包括個別人)受洗加入教會。崇拜、兒童事工與團契亦陸續開放重回實體聚會。中文部的主日學與教會禱告會仍在線上舉行。國語崇拜改時到星期六早上九點並移師到大堂，崇拜人數維持在八十人以上，同時又展開Tsawwassen的福音工作。AYAYA崇拜不斷努力服侍由香港來的新朋友而增長到近二佰人。佈道與宣教的工作亦不斷展開。今年有兩位同工按牧，先有國語部的劉展權牧師，再有AYAYA的陳榮基牧師！這一切都是值得教會感恩的事！願一切榮耀歸主!

我深信2023年將會是教會更新的一年。教會全年的主題已定為「進深靈命、擴闊視野」。盼望教會在兩文三語的實況下能合一，讓世人看出我們是主耶穌的門徒。教會長議會已委任龔敏光牧師為行政主任，接棒帶領教牧團隊與同工，繼續努力建立教會。盼望弟兄姊妹同心支持龔牧師。更請為找到下一任主任牧師並早日履新代禱。願福音快速廣傳、教會積極成長，神的國度不斷擴展、令主名被高舉！

我喜歡說我將於年底「退任」，結束了神託付我在列宣十載主任牧師牧養的使命，因我相信服侍神的人該是「退而不休」。雖然不能說「功成身退」因為要作的事還多，但願我的退下給成熟的下一任能後浪推前浪，把教會帶到更高之處。在此衷心多謝每一位同工和弟兄姊妹十年來給我大力的支持，使我能事半功倍。但同時因著我能力所限沒有親自關心眾多肢體，我在此衷心致歉求恕。這是我最後的「教牧心聲」。願在主內繼續彼此記念！再見！

願將這寶貴的金句送給列宣家互勉：「⁸ 這律法書不可離開你的口，要晝夜默誦，好使你謹守遵行書中所記的一切；這樣，你的道路就必順利，你必一路亨通。⁹ 我不是吩咐過你要堅強勇敢嗎？ 所以，你不要懼怕，也不要驚慌；因為你無論到哪裡去，耶和華你的神必與你同在。」(約書亞記1:8,9)

主僕
李耀全牧師

2022.12.03/04

From the Pastor’s Desk by Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want… Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:1, 4)

I have studied and preach this text countless of times, but never have I experienced the reality of these verses until two weeks ago when I became very seriously ill with Urinal Tract Infection while I was in Hong Kong. I would like to share my personal experience and the great mercy of God on me.

It all happened after our blessed short-term mission in Malaysia, a week of experiencing the power of God in the lives of people there. The trip was to continue the mission left by our dear Rev. Matthew Wong. Nearly two years have passed since our dear Rev. Wong and Stella came back from there and he was later diagnosed as having pancreatic cancer, dying a year after. We, especially Stella Wong, will share the story of our wonderful visit another time. To God be the glory.

On our way back, my wife Lydia and I went to Hong Kong, visiting our Alliance families there, among other things. Then out of the blue we were confronted with the news of the sudden and untimely death of Lydia’s older sister-in-law due to Covid. We were all sadden by the news and stayed longer to attend the funeral. We realized life can be so fleeting, and we must treasure each moment we have with one another.

On the day of attending the cremation, I suddenly felt ill and could not walk steadily, and eventually I took a fall on the street pavement injuring my forehead.  I also started throwing up several times. All our relatives urged me to go to get checked out at the hospital. The MRI which was taken showed no internal brain injury, and I went back to the hotel, which by God’s grace was only several blocks away. I started to have a fever and ended back hospitalized in the afternoon where I was hospitalized. The fall resulted in my being quickly diagnosed as having a serious infection. It was indeed a blessing in disguise.

On the second or third day of my hospitalization, the capable doctor attending to me was quick to diagnosed that I had severe UTI (Urinal Tract Infection) from E-Coli to the extent of serious sepsis. My WBC (White Blood Count) was 10 times higher than normal, and my CRP (C-Reactive Protein) which indicated how sick I was, was over 23 times than normal. To make a long story short, I went through an aggressive course of intravenous antibiotics treatment for a whole week. By God’s grace, the antibiotics worked, and I was released from hospital in the end. Thanks to Lydia who visited me frequently and took good care of me. Thanks be to Christ the healer who had mercy on me. I finally realize how fragile life can be and it is entirely God’s grace that we can live and be healthy!

We were able to find a return ticket even though most flights were full, again it is the grace of God.  We are so happy to be back to walk with you all in our last days at RCAC. Thanks to so many of you who prayed for us during this period of crisis. We have learned to treasure the precious relationships we have, especially our families and friends. I have realized life can be short and therefore I must fully utilize each breath I have to live for God and serve Him even more faithfully in a focused way. I now understand more in a personal way that the Lord indeed is my shepherd, and even though we walk through the darkest times, the Lord is here to provide, to heal and to comfort. Praise the Lord!

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Simon

2022.12.03/04

親愛列宣家弟兄姊妹：

「 耶和華是我的牧人，我必不會缺乏。…  我雖然行過死蔭的山谷，也不怕遭受傷害，因為你與我同在； 你的杖你的竿都安慰我。」(詩23:1,4)

以上的經文是我常學又常用的經文，但在香港最近兩個禮拜我才真正體會它的實在，因為我因嚴重的尿道炎(UTI)病倒了。容許我與你們分享我的心路歷程和神在我身上的憐憫！

一切要從我們馬來西亞的短宣說起，那是一個經歷神大能在人的身上的經驗。它是繼承我們親愛的王允志牧師的短宣工作。差不多兩年前，王牧師和師母剛從馬來西亞回來，不久王牧卻就被診斷有胰臟癌，而一年後便安息主懷。盼望日後與王師母再有機會分享這一次奇妙短宣之旅。

在歸途師母與我停留在香港，我們也找時間探望在港的宣道會的大家庭。沒有想到突然收到師母的大嫂短時間因Covid在院離世的壞消息。我們親友都非常傷心而師母與我都決定多停數天出席喪禮。生命真是苦短，我們都要多珍惜眼前人！

一波未平一波又起，就在火葬禮的早上，我發覺脚步不穩，而因此仆倒在街上傷了前額，並有嘔吐。家人都敦促我要到醫院檢查，感恩發現腦部沒有大礙，便回鄰近酒店休息。但在下午仍有嘔吐又發高燒，結果重返醫院入住就醫。很快醫生便診斷我是有嚴重的發炎！感謝主，這次因仆倒而隨後很快便發現牧師有嚴重的發炎，可以第一時間治療是主變相的祝福！

在院的第二或第三天，能幹的醫生很快診斷我患的乃是嚴重的尿道炎(UTI) ，而我的白血球(WBC)的指數是正常人的十倍，並且患病的蛋白質的指數(CRP)是常人的23倍有多，病況極其嚴厲！長話短說，經過一星期强力的抗生素的治療，靠主的恩典，我得到完全的醫治！感謝主！在此我要特別感謝賢妻師母無微不至的照顧使我能很快便康復！更感謝醫治者基督的憐憫。我體會到人身體的脆弱，能健康地存活完全是神的恩典呀！

再者我們能找到回來的機票也是神的恩典，讓我與師母能與大家同走我們在列宣最後的日子。謝謝不少人在這段危機的日子裡切切為我們代禱。讓我們更珍惜我們在主內彼此的關係和與家人朋友的聯繫。我願一息尚存，更為主而活，更忠心專心侍主！我現在更體會主的確是我的牧者，衪在我最黑暗的路途上與我同行、供應我一切的需要、醫治我、又安慰我！感謝讚美主！

主僕，
李耀全

2022.10.29/30

From the Pastor’s Desk:Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Early last year (2021) our dear co-worker, Rev. Matthew Wong （王允志牧師）wrote “March to Paradise (邁向神的樂園)” when he knew his days on earth were ending. These are his last words:

Good bye to my dear wife-lover, daughters and sons in law, grandsons and granddaughters, relatives, brothers and sisters, coworkers, friends, May we meet again in paradise where we can enjoy eternal life together. Amen.🙏

I still remember at his burial, because we were still at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only 10 people allowed, all from his family, to say good-bye. It was an occasion where everyone there were sad to bid farewell, but the sorrow was very restrained because we all knew that it was more like “See you” and that one day we will reunite with great joy in heaven. Maranatha!

Shortly before the passing of Matthew, I was blessed to have opportunities to meet with Matthew and Stella. I was so touched that there were only two things he kept emphasizing. The first being, whatever the outcome of his sickness, he wanted the name of Christ be glorified. The second was that the ministries that he was involved in in his last few years would continue. His heart was always on glorifying God and furthering His Kingdom, as he knew he was marching to paradise. God is indeed glorified through the amazing testimony of faith of Matthew. Praise the Lord!

Rev. Matthew Wong was involved with two major areas of ministries: the Mandarin ministries of RCAC, and the short-term mission to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We are so thankful that the first “wish” (prayer) he had is being fulfilled in Rev. Mark Liu, ordained on September 11. Since Mark took over the Mandarin ministries, the work has continued to grow steadily in both numbers and quality, most recently with five brothers and sisters being baptized on Thanksgiving Sunday.  Also, he is responding to the Macedonian Call from Tsawwassen and doing outreach ministries at Tsawwassen Alliance Church. Praise the Lord!

The second major ministry of Matthew was the short-term mission to Malaysia. Malaysia is a Muslim country, and it is very hard to do Christian ministries there. But Matthew and Stella had established a ministry there in actively helping the pastors there to strengthen the three young Alliance Churches. The mother Church in Puchung has recently bought by faith an adjourning building to extend their work there. Matthew further helped to do evangelistic and discipleship work at an outpost, Kuala Lipis (立卑), to build up a small church there. The church which is built in a low-lying area is flooded often and needs to be rebuilt on higher ground. The people there in all these places remember with fondness the dedicated service of Matthew and Stella. Praise the Lord!

Right now the team, Stella Wong, Katherine Yeo, Lydia Lee and me, are engaged in a short-term mission work in Malaysia (Oct 27 to Nov 4). We want to assure the people that we have not forgotten them and reassure them that RCAC will continue to support their ministry there. For Stella Wong it is especially meaningful for her to return there to see Matthew’s work continue to prosper there. Please pray for us.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Simon Lee

2022.10.29/30

列宣家親愛的弟兄姊妹，

我們親愛的同工王允志牧師於去年(2021)年初，知道自己在世間的日子即將結束時，寫下了《邁向天堂樂園》。這是他的遺言：

再會了，親愛的妻子-愛人、女兒女婿、孫兒孫女、各位親人、弟兄姊妹、同工、朋友，願在樂園裡再會的時候能與你ㄧ起享受永生。阿們！

我仍然記得在他的葬禮上，因為那時我們仍處於疫情大流行的高峰期，只限10人出席，絕大部份為他的家人與他的道別。那是一個令人傷感的告別場合，雖然悲傷但卻很克制，因為我們都知道這更像是與他話別，說“再見”，總有一天我們會在天上歡聚一堂。主必快來(Maranatha)！

在王牧師去世前不久，我有幸得到與他和師母見面的機會。我很感動，他只強調了兩件事。首先，無論他生病的結果如何，他都希望基督的名得到榮耀。第二是他過去幾年參與的事工將延續下去。他的心總是於在榮耀神和推展祂的國度，因為他知道自己正在邁向天堂樂園。神確實藉著王牧師令人驚奇的信心見證而得著榮耀。讚美主！

王允志牧師參與了兩方面主要的事工領域：本會的普通話事工，以及對馬來西亞吉隆坡的短期宣教。我們非常感恩，他的第一個“願望”(王牧師祈禱)在9月11日按立的劉展權牧師身上實現了。自從劉展權牧師接任國語事工以來，事工在數量和質量上都在穩步增長，最近有五個兄弟姐妹於感恩節主日受洗。此外，他響應來自Tsawwassen 的馬其頓呼聲，並在Tsawwassen 宣道會開設外展事工。讚美主！王牧師第二方面的主要事工是對馬來西亞短期宣教的負擔。馬來西亞是一個穆斯林國家，在那裡做基督教事工非常困難。但王牧師和師母在那裡建立了一個事工，積極幫助該地的牧師鞏固三個仍屬雛型的宣道會。蒲種堂母會最近憑信心購買了一座建築物，以擴展他們在那裡的工作。王牧師進一步幫助在立卑(Kuala Lipis)的一個前哨站做傳福音和門徒訓練工作，在那裡建立了一個小教會。建在低窪地區的教堂經常被洪水淹沒，需要在地勢較高的地方重建。所有這些地方的人們都懷念著王牧師和師母為神擺上的熱切事奉。讚美主！

在目前，我們的團隊:王關麗虹師母、楊劉宜家姊妹、李羅美華師母和本人，正在馬來西亞(10月27日至11月4日)進行短期宣教工作。我們想向人們保證，我們沒有忘記他們，並向他們保證列治文華人宣道會將繼續支持他們在那裡的事工。對王師母而言，回到那裡看到王牧師的工作繼續在那裡蓬勃地發展，對她來說尤有意義。請為我們祈禱。

在基督裡與你同行的，

主僕
李耀全牧師

2022.10.15/16

From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Thanksgiving was especially meaningful this year for me and I would like to share my joy with you all.

From the Church’s perspective, we had a thanksgiving theme plus a celebration of baptisms for a total of 19 new brothers and sisters (giving us a total of 29 in 2022). I had the joy and privilege of participating in all the baptisms in all the four Chinese services, to witness the tears of joy, the sparkling eyes of hope, and the smile of faith and assurance of the different candidates. When each person was asked by the different pastors whether he or she believes in his or her heart that Jesus Christ is his or her saviour, there was always a firm and joyful affirmative response: I do. Then when asked whether he or she will follow Christ closely based on the Word of God, again each answered in a clear loud voice: I do. One sister commented to me afterwards that her “I do” was spoken with even more conviction than when she did her wedding vow. She was also overwhelmed by the flood of gifts and well wishes that she received afterwards from family and friends, in her mind more filled with excitement than her own wedding.

There were many moving moments, to mention just a few here. In the Mandarin service, a mother and daughter who came to seek the truth not too long ago, both were joyfully baptized in the service. A sister in the Saturday Cantonese service who had delayed being baptized for years was baptized as witnessed by her husband and daughter, as well as many brothers and sisters who had encouraged her throughout the years. In AYAYA, there were so many touching testimonies, for example a husband was baptized in the presence of his wife and daughter after the family was restored in their relationships. Another sister whom Pastor Francis ran into at a superstore a few years ago also received baptism. In the Sunday Cantonese service, a fully pregnant mother wanted to be baptized with her husband because they wanted their child to born into a Christian home and they want to be good Christian parents. Another lady wanted to be baptized because she had realized her former faith was faulty, and she wants to be a true Christian. I can go on and on, but you can read them in the next issue of UNITY.

At the Sunday Cantonese service, Pastor Collins preached an evangelistic sermon based on the story of the healing of the 10 lepers: Ten were healed, only one was saved. The Spirit prompted me on Sunday at the end of the baptisms to make a calling for anyone to accept Christ after witnessing the baptisms. We were totally surprised when a person in the congregation immediately raised his hand and stood up to accept Christ, to the roaring claps of the whole congregation. Yes, the Spirit of the Lord was present and at work! Thanks be to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

For me personally, after experiencing the challenges of COVID and of the ministries in the last year, this service was a fitting conclusion to my ministries at RCAC, witnessing totally about 200 people baptized in the last decade, becoming children of God and part of the family of God. This is a testimony to the faithfulness of the God whom we serve and to His work in our midst. To God be the glory!

Your servant in Christ
Pastor Simon

2022.10.15/16

列宣家親愛的弟兄姊妹：

今年的感恩節對我來說特別有意義，很想在此和大家分享我的喜樂。

從教會的角度來看，各堂崇拜除了以感恩為主題，我們並為總共19 位新兄弟姊妹（2022 年共有29 位肢體受洗）接受洗禮而慶祝。我有幸參加了所有四堂中文崇拜的洗禮，見證了不同接受洗禮肢體的喜悅淚水，滿有盼望的閃爍眼神，以及從堅定相信和滿有確據所流露的笑容。當不同的牧者問及每個領洗者是否相信耶穌基督為他/她的救主時，總是聽到，每個堅定而喜樂的肯定回答：我相信。接著當被問及他/她是否會按照神的話語緊緊跟隨基督時，每個人再次以清晰響亮的聲音回答：我願意。一位姊妹事後對我說，她說“我願意”比她在婚禮中發出的誓言更加堅定。事後，她也被家人和朋友送來如潮水般的禮物和祝福所淹沒，心中感到比自己的婚禮更興奮激動。

各堂崇拜中有不少感人的時刻，這裡僅列舉幾例和大家分享。在國語崇拜中，一位母親偕同不久前到來尋求真理的女兒，雙雙在聚會中欣然接受了洗禮。一位於星期六粵語崇拜，多年來遲遲未受洗的姊妹，在她的丈夫和女兒以及許多鼓勵她的弟兄姊妹的見證下受洗。

在AYAYA青年崇拜，也有很多感人的見證，比如有丈夫於家庭關係復和後，他在妻子和女兒面前接受了洗禮。陳榮基傳道於數年前在一家超市遇到的另一位姊妹也接受了洗禮。在主日粵語崇拜中，一位懷孕的母親想和她的丈夫一起受洗，因為他們希望孩子能出生於一個基督化家庭，他們渴望成為良好的基督徒父母。另一位女士願望接受洗禮，因為她意識到自已以前的信仰流於虛假的，並且她渴望成為一個真正的基督徒。我可以繼續引述其他的例証，但您可以在下一期『匯』期刊中閱讀到他們的見證。
在主日粵語崇拜中，龔敏光牧師根據十個痳風病人得醫治傳講福音信息：十個得了醫治的，只有一個得救。主日粵語崇拜中，在洗禮結束時，聖靈催促我發出呼召，邀請在見證洗禮後若有願意接受基督救恩的舉手表示。會眾當中的一人立即舉手回應並站起來接受表示相信接受基督時，我們感到非常驚喜，全會眾都發出熱烈的掌聲。是的，主的靈在會場中運行工作！感謝聖父、聖子和聖靈！
就我個人而言，在去年經歷了疫情大流行和事奉的挑戰後，這崇拜對於我在列宣的事奉來說是一個適切的總結，見證了在過去十年中總共有大約 200 人受洗，成為神的兒女和成為神家中的一分子。這實在是見証著我們所侍奉的神是何等的信實，以及衪的而且確是在我們中間運行工作。願榮耀全然歸給神！

主僕,
李耀全牧師

2022.10.01/02

From the Pastor’s Desk:Rev.Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? ² My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Ps 121:1,2) Recently I was able to see again the majestic Rockies and was reminded how great God is, and I realized that God is my help, even as I was in my own struggles. I was reminded of one of my favourite songs in Winter Conference:

Who made the mountains? Who made the trees? Who made the rivers flow to the sea?
And who sends the rain when the earth is dry? Somebody bigger than you and I.

When I am weary, filled with despair. Who gives me courage to go on from there?
And who gives me faith that will never die?  Somebody bigger than you and I.

By looking at the hills, the troubled psalmist found his source of help that he was looking for. It was found in the Creator of heaven and earth. For all of us, after almost three years of Covid which exacerbate whatever troubles we are experiencing, we are looking for help from everywhere. The psalmist saw in and beyond the beautiful hills, his help comes from the Creator who made the hills, the mountains and all the wonderful things in nature. Often at the top of the hills are built the places of worship. So looking at the hills is like seeking the presence of God.

If in Christ as the Saviour, I see love, the love of God, and in Christ as the Sanctifier and healer, I see faith, God’s faithfulness, then in Christ as the Coming King, I see hope, ultimate hope.

Often, we become Christians because we see and experience God’s love. Then as we strive to be good Christians, we learn that it is Christ who enables us to grow and we can turn to Him when we are weak, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But still after trying to learn to follow Christ the Saviour, the Sanctifier and Healer, we are in situations where we seem to be stuck in our different difficulties, or to be stricken with sickness that are incurable, or become the victims of irreparable broken relationships… When we come to the end of the road, remember Christ is the Coming King, and therein lies our eternal and ultimate hope. Therefore, I would like to rephrase the above verses for this article as:

I lift up my eyes to heaven. From where does my HOPE come? My HOPE comes from the LORD, Christ the Coming King.

We are reminded of the words of the two messengers (angels) of God to the disciples at the ascension of Jesus Christ:  … as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1: 9-11) What does Christ coming in the same way means? From the context it means that Christ ascended in a cloud, and will return in like manner, physically, in view of the people (Rev. 1:7) and to the Mount of Olives (Zech 14:4).

But these words were also spoken after Christ Jesus have told the disciples not to focus on “When” will be the “times or seasons” which has been fixed by the authority of God the Father.  Instead, the disciples were to focus on the Great Commission: …But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” At that time, the disciples were more concerned with “justice”, the restoration of the earthly kingdom of Israel, but Christ was concerned only for the gospel and the expansion of the Kingdom of God. Indeed, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be “witnesses” of Christ to the whole world. It is when this Great Commission is accomplished that Christ will return. As the hymn goes,

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full, in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of his glory and grace.

From where does my hope come? It comes from focusing on Christ the Coming King, and His mission for us.

Your servant in Christ,
Rev. Simon Lee

2022.10.01/02

親愛列宣的弟兄姊妹，

“我要向群山舉目，我的幫助從哪裡來呢？ 我的幫助是從造天地的耶和華而來。”（詩121:1,2）

最近，我有機會遙望雄偉聳立的洛磯山脈，我再次被提醒神是多麼的偉大，並且我意識到即使我落在自己的掙扎中，神是我的幫助。我想起了曾在冬令會中我所最喜歡唱的一首歌Who made the mountains?：

誰造青山高，樹木插霄？誰造碧水長，奔向汪洋？
誰降甘霖滋潤乾涸地？有一位比你我更偉大。

當我困倦，灰心沮喪，誰能激勵我續奔前程？
誰能給我永不衰退之信心？有一位比你我更偉大。

透過觀察群山，這位陷入困境的詩人找到了他所尋求的幫助來源。乃是在於那創天造地者的神。對於我們所有人來說，經過將近三年的新冠疫情加劇了我們所遇到的任何麻煩，我們正在探求各方面的幫助。詩人遠望美麗山巒映入眼簾，他更超越地看到了來自創造山巒、阡陌和自然界所有奇妙事物那位造物主的幫助。敬拜之所一般是建造在山峰之上。因此，向高山仰望就像尋求神的同在。

基督成為我們的救主，我在其中看到了愛，神的大愛；基督成為我們的為成聖者和醫治者，在其中我看到了信，神的信實；基督是我們再來之王，在其中我看到了望，永恆終極的盼望。

許多時候，我們成為基督徒是因為我們看到並經歷了神的愛。其後，當我們努力成為好基督徒時，我們會瞭解到因著靠賴基督我們得以成長，當我們在身體、情感和靈性上感到軟弱時，我們可以轉向祂。但在努力學習跟隨救主基督、我們的成聖者和醫治者的過程中，我們似乎會陷入不同的困境，或被無法治癒的疾病所困擾，或會成為無法挽回的破裂關係的受害者…當我們走到人生路的盡頭時，請記住基督是即將來臨的君王，其中蘊含著我們永恆和終極的盼望。我意欲將詩詞改寫為下列詩句：

我要向天舉目。我的盼望從何而來？我的盼望是從主，基督–將要再臨的君王而來。

我們可會想到在耶穌基督升天時，神的兩位使者(天使)對門徒所說的話：…他們還在看的時候，他被接上升，有一朵雲把他接去，就看不見他了。當他往上升，他們定睛望天的時候，忽然有兩個人，身穿白衣，站在他們旁邊，說：“加利利人哪，為甚麼站著望天呢？這位被接升天離開你們的耶穌，你們看見他怎樣往天上去，他也要怎樣回來。” (徒1: 9-11)
基督將以同樣的方式降臨是什麼意思？從上文下理來看，意即：基督在雲彩中升天，並將以同樣的方式返回，在眾目睽睽之下降臨（啟1:7）於橄欖山上（亞 14:4）。

但這些話也是在耶穌基督告訴門徒不要專注於祂將會在“何時”再臨，因“時間或時期”是出於父神的權柄所確定的，之後說的。相反，門徒們必須專注於大使命：“…可是聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必領受能力，並且要在耶路撒冷、猶太全地、撒瑪利亞，直到地極，作我的見證人。”

那時，門徒更關心的是“公義”，即地上以色列國度的復興，而基督只關心福音和神國度的擴展。的確，我們被聖靈賦予了在全世界做基督的“見證人”的能力。當這個大使命完成時，基督就會回來。

我的盼望從何而來？我的盼望來自於專注於基督再來之君王，並祂所託付我們的大使命之上。

主僕,
李耀全牧師