Last Saturday we finally held the musical drama evangelistic meeting “Is the Future Worth Waiting For?”. Many brothers and sisters in the Mandarin congregation have long prepared for the meeting, which was the first evangelistic meeting by the Mandarin congregation since COVID. For some, this was a long-awaited event as the last one was around 10 years ago. For those who joined the church in recent years, it’s a new experience.
Many of the organisers and participants have no prior experience in evangelistic meetings. They were not sure if the performance would be well-received or how many guests would attend. All we could do was be united and try our best to find time to rehearse, promote it at the various universities, give out flyers in the surrounding Chinese communities, and remind the congregation during the Sunday services to invite their family and friends.
The results were better than expected. The Worship Centre was filled to capacity and there was no space for more seats. Almost half of the attendees were newcomers. Many were touched during the meeting and continued to share their insights and understanding during tea time afterwards. Some made decisions to pray and accept Christ with the help of fellow believers. Some came after receiving flyers, which bolstered the confidence of many to evangelise. Undoubtedly our performance was not perfect and there is lots of room for improvement. But God Himself is working to fulfill His blessings. As Paul said, “[He] who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). God’s words became a reality in our evangelistic ministry.
God is faithful. He has let those who served experience Him and know that He is a real and living God. That was our most treasured takeaway. It was God who moved people’s hearts, brought people to the meeting, and sustained the flow and success of the whole meeting. Even though the meeting has ended, God’s work will never end. May God continue to give us the opportunity to follow and serve Him and experience His power. May all praise and thanks be to God.
上周六國語堂弟兄姐妹們籌備許久的音樂戲劇福音聚會「未來可期嗎」終於如期舉行。這是自疫情以來國語堂的首次福音性佈道會。對有些人來說，這是久違了的聚會，因為大約10多年前，國語堂曾經舉辦過數次類似活動，引人懷念。對另一些近幾年才來到教會的人來說，則充滿着新鮮感。
大部分這次活動的組織和參與者都沒有什麼佈道會的經驗，不知道表演的效果是否可以得到認可，也不知道會有多少新朋友到來。大家只是同心合意做我們能做的，盡量抽時間一起排練節目；到各個大學的校園裡推廣；到教會附近的華人聚居區發單張邀請居民；在主日崇拜中不斷提醒和鼓勵弟兄姐妹一起邀請親朋好友來參加聚會。
聚會的效果超出了我們的預期，當天來參加的人坐滿了整個敬拜中心，座椅排到了不能再排的地步。新朋友佔到了將近一半，許多人在聚會中被感動，在隨後的茶點時間裡繼續交流分享各自心得體會。有人在基督徒的幫助下，作了決志禱告。有人是在社區收到單張而來的，大大地鼓勵了弟兄姐妹出去傳福音的信心。無可否認的是，我們的表現並不完美，有許多可以提升之處，然而神親自動工，成就他自己的祝福。如保羅所說的：神能照着運行在我們心裡的大力，充充足足地成就一切，超過我們所求所想的。（以弗所書3:20）神的話在我們這一次的佈道會服事中成為了現實。
神是信實的，他讓弟兄姐妹們在服事的過程中經歷他，認識到他就是這樣一位又真又活的神，這是我們最大的收穫。是神感動人心，把人帶到佈道會裡，也是神親自保守，使整個聚會順利完成。雖然聚會已經結束，神的工作不會結束， 願神繼續賜給我們機會在跟從他和服事他的過程中經歷他的大能，將讚美和感謝都歸給他。
