This Sunday is the 129th anniversary of our church, which is a great day to celebrate. As part of this church family, we are very honoured to be able to celebrate and witness with our brothers and sisters in the oldest Chinese church in Sydney, which, by the grace of God, has been growing for more than 100 years, serving as the Lord's lamp in Sydney.
One hundred and twenty-nine years is not a short period of time. The most valuable asset in the family of God is His people.
Although I have only served in CPC for less than a year, I have met many brothers and sisters in the church, and witnessed their selfless and faithful devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. And for many years, they have dedicated themselves to their duties, worked silently, and not ask for compensation, but simply devoting themselves to serving our Lord Jesus Christ.
The church is a very special group of people in the world. There are many voluntary service organisations in the world, but few have members like the faithful believers in the church, who are willing to give so selflessly. Not for reputation nor for fame, nor for profit, but in response to the love that Jesus Christ has for us.
The church is a group of people who are loved by Jesus Christ, and we are of one mind, willing to devote ourselves to God.
The weekly dedication to selfless service may only be understood by Christians. In fact, we love God because Jesus Christ first loved us and sacrificed Himself to the point that He died for us on the cross to show us His great love.
Our willingness to show our human love to others, both inside and outside the church, is actually motivated by us wanting to repay God with God's love. We express our love of our Heavenly Father through loving and caring for others.
The church is the place where we can express our love for each other. It is because of the outpouring of God's love that we have the strength to express our love to others, and this is what we do in serving one another.
The past days have seen the grace and love of God manifested in this beautiful church. I really hope that in the next five, ten, or a hundred years, we will continue to see the grace and love of God manifested in this church. This is because Jesus Christ is forever present with His church and with Christians, and God will surely take care of His church.
Although blessed, we are all sinners who fall short of God’s glory every day. However, the power of God will surely continue to preserve this church, to glorify Him in His grace, and to show the world that the church is His home, His sanctuary, and He himself will draw the world into His kingdom.
May we work together with the Lord so that God may manifest His glory through us forever and ever.
這周日, 是我們教會129年堂慶, 這實在是很藉得慶祝的喜慶大日子。我們作為這教會家庭的一份子, 真的是感到非常榮幸, 可以在這悉尼, 歷史最悠久的華人教會中, 與弟兄姊妹一同慶祝及見證, 這教會在神的恩典中, 一直在一百多年中, 成為主在悉尼的燈檯, 被神使用。
一百二十九年, 真的不是短時間, 教會, 神的家裡, 最有價值的, 就是人, 神的子民。
雖然我在CPC, 短短服侍了不到一年的時間, 但在教會中, 已經看到很多弟兄姊妹, 為主耶穌基督, 無私忠心的奉獻。而且是長年累月的, 在服侍的崗中, 盡忠職守, 默默耕耘, 不問報酬, 只是單純專心的服侍我主耶穌基督。
教會在世上, 是很特別的群體, 世上有許多志願服侍機構, 但沒有多少會有像教會裡的忠心信徒, 願意這樣無私的奉獻自己。不是為了名, 也不為了什麼利益, 只是為了回應耶穌基督給我們的愛。
教會, 就是由一群已經得著耶穌基督愛的人, 我們懷著同一心志, 願意為神而獻上自己。
這樣心甘情願的每周服侍, 可能只有基督徒才會明白。 其實, 我們對神的愛, 是因為耶穌基督先愛我們, 衪為我們犧牲, 而且被釘死在十字架上, 向我們顯出大愛。
我們在教會內外, 願意向別人顯出我們有限的愛, 其實是因為我們希望以神的愛, 來回報給神。通過對別人的愛與關懷, 而向天父表達對衪的愛。
而教會, 便是讓我們能夠經常, 而且能彼此表達愛的地方。正因為有著神的愛的澆灌, 我們才有力量, 向別人表達我們之間的愛, 這也正是我們彼此服侍的表現。
在過去的日子, 已經看到神的恩典及愛, 在這美麗的教會表現出來。真的很期望, 在未來的五年, 十年, 或是一百年裡, 我們會繼續看到神的恩典及愛, 在這教會中彰顯出來, 因為耶穌基督, 是永遠與衪的教會及基督徒同在, 神一定會全然的看顧衪的教會。
雖然我們這些蒙恩的罪人, 仍然每天虧缺了神的榮耀,但神的大能, 一定會繼續保守這教會, 在衪的恩典中榮耀彰衪的榮耀, 讓世人看到, 這是衪的家, 是衪的聖所, 衪要親自吸引世人進入衪的國度中。
願我們一起與主同工, 讓神通過我們彰顯神的榮耀, 直到永遠。
