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2024年8月25日 牧者之言

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在主里面安息的人有福了 ——缅怀赵桂芹 李春海

启14: 13  我听见从天上有声音说：“你要写下：从今以后，在主里面而死的人有福了！”圣灵说：“是的，他们息了自己的劳苦，做工的果效也随着他们。” 来11：4 ……他虽然死了，却因着信仍旧说话。

赵桂芹（1960年1月1—2024年8月16日）出生于黑龙江省鹤岗市新华镇永利村，是我家的老邻居。小时候，一抬起头就能看见她家烟囱里做饭时所冒出的徐徐炊烟。 赵桂芹为人谦和、好客、尊老愛幼，总是笑脸迎人，村里的男女老少都很喜欢她。与我年龄相仿的同辈都亲切地称呼她“二姐”（以下统称“二姐”）。后来由于她在教会衷心的服侍而被按立为长老，从此弟兄姐妹都称呼她“长老”或“赵长老”。记得在92年时，二姐拿了一份手写的信仰见证给我看。大致内容是这样的：          二姐和二姐夫妻婚后有两个可愛的孩子。她有病的时候，一个孩子在吃奶，另一个孩子刚会走路。她得的是骨结核，股骨头坏死，还有倒食病。为了治病，她不得不拜各种偶像，烧香求仙，找人算卦。一次算命先生赵瞎子说她丈夫头上有妖魔鬼怪，就让二姐在二姐夫睡觉的那个位置挖地三尺，埋个镜子。因为二姐夫在外面开车挣钱，怕二姐夫生气，她就找她弟弟偷偷把水泥地刨开，将镜子埋在里面。她尝试过各种稀奇古怪的方法但都无法治愈她的疾病，反倒越来越严重。她上北京去看病也看不好，还差点儿被骗子骗了。大约在1989，她二姑在鹤立带她去求一个行巫术的小脚老太太给她看病。老太太说：“哎呀，这孩子没救了”，不给她看。她出来了就哭。后来她二姑说，那实在没法儿就把她送到北头建立的教会吧，听人说教会能救人。二姑也不信，就是没办法了才带她去找教会的。到了教会，大家敬拜完了，她坐在教会一直哭。散会时，有人问她哭什么。她说她要死了，还有俩个孩子。后来教会有人把福音传给她。她说她拜了许多神也没好使。传福音的人说：“你拜的那些都是假神，唯有独一的上帝是真神，就像我们中国人说的老天爷一样”。传福音人还说：“你要信了主，就算病不好，灵魂也能上天堂，再也不遭罪了”。所以，她就信了。她非常虔诚，有时跪在东北的雪地里祷告。当时，她天天呼求上帝，哪怕让她看到她的孩子长到10岁都行，(可没成想今年她的外孙子都14岁啦！)结果神不但让她痊愈了，后来还大大地使用了她。这之后她的身体没得过什么大病，直到去年”。     二姐是第一个将基督的福音清清楚楚地讲给我的人。人们常说，那时中国的基督徒中有“三多”：老人多，病人多，妇女多。多数人信主带着功利主义色彩，为了吃饼得饱，病得医治，家里得平安等。每周三晚、周五晚、周日晚聚会，由沈旭春（已归天家）大叔读材料。我当时的先天性心脏病出现了心衰的状态。我刚去教会时也是抱着治病和怀疑的态度。有一次散会后，她讲到：“世界上的每个人都是罪人，我们都从亚当那里继承了原罪。我们每天又会犯撒谎，骂人，嫉妒，偷窃等罪。慈愛的上帝为了拯救我们脱离罪恶，将他的独生儿子赐给我们。耶稣为我们的罪被钉死在十字架上，并且第三天从死里复活。我们只要愿意承认自己是罪人，接受耶稣基督作救主，我们的罪就能得到赦免，并且我们可以因信耶稣得到永生上天堂”。她讲的福音让我豁然开朗，明白信主的真正意义。在我们家妈妈和姐姐刚信主时经历许多苦难，哥哥在学校里玩儿雷管把手指头炸掉了。她们的信心软弱了。二姐到我们家来把主的真道讲给我们听，她说：“我们信主的人不是一帆风顺的，主许可我们遇见各样的苦难和考验。但无论我们经历怎样的苦难，主都会与我们同在”。她的话让我隐约记得，原来信主不是确保我们一切顺利，而是在考验中有主的同在。               二姐是建立教会的人。上帝使用保罗在腓利比建立的第一间教会是通过一位姐妹吕底亚（徒16：15）。二姐小学毕业（初中读一年），却蒙主使用建立教会。她家从前经营小卖店（那时农村的小卖店在当地人的生活中扮演着重要的角色。在小卖店里面，主要售卖零食和日杂用品等，它的存在可以满足大部分农村人的需求），信主后就把小卖店奉献出来作家庭聚会点，俗称“炕头聚会”。有6-7个人开始在她家里聚会。来聚会的人数时起时落。一旦有哪位信主的弟兄姐妹遇到苦难，一批人就不来聚会了。再过一段时间，教会又慢慢发展起来。刚开始时，二姐从各地方弄来学习材料，包括十条诫命、主祷文、要道问答等，大家在一起读。逐渐地，开始有唱诗歌，背使徒信经，读经、读属灵的材料，祷告、诵读主祷文等。二姐组织教会各样活动，逢年过节排练福音节目，包括快板、舞蹈、相声、福音短剧等。除了在教会里演，还到周边各个村子的大街上演，为主传福音。           福音在村子里产生了巨大的影响，“叫人们的眼睛得开，从黑暗中归向光明，从撒旦权下归向神”（徒26：18）。当时，许多人弃掉偶像，跟从了真神。福音给了全村希望和力量，使许多人疾病得医治，生活有盼望，使没有太多文化的人每天可以通过读经祷告寻求真理，增长知识。福音使从前评头论足、说长道短的家庭妇女学习悔改的道，唱诗赞美，追求永生。福音也使许多冬天抽烟喝酒打麻将赌博的男士们离开陋俗，到教会里敬拜主。在节日时，以福音的形式扭秧歌，积极向上，过属灵的生活。福音改变了人们行丧礼的风俗。传统的中国农村，人死时八叩九拜，大动干戈，烧牛烧马烧纸钱，吊丧的声音让人毛骨悚然。人们信主后，采取基督教的仪式简化丧礼，在丧礼时有诗班赞美，祈祷、讲道等。这既庄重肃穆、卫生清洁，又见证了主的圣名。          2000年，在鹤岗市许多教会的协助下，弟兄姐妹同心协力建立了一座伯特利教堂。那是全村甚至在新华镇十二个农村中最好的建筑。周边的许多地方，包括永安、三连、四连、五连、六连、七连、八连、十连、鹿场等地的弟兄姐妹都来这里聚会。2020年新冠以来，由于种种原因，那座教堂没有被使用。主说，“建造有时、拆毁有时”。当时主借着二姐等弟兄姐妹建教堂彰显神的荣耀。后来，尽管人们无法在教堂聚会，然而教堂已经深深进入每个人的内心。外在的十字架被拆毁了，但人们内心里一座座十字架却被树立起来。30多年来，一座座属灵的教堂在许许多多弟兄姐妹的生命中建造起来了。教会不是教堂建筑，而是信徒的聚集。建造教会的过程从无形到有形，再从有形到无形，最后基督徒要一同被带入永恒的天国——完全的灵性世界。二姐说：“感谢主一步一步的带领。从前有教堂时聚会人数寥寥无几，后来没有教堂每次聚会至少70-80人，并且每个人都非常火热愛主，信心满满。这都是神的作为！”            二姐是祷告和赞美的人。在农村老家时，二姐常作晨祷，每早4点多一个人（有时一两位阿姨陪伴）去教堂祷告赞美，每次至少一个半小时。她还组织晚上的晚祷会。她一天至少花3-5个小时在祷告和赞美上。她的祷告内容很宽广，上至世界和平、国家各个部门领袖、各地教会兴旺福音，下至每个弟兄姐妹的家人健康平安、孩子升学考试等。主使用她的祷告大有能力，和牧者同工一起医病赶鬼，探访病人，使多人得到益处。我93年被污鬼附身时，二姐每晚到我家祷告，与魔鬼争战，最终得胜，使我得到痊愈和释放。她一直用祷告拖住我多年的服侍。我无论走多远，都离不开她和众弟兄姐妹代祷的力量。尤其是在新冠期间，当面临教堂重启的种种拦阻和攻击时，她和家乡教会弟兄姐妹的代祷使我战胜挑战、度过难关。她常为弟兄姐妹禁食祷告，少则一两天、多则三五天。            二姐的女儿明明说：“病情恶化期间她从未停止过祷告，每天多疼痛都坚持记录笔记和宣告祷告。她把神家的事永远放第一位。生活地上的这个小家，去外地女儿家住从来不超过七天。在女儿家住几天就呆不住啦，着急回家探望体弱多病的老年人，惦记教会的每一位需要服侍的弟兄姊妹们。每天晚上她都是把每个群里的工作都检查完毕，每位代祷的都看一遍，两部手机十几个群每个都认真看一遍。每晚几乎都是跪着在主怀里睡着的。无数个半夜我们看到妈妈都是跪在被窝里祷告。她的生活真的是24小时离不开上帝！刚化疗她得知家乡一位主内老人去世，她凌晨惦记老人的葬礼，因为老人之前和她说过要按教会办丧礼。她痛哭流涕的央求老人的儿子满足老人的心愿。她不顾自己的身体，特别激动。每天她的房间都是听道赞美的声音。后期下半身截瘫大小便失禁，她还用手舞赞美神、鼓掌荣耀神”。           二姐是很有愛心的人。主将神国的大愛放在二姐心里。她不仅愛自己的丈夫、儿女，家人，还愛教会的每位弟兄姐妹，神学生，牧者同工等。尽管家庭并不富裕，但她却常常慷慨奉献给神学生、牧者、贫困弟兄姐妹等。她对人最大的愛是把福音传给人。主使用她带领娘家和婆家人40人左右信主。她教育儿女要善良，让孩子从小给村里的孤寡老人常年送饭打扫屋子。           从某种程度说，二姐并不是一个刚强的人。她胆子很小，就像士师基甸一样。从前她很怕在众人面前讲话、开口祷告或见大人物，但后来靠着圣灵都一一克服了这个困难。 在确诊肺癌之后，她没有一次因为得这个病掉过眼泪和惧怕过。在家人面前一次也没有哭过。她从来都是安慰我们说：“没事儿，妈没事儿”。主的大能正在软弱的人身上彰显出来。如果她自己胆子大、能力大，那么她一定会很骄傲。然而，主却使用软弱谦卑的人，成就主的大能和作为，使凡有血气的人没有一个可以在神面前夸口。            一次，我和一位慕道友分享自己是通过二姐传福音信主的。这位慕道友问：“这位二姐没上过神学，她如果对圣经领悟偏了怎么办？” 我的回答是：“我们每个人，包括牧师在内，对主的理解都有局限性。但感谢主的是，圣灵一直在帮助我们。在我们信仰的路上，真理的圣灵会不断纠正调整我们，使我们不断走在主的正路上。最重要的是，人在神学的理解上可以不断学习，只要人口里认耶稣基督为主，心里信主死里复活，认罪悔改，并且高举赞美神的圣名，他就得着了。”          不经苦难，不得完全。主耶稣“他虽为儿子，还是因所受的苦难学了顺从。他既得以完全，就为凡顺从他的人，成了永远得救的根源”（来5：8-9）。这并不是说主耶稣从前不顺服、但经过苦难之后才学会了顺从，而是说他在经过十字架苦难时的顺从彰显和见证了他人性的完全。二姐在人生最后阶段得了小细胞肺癌。在这个过程中，她受了许多苦。她小时候最怕扎针。但在受苦时不得不面对医院里的化疗和放疗。她经历许多身体的疼痛。最后，她连水也喝不进去。但每用针管扎进去一点点水时，她都使劲仰起头，像甩过去一样。每咽进一点儿水，她都说“哈利路亚”“感谢主”。她真的没有埋怨神。她只要能开头说话就是赞美主。她喜欢吹巴乌（一种自由簧乐器，她曾带着有些姐妹常在教会聚会或节日、婚礼、丧礼上吹奏巴乌赞美主，传福音）。她说：“我真想再为主吹一次巴乌，但我吹不动了”。她患病过程中，家人们尽上所有本分，西医中医能用的办法都使用过了，弟兄姐妹也做了无数的代祷。但主是有主权的上帝，他知道对二姐和众人来说最好的是什么。从二姐的受苦中，我们学会了靠主坚强的功课。从中我们领悟到，只有经过各各他山才能来到空坟墓；只有受到十字架的对付，才能彰显复活的荣耀；“我们这至暂至轻的苦楚，要为我们成就极重无比、永远的荣耀”（林后4：17）。            主说：“一粒麦子若不落到地里死了，仍旧是一粒；若是死了，就结出许多籽粒来”（约12：24）。主借保罗说：“论到睡了的人，我们不愿意弟兄们不知道，恐怕你们忧伤，像那些没有指望的人一样。我们若信耶稣死而复活了，那已经在耶稣里睡了的人，神也必将他们与耶稣一同带来。我们现在照主的话告诉你们一件事：我们这活着还存留到主降临的人，断不能在那已经睡了的人之先。因为主必亲自从天降临，有呼叫的声音和天使长的声音，又有神的号吹响，那在基督里死了的人必先复活， 以后我们这活着还存留的人必和他们一同被提到云里，在空中与主相遇；这样，我们就要和主永远同在。所以，你们当用这些话彼此劝慰”（帖前4：13-18）。林前15：35-44也说：“或有人问：‘死人怎样复活，带着什么身体来呢？’无知的人哪！你所种的，若不死就不能生。 并且你所种的不是那将来的形体，不过是子粒，即如麦子，或是别样的谷； 但神随自己的意思给它一个形体，并叫各等子粒各有自己的形体。 凡肉体各有不同：人是一样，兽又是一样，鸟又是一样，鱼又是一样。 有天上的形体，也有地上的形体；但天上形体的荣光是一样，地上形体的荣光又是一样。日有日的荣光，月有月的荣光，星有星的荣光，这星和那星的荣光也有分别。 死人复活也是这样：所种的是必朽坏的，复活的是不朽坏的；所种的是羞辱的，复活的是荣耀的；所种的是软弱的，复活的是强壮的； 所种的是血气的身体，复活的是灵性的身体。若有血气的身体，也必有灵性的身体”。在上周日8月11日，我和二姐视频时看到她脸上的荣耀。我惊叹：“那不是地上人的脸，那分明是属天的荣耀！”我们在主里去世的人有复活的盼望！           二姐的妹妹赵贵红分享到：“在她生命的晚期，无论多难受她也没有停止安排教会的服侍，哪天聚会，哪天干什么，该叫哪个人来聚会，到哪里去探访，她都一一嘱咐好。她走的时候跟我说，三天之内，要么神医治、要么神接走。第三天神把她接走了。她当跑的路已经跑完了，当打的仗也打过了，当守的道也守住了，必有荣耀的冠冕为她存留。她息了地上的一切的劳苦愁烦，一切的疼痛和痛苦。     在临走头一天她还给我们讲了一个笑话，她从15岁就到农村生产队里去上班。她特别喜欢手表，就在玩具店买了一个小手表带着去上班。其他工人问她说：‘哎呀，你这表真好看’。她说：‘那是，可好看了！’‘我把他们全忽悠了，后来他们发现我的表不走字，就问我为什么。我就说，‘我的表是夜光的，到晚上才能看见’。两年后，玩具表上锈了，然后就扔掉了。一直到现在她也没有买过。其实，听着是个笑话，家人心里却都很难受。她这辈子从来没为自己买过什么，她把家人和别人的需要都满足了，最后就差自己了。她临走时教会给她买了一块表，她非常喜欢。她说她走不穿别的衣服，就穿婚纱。她是穿着婚纱走的，因为她知道耶稣要来迎娶她。”          明明说：“她离开那天一直笑，翻身笑，喝水也笑，全天没有疼痛，特别享受地睡着。翻身就说，‘睡的真得劲儿’！嘴里不停的说‘阿门’、‘感谢主’，我们以为是止疼药的作用使她昏睡，其实是她已经奄奄一息在努力地活着，我们从医院往家走，先到鹤岗市的楼上。一路上，她一直笑着说：‘我好了，好啦！’在车上，我俩有说有笑。她特别美，特别舒服，到楼上她就不行了，抢救了一会儿，她还和老姨说‘阿门’，还努力的挤出笑容，家人就给她往永利的老家送。我们一边喊她让她坚强挺到家、一边给她打上强心剂。我和弟弟还有老姨在回家的一路上不停的大声唱着：‘我今天要为你祝福，耶和华必天天保护……靠着耶稣，用不摇动，我们一生蒙了大福！’这首歌是我记事起，每次离开家、每次各种亲朋好友离别时妈妈为大家必送的祝福。今天，我们知道她要走了，她要到天父那里去了，在人间我们要告别啦，我们也不停地把这首歌唱给她听！刚到永利老家，把她放到炕上，她就断了最后一口气。此时，她变样了，变成年轻时的样子，特别美，特别慈祥，皮肤特别好，像婴儿一样”。落叶归根，二姐回家了。她不仅回到了永利老家，更回到了荣美的天家。此时她正在天父的怀中享受永恒的荣耀呢！           二姐的外甥女儿崔伟分享到：“感谢神将这么好的二姨长老放在我生命中。她的生命深深地影响了我。我从小一放暑假就到二姨家。每次到她家都看到她趴在炕上整理讲道材料，铺满了一炕，笔记本上密密麻麻地写满了那么多的字。每次去她家都看到她在读圣经，要不然就是拿着手机和别人交通、服侍别人。最后一次散会后路过十连，她在路上和我姐（二姐的女儿明明）说：‘我要去十连探望一个老人’。圣灵在带领她，正好走到十连的路口就看到两个老人。其中一个推着另一个在轮椅上。他们和二姨说：‘我以为你们教会不要我们了呢’。她一直把事奉主放在最重要的位置，即或自己身患重病也从未停止过。她在得癌症的一年里，从未间断过赞美。她无论遇到谁都说主有主的美意。她追思礼那天摆满了鲜花，十里八村来了好多人，85岁的长老为她追思祝福，送行的人哭着跟着灵车走了很远。乡亲们都说这是从来没有过的隆重。世上有权有势的人很多，但又有几个人去世时别人会为他落泪呢。从今以后，我们要更加愛主，祈祷和赞美”。           明明补充到：“从她生病期间，许多弟兄姊妹无时无刻为她痛哭流涕的祈祷。太多的别人家的孩子称她为“赵妈”或“桂琴姥姥”……她给过许多孩子们自信和鼓励。小到几岁孩子老至百岁老人，都依赖她、喜欢她！有位孩子说：‘这几天每每想起阿姨都是她那充满爱意的笑容，这是我成长过程中她给予我的美好……’还有孩子发朋友圈说：‘小时候回农村，阿姨看到我就会说：‘美丽，上帝祝福你，主与你同在’……从小到大，在她眼里美丽总是那么好……她爱自己的孩子是人，爱别人的孩子是神……愿另一个空间里没有苦难与病痛，只有喜乐与平安……❤”          电影《辛德勒名单》中说：“拯救了一个人，就是拯救了全世界”。我深信，主借着二姐影响了全世界。主借着她和许多长辈将福音传给我，我可以把从她和长辈们那里领受的福音在美国和弟兄姐妹分享。然后，领受我们所传福音的人再接着往下传……这样福音便会传遍地极，直到主再来的日子！愿荣耀归与圣父、圣子、圣灵三位一体的真神！阿门！        （感谢天父带领写作本文；也感谢王海霞牧师，牟明娜，赵桂红，赵桂华，崔伟，李春艳提供相关信息）

Blessed are Those Who Rest in the Lord ——In Honor of Zhao Guiqin

Li Chunhai

Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their works will follow them.” Hebrews 11: 4 …Though he is dead, he still speaks through this faith.
Zhao Guiqin (January 1, 1960 – August 16, 2024) was born in Yongli Village, Xinhua Town, Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province. She was an old neighbor of my family. When I was a child, I could see the smoke coming out of her chimney when she was cooking. Zhao Guiqin was modest, and hospitable; she respected the elderly and loved the young. She always welcomed people with a smile. Men, women and children in the village like her very much. My peers of similar age affectionately call her “Second Sister.” Later, she was ordained as an elder because of her faithful service in the church. From then on, the brothers and sisters called her “Elder” or “Elder Zhao.” I remember that in 1992, Zhao showed me a handwritten testimony of faith. The basic content is as follows: Zhao and her husband married and had two lovely children. When she was sick, one child was nursing while the other was just beginning to walk. She suffered from bone tuberculosis, femoral head necrosis, and anorexia. In order to cure her illness, she had to worship various idols, burn incense, and seek fortune-telling. Once the fortune teller Zhao Xiazi (xiazi means a blind man) told her that there were monsters on her husband’s head, so he asked Zhao to dig three feet into the ground and bury a mirror where her husband slept. Because her husband was driving outside to make a living, she was afraid that her husband would be angry, so she asked her brother to secretly dig up the cement floor and bury the mirror inside. She tried all kinds of weird methods but none of them could cure her disease, and instead it got worse. She went to Beijing to see a doctor but she didn’t get a good result, and she was almost deceived by a scammer. Around 1989, her second aunt took her to seek treatment from an old lady with small feet who practiced witchcraft in Heli Town. The old lady said, “Oh, this child is hopeless” and refused to help her. She cried when she came out. Later, her second aunt said that if there was no other way, she could send her to the church established in north side of the town. Some people said that the church could save people. The second aunt didn’t believe it either, so she took her to the church because she had no choice. When they arrived at the church, everyone had finished worshiping, and she sat in the church and cried all the time. When the meeting ended, someone asked her why she was crying. She said she was dying and had two children. Later, someone from the church shared the gospel with her. She said she had worshiped many gods but nothing worked. The evangelist said: “Those gods you worship are all false gods. We worship the only true God, just like what we Chinese call Lao Tian Ye (Lao Tian Ye means Heavenly Grandpa).” The evangelist also said: “If you believe in the Lord, even if you are not well, your soul can go to heaven and you will never suffer any more.” So, she believed it. She was very pious and sometimes knelt in the snow in the northeast to pray. At that time, she cried out to God every day, asking God to let her see her child grow up to 10 years old. (But she never expected that her grandson is already 14 years old this year!) As a result, God not only healed her, but also used her greatly later. She didn’t have any serious health problems after that until last year.” Zhao was the first person who clearly told me the gospel of Christ. People often say that there were “three excesses” among Christians in China at that time: many were old people, many were sick, and many were women. Most people believe in the Lord with utilitarianism, that is to satisfy their physical needs, to be healed of illness, to have peace at home, etc. We met every Wednesday night, Friday night, and Sunday night, and Uncle Shen Xuchun (who has passed away) read the spiritual materials. At that time, I had congenital heart disease and was in a state of heart failure. When I first went to church, I also had a therapeutic and skeptical attitude. After one meeting, she said: “Everyone in the world is a sinner. We all inherited original sin from Adam. Every day we commit sins such as lying, swearing, jealousy, stealing, etc. To save us, the loving God gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to us. He died for us on the cross and rose again from the death on the third day. As long as we are willing to admit that we are sinners and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, our sins can be forgiven, and we can receive eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus.” The gospel she shared made me understand the true meaning of believing in the Lord. Our mother and sister experienced many hardships when they first believed in the Lord. My brother blew up his finger while playing with a detonator in school. Their faith weakened. Zhao came to our house to tell us the Lord’s true way. She said: “It is not always smooth sailing for our believers in the Lord. The Lord allows us to encounter all kinds of sufferings and tests. But no matter what kind of suffering we go through, the Lord will be with us.” Her words made me vaguely remember that believing in the Lord is not about ensuring that everything goes well for us, but about having the Lord’s presence during trials. Zhao was the one who the Lord used to build his church. The first church God used Paul to establish in Philippi, Europe was through a sister named Lydia (Acts 16:15). Zhao graduated from elementary school (one year of junior high school), but was used by the Lord to establish a church. She used to run a small store (at that time, small stores in rural areas played an important role in the lives of local people. In the small store, people can purchase snacks and daily necessities, etc., and its existence could meet the needs of most rural people). After believing in the Lord, she dedicated the small store as a family gathering point, commonly known as “Kangtou gathering” (Kangtou is a special kind of bed in northeastern China. People sat on Kangtou to have a gathering).  6-7 people began to gather at her home. The number of people who came to the gathering fluctuated. Once a believer in the Lord encountered suffering, a group of people would not come to the gathering. After a while, the church slowly developed again. At the beginning, Zhao got study materials from various places, including the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Catechism, and everyone read together. Gradually, they began to sing hymns, recite the Apostles’ Creed, read the Bible, read spiritual materials, pray, recite the Lord’s Prayer. Zhao organized various church activities and rehearsed gospel programs during festivals, including clapper talk, dance, crosstalk, gospel skits. In addition to performing in the church, we also performed on the streets of surrounding villages to spread the gospel for the Lord.         The gospel had a huge impact in the village, “to open people’s eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). At that time, many people abandoned idols and followed the true God. The gospel gave the whole village hope and strength, and cured many people physically and spiritually, giving them hope in life. It enabled people with little education to seek the truth and increase knowledge through reading the Bible and praying every day. The gospel enabled housewives who used to gossip and criticize others to learn the way of repentance, sing hymns of praise, and pursue eternal life. The gospel also enabled many men who played mahjong and gambled in winter to abandon their bad habits and go to church to worship the Lord. During festivals, they did a kind of China northeastern dance, called “Yangge” in the form of the gospel, were positive and lived a spiritual life. The gospel changed people’s customs of funerals. In traditional Chinese rural areas, when someone died, they would kowtow eight times and bow nine times, make a big fuss, burn paper cows, paper horses, and burn paper money, and the sound of mourning was creepy. After believing in the Lord, people adopted Christian rituals to simplify funerals, with choirs singing, praying, and preaching at funerals. This is both solemn and dignified, hygienic and clean, and it also bears witness to the holy name of the Lord.          In 2000, with the assistance of many churches in Hegang City, brothers and sisters worked together to build a Bethel church building. It was the best building in the whole village and even among the twelve villages in Xinhua Town. Brothers and sisters from many surrounding places, including Yong’an, Sanlian, Silian, Wulian, Liulian, Qilian, Balian, Jiulian, Shilian, Luchang and other places, come here to gather. Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, that church has not been used due to various reasons. The Lord said, “A time to build and a time to tear down.” 20 years ago, the Lord used her and other brothers and sisters to build a church to demonstrate the glory of God. Later, although people could not gather in church, the church penetrated deeply into everyone’s heart. The external cross was torn down, but the crosses in people’s hearts were erected. Over the past 30 years, spiritual churches have been built in the lives of many brothers and sisters. A church is not a church building, but a gathering of believers. The process of building the church goes from invisible to tangible, and then from tangible to invisible. Finally, Christians will be brought together into the eternal kingdom of heaven—the complete spiritual world. Zhao said: “Thank you for the Lord’s step-by-step guidance. In the past, when there was a church building, only a handful people attended the gatherings. Now at least 70-80 people attended each gathering, and everyone loved the Lord very passionately and was full of faith. This is all from God.” Zhao was a person who prayed and praised. When she was in her hometown in the countryside, she often prayed in the morning. She would go to the church to pray and praise at 4 o’clock every morning alone (sometimes accompanied by one or two older sisters), and each time would last at least an hour and a half. She also organized evening prayer meetings in the evening. She spent at least 3-5 hours a day praying and praising. The content of her prayers is very broad, ranging from world peace, leaders of various departments of the country, and the gospel spreading in churches everywhere, to the health and safety of each brother and sister’s family, and the children’s entrance exams. The Lord used her prayers with great power, and together with pastors and co-workers, she healed the sick and cast out demons, visited the sick, and benefited many people. When I was possessed by an evil spirit in 1993, Zhao came to my house every night to pray, fight the devil, and finally won, so that I was healed and released. She has been using prayer to support my serving for many years. No matter how far I go, I cannot do anything without the power of her and the brothers and sisters’ prayers. Especially during the COVID-19 period, when faced with various obstacles and attacks on the church’s reopening stage, her and the brothers and sisters’ prayers in my hometown church enabled me to overcome challenges and get through the difficulties. She often fasted and prayed for her brothers and sisters, sometimes for one or two days, sometimes for three to five days.           Zhao’s daughter Mingming said: “During the period when her condition worsened, she did not give up praying. She insisted on taking notes and praying no matter how painful it was every day. She always put God’s house first. Living in this small family on earth, she never stayed at my house in another city for more than seven days. She could not stay at her daughter’s house for more than a few days and was anxious to go home to visit the frail and sick elderly, thinking about every brother and sister in the church who needed service. Every night she carefully checked each of the dozens of WeChat groups on two mobile phones. She almost fell asleep on her knees in the arms of the Lord every night. We saw my mother kneeling in bed praying countless times in the middle of the night. She really couldn’t live without God 24 hours a day! Just after chemotherapy, she learned that an elderly Christian in her hometown had passed away. She was worried about the old man’s funeral in the early morning because the old man had told her that he wanted the funeral to be held according to the church’s ritual. She cried and begged the old man’s son to fulfill his wish. She ignored her own health and was very emotional. Every day her room was filled with the sound of sermons and praise. In the later stage, she was paralyzed in the lower body and had incontinence, but she still danced with her hands to praise God and clapped her hands to glorify God.”  Zhao was a caring person. The Lord has placed the great love of the Kingdom of God in her heart. She not only loves her husband, children, and family, but also loves every brother and sister in the church, theological students, and fellow pastors. Although her family was not wealthy, she often gave generously to seminarians, pastors, poor brothers and sisters, etc. Her greatest love for people is to preach the gospel to them. The Lord used her to lead around 40 people from her mother’s family and her husband’s family to believe in the Lord. She taught her children to be kind and asked them to deliver meals and clean houses for the lonely elderly in the village all year round.           To some extent, Zhao was not a brave person. Sometimes she was very timid, just like Judge Gideon. She used to be afraid to speak in public, to do an opening prayer, or meet some officials, but later she overcame these difficulties one by one with the help of the Holy Spirit. After being diagnosed with lung cancer, she never shed tears or showed fear because of the disease. She never cried in front of her family. She always comforted us by saying, “It’s okay, Mom is okay.” The power of the Lord is manifested in weak people. If she were bold and strong, she would be very proud. However, the Lord uses weak and humble people to accomplish His power, so that no fleshly person can boast before God.            Once, I shared with a seeker that I believed in the Lord through Zhao’s sharing. This seeker asked: “She did not have a formal theology training. What if she has a biased understanding of the Bible?” My answer is: “Each of us, including pastors, has limitations in our understanding of the Lord. But thank God, the Holy Spirit has been helping us. On the road of our faith, the Holy Spirit of truth will constantly correct and adjust us, so that we can continue to walk on the right path of the Lord. The most important thing is that people can continue to learn in theological understanding. As long as they confess Jesus Christ as the Lord with their mouths, believe in the Lord’s death and resurrection in their hearts, confess their sins and repent, and exalt and praise the holy name of God, they will obtain it.” Without suffering, there is no perfection. The Lord Jesus “although he was a Son, yet he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (NKJV Hebrews 5:8-9). This does not mean that the Lord Jesus was disobedient before, but learned to obey after suffering, but that his obedience during the suffering of the cross demonstrated and witnessed the perfection of his humanity. Zhao had small cell lung cancer in the last stage of her life. In this process, she suffered a lot. When she was a child, she was most afraid of needles. But when she was suffering, she had to face chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the hospital. She experienced a lot of physical pain. In the end, she couldn’t even drink water. But every time a little water was inserted with a needle, she raised her head hard, as if to throw it away. Every time she swallowed a little water, she said “Hallelujah” and “Thank the Lord”. She really didn’t blame God. As long as she could speak, she praised the Lord. She liked to play bawu (a free reed instrument. She used to lead some sisters to play bawu to praise the Lord and preach the gospel at church gatherings, festivals, weddings, and funerals). She said, “I really want to play bawu for the Lord again, but I can’t have enough energy to play it anymore.” During her illness, her family did all their duties, and tried all the methods that could be used by Western and Chinese medicine. Brothers and sisters also made countless prayers. But the Lord is a sovereign God, and He knows what is best for Zhao and everyone. From her suffering, we learned the lesson of relying on the Lord to be strong. From this we understand that only by passing through Mount Calvary can we reach the empty tomb; only by being dealt with by the cross can the glory of resurrection be manifested; “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (NIV 2 Corinthians 4:17).           The Lord said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (NIV John 12:24). Paul also said, “I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Now this I say to you by the word of the Lord: We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first, Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 1 Corinthians 15:35-44 also says: “But if someone asks, ‘How are the dead raised? And with what body do they come? ‘Foolish man! What you sow cannot come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to come, but only a grain, of wheat or some other kind of cereal; But God gave it a body as He pleased, and gave each seed its own body. All flesh is not the same: there is one flesh among men, another among animals, another among birds, and another among fishes. There are celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies, but the glory of the celestial bodies is one, and the glory of the terrestrial bodies is another. The sun has its own glory, the moon has its own glory, and the stars have their own glory, and the glory of one star differs from another. So it is with the resurrection of the dead: it is sown perishable, it is raised imperishable ; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; What is sown is a physical body, what is raised is a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.” Last Sunday, August 11, when I was video chatting with Zhao, I saw the glory on her face. I exclaimed, “That is not the face of an earthly person, that is clearly the glory of heaven!” The people who have died in the Lord have the hope of resurrection!          Zhao’s younger sister, Zhao Guihong, shared:  “In the last year of her life, no matter how uncomfortable she was, she never stopped arranging church services. She planned which day to have a church meeting, what to do on which day, who to invite to the meeting, and where to visit. When she passed away, she told me that within three days, God would either heal her or take her away. On the third day, God took her away. She had finished the race she should run, fought the battles she should fight, and kept the faith she should keep. There will be a crown of glory reserved for her. She has rested from all the labor and sorrow, all the pain and suffering on earth.         On the day before she left, she told us a joke. She had been working in a rural production team since she was 15 years old. She liked watches very much, so she bought a small watch from a toy store and took it to work. Other workers asked her, ‘Oh, your watch is so beautiful.’ She said, ‘Of course, it is very beautiful!’ ‘I fooled them all. Later, they found that my watch did not work, so they asked me why. I said, ‘My watch is luminous and can only be seen at night.’ Two years later, the toy watch rusted and was thrown away. She has never bought another one. In fact, it sounds like a joke, and our family members were very sad. She has never bought anything for herself in her life. She met the needs of her family and others, and finally she was the only one missing. When she left, the church bought her a watch, and she liked it very much. She said that she would not wear any other clothes when she left, but a wedding dress. She left in a wedding dress because she would prepare as a bride beautifully dressed for Jesus.”          Mingming said:           “On the day she passed away, she kept smiling, turning over and laughing, drinking water and laughing. She had no pain all day and slept very comfortably. When she turned over, she said, ‘It was such a good sleep!’ She kept saying ‘Amen’ and ‘Thank God.’ We thought it was the effect of the painkillers that made her sleepy, but in fact she was already dying and trying to stay alive. We took her from the hospital to home and first went upstairs in Hegang City. Along the way, she kept smiling and saying, ‘I’m fine, fine!’ In the car, we talked and laughed. She was very beautiful and very comfortable. She couldn’t breathe when she got upstairs. After a while of rescue, she still said ‘Amen’ to my aunt and tried hard to force a smile. We took her to our hometown in Yongli. We called her loudly to let her stay awake until she got home, while giving her a cardiotonic. My brother, my aunt and I sang loudly all the way home: ‘I will bless you today, Jehovah will protect you every day … Rely on Jesus, don’t be shaken, we have been blessed for life!’ In my memory, this song was the blessing my mother always sent to everyone who would leave home, including me, relatives, and friends. Today, we know that she is leaving, she is going to the Heavenly Father, and we have to say ‘goodbye’ to her in the world, so we kept on singing this song to her! When we first arrived at Yongli’s hometown, we put her on the kang, she took her last breath. At this moment, she is enjoying eternal glory in the arms of the Heavenly Father!          Cui Wei, the niece of Zhao, shared: “Thank God for placing such a good Elder aunt in my life. Her life has deeply impacted me. I have been going to her house since I was a child during the summer vacation. Every time I went there, I saw she was lying on the kang, sorting out sermon materials, covering the whole kang, with so many words densely written in her notebook. Every time I went to her house, I saw her reading the Bible, or holding her cell phone to communicate with others and serve others. After the last church meeting, she passed by a village Shilian. On the way, she told my sister (Zhao’s daughter Mingming), ‘I want to go to Shilian to visit a senior.’ The Holy Spirit was leading her, and she happened to see two seniors at the intersection of Shilian. One of them was pushing the other in a wheelchair. They told the second aunt, ‘I thought your church didn’t want us anymore.’ She has always put serving the Lord as the most important thing. Even when she was seriously ill, she never stopped praising God. On her Memorial Service, flowers were placed everywhere. Many people from all around the villages and towns came to pay their respects to her. An 85-year-old elder did a benediction during the Memorial Service.  People crying as they followed the hearse for a long distance. The villagers said that this was a grand ceremony that had never been seen before. There are many powerful people in the world, but there are few people who will cry for them when they die. From now on, we must love the Lord even more, pray more, and praise more.”          Mingming added: “Since her illness, many brothers and sisters have been praying for her with tears all the time. Too many other children call her ‘Zhao Ma’ or ‘Granny Guiqin’… She has given many children confidence and encouragement. From children as young as a few years old to centenarians, they all trusted her and liked her! One child said: ‘These days, every time I think of my aunt, I think of her loving smile. This is the beauty she gave me when I grew up…’ Another child posted on WeChat Moments: ‘As a child, when I went back to my hometown, my aunt would say to me: ‘Mei Li, God bless you, the Lord is with you’… From childhood to adulthood, Mei Li was always so good in her eyes… She loves her own children as people, and loves other people’s children as gods … May there be no suffering and pain in the other space, only joy and peace…❤”         There is a saying in Schindler’s List: “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.” I firmly believe that the Lord has influenced the whole world through Zhao. The Lord has passed the gospel to me through her and many other elders, and I can share the gospel I received from them with my brothers and sisters in the United States. Then, those who receive the gospel we preach will continue to spread it… In this way, the gospel will spread to the ends of the earth until the day when the Lord comes again! May the glory be to the true God of the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Amen!         (Thanks to Heavenly Father for leading the writing of this article; thanks also to Pastor Wang Haixia, Mu Mingna, Zhao Guihong, Zhao Guihua, Cui Wei, and Li Chunyan for providing relevant information)
                                                              赵桂琴17岁带着玩具手表                                                      Zhao’s 17-year-old wearing a toy watch Thirty years ago, God used us to spread the gospel in the streets and alleys with the skit and Yangge dance.

吹奏巴乌赞美主

Play Bawu to Praise God

8月11日下午视频通话看到她脸上的荣光

                     During the Video Call on August 11, I saw the glory on her face

2024年8月18日 牧者之言

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将愛播撒在台湾：追忆彭蒙惠

注：上周看到许多牧者和同工在社交平台上提到“彭蒙惠”这个名字。我问我们教会的魏牧师和师母（他们曾在台湾作宣教士30多年）是否认识她。魏师母说:  “是的，我们认识她。一个非常敬虔的姐妹。她的机构/事工多年来遍布全岛各地。她为学校和公众做了一个非常出色的基督徒见证。”魏牧师也说：“她的电视英语课在台湾很受欢迎。她的基督教音乐团体在台湾和许多亚洲国家都很有名。他们会在美国巡回演出。她和裴斐老师（英文名：Faye Pearson, 我以前在南京神学院的教授https://lricbc.org/?p=1023）也很熟悉。这些年来我见过她几次。”在此，特从网上搜集她的一些见证与弟兄姐妹分享。
彭蒙惠（英语：Doris Marie Brougham，1926年8月5日—2024年8月6日）是一位美国教育家和传教士。她出生于西雅图一个德裔基督教家庭，家中有8个兄弟姊妹。12岁那年的暑期圣经夏令营里，中国布道家计志文面向一群美国人问到：“有谁愿意去中国，帮助那里人民的需要？”小彭蒙惠举起了手。身旁的大人都笑了，认为她不知道自己在做什么。
1948年于美国华盛顿大学主修远东研究毕业后，面对纽约伊斯特曼音乐学院全额奖学金将来可能成为小喇叭演奏家的梦想，诗篇2:8浮现在她脑海中：“你求我，我就将列国赐你为产业，将地极赐你为田产。”列国？地极？这是指中国吗？彭蒙惠踌躇着。最后，她回应神：“如果祢需要我，我愿意为祢去到地球最远的地方”。于是，彭蒙惠告别父母家人，以传教士身分从西雅图搭乘6个星期的船到上海。适逢中国第二次内战，她随差会逃往不同城市，1949年逃至英属香港；1951年到台湾后，彭蒙惠随即选择台湾东岸花莲县服事。在那里两个礼拜后，她妈妈得严重感冒，礼拜五生病，礼拜天去世。那时，她爸爸妈妈都不在了，她很难过。主安慰她说：“你放心好了，我会一直保守你”。当时那里信主的人还不到1%。她祷告，神就给她一个字“Radio”（广播）。神感动她在花莲开始第一个福音广播节目。她说：“为什么不作广播，广播很多人会听。神就讲，为什么你不做。你可以做，我帮你做。但是我没有做过。所以，神会帮助我”。
彭蒙惠学习到，要接触人，“你必须做一些事情来吸引他们的注意，你必须与人有连结，而不只是与人有沟通。”为了将福音传给更多人，她在1951年创办台湾第一个基督教广播节目。同年，在台湾刚开始出现电视机的时期，台湾只有一家电视台，彭蒙惠需要与佛教和天主教竞争宗教节目独播的时段。她的节目（包括儿童诗班和传统音乐、诗班颂歌、戏剧、讲道，以及她的小号演奏）总是有音乐，所以电视台选择了她。她还记得人们挤在寺庙所拥有的当时罕见的电视机旁，观看她制作的讲道和诗班演唱节目。“你能有多少机会在佛教寺庙里布道呢？”彭蒙惠说，“上帝早已计划好这一切的发生。”那时电视台时段每个月要付1000美金，对他们是很大的负担。她的薪水是200块。但是他们一直祷告，神就不断供应。有一次，礼拜六他们还没有钱。会计说：“下周一要付钱”。她说：“你为什么着急，今天才礼拜六，还有两天呢”。结果礼拜天有一个从加拿大来的中国人奉献1000块。她说：“神不要我们为他做什么，他就是要我们为他做他要我们做的事”。
1962年她成立《空中英语教室》广传福音，并以发行英语学习杂志闻名。她说：“我们不是教英文，我们是用英文看这个世界。我们叫他们打开他们的眼睛。所以很多人在全世界因为空中英文教室信耶稣。我想神用这个英文。不是因为英文，是因为我们跟他讲，你现在需要英文，但你更需要耶稣。所以，英文作为一个桥梁”。当年，她喜欢在节目播出的时段骑脚踏车到街上，听听各家各户和寺庙里的人收听她的节目。有一次，有个尼姑打电话给她，悄悄地问她哪里可以找到圣经。看到她的成功，远东广播公司邀请她开发更多中文节目，并在中国大陆播放。
她1963年创立天韵合唱团——第一个全职台湾人福音合唱团，创作华语福音歌曲传递福音。 她说： “其实神最愛中国人，因为他做了那么多中国人”。她说：“你若做神要你做的事，你不会后悔。你会在其中得到快乐”。2023年她接受CNA访问时说，“我来这里服事全是上帝的带领，我只是每一天都想着要服事祂。然后一天变成几个月，再变成几年，还后哇！72年后我还在这里！”
彭蒙惠像火柴照亮人。她去世前不久还在天韵合唱团吹小号。她说：“我们可以退休吗？圣经没有说可以退休。我不要退，因为退是backward(落后)，我们要往前走。”她说：“愛永不止息。要在别人的需要上看到我们的责任”。她得过无数奖项。她说：“心在哪里，家就在哪里，而我的心在这，台湾就是我的家”。2023年6月20日，由时任总统授予她中华民国国籍护照。她说：“我很不配，我是非常平凡的人”。她常用天国的护照作比喻邀请人信耶稣。刚庆祝完生日后一天，她被主接回天家，享耆寿98岁。那天，她的脸书上发布：“彭蒙惠老师于台北时间8月6日傍晚人生毕业了！现在已加入天堂的乐团，继续快乐的吹奏小喇叭！” 她被葬于基督教墓园。她一生没有结婚，没有房产，按其遗嘱，将其著作权和遗物捐赠给救世传播协会。她是一位值得我们效法的属灵前辈！

参考资料：
•    https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2024/august/doris-brougham-missionary-taiwan-studio-classroom-zh-hans.html
•    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL_57tDthH8
•    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyaRIekVeFA
•    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbSlWat1fJY
•    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUnJAXPSHq4

2024年8月11日 牧者之言

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“寻求 十 寻找”

——记孟菲斯第一华人浸信会的家庭退修会
路10: 2  就对他们说：“要收的庄稼多，做工的人少。所以，你们当求庄稼的主，打发工人出去收他的庄稼。
感谢主奇妙的预备，受蔡炎康牧师邀请，我有幸于上周末（8月2日-4日）参加了孟菲斯第一华人浸信会的家庭退修会（First Chinese Baptist Church of Memphis），并担任中文组专题讲员。他们的退修会从1993年开始到2017年，今年是疫情后第一次恢复。主题：“寻求 十 寻找”。经文：路10: 2。从中受益匪浅，特将以下心得体会与弟兄姐妹分享。
第一，    历史的见证
这是一间有着70年历史的教会。“1944 年，一位名叫高保罗(R. Paul Caudill) 的年轻牧师被任命为孟菲斯第一浸信会的牧师。凭借上帝的恩典和他所热爱的乔治亚州奥古斯塔华人教会的介绍信，他迈出了建立华人教会的第一步。如今，该教会已发展成为第一华人浸信会”（https://en.fcbcmemphis.org/about/fcbc-history）。教会经历多位牧师。我们熟悉的黄日强牧师（Rev. Dr. Paul Wong）曾于1976-1991年在这间教会牧会。黄日强的师母Mrs. Frances Wong于2018年7月到2020年3月在小石城以马内利华语浸信会走完人生最后一程 (https://chinesebaptists.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sharing-by-Rev-Chunhai-Li.pdf) 。2017年蔡牧师受主呼召担任此教会会牧，牧养主的群羊，直到如今。
第二，    美好的教会
这里有一群爱主热心服侍的弟兄姐妹。教会主要有英文、粤语和中文三种语言，散会前牧师以三种语言祝福。退修会有107位弟兄姐妹注册参加；周五晚在教堂举行，周六和周日在营会举行。他们的敬拜赞美团队很特别，由十位左右弟兄姐妹组成，各年龄层搭配，吉他钢琴伴奏，热情洋溢地赞颂主的圣名。
第三，    信息与专题
主题讲员Jack Moore牧师的信息是“求主教导我们祷告”（路11: 1-13），他分享了耶稣给我们的七个基本原则中的一些原则。七个原则包括：个人的原则、特权的原则、赞美的原则、目标的原则、供应的原则、洁净的原则、保护的原则。主日崇拜的信息是 “代求式的祷告”，挑战大家通过成为代祷者成为神的朋友，并要作牺牲和舍己的代祷者。他分享的许多生动活泼的生活见证对我们很有启发。
专题分中文、英文和青少年三个组。我在中文组分享了关于“传福音”的三篇信息，主旨是：福音就是生命；传福音就是改变生命！鼓励和训练弟兄姐妹操练以各种方式随时、随处传福音。第一篇“福音本是神的大能”（罗1: 1-17），第二篇“向知识分子传福音”（约3: 1-21），第三篇“向众人传福音”（约4: 1-42）。弟兄姐妹当场到台前演练传福音。
第四，    主里交通、建立连结
在与弟兄姐妹的交通过程中，得到许多祝福和恩典。其中，多数人几乎不知道我们教会。至此，我们便建立了连接，并期待今后能有更多彼此团契的机会。有位78岁的熊阿姨作见证说，她的外婆在山东因慕拉第（1840年12月12日－1912年12月24日，英文全名：Charlotte Diggs “Lottie” Moon）传教而信主，外婆和母亲都是虔诚的基督徒，她是第三代基督徒。作为歌剧演员，她曾受邀在纽约百老汇唱过半年。在疫情前，她到中国大陆和美国多间教会举办音乐见证会，为主作见证。奇妙的是，周六下午专题结束后，她与一位第一次来的慕道友传福音。之后，我们趁热打铁，当时就带领这位朋友作决志祷告，使他成为神的儿子。第二天，这位朋友有来参加教会崇拜。荣耀归于主。我们要继续为这位主里的新弟兄生命的成长代祷。
最后，孟菲斯第一华人浸信会的见证给我们的挑战是a. 要更积极祈祷预备我们教会能尽快有自己的教堂；b. 要在教会各项事工上计划更加周密，“凡事都要规规矩矩按照次序行”（林前14: 40）；c.更爱主敬虔，殷勤传福音，积极做主圣工。愿主继续赐福他们的教会，也赐福我们的教会，以基督之名，阿门。


Family Retreat at the First Chinese Baptist Church of Memphis
“Reach up 十 Reach out”:

Luke 10:2 “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” 

Thanks to the Lord’s wonderful preparation, at the invitation of Pastor Vincent Choi, I received the honor to attend the Family Retreat of the First Chinese Baptist Church of Memphis last weekend (August 2-4) and serve as a Chinese workshop speaker. Their retreats started from 1993 to 2017, and this year is the first time they have resumed after the epidemic. Theme: Reach up 十 Reach out. Scripture: Luke 10:2. I have been blessed a lot by it and would love to share the following insights with brothers and sisters.

First, the testimony of history
This is a church with a 70-year history. “In 1944, a young pastor named Dr. R. Paul Caudill was called to pastor First Baptist Church of Memphis. Armed with the grace of God and a letter of introduction from the Chinese congregation he so lovingly ministered to in Augusta, Ga., he took his first steps to develop a Chinese church, which today has blossomed into First Chinese Baptist Church” (https://en.fcbcmemphis.org/about/fcbc-history). The church has experienced many pastors. The pastor Dr. Paul Wong, who we are familiar with, pastored this church from 1976 to 1991. The pastor’s wife Mrs. Frances Wong spent her last journey at our Little Rock Immanuel Chinese Baptist Church from July 2018 to March 2020 and returned to heaven (https://chinesebaptists.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sharing-by-Rev-Chunhai-Li.pdf). In 2017, Pastor Vincent was called by the Lord to serve as the pastor of this church until now.

Second, a wonderful church
It is a group of brothers and sisters who love the Lord and serve enthusiastically. The church mainly speaks English, Cantonese and Chinese. The pastor did the benediction in three languages. 107 brothers and sisters registered for the retreat; it was held in the church on Friday night and in the camp on Saturday and Sunday. Their worship team is unique. It consists of about ten brothers and sisters of different ages, with guitar and piano accompaniment, and they praise the Lord passionately.

Third, Messages and Workshops
The message of the keynote speaker, Pastor Jack Moore, was “May the Lord teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1-13). He shared some of the seven basic principles Jesus gave us:
the personal principle, the privilege principle, the praise principle, the purpose principle, the provision principle, the purification principle, and the protection principle.
The Sunday message is “Intercessory Prayer”, which challenged everyone to become God’s friends by becoming intercessors and to be sacrificial and selfless intercessors. The many lively testimonies he shared were very inspiring to us.

They have three workshops: Chinese, English and youth. Three messages on “sharing the gospel” were given in the Chinese group. The main theme: The gospel is indeed life; sharing the gospel is indeed to change life! Our brothers and sisters are encouraged and trained to practice sharing the gospel at any time and in any places in various ways. The first one is “The gospel is the power of God” (Romans 1:1-17), the second is “share the gospel with intellectuals” (John 3:1-21), and the third is “share the gospel with everyone” (John 4:1-42). Some brothers and sisters came to the stage and practice sharing the gospel on the spot.

Fourth, fellowship and establish connections in the Lord
In the fellowshipping with brothers and sisters, I received more blessings. Most of them knew little about our Little Rock Immanuel Chinese Baptist. So far, we have established a connection and look forward to more opportunities for mutual fellowship in the future. A 78-year-old aunt Debra Pan testified that her grandmother in Shandong Province was converted to the Lord by our Southern Baptist missionary Lottie Moon (from December 12, 1840 to December 24, 1912). Both her grandmother and mother were devout Christians. She is a third-generation Christian. As an opera singer, she was invited to sing on Broadway in New York for half a year. Before the epidemic, she went to many churches in mainland China and in US to hold special music testimony meetings for the Lord. Amazingly, after the workshop on Saturday afternoon, she shared the gospel with a first-time gospel seeker. After that, we led this friend to pray right away and make a decision to accept Jesus as his Savior. The next day, this friend came to worship. Praise the Lord and we will continue to pray for his growth in the Lord.

Finally, the challenge given to us by the testimony of the First Chinese Baptist Church of Memphis is a. To pray more actively to prepare our church to have our own church building soon; b. To plan more carefully in various ministries of the church, “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Corinthians 14:40); c. To love the Lord more fervently, share the gospel diligently, and serve the Lord actively. May the Lord continue to bless their church and bless our church as well, in the name of Christ, Amen.

2024年8月4日 牧者之言

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超越眼见的视野

那是真光，照亮一切生在世上的人 – 约翰福音 1:9

我们每年都会在自家的地盘边缘露营，地盘与邻居的树林接壤。我抱着三岁的孙女，指着月亮对她说：“看月亮在树丛间偷看我们。”过了一会儿，我听到她爸爸安慰她说没什么好怕的——没有意识到，爷爷是她害怕的罪魁祸首。但她一直坚持说有东西在树丛间偷看我们。

我们需要谨慎使用比喻性语言，尤其是对小孩子，因为它可能会产生误解。当然，很容易看出这个小事幽默的一面，但对于一个相信爷爷、从未考虑过月亮可能在偷看她的小女孩来说，这并不好笑。然而，没有造成任何伤害，一个解释解决了这个问题。

这件事让我想起了耶稣引用的以赛亚的预言。“你们听是要听见，却不明白；看是要看见，却不晓得”（马太福音 13:14）。耶稣用比喻来教导许多事情，除非我们理解它们的意义并正确应用它们，否则它们对我们来说就没有什么价值。今天的圣经阅读就是一个很好的例子。

我们的理解力应该更进一步。我们能否超越我们自己的自然视角，感知到上帝透过我们的情况所发出的光芒？保罗写道：“那吩咐光从黑暗里照出来的神，已经照在我们心里”（哥林多后书 4:6）。我们需要那神圣的光芒充分照耀；否则，我们就会像我的小孙女一样，因为她只看到了字面意义上的东西便感到害怕。

梅尔文·布鲁贝克——宾夕法尼亚州特雷弗顿港

凭借信心的眼睛，灵魂可以看到许多对于肉眼来说完全隐藏的东西。

—— 译自《溪水边》第九日, 阿米什人灵修

   A View Beyond the Visible


That was the true light, which lightenth every man that cometh into the world. -John 1:9
We were having our annual family camp-out at the edge of our property, which borders our neighbor’s woods. While holding our three-year-old granddaughter, I pointed out the moon to her and said, “Look how the moon is peeking at us through the trees.” A little later I heard her dad reassuring her that there was nothing to be afraid of— not realizing that Grandpa was to blame for her fear. But she kept insisting that something was peeking at us through the trees.
We need to be careful about figurative language, especially with little ones, because of the misunderstanding it can generate. Of course, it was easy to see the humorous side of this little happening, but it wasn’t funny to a small girl who believed Grandpa and had never considered that the moon might be peeking at her. Yet no harm was done, and an explanation settled the issue.
This incident reminded me of the prophecy of Isaiah that Jesus quoted. “By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive” (Matthew 13: 14). Jesus used parables to teach many things, and unless we understand their figurative meaning and apply them correctly, they hold little value for us. Today’s Bible reading has a good example.
Our comprehension should go even further. Can we see beyond our own natural view and perceive the light from God that is peeking through our circumstances? Paul wrote, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 4: 6). We need that divine light to shine through abundantly; otherwise, we will be like our little granddaughter who feared because she saw things only in a literal sense.
                      

Melvin Brubaker – Port Treverton, PA
With eyes of faith, the soul can see many things that are completely hidden to the natural eyes.

Cited from Day 9, Beside the Still Water, Amish Devotion.