Look back and thanksgiving at the end of 2014
Peace to all the dear saints in Christ! Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Looking back in the past, it was full of grace; longing for the Lord’s love which was endless! We could only prostrate, worship, praise and extol to God! The first thing to give thanks was that God had awakened the churches in China through various types of suffering, perseverance and attacks in this year. Suffering not only did not make them stumble, instead it made the Church became stronger in the spirit and clearer in the truth. The prayer of the churches thus became zealous and with one heart. Revival is in sight! The cross is forever our glory! Simultaneously, God had closely created unity in Christ in between God’s workers and in between churches. God needs to demolish all the dividing walls. The co-workers outside China had given much more to the churches in China regardless of intercession or spiritual support. In this way, it enhanced the churches to go a major step forward in the path of unity. Within all the encounters of the church, prayer is the most important key. Every time the church prays in one accord, it will reveal God’s wonderful deed, just like the church prayed fervently and Peter was brought out by the angel. This aspect makes us feel the deepest.
Recollecting the past year, the team of co-workers of our Home had increased new recruits. Co-workers of old, middle-aged and young had virtually matched with one another and jointly promoted to create a good effect. Currently in our various training centers we still have quite some ‘little colts’ who are participating in the training. We sincerely hope their lives will be matured at an earlier date to be tested to be ready to run toward the battlefield as the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few! Thus the Lord instructed us, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Our co-workers in South-west of China were glad to see God suddenly worked wonders and great things after twelve years of waiting. God had prepared a great sum sufficient to contract a manor on a hill. Besides, the house of the manor is fully equipped and everything is ready. Hallelujah! May all glory be ascribed to the God who loves us! In this way we may accept a wide range of people who desire to come to the hill to retreat and be edified. We really appreciate when God stretches out His gracious hands, everything is accomplished. Our God said, “Those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” (Isa 49:23)
Our God sees the workers themselves as more important than everything! How important it is for a worker to be completely refined by God and gained His heart! Until today, God is still looking for someone who will consider His mind, and then millions of souls will be saved because of them. Due to this, all saints who will come to our Home may eat up the scroll, to ponder by chewing the cud and repeated meditation by in depth reading and Scriptures examination, so God’s words may be like a double-edged sword to penetrate and to divide the inner soul of everyone or be like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces. Consequently their spirit will continually be broken and thus gradually be renewed and changed by the Holy Spirit to imitate Paul so as to let death be at work in us, but life is at work in others. “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Cor 4:11-12) Therefore, we must put hope in the cross and trust in the Holy Spirit to ”die in the old self and live out the new creation”!
Right now the power of Satan’s opposition to God and the evil (the heresies) are so rampant! This year two Malaysian planes crashed and the extremists of Northern Iraq had slaughtered large number of Christians and blood was shed as rivers. The innocent refugees had led a helpless fugitive live. So how can we be unmoved! As the queen Esther in the palace, we ought to awake and cry out! How can we remain silent and allow the enemy to kill millions of innocent souls! Let us be watchful and lift up our hands to cry out to God together for all the lost souls of the whole earth. May God ruin all the conspiracy and intrigue of the evil one who hinders the gospel missions.
Looking ahead in the future, we are full of faith and hope! Because our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth! “Partnership in the gospel” is the intention of God and is also our common goal. Let us stand firm in one spirit contending as one man for the faith of the gospel! Amen. By the help of God, we have lately selected to make a set of booklet ‘Scriptures recitation to heap the grain for the famine’ for the four gospels. This has been loaded on our web-site (URL: http:// hograce.org) as our New Year gift for those who thirst for the Lord’s holy words. They may download it any time and recite it.
Immanuel
Yours sincerely,
Home of Grace for Christ’s Workers