WH-SE Online Version LR

WHISPERING
HOPE
TRUE JESUS CHURCH
SPECIAL EDITION
2014
LAUNCH OUT
SERVE GOD
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CONTENTS
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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EDITORIAL NOTE
wh team
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CALL FOR ARTICLES
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DORCAS: A DISCIPLE OF THE
LORD (ACTS 9:36–42)
showers of blessing
08
CHURCH WORK
anon
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HAS GOD STIRRED YOUR
SPIRIT?
whispering hope
22
SING TO THE LORD
sacred music ministry
10
GOD HAS FAITH IN YOU
sister anessa liew
23
WHY DID I GO BACK TO AFRICA?
hidden treasures
14
MINISTRY VOLUNTEER
PROGRAMME
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COMMISSIONED TO LOVE
whispering hope
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HERE AM I! SEND ME
whispering hope
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INTERVIEW WITH
DEACON KC TSAI
WELCOME TO WHISPERING HOPE
SPECIAL EDITION 2014
wh team
Hallelujah, and welcome to
Whispering Hope: Special Edition 2014.
Now there are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit. There are differences of
ministries, but the same Lord. And there are
diversities of activities, but it is the same God
who works all in all. But the manifestation of
the Spirit is given to each one for the profit
of all…
1 Corinthians 12:4–7a
We have all been given different gifts, talents
and skills. These gifts aren’t to mark us out
as special; rather, God bestows them on us
so that we can work together to serve Him
and benefit the whole body of Christ.
Last year, the UKGA hosted the second
Ministry Volunteer Programme (MVP) in
Sunderland, with the theme “You Can Do
More”. The MVP is a unique event in the
UKGA calendar, as it offers youths the
opportunity to take time out from their busy
schedules and use their God-given talents
to support the various church ministries.
We truly thank the Lord that, running alongside
the MVP, the Department of Literary Ministry
also hosted its second Literary Ministry
Seminar (LMS), consisting of the yearly English
Writers’ Retreat, the Editors’ and Proofreaders’
Workshop and the Immanuel project (a book
five years in the writing, composed by a group
of writers led by Deacon KC Tsai).
The WH team had the opportunity to attend
these twin events. One of the key aspects we
looked forward to was getting together with
our writers and our up and coming creative
team. We were excited at the rare prospect
of working face to face with the illustrators,
as each issue relies on a truly intense
collaborative process.
We knew MVP was going to be special so,
together with the MVP team, we decided
to work on a special edition of Whispering
Hope that embodies the same spirit of
servitude. The resulting publication, which
you see before you, celebrates the literary
ministry efforts of our UK brothers and
sisters, with several articles collected from
past publications such as Showers of
Blessing and Hidden Treasures. It includes
reflections on being called to serve the Lord
(Here Am I! Send Me) encouragements on
how to overcome self-doubt when serving
God (God Has Faith In You) and inspiring
testimonies of servitude (Why Did I Go Back
to Africa?).
We hope these writings encourage you in
your own service and inspire you to step up
and do more for Christ, both in church and
in your daily life as a child of God.
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DORCAS: A DISCIPLE OF THE LORD
(ACTS 9:36–42)
showers of blessing / 1999
The name “Dorcas” means “female roe
deer” or “gazelle”–an emblem of beauty. It
is a Greek name, with the Hebrew equivalent
of “Tabitha”.
In Joppa, Dorcas became known for her
many charitable deeds. Her special talent
was the ability to sew, which she used
to her full advantage by making clothing
for the poor and needy. In Acts 9:39, we
are told that when she died suddenly, the
widows stood around weeping, showing all
the tunics and garments she had made for
them.
This noble woman knew how to serve the
Lord and seemed to love her work. We
are told that she continually practised kind
deeds. The Bible tells us that the Lord loves
a cheerful giver, who gives willingly and
wholeheartedly (2 Cor 9:7). Jesus praised
the poor widow, who offered up her two
coins, which was all the money she had
(Mk 12:41–44). When we are making
our offerings to God, He attaches more
importance to our heart and attitude than to
the gift itself.
The author writes that Dorcas was “full of
good works”. Her deeds were motivated
by Christ and were prompted by a pure
heart and genuine love and concern toward
others, with no other selfish intentions. As
Elder James wrote: “Pure and undefiled
religion before God and the Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,
and to keep oneself unspotted from the
world” (Jas 1:27).
A gazelle is distinguished for its beauty and
graceful movements; in some cultures it is
an image of female loveliness. In the Bible,
we are not told whether or not Dorcas was
The Bible gives us no information
concerning the genealogy of Dorcas. As far
as we know, she lived in the seaport town
of Joppa (present day Jaffa, a port on the
Mediterranean Sea). She is unique in the
sense that she is the only woman mentioned
in the Bible as a disciple.
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beautiful in appearance. However, she
certainly had a beautiful spirit, reflecting
the qualities of kindness, mercy and the
compassion of Jesus, Whom she served
faithfully.
The life of Dorcas was one of faith put into
action. The Bible reminds us that “faith
without works is dead” (Jas 2:20). True
faith is expressed in deeds. Dorcas gave
all she had to serve the Lord, according to
her ability. One is reminded of the question
God put to Moses, when Moses doubted
whether he was the man to lead the
Israelites out of Egypt: “What is that in your
hand?” Moses replied, “A staff” (Ex 4:2).
God then instructed him on how to make
use of the staff to serve Him. If God had
asked Dorcas the same question, she would
have answered, saying: “I have a needle and
thread in my hand.” God would have shown
her how she could serve Him with these
instruments.
“Her deeds were motivated
by Christ and were prompted
by a pure heart and
genuine love and
concern toward others.”
Although we are not told anything about
her family background (whether she was
married, for example), we do know that
when she suddenly died, those who came
to her house were all the widows whom
she had cared for during her lifetime. They
showed themselves to be her family, or at
least her closest friends, who came not only
to pay their last respects but also to show
their gratitude towards her. We can only
imagine the moral and spiritual support, as
well as the physical help, Dorcas gave these
women when she was alive.
of Lydda. When he prayed for her, she was
raised from the dead, and he presented her
alive to the saints and all the widows who
had gathered there to pay tribute to her love.
Consequently, many came to believe in the
Lord Jesus as a result of this miraculous
event (Acts 9:42). Afterwards, Peter stayed
in Joppa for many days, perhaps due to the
increase in new Christian converts and the
need for ministry as a result of the miracle
of Dorcas.
After Dorcas died, the disciples sent for the
apostle Peter, who was at the nearby town
Dorcas would not have been aware of the
magnificent work she was doing and its
far-reaching consequences. She just seemed
content to do all she could, in whatever way,
to serve the Lord. Nevertheless, despite her
humble attitude, she became an extremely
important figure in the community. Her
influence spread far and wide, and she
was able to make full use of her potential.
Thus, she became an invaluable vessel for
the Lord, even though she was not gifted
in the same way as other biblical women,
such as the prophetess Deborah, in terms of
leadership qualities. The Scriptures tell us:
For as we have many members in one
body, but all the members do not have the
same function, so we, being many, are one
body in Christ, and individually members
of one another. Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us,
let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy
in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us
use it in our ministering; he who teaches,
in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation;
he who gives, with liberality; he who leads,
with diligence; he who shows mercy, with
cheerfulness.
Romans 12:4–8
From Dorcas, we learn how to be a true
disciple or follower of the Lord. A person
who follows Christ attracts people just as
He did. In the Lord’s short life on earth, we
see the personification of all that was good
and compassionate, for He was always
abounding in kindness. His life was of
humble service to others, for He had come
to serve, not to be served (Mk 10:45).
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More importantly, in whatever He did, He
attributed all glory to the heavenly Father,
rather than to Himself. Similarly, today, we
should emulate the Lord’s fine example and
do our utmost to love and serve others, to
the best of our ability.
Finally, through her kind deeds and
miraculous resurrection, Dorcas had, in
fact, contributed to the two most important
aspects of divine work: pastoring and
evangelism. Through her humility, love and
goodwill, she unwittingly helped to promote
the growth and development of the church
at the time.
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CHURCH WORK
anon
We may begin to join in the church work at
any stage in our lives. But no matter how
or when we start working for God, we must
labour on this aspect of our lives for our faith
to grow.
Sometimes we have excuses for not doing
church work, such as: I have no time, my
studies are busy, work is hectic, or I want
to help in a particular area but I don’t feel
confident right now. However, God has given
us blessings, so should we not appreciate
them and repay His love and providence with
our time and effort?
Take it from someone who, in the past, has
been “too busy” and “not confident enough”
to start working for church. As thankful as I am
for God’s countless blessings during my own
“worldly” time, just listening to and learning
His words were simply not enough. I had
always heard, during sermons and lessons,
that church work helps your faith to grow. But
not being encouraged has definitely given me
some low points in my faith because it made
me feel I wasn’t growing.
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Being proactive
What does it profit, my brethren, if
someone says he has faith but does
not have works? Can faith save him?
James 2:14
But do you want to know, O foolish
man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:20
In the past, when I read these verses,
I would often think to myself: Is my faith
really dead? I had the desire to do church
work but I wasn’t sure where to start, so
I always put it off. Was I just a hearer and
not a doer? No one ever pointed out my
“strengths” or which areas I could help in.
I felt that I wasn’t worthy enough to work
within the church. Time went by and my faith
with no works continued. Eventually I got tired
of having this void inside of me and the only
way I could ask God to help me fill it was
through prayer.
I also began to actively seek areas of work
that praised God outside the physical
church building (like writing) to slowly build
my confidence. However, I still longed
to help inside the church building. A few
months before all of this, I had opened up
to a brother and he encouraged me to start
hymnal leading when I felt ready. It was my
first encouragement and it has stayed within
my heart to this day. After some time, I finally
took the step to lead hymnal, with help from
a sister.
Taking it step by step
Hymnal leading sounds so simple for
those who have had years of church work
experience but for me it was a massive
first step. Once I saw my name written on
the timetable, three weeks before the day,
I started praying about it, thanking God and
asking Him to guide me through it and give
me the correct heart to serve.
When the first leading session was over,
I had joy in my heart and was already
thinking of what to take on next. In fact, I
had started praying to God to give me the
next step. I had something in mind but I
was too scared to approach anyone. Once
again, thank God! Without having to say a
word, my name was put down, within two
weeks after my first hymnal leading, to help
with a task I had prayed about. I could feel
God guiding me.
Being able to help in and outside of
church has lifted me up and strengthened
my prayers. Although I had to be more
confident and encourage myself, I learnt to
ignore my past negative thoughts where I
felt unworthy. Anyone can say a little or a
lot, but once we hear the words of God,
knowing what we should do and doing it is
what we should strive towards. As soon as
you learn and realise the importance of His
words, you shouldn’t wait to bear fruits for
Him. Instead, grasp hold of opportunities to
help the church, to glorify God’s name and
feel joy in doing so.
Encouragement
As I mentioned before, a believer may begin
church work at any stage of their life. If your
situation is similar to what mine was, open
up a little and pray for the heart to begin.
You may be worried that you are not perfect,
but what is most important is your willing
heart to serve—not how perfect your skills
are. God looks into our hearts when we
serve Him and whether or not we have the
correct attitude whilst doing so. All you need
is time, determination and practise. As for
the rest—God will provide, so trust in Him.
When we experience doing work for God,
we will begin to understand His message
more and you will know that the words in
the Bible are true:
Do you see that faith was working
together with his works, and by works
faith was made perfect?
James 2:22
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek,
and you will find; knock, and it will be
opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
Since taking my first steps, God has truly
touched my heart and He has opened doors
for me to serve more in other areas of work.
It has only helped my faith to grow.
May we all keep striving to
work for the Lord with
diligence and a true heart.
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GOD HAS FAITH IN YOU
Him the strength to submit and become
the ultimate sacrificial Lamb. As a man,
sister anessa liew / cambridge
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For those of us who serve God—whether
in cooking, hymnal leading, evangelism or
leading Bible study―we find joy and fulfilment
in our offerings to God. Furthermore, when
we come across difficulties or problems,
we encourage each other and often draw
inspiration from the many courageous
workers in the Bible: David, who fearlessly
defeated Goliath; Moses, who faithfully led
the people out of Egypt; Paul, who tirelessly
wrote to encourage the members.
these barriers, to serve again with a joyful
and strengthened heart: throughout their
dark moments, God never gave up on His
servants and He patiently taught them to
continue His work. He poured out His Holy
Spirit on them and trusted them despite
their weaknesses and doubts. Today, God
is, equally, fully aware of our doubts and
weaknesses—even if we do not believe in
ourselves, He gives us the same trust to
carry out His work.
However, sometimes their great legacy
leaves us feeling overwhelmed. Although
we know we should feel confident because
of their encouraging examples, instead, we
begin to focus on our faults or inadequacies.
It may be hard to admit, but feeling low
about doing God’s work does happen.
The disciples’ weakness
In fact, many people in the Bible went
through the same experience: some felt
weak, doubted themselves or God, or
felt unworthy of the work. Yet, there is
one thing that enabled them to overcome
After three years of full-time ministry, Jesus
knew He would face death and then rise
again. Mark 14:33–40 records Jesus’s
sorrow “even to death” and pain, as He “fell
on the ground” and prayed to God to give
at the most critical time
There are two moments, near the end of
Jesus’s ministry, where we see a failing of
faith and strength from Jesus’s disciples:
Weakness in prayer
“Those who show great
strength can also show great
weakness before God.”
He desperately needed the support of His
disciples, bringing with Him Peter, James
and John. They had been with Him from the
beginning of His ministry to the end and all
He asked of them was to accompany Him in
His final prayer before His arrest. However,
after struggling in sorrowful prayer, Jesus
came back only to find the disciples heavyeyed and sleeping. After all they had been
through, they could not even stay awake to
pray with Jesus at this most trying hour.
Weakness in presence
Although Jesus’s death on the cross glorified
God in the highest manner, it was also
the most sorrowful time for His disciples
and the people who knew Him and had
followed Him. Luke 23:49 records that some
of Jesus’s acquaintances and some of the
women, who had followed Him from Galilee,
stood at a distance at His crucifixion. But
where were Jesus’s disciples? Surely they
would have been there to support and
comfort Him, to show commitment and
faithfulness? Confused, fearful and perhaps
disappointed, they were nowhere to be
seen. The same people who had declared
their love, steadfastness and loyalty to Him
had all but left Jesus.
These two moments tell us that those who
show great strength can also show great
weakness before God. Yet, how did Jesus
react to His disciples after He resurrected?
Did He cast them aside and say “Sorry,
you’ve let Me down—I can never trust you
again”?
scattered at His arrest, Jesus did not reject
them; rather He taught Thomas and the
rest of the disciples with love, patience and
miraculous signs (Jn 20:30).
After appearing to the disciples, who had
stubbornly refused to believe the reports
that Jesus had indeed resurrected, He
wasted no time in instructing them to “Go
into all the world [to] preach the gospel”
(Mk 16:15). It seems unfathomable to
Jesus believed in His disciples
Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, has
become known as Doubting Thomas
because he had refused to believe Jesus’s
resurrection, that is, until he touched the
scars on Jesus’s hands and on His side.
Truthfully, I think that many of us are like
Thomas at times. We feel it is safest to trust
the things we can see and touch.
Furthermore, the Bible records that, within a
few moments, Thomas went from disbelief
to praising the Lord (Jn 20:24–29); the
change seems superficial because it is so
quick. Yet, Jesus did not rebuke Thomas
for disbelieving or for disappointing Him. In
fact, although those closest to Jesus had
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He has already accepted us to do the work
assigned by the church. If we do stumble,
we can imitate Peter: return to Jesus and
learn from the mistakes, encouraging and
strengthening those around us. God will
never deny you if you are humble and willing
to let Him guide you.
us that Jesus would entrust the
most precious message of salvation
to a group of seemingly unreliable
people, who did not even believe that
message a few minutes before.
Similarly, today, we sometimes feel
we are inconsistent and unsteady
workers, bouncing between being
zealous to lacklustre, and back to
being zealous again. At these times,
doubt can creep in and we may not
be sure if Jesus accepts our offerings.
However, Jesus is fully aware of our
limitations and our capabilities. Despite
our inadequacies, He still calls us to do
the work.
Peter denies Jesus
but Jesus never loses faith in him
Peter denies Jesus
Before Jesus prayed with the three disciples,
He knew Peter would deny Him three times
and prayed for Peter that his faith would not
fail (Lk 22:32). We know Peter loved Jesus
completely and with confidence: “Even if all
are made to stumble, yet I will not be” (Mk
14:29). Doesn’t this sound familiar? We, too,
can feel confident about our work, declaring
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moments of weakness they may seem
hollow and empty. Yet, remember that God
trusts and believes in you. He has entrusted
us with a great responsibility: to preach the
word, to feed the new believers and look
after those in church who already believe.
These are not easy tasks and they require
wisdom and strength from our Lord.
Peter returns with strength
our steadfastness to Him, feeling we can
stand up to anything if Jesus is by our side.
However, what happens when we fail to live
up to our promise? What happens when
we forget the feeling of God’s presence?
In an agonising and heartbreaking moment
of weakness, Peter denied Jesus. At the
realisation of his failure and his betrayal of
his first love, Peter was moved to anguished
tears. It hurt him so badly that he is, in fact,
absent from a few chapters until Jesus’s
resurrection.
Yet Jesus knew Peter would succumb to
weakness, knew what pressure, hurt and
pain he would feel. He therefore prayed for
him, not only to preserve his faith, but so
that he would be able to return to Jesus and
strengthen others through his experience of
weakness (Lk 22:32). Furthermore, Jesus
prays for us today: “I do not pray for these
alone, but also for those who will believe in
Me through their word” (Jn 17:20). Jesus
knows our weaknesses before we know
them ourselves and, as He did with Peter,
When Peter had his first tentative breakfast
with Jesus, after Jesus appeared to the
disciples for the third time, he may have
been worried and anxious to face his
Lord, given Jesus’s prediction of him had
come true. However, the exact opposite
happened: Jesus’s presence strengthened
Peter and he was able to return to Him in
confidence, knowing Jesus had already
forgiven him. Jesus laid upon Peter the great
responsibility of nurturing and pastoring the
believers, which shows how much Jesus
trusted him to use his new-found strength
to look after the believers and carry out the
ministry work. We see that, with the Holy
Spirit, Peter was able to do just that.
Conclusion
Often, we remind ourselves to have faith and
trust in God. Sometimes these words are a
great comfort to us. However, in our
So whether you have been assigned official
tasks by the church, such as leading hymnal
or Bible study, or whether your service lies
in the way you care for the members and
greet them with the love of Jesus in your
heart, God has given you, and will continue
to give, spiritual gifts to help you complete
the work. God trusts us to do these things
and more; therefore, we ought to have faith
and courage to face our weaknesses and
be strengthened, like Peter, to take up the
cross and follow Jesus. He wouldn’t have
given this task to us, mere mortals, if He
didn’t think we were not strong enough to
carry it out.
Furthermore, that strength comes only from
the Holy Spirit—with His guiding power
and wisdom, we should no longer feel
inadequate or fearful. Have faith in the Lord
because He has faith in you.
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SACRED MUSIC
MINISTRY
MINISTRY
VOLUNTEER
PROGRAMME
Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
Oh, sing praises to the Lord.
Psalm 68:32
Thank God, the main Sacred Music Ministry
project at MVP 2013 was the compilation of
a new children’s hymn book, with songs that
instill the ten basic beliefs in the younger
generation.
SUNDERLAND TJC
At the National Youth Coordination Centre
(YCC) meeting in Autumn
2011, YCC
representatives from all the churches in the
UK discussed how a national training event,
previously organised by the UKGA Religious
Affairs Department, could be organised by
the YCC. Through our fruitful discussions and
sharing, we came to the idea of implementing
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a practical workshop-style event, different
to other seminar events. We looked to the
USGA’s Ministry Volunteer Program (MVP)
for guidance and, thank the Lord, we held
our second MVP in Sunderland last year.
Youths from all over the UK came together
with a heart of servitude to learn, be trained
and offer their talents, under the theme of
“You Can Do More”. Preacher Michael Chan
also encouraged us to “Be effective workers
of God”, where we learnt the importance of
cultivation and how to balance our lives at
work with our spiritual service in the church.
The workshops focused on three different
ministries. Here is our report on how we got
on…
Earlier in the year, during one February
weekend, more than sixty contributors
joined in an online “hot-housing” session,
where they used their God-given talents to
offer lyrics and melodies. During the five
days of MVP, a team of musicians then
gathered to go through all the work that was
produced. We whittled the songs down to
twenty-eight pieces (fourteen for the 4–7
age group and fourteen for the 8–12 age
group). Then, we edited the pieces to ensure
the accuracy of the lyrics and catchiness of
the melody. This involved many hours of
singing and playing the hymns on the piano,
which was very enjoyable!
At the same time, we began writing a
piano version of the hymn book. We also
edited another series of our own in-house
children’s hymns, producing backing tracks
and a piano version. So, within the five days,
we managed to produce two hymn books,
exceeding our initial remit! Praise God!
Hopefully, the two children’s hymn books
will soon be in production.
EVANGELISM
MINISTRY
In order to evangelise more effectively, our group realised
that we must find out more about the people living within
our local churches’ target area. To that end, we researched
ethnicities and religions of local populations in pioneering
areas around each of our local churches and places of
worship. This helped us to devise more targeted evangelical
tracts that would reach out to those with different faiths and
beliefs.
The workshop was truly edifying and our hope is to continue
striving for the Lord, reaching out to more and more people.
DLM
PUBLICATIONS
SUPPORT
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Here, a large group of our very creative and
talented youths worked on a number of
design projects, including the new children’s
hymn books, the Literary Ministry Seminar
2014 poster, the Whispering Hope Special
Edition, the YCC Handbook, the new Hymns
of Praise hymnal, the EPG Handbook and a
poster inviting submissions for Whispering
Hope. The energy, spirit and vigour to strive
for the Lord amongst the participants was truly
unanticipated! Under the direction of our more
experienced designers, the workshop proved
a wonderful platform for mutual support and
guidance to learn new techniques and bounce
creative ideas off each other. We look forward
to seeing one another again very soon!
HERE AM I! SEND ME
whispering hope / spring 2003
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the
will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His
work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four
months and then comes the harvest’?
Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and
look at the fields, for they are already white
for harvest! And he who reaps receives
wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that
both he who sows and he who reaps may
rejoice together. For in this the saying is true:
‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you
to reap that for which you have not labored;
others have labored, and you have entered
into their labors.
John 4:34–38
When Jesus was ministering on earth, He
often used to go without food and sleep. It
is something we find difficult to imagine—
food and sleep being fundamental things
we think about on a daily basis. However,
today many of us are so concerned with
our physical wellbeing (diet and exercise,
the clothes we wear, the latest gadgets we
have and so on) that we forget the urgency
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of God’s final commission. How many of
us have colleagues, friends or family who
have yet to believe in Christ? Looking at the
fields, the grains have ripened and are ready
for harvest. We need to start the labour and
begin to preach.
Thousands of years ago the Lord asked,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for
Us?” Isaiah promptly replied, “Here am I!
Send me” (Isa 6:8). In just five words, Isaiah
expressed his desire to serve the Lord and
his willingness to put it into action. Have you
ever said such words to the Lord? Years
before Isaiah, Abraham acted obediently
and without hesitation, when he heard
God’s call for him to offer up his son (Gen
22:1–18). If God needed your beloved son,
would you be willing to offer him as readily
as Abraham did? Would you be able to put
aside your personal feelings and completely
trust God’s command? And when the Lord
was about to enter Jerusalem, He needed a
donkey; the owner allowed Jesus’s disciples
to take it without a word (Mt 21:1–13).
These three
examples show us
that God has need of our
willingness, trust and faith in
Him, especially today where
we see so many people who
could receive the gospel, if only
someone brought it to them.
Years ago Jesus told His disciples the
time was ripe for reaping the harvest.
Years later He tells us the same thing.
Are you willing to enter the labour of others
before you, to offer what you can, whether
large or small, to carry out God’s final
commission?
Come forward and say,
“Here am I! Send me!”
HAS GOD
STIRRED
YOUR SPIRIT?
times are still important to us today. We
may not see visions or dreams to confirm
God’s calling, however, just as the writer
of Hebrews remarked at the beginning of
his epistle, God speaks to us at “various
times and in various ways” (Heb 1:1).
whispering hope / autumn 2004
Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose
spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering for the work
of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy
garments.
Exodus 35:21
As we are God’s humble vessels, graced by His calling, our hearts
can be stirred by Him directly—as seen in the above example, and
in King Cyrus’s decree to rebuild the tabernacle and restore the
temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1). God can also use others to stir up
the hearts of His people to do His work.
Seventy years after Solomon’s temple was destroyed, the Lord
compelled the prophet Haggai to proclaim a message to Zerubbabel
and Joshua that they and the people should work on the house of
the Lord (Hag 1:13–14). Likewise Peter stirred up the members by
writing letters to remind them of their hope in Christ (2 Pet 3:1).
These messages to the believers in Haggai’s and Peter’s respective
20
Furthermore, in some circumstances God
does not call someone directly, or through
someone else, to do His work; rather they
themselves have a sense of commission
and self-realisation. In Hebrews, the writer
points out that we should consider one
another to stir up love and good works (Heb
10:24). The verse has a few core points. The
stirring up of love and good works does not
necessarily mean just stirring up love and
good works in others. Rather it means we
should begin with ourselves.
For Nehemiah, no one gave him instructions
to do the work; he simply thought about
the needs of the people and God’s will, and
started the work of rebuilding. In the time of
Elijah, Obadiah took the initiative to hide 100
of the Lord’s prophets from Jezebel (1 Kgs
18:13) without being called to do so by God.
Reading further, we see that God worked in
Obadiah, reserving for Himself those who
had not bowed to Baal (1 Kgs 19:18). We,
too, can have the self-realisation and sense
of commission in serving the Lord when we
consider the needs of other people. This
is God working in us, to work for His good
pleasure (Phil 2:13).
Timothy was a person who received God’s
calling through God’s servants. His gifts
were given through prophecy and by
receiving the laying of hands from Paul and
the elders (1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6).
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he
specifically encourages Timothy to serve
the Lord through what was given to him.
Paul wrote, “Therefore I remind you to stir up
the gift of God which is in you through the
laying on of my hands” (2 Tim 1:6). We can
see that those who have already received
the calling of the Lord should also learn to
stir themselves up to work for Him.
We are living in changing, shifting and often
difficult times where our faith and spirit of
servitude may undergo constant challenges
from our surroundings, other people and
even ourselves. However, we must not let
anything weaken our fervency of servitude
towards God and His church. Let us pray
and stir ourselves, as well as each other,
up, to give our best to the Master before His
glorious second coming.
21
SING TO THE LORD
sacred music ministry
WHY DID I GO BACK
TO AFRICA?
hidden treasures / 2008
People frequently ask me this question.
After all, the places the church often visits
are ridden with Tuberculosis, Malaria, civil
war, and the like. I would have preferred
to remain and serve God in London or
Cambridge—carpets, sofa, a cup of tea
in church and then back home to sleep
on a cosy and comfortable bed free from
bedbugs. But then I asked myself, What
does it mean to suffer for the Lord?
To me, going to Africa was a kind of suffering.
If you asked me whether I felt scared, yes, I
did feel scared. I was fearful that I would not
be able to come home again or that I might
return with a serious disease, and I recall
saying to my mum a few days before I set
off: “Mum, I know it’s not easy but if I don’t
see your face again I just want you to know
that I love you...”
22
The night before I left for Kenya, I was lying
on my bed and I couldn’t get to sleep. For
some reason, I recalled what Moses had
said to God in the Book of Exodus, “If Your
Presence does not go with us, do not bring
us up from here. For how then will it be
known that Your people and I have found
grace in Your sight, except You go with us?”
(Ex 33:15–16a). I got up and prayed with the
same thoughts: “Dear God, if Your Presence
does not go with us, do not send us from
the UK to Africa.” I felt I gained strength
from above after my prayer because I knew,
clearly, that God was going to be with me
and there was nothing to be afraid of.
God’s abidance
I can still feel the sun kissing my skin.
We took out the sun block and asked the
African brothers if they needed to apply any.
They laughed and said, “We are already
sunburnt—no need to waste it.” Yes,
23
the Lord had already given them natural
protection. It seemed that nothing could
harm them. But the first night, before I
went to bed, my throat was sore; whenever
I swallowed anything, even saliva, it was
like fire scorching my throat. I said to God,
“You know that I need to start teaching
students on Monday. If you must give me
something to suffer from, please shift this
pain to another part of my body and not my
throat. How am I supposed to teach when
my throat is like this?”
Every night before we went to bed, Preacher
Michael, Sister Jessica and I would pray
for thirty minutes. I remember continually
asking God, believing that He would heal me
and, since He had already brought me down
to Africa, He must be abiding with us. The
following Saturday, before I sermonised,
my throat was still very uncomfortable, but
amazingly, after a one-hour sermon and the
excessive use of my throat, I felt the sore
throat had almost gone. The next day, when
I woke up, the first thing I experienced made
me understand that God had always been
with me, because after I swallowed my
saliva, my throat had fully recovered.
God’s providence
To catch the only coach from Nairobi to
24
Kamwala, we had to wake up at 5 am
and board the vehicle at 6 am. Time is not
money in Africa. There is no timetable for
transportation; the coach usually does not
leave until it is full, so waiting for two to three
hours for other passengers to come is very
normal.
After a ten-hour, extremely bumpy, journey,
we finally arrived at the church in Kamwala
where we had our first student convocation.
The church is located near Lake Victoria
and by that time we had the same fish for
nine consecutive meals. Although we had
reached the level where, quite frankly, the
fish began to scare us, I still gave thanks
to God. An African brother said to us, “In
your country, you look at what is on your
dish before you eat it; in Africa we only see
if the food can feed our stomachs.” I was
told that life in Africa for the brothers and
sisters is very difficult. Most of them are
farmers whose livelihood depends solely on
the rain. If it doesn’t rain, they have nothing
to sell and, as a result, they don’t have
anything to eat. But in spite of this tough
lifestyle, they still maintain their faith in God
and believe God will provide. Their faith is
much stronger than those living in the cities
who, in comparison, have a better and more
stable life.
God’s teachings
Living in a place without tap water and
electricity for two weeks can cause one to
truly reflect. Sleeping on a bed with bedbugs
biting one’s back every night would definitely
make one ponder even further. Every night
when it rained torrentially, I had to reposition
myself in my bed because water was
dripping from the ceiling. There were times
when I had to shower under the trees at
night. All of nature was my bathroom and the
stars and moonlight became my bathroom
lights. Showering with toads and spiders
was no longer a surprise. It was extremely
primitive and I guarantee that, even after ten
years, I will never forget how it felt.
Many brothers and sisters in Africa lead an
even simpler life, but when everyone wakes
up in the morning, the first thing they do
is dance and sing to praise the Lord. Each
night before they go to bed, they praise the
Lord again. They have nothing in terms of
material possessions, so Jesus is their whole
life and only hope. Their gifted voices given
by God not only touch people’s hearts on
earth but also shake heaven. I couldn’t help
asking one of the brothers what made him
so happy, to sincerely and naturally praise
the Lord from the bottom of his heart while
they lived such a miserable life. He asked
me, “In Africa, what sound do you usually
listen to every morning when you wake up?”
“Birds singing,” I answered.
He said, “Yes, in Africa we learn from the
birds. You see they praise the Lord every
morning. As children of God, are we not
supposed to do the same? Here in Africa,
people don’t need to learn how to be happy.
Being happy is something inherent and
very important as well. No one suffers from
depression. Our life may seem to be difficult
and miserable now, but we believe that God
will provide. One day God will wipe away our
tears with His hands, in person.”
Listening to his sharing, I thought of this
verse: “Has God not chosen the poor of
this world to be rich in faith and heirs of
the kingdom which He promised to those
who love Him?” (Jas 2:5). These people are
indeed “true Israelites”. I went to Africa to
teach, but in the end I learned more from
these people than what I taught them. They
showed me how to be a true Christian.
Knowing I was about to return to the UK,
Sister Emma, a six-year-old girl who had lost
her father when she was two years old, held
tightly onto my right hand and quietly walked
with me for a long time from the church to
the station. She didn’t say anything until the
driver started the engine. With tears in her
eyes, she finally opened her mouth and said,
“Mtardi tena mara nyingine?”
I turned around and asked her brother what
she had said. He replied with: “Will you
come back again?”
Will I come again?
“Yes, I will, Emma.
Don’t cry!”
25
Commissioned
to Love
whispering hope / autumn 2002
When you sow the seeds of love,
you know someday you’ll reap
a harvest of God’s blessings,
which you may share and keep.
For cells of love divide,
and then they split again;
a heavenly creation,
you may enter in.
So each day, plant your garden,
sow your seeds of love
and when it’s time for harvest
it is multiplied above.
26
INTERVIEW
WITH
DEACON
KC TSAI
Last year, Deacon KC Tsai, who usually
resides in Toronto, joined us for the joint
Ministry Volunteer Programme and Literary
Ministry Seminar event. In between sharing
biblical teachings, having fellowship with the
members, and intense focus on the Immanuel
project—a book four years in the making—he
found some time to tell WH about his life of
serving God.
1. Tell me about yourself.
I was born in Taiwan and was baptised in my
infancy. This was the first and most important
blessing the Lord gave me. Growing up, I had a
lot of friends in the church with whom I studied
the spiritual principles and served God. I rode
a bicycle to the same school in my junior and
high school years, for a total of six years. As
a teen, I, and some of these friends, would
stop at the church to pray before heading
for school. Returning, we mostly gathered at
the church to pray, sing hymns and play table
tennis on our way home. I thank God for the
blissful environment I was placed in.
In Chiayi, my childhood church was one of
the churches that hosted major events like
national RE seminars and student spiritual
convocations. I was afforded opportunities
to serve, as a teenager, within the team that
organised events.
The membership of the church in Chiayi was
around 1,000 when I was young. Since there
was no university in this southern city at the
time, most high school graduates left town
to continue their education. This gave the next
batch of youth ample opportunities to take
up their place and responsibilities, for example,
in hymn leading, teaching, translating and
so on. As said in Lamentations, it is good for
a man to bear the yoke in his youth. It helps
him to mature.
2. What were you doing before
you moved to Canada?
After high school, I went to a university in
Taipei. Away from home, I enjoyed four
years of college life, which was packed with
basketball games and table tennis. During
this time, I attended youth fellowship at the
churches in Taipei and Ta-Tong, and was
scheduled to translate for sermons. But my
faith in God was immature, greatly depending
on the encouragements from my brother who
shared a room with me.
After I graduated from the university, I served
in the mandatory military service for two years.
Within these two years, (weekends were not
necessarily leave days) I attended church
infrequently. This became the norm even after
I completed the military duty. For the next two
years I seldom went to church. In my heart, I
knew something was wrong and that I could
not go on like this. But my life was packed with
tight schedules and heavy assignments from
work—and I enjoyed them. I enjoyed being
young and being a multi-tasking workaholic,
although I didn’t see a clear vision for my life.
However, it just seemed impossible to stop
and change.
Not until I was married to my wife and settled
down in a suburban district of Taipei city did
my life make a drastic turn. It was in Neihu
district where a house of prayer was about to
be established. My wife and I made our first
home next door to it—it wasn’t intentional.
But it was the mercy of God, Who had always
watched over me even when I deserted Him.
He wanted me back. Through the persistence
of my wife, He allowed me to draw near to
Him again by attending services regularly, like
how I did in my childhood. It was a new house
of prayer where members were mostly newly
baptised, and I began to wonder why I was
here. As said by David, is there not a cause?
There was a group of about twenty “truthseeking” children who would come under my
window early on Sunday mornings to wake
“I delight in His
companionship while
serving the church, especially
during the difficult times.”
me up by yelling my name. With sleepy eyes
I would then follow them to the church next
door, open the gate, and let them in. Through
storytelling about Joseph, Moses, David and
other saints, I started to sense a responsibility
for these young truth-seekers. They were
children of retired soldiers who were allocated
to reside in a community nearby. Some of the
children subsequently brought their parents
in, and they were eventually baptised. About
two years later, this house of prayer was
established into a local church when the
membership came to 130 and I was appointed
to look after religious affairs. I was 27. This
responsibility would carry on until I moved to
Canada.
It was the care for the members and the
concern for the wellbeing of the church that
transformed me. On many Sundays, I would
pick up a few members to go on visitations,
where I witnessed how their needs in health
or daily living were taken care of by the Lord
through time. I started to appreciate how
Jesus felt for the little ones and developed a
willingness to respond to His call. From this,
I was later afforded more church works like
writing for church publications when invited,
and being involved in assignments from the
General Assembly. Eventually, I was selected
into the team of editorial consultants for Youth
Communion, which was later merged with Holy
Spirit Monthly. I was also appointed to serve
in the by-laws committee, financial planning
committee, and others, of the Taiwan GA.
3. How did you end up
becoming a deacon?
The announcement about the ordination came
as a surprise when I was 36, unprepared for
the lifelong mandate.
At the time in Taiwan, they did not consult
with the candidate about the nomination. It
was discussed at the preachers’ meeting
(consisting of about fifteen preachers) in the
northern region of Taiwan. I was not informed
of it, nor of the deliberation at the joint meeting
of GA Executive Council (Exco) and all the
preachers that followed. When my father,
one of GA Exco members, called me after
the meeting to inform me of the impending
ordination, I was caught unprepared, weeping
bitterly for the yoke that would come on my
shoulders for the rest of my life.
I was to leave for a business trip to the US
the next day. On that trip, the burden weighed
heavily on my heart until the time to return
home. I resolved that it was as if the Lord had
personally called on me to serve Him and His
church. How could one say no to Him? No
one can be ready when he’s called, not even
admirable biblical characters like Moses, Peter
or Paul. I would only learn while serving, like
them. I was ordained, willingly, realising that
true humility lies in one’s silent submission.
Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and My burden
is light.” I experienced this lightness of His
“burden” serving as a deacon, which is
translated as “servant” or “waiting man”. His
yoke was not as heavy as I had anticipated.
And I delight in His companionship while
serving the church, especially during the
difficult times. I think we just need to learn from
Him—as Jesus said to be gentle and lowly in
heart, so that His burden would become light.
After all, when one no longer depends on
his own ability and judgment, but on biblical
directions, how can the burden be too heavy
29
to bear? My application for immigration to
Canada was sent in and went smoothly.
However, I waited until the final departure date
to leave Taiwan. I loved Taiwan, especially the
people there, and my business was steady.
But I was looking for a change in my life and a
place to revitalise my daily routines. I wanted
to take a look at and feel the world outside
of my home country. Eventually, my family
moved to Canada in May 1992. I was 40.
4. How did you get involved with
literary ministry (LM) work?
When I was in Taiwan, I would occasionally
be invited to write articles on certain
themes. Later, I was assigned by the GA to
be the editor’s consultant for a publication
called Youth Communion—one of the three
periodicals that were eventually merged into
Holy Spirit Monthly.
In 1993, I attended the World Delegates’
Conference and was selected into the IA
Exco. The term lasts for four years and in
30
1997 I was re-elected and appointed to head
the Department of Literary Ministry. This
responsibility carried on for four terms until
March 2013, a total of sixteen years. To work
with many LM workers around the world was
a great blessing, and to learn from the coworkers on the IA’s Standing Committee was a
God-bestowed grace. I don’t know why I was
so blessed, knowing my own unworthiness,
but I am very grateful for the privilege to serve
together with so many talented workers of
God.
Literary ministry is a wonderful tool to impart
messages from God. For example, the Bible
is the most important project in the history of
literary ministry. Within it, eternal life is written
of by God through His servants. God uses the
Bible to change many lives.
If we make good use of literary ministry, with
divine reverence, it will edify many people,
reaching out to an audience far greater than a
sermon spoken in the chapel can reach. You
don’t have to be a full-time worker or go to
far off places to deliver the gospel. Written
messages are borderless and it helps to
build up church workers and churches even
in areas that are unreachable through verbal
teaching alone.
In 1996 I was asked by the Holy Spirit Monthly
magazine to write a column on a bi-monthly
basis. I thank God for sustaining my zeal
to write, and I have been submitting to the
magazine ever since. The process of writing
for this column allows me to be touched by
God’s love, compassion and inspiration.
“Literary ministry is a
wonderful tool to impart
messages from God”
It enables me to feel my bond with Him.
Devotional writing happens in the solitary
moment when nobody is around but God.
And you know you have Him in front of you to
speak with through writing.
I don’t casually refuse any invitation, or you may
say assignment, from the editorial teams. At
times, I could have two or three articles to write
before a due date! But I know it is the words of
God that edifies. The writer does not need to
have many personal ideas or human wisdom
to compose an article. What he needs is to
convey the message. It is God’s work to draw
people to Himself. Therefore He will guide the
writings if the writer has a heart like His. I would
accept the invitation, thinking to myself: There’s
still time until the deadline! There will be time to
find the resources and inspiration to write.
5. In terms of your role within
the church, you have a lot of
responsibility. Furthermore, one
could say that you have been given
various titles that seem quite grand!
How do you keep grounded? How do
you maintain a humble attitude in
your church work? In other words,
what advice would you give to
workers in the church today?
Human history is the process of divine
salvation, which stemmed from before
the foundation of the world. In every span
of this long process, God chooses His
servants according to His will. Each is given
a time period to learn and to experience His
companionship. It’s like a relay race. No one is
required to complete the entire project but to
do his utmost in running the part designated
for him. It’s not about winning the race but
how he runs. After all, God is almighty and
never in need of help. Man can never help Him
to finish His work. He’ll fulfil what He wills—the
servants are there to share in that fulfilment.
A big part of understanding church work is
to remember and believe that meetings in
the church are guided by the Holy Spirit, if
the attendees have the heart to search His
will. And that the church chooses appropriate
persons to take up certain responsibilities.
True humility is in accepting the call, willingly,
without too much personal judgment.
put too much pressure on yourself! What a
servant can do is prepare himself with biblical
understanding and make himself always
available for the Master’s call. If you try your
best to do the work faithfully in response to
His call, you are a good servant.
You know you are limited in all aspects,
whether it be ability, time or effort. Our Lord
Jesus knows that too. He knows that you
are incapable, in fact, of doing the work, and
this is when He intervenes to work with you.
In terms of human expectations, you would
probably fall short. But you only need to do
your best, because Jesus actually knows
what you’re capable of before you were even
given the task.
The church work, the work of God, is His.
He will complete it even if no one is there to
assist. For example, He has the power to
feed 5,000 without those five barley loaves
and two small fish offered by the lad, but He
delights in man’s willing heart to participate by
offering them. He allows His servants to take
part in His work. The work is for the servant to
cultivate his relationship with the Lord, not so
much about the servant’s own achievement
or success. Therefore there is no need to
31
INTO THE DEEP
SERVE GOD
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