Congreation & Church Concerns 2009/1/18

CONGREGATION & CHURCH CONCERNS:
1. This week we are entering into the last few days of the passing Chinese Lunar Year. We say good bye to the Year of the Rat. We thank God for the good work if any that we may have done for God and for man. It was because of God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness that made it, and certainly not because of the merits on our own.
2. This Friday Jan 23 in the dinning hall at 7:30 pm Rev. Bill Carruthers will give a slide show presentation on his Global Teaching School mission to China last October which include loving caring and healing ministry to people who suffered loss in the earth quake. Light refreshment after the presentation. Please call at least three people to come and don’t miss the great opportunity of hearing how God loves the Chinese people through this ministry.
3. This Saturday Jan 24 in Brother Frank Pan and Sister Linda Yi’s house Bible study and fellowship will be held beginning at 7:30 pm. Please come and bring a friend if possible to expand our fellowship of love and care.
4. This Wednesday Jan 21, council meeting will be held in the boardroom at 7:45 pm. All council members please attend. All ministry committee chair please bring your last year’s ministry report with you.
5. We pray for Brother Yan Jian’s several months old grand daughter Xia Ming Yu who has heart defects and needs to be operated on in the near future. May God protect her and cure her defect through a very successful operation.
6. We pray for people who were not feeling well last Sunday, brother Lewis Chow, brother Peter Lee, brother Shun Long Orr, brother Ding Chang Wang, little brother Zi Ran Yang, and sister Bo Yu Huang. May the Lord grant them speedy recovery and we see them again this Sunday.

会友与教会关怀：
1. 本星期是农历年旧岁最後一周，我们送鼠迎牛，在过去一年里，倘若我们做了任何善工，也是因为神的怜悯，给我们恩典，寬恕和机会。我们要感谢神，不可将功业归在自己身上。
2. 本星期五1月23日下午7点半Bill Carruthers牧师将在饭厅主持幻灯图片展览及介绍，讲解他在去年十月透过他的环球教导学校在中国做的传道服务工作，包括在地震灾区所作的救危扶伤的福音事工。会後有茶点交谊时间。请您打电话通知最少三个人来。因为这是一个很好的机会告诉人，神如何透过这个事工向中国人施的大慈爱。
3. 本星期六1月24日下午7点半在潘文弟兄和衣晓霞姊妹的家庭有查经团契。请带你的朋友一起来，扩大这个爱的团契。
4. 本星期三1月21日堂会会议於7点45分在会议厅举行。请所有堂会职员出席。请事工委员会的主席把您的周年事工报告亦一同带来。
5. 我们为阎健弟兄的几个月大的外孙女夏铭雨小妹妹的先天性心漏病需要短期内开刀祈祷。求神保佑她经过成功手术，得到完全的医治。
6. 我们为上个星期身体不舒服的人祈祷。熊连瑞弟兄，李治平弟兄，柯信农弟兄，王鼎昌弟兄，杨子然小弟弟，黄博禺姊妹等。愿神赐他们快速恢复健康，今主日又可以一起见面。

本周默想分享
面向2009年还有三百五十多天的前路，您的心情是焦虑还是兴奋，是惊慌还是期盼，是惶恐还是平安？使徒保罗面对同样的前路，他的心情是怎样的呢？他说, “这不在乎那定意的，也不在乎那奔跑的，只在乎那发怜悯的神。”（罗9：16）没有定意和决心，没有奔跑和努力，一个人就很快失去生机，陷於停顿，无所事事，形同废人。在人的里面，总有要求和愿望，所以定意和决心，奔跑和努力是不可缺的，人以此为取得成就的途径。我们应当怎样行呢？没有好的目标方向，作错误的奔跑，努力是空跑，徒劳无功，至终只有灰心失望。所以首先要有正当的目标，准确的方向，然後才能定意奔跑。
但我们会发觉自己的定意和奔跑每每是不可恃的。就算有好的目标，也会无力奔走，几经挣扎，不能成就，快要完全放弃了，就此为止了。这个时候我们便看见，没有神是不行的，自己是靠不住的。当我们看到 “这不在乎那定意的，也不在乎那奔跑的” 的时候，我们就到达了转机。知道那虽不是终点，却是一个转折点。这时我们才晓得依靠那发怜悯的神。他恩待我也把怜悯赐给我。圣经说：他要恩待谁就恩待谁，要怜悯谁就怜悯谁。
在神以外的定意和奔跑都是无用的，然而我们可以求神怜悯。像诗篇中的许多地方告诉我们一样，我们自己的力量来到尽头的时候，神的力量仍然是无穷的。当我们自己不能定意的时候，神对我们仍有美意。我们自己无力奔跑的时候，等候神可以重新得力（赛40：31）。这样我们若再奔跑是神的力量，不会自夸，骄傲，远离神。而是靠神得着力量，心中想往锡安大道的，这人便为有福。（诗84：5）。如果有所成就，达到目的，是出於神的怜悯，我们只有感谢赞美，将荣耀归给神。

Spiritual Thought for the Week
With the three hundred and fifty some days in 2009 ahead of us, how are you going to face the unforeseeable challenges on your life journey? Are you facing them with anxiety or with anticipation? Are you facing them with fear or with hope? Are you facing them with worries or with peace? The apostle Paul was walking through a challenging life journey too. But his heart was filled with faith, hope and peace. He said, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” (Romans 9:16) Without desire and effort a man can not face any life challenges. He will live like a walking corpse. A man has to have desire before he would make effort to achieve the things he wants. Without a goal to meet the desire he will run aimlessly and end up in nowhere. So setting the right goal is very important.
Sometimes we set the right goal, we made a sincere determination, and we put in great effort to fulfill the cause. But still nothing promising comes out. At this point we are discouraged. We want to give up. Then something dawn on us. We suddenly realize that all human effort and no God’s involvement is futile endeavour. And Paul’s words come alive to us that say, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” When we grasp that truth, the critical turning point has arrived. How lucky we are to have come to the realization that it is not we who have found God but God who has found us. God says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” God does not give mercy and compassion to just anyone. But the fact that I am relying on his mercy now proves that He has favoured me so.
To depend on man’s desire and effort apart from God’s mercy is foolish. But we can ask God for the mercy. Like what the psalmists often do. When we find ourselves helpless at the exhaustion of our strength and futility of our effort, God’s power and strength is resourceful and abundant. When we do not have confidence to fulfill any of our desires, God still has good thoughts and purpose for our life. When we are too weary to put anymore efforts on anything, God still has renewed energy in store for us. “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”(Isaiah 40:31)
So in 2009 if you can run and achieve any good work you know it is not you but God’s strength that make it possible. You won’t boast your own strength. You won’t feel proud and depart yourself from Him. You won’t refuse God’s love and grace. You will appreciate His gift of mercy. “Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”(Psalm 84:5). If you have any achievement, if you have reached any goal, it is the result of God’s mercy in you. You should only return your praise, thanksgiving and glory to Him who deserves all the credits.