Pastoral Letters

Come and See!

May 16, 2021 Author:Elder Liu Kerh Li
The church has been holding Gospel Sunday every month since February. Gospel Sunday’s sermons targets non-christians more directly. They allow them to understand the importance of having Jesus as their Saviour, so as to invite them to come and believe in Jesus. At the same time, a small presentation by the choir members works to reinforce the message of the gospel and convey the truth of the gospel through music. If time allows, we would also add on a church member’s testimony. In this way, our friends would know that the gospel is not just a theory or a religious rule, but also a truly life-changing force. Thank God, that since February, we have had four gospel Sundays, and our brothers and sisters have invited many to come attend. Of course, we would hope that those invited would attend and believe in Jesus. However, no matter if they were present or not, our brothers and sisters’ fervent attitude to spreading the gospel deserves praise. You took the opportunity and overcame difficulties to invite new friends to come to church. Perhaps, in this process, you had to make a few sacrifices. This reveals your love towards the lost souls and faithfulness towards the Great Commission Jesus Christ has given us. You are our role models in spreading the gospel!

Sharing the gospel or inviting others to come to church will always come with different difficulties. For example, getting rejected, being misunderstood, being stumped when they asked more questions, and so on. This often makes us dejected and discourages us from sharing or inviting others again. We need to correct this wrong attitude. First, we have to learn from our “failures” and not be defeated by them. Think about improvements that can be made when sharing or inviting others. Are there ways when sharing the gospel or answering questions related to faith that we learn beforehand? Is there a need to improve our lifestyle as our testimony? Or have we been praying faithfully and relying on God? Of course, the fault may not lie with us. Jesus Christ has said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matt 7:13-14). Therefore, facing difficulties when spreading the gospel is a common occurrence. This does not mean the consequence is there is no need to invite others to church and share the gospel. We do not know who would be the one to enter the narrow gate in the end. Thus, we should be more fervent in spreading the seeds of the gospel so that they have the opportunity to fall into people’s hearts. With God’s blessing, they can produce beautiful new lives. Did we also not reap the fruits of those who enthusiastically and ceaselessly shared the gospel with us despite challenges when we deliberately created difficulties for those who shared the gospel? We also need to preach the gospel with such a ceaseless spirit. God will use your persistence to save souls!

 

The basic purpose of inviting others to church and sharing the gospel is inviting them to come to know Jesus. “Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip” (John 1:45-46). “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’” (John 4:28-29). Philip the apostle in John 1 and the Samaritan woman of John 4 encountered Jesus and experienced his mighty power. Immediately, they introduced Jesus to those around them. They excitedly told them, “Come and see!” After believing in Jesus, we have also experienced God’s mighty power. Our lives have changed because of Jesus. Are we also like the Samaritan woman and the apostle Philip who were so eager to share about Jesus to others, especially to our family and friends? As we invite others to come to know Jesus, do not forget to share the wonderful things He has done in your life!

The next gospel Sunday is on June 20th, Father’s Day. Do invite your family and friends to come to know Jesus. “Come and see!”

translated by Davina Seet