First, we thank God for giving to the brothers and sisters in the Lord a fervent heart to evangelise. In the months before the rally, they brought out names of people they wish to invite. Furthermore, they also put up these names for prayer. This demonstrates the concern brothers and sisters have for souls. Thereafter, brothers and sisters in the Lord also put in effort to invite and follow up on those invited. This shows their determination and sincerity. On the day of the gospel rally, we had with us many non-Christian friends and relatives who were with us for the first time. There were also numerous “old friends” who had been here before or even a couple of times. We know inviting people to church is not an easy task. Thus, these many who came are a great encouragement to brothers and sisters in the Lord. Thank God! This once again testifies to the working of God’s Spirit. It is as Scripture says: “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain” (Psa 127:1). In addition, another critical reason why friends and relatives come for a second time or even numerous times, is the daily good testimony of brothers and sisters in the Lord, and their sincerity and concern shown to these new friends. Their persistency in sharing the gospel with friends and relatives, and inviting the same friends and relatives to the gospel rally, are exemplary. Despite being rejected numerous times, they did not give up in sharing the gospel with fervency. If the people whom you invited did not turn up for the gospel rally, please do not be discouraged. Continue to care for these friends and relatives. Pray for their salvation. Ask the Lord to move their hearts.
Second, we thank God for giving to us a unity of hearts to serve God. In this year’s gospel rally, we witnessed brothers and sisters in the Lord coming forward joyfully to serve in various capacities. Old and young came forward to serve in various capacities. In whatever areas they served, be it the choir, ushering, speaking to new friends, refreshments or operating the audio-visual equipment, each gave his or her best. We required all who were serving to arrive early. True to their word, by 6:30pm or even earlier, many have arrived. This facilitated the arrangement of the physical setting, and ushering of and caring for new friends. Although we had not made detailed arrangements for the tidying up of the church premises after the gospel rally, everyone willingly helped out. In this way, the church was restored to its original neatness in the shortest possible time. We could thus get ready for the coming Lord’s Day. When everyone did his or her part, as everyone can testify, the gospel rally proceeded smoothly. Thank the Lord! Thank you, brothers and sisters in the Lord!
In preparing for the gospel rally, there were too many things that were beyond our control. The Lord, however, made preparations for us. These things included the good weather, the smooth working of the air conditioning and the audio-visual equipment (we had no backup system), and the cooperation of The Spire Management. Choir members who had been ill earlier all recovered in time to sing . . . thank God! We thank God also for the new suggestions from brothers and sisters in the Lord: we added in new items into this year’s gospel rally. We have improved on last year’s rally. In the coming months, we hope to follow up on friends who attended the gospel rally. Do you have any suggestions? We welcome them. Tree of Life Christian Church has a clear mission: to support and help brothers and sisters in the Lord (us) to share the gospel with friends and relatives.