Thanks be to the Lord for bringing us back safely from the Church Camp! To all the brothers, sisters, and friends who attended, I believe you can agree with me that it is a successful one. Careful arrangements were made for lodging, meals, programs, transportation, and the sharing of biblical messages. Thanks to the Church Camp organising committee for their meticulous preparation! Since the founding of our church, this has been our 7th Church Camp. The previous six camps were mainly led by members of the Church Committee —the elders or deacons. This time, the organising work was led by the brothers and sisters of the Peace cell group; Elder Chin Tain, Deacon Lawrence, and Pastor served as advisors, sharing valuable experience and offering important guidance. Seeing the younger generation of the church work together for the church—faithfully and without complain, completing the entrusted work amid busy work, studies, and family life—fills my heart with gratitude to God. May the Lord remember and reward their efforts, and keep and kindle their zeal for serving Him.
In fact, it is not only the young who should be zealous in serving the Lord. In the pastor’s very first message at the camp, we were shown that the life of the prophet Elisha was devoted to fulfilling the mission God gave him: defeating the false god Baal and glorifying the true God, Jehovah. Centered on this mission, Elisha relied on God throughout his life to perform the miracles he performed, bravely confronted the evil forces he needed to face, and, with God’s compassion, supported and encouraged those faithful to God. Elisha began following Elijah during the reign of King Ahab of Israel (1 Kings 19:19). Before being called, he may have been a farmer plowing the land. When God called him through Elijah, he responded immediately, even burning his farming equipment for firewood—using it to cook the oxen he had been plowing with to treat the people around him, cutting off any way back. He later succeeded Elijah in his work (2 Kings 2:12). Elisha’s ministry lasted about 60 years, spanning the reigns of Kings Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash of Israel. He served the Lord from his youth until his death in old age (2 Kings 13:20). Elisha spent his entire life fulfilling the mission the Lord gave him, faithful to the end. So each of us, regardless of age, might ask: God gave Elisha the mission of glorifying Him by defeating Baal—what mission has God given me to glorify Him? This might mean, in your current position and present stage of life, living out the likeness of the Lord Jesus and bearing witness to Him among your coworkers, classmates, children, parents, grandchildren, various circles of friends, and brothers and sisters in the church. It might also mean the Lord is calling us to leave our current position to carry out His work elsewhere. Whatever the case, we cannot help but do the Lord’s work; more so, we should “always abound in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Work done for the Lord truly is not in vain. This Church Camp involved not only the organising committee but the selfless giving of many other brothers and sisters as well. For the Lord’s sake, everyone contributed their energy, money, and time, creating a wonderful environment in which to focus on studying God’s word. Thanks to Pastor for clearly expounding God’s word to us. I believe most people have had the experience of binge-watching a TV drama, finishing one episode and immediately wanting to watch the next. Listening to the messages at Bible camp carries something of that same feeling. Unlike the usual Sunday messages, at Church Camp we listened to session after session, with the speaker’s train of thought linking one session to the next. As you listened, you found yourself wondering what the next session would cover. Over the course of five sessions, Pastor led everyone into the Scriptures, as if returning to the era of Elijah or Elisha, and showing us the example of faith set by Elisha and the 7,000 whom God preserved—then brought us back to the present, challenging us to follow their example. Among the 7,000 God preserved were a poor widow, lepers rejected by society, a Shunammite woman overflowing with love, bewildered disciples, and ordinary people with all kinds of weaknesses just like you and me. Yet they had extraordinary experiences, because they all trusted in and feared Yahweh, refusing to join the crowd in worshiping Baal. May the Lord help us, after this Church Camp, to digest and put into practice what we have learned. Any brothers and sisters wishing to revisit the messages can find the relevant recordings through the link on our church website, www.tolcc.org. Please forgive the recordings’ somewhat lacking quality.
Nearly 130 people registered for this Church Camp. Attendance has grown with each camp, and the brothers’ and sisters’ mutual love and level of engagement during the camp were likewise even better than in previous years. We thank the Lord for this! Some brothers and sisters shared that this was their second time attending Church Camp—and the experience differs greatly between someone newly introduced to the church and a Christian who has grown in the church for some time. As for myself, this was my 7th time attending Tree of Life Christian Church’s Church Camp, and each time the experience has been different. During this camp, I witnessed the growth in the lives of the church’s brothers and sisters—your spirituality and love running deeper and fuller. Thank you to the brothers and sisters for the mutual care and encouragement shown throughout the camp. May we all continue pressing forward after this Bible camp, each of us reaching new heights in spiritual life and fellowship!