Newsletter 2016/9/11

Lord’s Day Message: Basic Lessons for Christians (15) – preaching the gospel and serving the church

• Why we preach and/or serve?

1. It is the Lord’s command (Mat.28:18-20; Jhn.13:14-15)

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mat.28:18-20)

¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.(Jhn.13:14-15)

2. It is our responsibility (1Cor.9:16-17; 1Pet.2:9)

¹⁶ For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. (1Cor.9:16-17)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1Pet.2:9)

3. It is the reality and testimony of loving others (Mat.22:37-40; Gal.5:14; Jam.2:8)

³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mat.22:37-40)

4. It is the flowing out of the life which we receive

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.‘ (John 7:38)

• Preaching the gospel

1. The necessity to preach the gospel

¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom.10:13-15)

2. What should we preach? –

a. Who Jesus is and What Jesus has done

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:42)

¹ Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, …³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, (1Cor.15:1, 3-4)

b. The experience of our receiving salvation

3. How should we preach

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom.1:16)

a. Do not be ashamed of preaching the gospel
b. Apply the Lord’s power in prayer
c. Use God’s words

• Serving the church

1. It is reasonable for us to serve

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom.12:1)

2. It is to exercise the gifts from God

⁶ Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Rom.12:6-8)

3. It is to help each other to grow spiritually

¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Eph.4:15-16)

• Gladly spent and be spent for others: the footsteps of Jesus and other God’s servants

I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. … (2Cor.12:15a)

Message Next Week: Basic Lessons for Christians (16) – Consecration and financial offering

Church Meetings/Time/Place

Home Meeting: 12/9 Mon., 7:30pm,  (7:00 dinner)

Richard & Flora’s

Pursuing of Uni Students: 13/9 Tue. 7:30pm, Yulin’s

Sisters Meeting: 14/9 Wed. 10:00am, Anne’s

Prayer Meeting: 14/9 Wed. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall

Pursuing of Words: 16/9  Fri., 8:00pm, David’s

Young People Meeting/Home meeting for Adults：

17/9 Sat. 7:30pm, Thomas & Lena’s

Announcements:

1. We welcome all the new ones who are joining us today and hope that you can leave your information for us to contact you in the future. After meeting please stay for lunch and enjoy the love feast together with us.
2. The church will have a Spring Conference from October 1 to 3 (Sat. to Mon.) and will invite Brother Titus Chu to share the messages. Please remember this in our prayer. For practical serving, Brother Patrick Li will be the coordinator.

Next Lord’s Day (18/9) after lunch we will have the annual clean up of the hall. Please bring (wear) working clothes to participate. For details, please contact Brother Richard Cui and Sam Li.

3. The church would like to encourage the young people (with their parents too) to attend the conference in Cleveland in the end of this year. If you are interested to go, please contact Brother Yulin Wang or Thomas Wu.

<Reminder>

1. Brothers and sisters, please come on time and bring your own bible to the meeting.
2. During the meeting, please turn off your mobile phone or put the volume on silence and not to walk around or to wonder/talk too laud in the kitchen.
3. When you prepare the love feast for Lord’s Day lunch, please do not prepare any food containing nuts as someone may have food allergy.

Please refrain from bringing uncooked food for the love feast so we may lighten the work for the serving ones in the kitchen.

Intercession:

1. May the Lord bless the gospel friends among us that they can know how precious the Lord is and are willing to believe in Him.
2. Pray for the new believers (David Hu, Gerald Huang, Bangde Liu, Peter Zhang and Michael Qiu, 5 brothers and Li Li, Mandy Zhou, Leonie, Berry Fei, and Jessica Li, 5 sisters) May the Lord establish them in the church life and bless their growth in life.
3. Pray for the coming spring conference that the Lord can speak to us and give us His abundant grace to revive our spirit and our church life.
4. Pray for the brothers and sisters or their relatives  who are weak in body or spirit. May the Lord care for them and give them sufficient grace. Pray especially for the health of Brothers Shanwon Chow and Sister AhSeng Chow.
5. Pray for those year 12 students among us. May the Lord give them wisdom to meet the needs of the exam and help them to know His presence as their encouragement and timely help.

Serving This Week: (Sep. 11)

1. Message: Patrick Li & Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread: Shanwon Chow & Chuan Ma
3. Serving Bread and Cup:  Sam Li, Olsen Yu, Jason Wang & Benchu Guo
4. Cleaning:  Raymond & Lucy Family, Thomas & Lena, Joyce & Chris, Michael & Mandy Family, Margret Yang
5. Kitchen: Susan & Anne
6. Children: Supervisor – Flora, Singing – Combined, Teachers –  Betty/Berry

Serving Next Week: (Sep. 18)

1. Message: Richard Chen & Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread: Richard Chen & Richard Cui
3. Serving Bread and Cup:  Sam Li, Jason Wang, Richard Cui & Chuan Ma
4. Cleaning:  All
5. Kitchen: Lisa & Pauline
6. Children: Supervisor – Hannah Meng, Singing – Jono/Pris, Teachers –  Christine