Taiwan Good News
November 2005
On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday of each week, the staff brothers have started again their 8am morning prayer together at the Cemetery Mountain. Here are the good news we encouraged one another with:
From James� Sector: (100 disciples)
Over a month ago, the sector started a 40-day prayer chain, and disciples faithfully signed up for multiple one hour slots. One of the brothers, David, has been just diagnosed with MS recently. Through prayers, despite his predicament, he became bold and challenged Allen, who has been studying the Bible with the brothers in his BT, to initiate with different disciples to have quiet time each day for two weeks. Allen made a decision to be radical and took on the challenge faithfully. Now, Allen has been transformed and is ready to become a disciple.
Besides the 40-day prayer chain, the sector has targeted all 61 underground subway stations in Taipei to share with at least 30 people in each station. So far, over 40 stations and over 2000 people shared with later, the Sector has been inspired. One BT saw 10 visitors coming to their gathering, two men are ready to become Christians, and disciples are unified in faith and mission more than ever.
From Alex𠏋 Sector: (180 disciples)
This past weekend, a non-Christian focused Jubilee was held, and there were over 40 non-Christians who not only participated but more importantly, they saw how disciples live out their lives with faith and love. These non-Christian friends have all passed at least 3 Bible studies with the disciples. The weekend impacted many people𠏋 lives, and the disciples readily agree to the Scripture that 懀he harvest is plentiful.� (Mat. 9:37)
Alex has been inspiring the sector𠏋 BTL brothers, (some with children), to praying together on Saturday morning at 7:30am. About twenty brothers started out with some reluctance, but they soon saw the benefit of getting together to pray. As a result, since then, they have been consistently getting together for a YEAR and HALF! One brother BTL shared, 岞ore than a year ago, I used to dread getting up so early in the morning on Saturdays. But, now I look forward to our time together every week! We pray, and then we have breakfast together. During the breakfast, we share good news and encourage one another. Afterwards, many of us hang around to play squash for much needed exercise.�
Alex has been reminding the disciples the concept of 𡦖hilip Evangelism,� which simply reminds the disciples that we do not have to wait for people to come to any event before we can set up Bible studies with them. A young doctor, Shi Wei, was reached out to, but he was too busy to come to BT or Sunday Service. Instead of waiting, the brothers asked him if he would be interested in studying the Bible one-on-one. It wasn㦙 until the fourth study that Shi Wei found the courage and the reason to juggle his hospital duty to attend Sunday Service. Three months later, Shi Wei was baptized in Christ.
Although the facility that the sector meet on Sunday has no baptistery, that didn㦙 stop the disciples from baptizing people on stage during Sunday Service. Details were arranged beforehand and on Sunday, the 23rd of last month, before all the disciples in the sector, 4 people were baptized and one person restored. The Baptism Sunday Service was truly a worshipful event, for Jesus was proclaimed Lord in these changed lives! An interesting side note: one of the 4 baptized was a young man named Jeff. His ex-wife, Yuan, had just become a disciple only 6 months earlier. Because of her witnessing, as well as her changed life, it took Jeff only two months to get ready for his baptism that Sunday.
From Kevin𠏋 Sector:
More than one month ago, Kevin realized that the men visitors, amongst the 30 single brothers, were very few--11. He then initiated with different BTL brothers to pray each day. Since then, the 11 visitors have increased to 26, and the studies have been increasing to the point that every single brother in the sector is involved in a personal Bible Study with a non-Christian. Behind these victories, the sisters in the Sector must be lifted up. They have been working side-by-side with the brothers to share with men as well.
This week, instead of meeting for mid-week, the whole sector has committed to use that evening to share their faith, two by two. The campus ministry will use that whole day also to set up eight creative 弌round-the-clock� Bible Talks on campus, (every hour on the hour, from 10am to 6pm.) Every campus disciple will be encouraged to share and bring students to the Bible Talk of that hour.
Kevin believed that it was through prayer that people are inspired about our mission of God.
In the current semester, the campus sisters have been very faithful in evangelizing the NTU campus. 13 sisters have already studied with 26 classmates, and 7 of them are still studying the Bible at this time. At the same time, we are cautious about how our students are doing academically. Praise God that He has also blessed us with academic excellence. Jennifer, a sister in the campus ministry, got into 3 grad schools. Not only did she get in, she placed number one in all of them. When she was invited back to share her success stories in her former school, in front of more than 300 fellow students, she shared how Jesus changed her life. She did not witness alone; another brother, William, also was invited to speak through his second place in the graduate school entrance exam. Through both of their sharing, already 5 people have been to church.
From Wesley𠏋 Sector:
Mrs. Chen, the mother of one of our underground missionary in China, was baptized last week. In her sharing, it was the contrast of her daughter𠏋 and her son𠏋 marriage that humbled her to seek God. She indicated that although the former, (the disciple𠏋 marriage), was not without fights, the willingness to communicate and love each other was so different from the latter that she was convinced the Lord was with her daughter𠏋 marriage, (whom she visited and stayed with from time to time.). After Mrs. Chen decided to study the Bible with the sisters in Taipei, it only took her two months to make Jesus her Lord.
Besides these evangelistic good news, many programs that empower and encourage the saints have been implemented this year. We acknowledge the simple truth that before a Christian can share their faith, there must be something awesome for them to share about. Therefore, discipleship for building up the individual Christians has not, and can not, be neglected.
|
