S: Seek – He opens the door but we need to seek it! Evangelical opportunity is everywhere. We need to faithfully seek it when they are happening around us. God would not enforce a ministry to HIS church but HE would search for our faithful response to each opportunity in HIS hands (I believe there are millions of evangelical opportunities in HIS hands. Definitely no shortage of evangelical opportunity!)
P: Partnership – Work with people of similar vision! We seek God’s evangelical opportunity as well as partnership. NYCCC evangelical ministries are all involved different partnerships. We do not do it alone. For native ministry in Quebec, God leads us to His faithful servant, Rev Enoch Hall serving there for 40 years, to work with. For Muslim outreach ministry, God sends Pastor Obaid (missionary from Afghanistan) to get us involved in his outreach to the Muslim community living in North York. Without his connection, many Muslim families would never step into a church, let alone listening to the messages of Jesus. Our church planting at Argentina all started up from the fire in the hearts of Chinese immigrants from Argentina. Their local connection and community awareness drive us to serve Chinese-speaking 1st generation and Spanish-speaking 2nd generation there. Our another church planting at Guelph happens when a group of brothers and sisters seek help to form a Chinese church in Guelph. In addition, partnership is not limited to the co-operation between our church and other churches or agencies. It can happen inside the church. Every year we do children VBS. Then we realize Senior group also needs some summer outreach and activities. More importantly our senior brothers and sisters would feel lots of joys when they are able to spend some times with little kids. So why not to put them together?! This year we have children VBS as usual. We try Senior Day Camp. Specially, we arrange one hour joint activity for senior and kids, e.g. doing craft together, at certain days. Kids learn to be patient when they help Senior group to make craft. Our senior group shows lots of smiles and love when they follow the kids to do something.
The stories of partnership can keep going all because God’s kingdom is much bigger than our own church and resources. We need to be humble, open-minded and prepared to work with many people that God provides to us.
E: Evolve –It is reported that 2018 World Cup TV Ratings Are Down 44% From 2014. But, The BBC said it registered a record-breaking 66.8 million match requests via its iPlayer service and its website. The value of the content may not change. The need does not change. But the preference of audience is changing! The choice available for audience is changing!
How can we share the Gospel today? The need never changes because it is God’s great commission (Matthew 28:19-20). The souls are still getting lost no matter how the world is changing. All the people need salvation and only Jesus is their hope and way to be saved (John 14:6).
However we need to adapt to the changes of the world. People are used to different ways of interaction.
1) Their fingers
Our fingers nowadays have new usage. We use it to interact with the world. We pick what and when we like to hear and see. People do not like to be restrained to specific time and schedule.
Rev Dominic Tse prepares daily devotional materials of 10-15 min posted online and chat group available to brothers and sisters from different parts of the world to be spiritually fed at their time and location. Our seminary student, Muriel Tse, also prepares a short preaching message online every week (15 minutes) for Argentina’s youth. Gospel sharing/teaching has no geographical limitation now.
2) Their context
“Do you know me?”; “Do you understand me?”; “Do you consider my feeling?” These are the questions built in the hearts of people nowadays. Whatever message or news we try to pass it out must encounter these responses first. People care less how the news mean good to the speaker. They care more how the news mean good to them or relevant to them first. This reminds us to be humble and listening to the brokenness in the hearts of the people. We do not throw them the gospel as a quick solution to their problems. Instead we share with them how the gospel has been healing and saving us so that we want to share this good news with them and believe Jesus’ sacrificial love is important to them as well. This involves more personal interaction and relationship buildup in Gospel sharing. This also might explain why big evangelical meetings are less effective or accepted as before. People need personal spiritual touch today as they want to be related to the messages as well as the messengers.
Ways of sharing Gospel is evolving and will not stop in one or other way. The content never changes but the approach is changing. Because of that, we come to last point.
L: Love. Gospel sharing is not done because of duty fulfillment, opportunity given, skill/talent possession or even presence of needs. We share Gospel because we experience the love of Jesus and so we are inspired and moved to love the people, love HIS church, love the transformation driven by Gospel, love the eternal hope in the midst of suffering, and definitely love our Lord, Jesus Christ! Without love, whatever evangelical activity that we put tremendous effort in planning or execution is nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). People hear and see the Gospel, not just a historical story of Jesus but a forever love story between God and us.
Brothers and sisters, maybe after you read this article, you may not get any one-of-a-kind, earth-shaking or amazing new evangelical approach from me because I believe God is much much better than me in creativity, inspiration and empowerment to spread the Gospel. I believe when we are faithful to spread the Gospel, God is there to guide and enforce us to spread HIS Gospel in the most creative and powerful manner. Amen!
(Rev. Sunny Wong is the pastor of MJCCC)
