I
will share about my recent trip to China through the theme of doing God’s work
in His love, not ours.
Brief
summary of my trip:
Shanghai
– Fudan University conference
China – opening up more – Rick Warren’s book.
Shanghai
– church buildings.
Theme
scripture:
I
Peter 1:22 Since
by your obedience to the Truth (through the Holy Spirit), you have purified
your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, see that you love one
another fervently from a pure heart.
The
attractive aspect of the Christian faith is not the miracles, signs and wonders
(which humans like to see and always want God to perform), but it is doing the
ordinary daily things in an extraordinary way.
Mother
Teresa – beautiful example. Do
everything in LOVE. God’s
love. One drop of oil causes light
to burn from an oil lamp.
A
little amount of resources and spaces produces a great amount of Godly ministry
if done in God’s love.
POWERPOINT
PRESENTATION – Jiaxing church outside of Shanghai.
Two
or three quotes from Mother Teresa
At
the end of our lives, God will not be concerned about how much we did but He
will be concerned about whether or not we did it in agape love. Acts done
in agape love, God’s love, transform us into something He wants us to become in
the process. Acts done in human
love or motives can easily tire us out.
Apostle
Peter is a good example – I will DO all these things for you Lord…
The
resurrected Jesus came back to Peter and had to still ask Him, “Do you love me
Peter?” Is Jesus asking you and me
that today in our busyness to serve Him?
Do
we allow others to love us? If you
have difficulty in allowing others to love and serve you then you must ask, “Do
I allow God to really love me in the way He wants to love me or do I only
accept from God what I think is best?”
Reflect and mediate on this.
Do
you impose your value system on God
or do you allow God to teach you His value
system?
Chinese
culture is a very strong culture (i.e. saving face etc.)
POWERPOINT
PRESENTATION – House church believers in China – Heilongjiang area.
They
are doing many great works for the Lord but within the House church community,
there is great division over the idea of “once saved, always saved” or what
some people would call, eternal security.
Major doctrinal problem amongst them.
Hebrew
9:12-13; 10:26 If
you continually and willfully sin you are not walking in faith or are in step
with the Spirit. Dead works and
fruits and flesh. So one is living
under an illusion regarding one’s view of God.
Gal.5:22-26
Fruits
of the Spirit.
I
Thess.5:23b …may
your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found]
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Finish
with the story regarding a Chinese wife and her mother-in-law.