2017 耶穌愛華埠匯報
搜集：Binken
一個個蒙恩的福音精兵於 8 月 22 日至 27 日，在多倫多東、中、西區的華埠街頭匯聚成軍，為的就是要宣揚那領人出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德，讓更多的人能同蒙恩典，同蒙應許。
感謝神，第四屆的「耶穌愛華埠」已經順利結束。這屆「耶穌愛華埠」的參加人數是歷屆最多的，分佈區域和佈道項目也是歷屆最廣的。中文組有接近 250 人，英文組有近 60 人，共約 300 人參加了這次宣教活動。我們仿效耶穌基督走遍各城各鄉，盡可能地接觸更多不同的群體。分別在東、中、西區華埠裡面有十幾個不同的佈道項目，包括有商舖佈道、餐飲佈道、商場佈道、校園佈道、畫板佈道、交通佈道、醫院佈道、街頭佈道、不同生活主題講座佈道、文華中心大型節目活動和公園 BBQ 社區佈道等，再加上每天晚上的拍門佈道，我們總共與 1878 人傾談過，與 719 人談過道，帶領了 51 人決志歸主。
這短短一個星期裡面，每一個佈道的弟兄姐妹都嘗到了與主同工的喜樂。一個個見證分享看到了耶穌基督奇妙的作為，一滴滴受聖靈感動的淚水見證著主耶穌救贖的恩情。不僅福音對象被聖靈感動歸主，就連一些習慣了平淡的基督徒生命也重新燃起了拯救靈魂的火。信徒們彼此鼓勵，彼此見證主耶穌的信實與奇妙。更有基督徒在這屆活動還沒有結束的時候就已經問:「有沒有下一屆的報名表?」熱心被激動，愛心在重燃實在讓人興奮。期待明年能有更多參與的弟兄姐妹，能向更多的人去分享耶穌基督的救恩，除此以外，更願因這屆「耶穌愛華埠」被激勵的弟兄姐妹能將福音的火帶回自己的教會，願主將得救的人數天天加給教會。榮耀歸神！
見證 1
到了長者大廈，留意到一個老婆婆，在分享信息的時候臉色凝重。結束後與她聊天，發現她是天主教徒，她對自己的信仰是很有自豪感的。當我問她:「你有沒有把握上天堂?」的時候，她卻支吾以對。我就告訴她:「你是有把握上天堂的，信耶穌是一定可以上天堂的。」這位婆婆的臉色突然變了，笑得很開心，是我見過笑得最開心的婆婆。感謝神，一次的接觸可以讓人明白上天堂是因信耶穌，而不是靠行為。
見證 2
我昨天遇到兩個人，一個是從來沒有聽過福音的婆婆和一個聽過耶穌二十年的人。在和婆婆傳福音的時候，婆婆很快就表示願意認識耶穌，但因為拜了多年的偶像，怕不拜了會被詛咒而還不能信耶穌。於是，我便邀請了她去當晚的佈道會，她也答應了。另外一個人，很多年前去過教會，卻一直堅持著要見過、經歷過耶穌才信，所以至今都沒有信耶穌，也不願意到教會去。當天晚上，那位說自己還不能信耶穌的婆婆來到佈道會，竟然決志信耶穌了。原來，有一個願意的心，是可以很快就得著救恩；剛硬的心換來的是一成不變昏暗。
見證 3
在「耶穌愛華埠」的過程裡面，真的看到很多失喪的靈魂。對比起今天各地區的災難，更是激動了我傳福音的心。在 Grange 公園裡面遇到很多的孩子，發現自己身上沒有給孩子講福音的工具，找了一下，原來有一些彩珠和手機繩，還有一本沒有文字的救恩小冊子。感謝神的預備，可以藉著這些特別的佈道工具與很多的小朋友分享福音，看到他們也充滿喜樂的笑容。「耶穌愛華埠」這樣的福音佈道行動真的很有意思，感覺這是必要的，期待來年的再參與。
見證 4
在一場佈道會前，我招待了一位新朋友。我熱心地跟這個新朋友分享了很多自己的見證，很希望對方能信耶穌。可是到最後都沒有看到這位新朋友在佈道會上舉手決志信主。不過，後來有人告訴我，這位新朋友其實以前決過志的，但今天還是和不信的一樣。我聽到了，心情很不好，忽然發現，我們傳福音不是真的只是傳，之後的跟進、栽培也是很重要的。
見證 5
在這全營的耶穌愛華埠當中，嘗試了很多的第一次，甚至第一次遇到"全能神教"的人。但是感恩的是，全營的裡面，多次拖著疲憊的身體去傳福音的時候都看到了神奇妙的作為。陌生人願意與你同桌，坐下來發現是來自同一個地方的人，還是以前曾經去過教會，卻因看到教會的不好而離開。但她願意聽我們的見證，願意重新考慮去教會。這讓我看到，去傳福音的時候，也是最好的機會接觸這些離開教會的人，重新邀請他們回到神的家裡。榮耀歸神！
"CONNECTED" JLC 2017 English Team
Pastor Tracy Wong
1 Peter 2:9 said, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." Thanks be to God that JLC 2017 (from August 22nd to 27th) has successfully completed. As I reflect upon this year's JLC (English team), this scripture came to my mind. Praise the Lord, JLC 2017 brought us together as ONE.
We are one PEOPLE – When we were planning for JLC, we prayed that He would give us 50 people for our English team. Thanks be to God, that 60 brothers and sisters coming from 29 different churches joined us this year. We had an interesting composition of people.
1. Mixed age groups and ethnicities: We had people of all ages including kids, teenagers, university students, young adults, couples, middle-age and retired participants. We had 6 mothers, who brought their kids to join us. We had participants from various ethnic groups: Messianic Jews, Taiwanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Jamaican, African, Canadian-born Chinese, etc.
2. Many pastors: we had 11 pastors from 10 different churches. They led different roles like leading devotions, conducting workshops, modeling how to share the Gospel, also encouraging and mentoring our brothers and sisters.
3. One family in Christ: most of us met for the first time. But when we got together, we immediately mingled together like a family.
This is amazing. Our hearts were united and our hands joined working together as we partnered to share the Gospel together. JLC 2017 connected God's PEOPLE to Jesus.
We served in one CITY (Toronto) – Downtown Toronto is an exciting city. During JLC, we went to different locations: Chinatown, Harbourfront, Scott Mission, hospitals, Atrium on Bay, Dundas Square, Eaton Centre, Village by the Grange and Grange Park. We shared the Gospel at malls, parks, food courts, door-to-door, street intersections and hospitals. We used different media like singing songs, performing a mime, preaching, sharing testimonies, using the 5-colour gospel phone chains and handing out tracts, Truth Monthly newspapers and Bibles. As we explored the city, our eyes were opened and we saw the need. One of the participants told us that although she passes through Chinatown every day, this time, she saw a different Chinatown during JLC. She saw many lost souls whom only Jesus can save. Some also said that they saw many people that were in despair. Not only do they need our help; they also need hope that only Jesus can give. When we are willing to step out from our comfort zone, we see that Toronto needs Jesus. JLC 2017 connected the CITY to Jesus.
We speak One LANGUAGE – no matter what language we speak, we speak in the language of LOVE. As the coordinator of JLC 2017 (English team), I have to admit that coordinating this year's JLC English team was not an easy task. I had many burdens in my heart but lacked wisdom to carry them out. Praise God for the loving committee members as well as many gifted team members who were willing to help when needed. The LOVE of Jesus was fully manifested through all of them.
Moreover, there is no guarantee of registration. When people registered, I knew that they were called by the LOVE of Jesus.
During this week, we worshipped God, learned about Gospel sharing, spread the Gospel, ate meals, shared experiences and prayed together as one family. This love united us as one great team for Jesus.
In fact, if we had no LOVE among us, people would not feel the need for such amazing LOVE that comes only from Jesus. We share not only the message but the LOVE of Jesus. JLC 2017 connected people through the LOVE of Jesus.
We have one MISSION – Every day we were encouraged to use the 5-color Gospel phone chain to share the Good News to those we connected with. This was the mission of JLC 2017. But our mission did not end with close of the program. On the last day, all participants were given a 5-color Gospel phone chain. It serves as a reminder of 'being sent'. We will not stop witnessing for Jesus. We will not stop sharing with people that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him. This is our mission. The world needs Jesus. We are Jesus freaks. Are you ready to stand up for Jesus during the end times? People need the Lord and we are His connectors. May Jesus see that we are His faithful witnesses! May the world see His glory through us! May God bless His church! Amen!
In this week, we talked to 348 people; shared the Gospel with 171 people and 9 people accepted Jesus. Praise the Lord!
Thoughts on JLC 2017
Gloria
This year, I joined the Jesus Loves Chinatown (JLC) English short term mission group.
First, God showed me that His ways are higher than my ways.
We had originally planned to share the gospel in a food court that was quite far away, but suddenly there was a heavy downpour and this changed our plans. Afterwards, I found out that it only rained for a few minutes. Instead of reaching our destination, we stopped at a closer food court. My partner and I met a man eating by himself. It was awkward to talk and sit with him as there were plenty of empty tables around. He let us sit with him and we listened to him rant on and on about his complaints. But God gave us timely words to say and we had a few good laughs. We also had a chance to share the gospel with him. After praying with him, the Spirit prompted me to ask him if he wanted to believe in Jesus and he said 'YES'. I was so surprised and I almost asked him, 'are you sure?' as this was his first time hearing the gospel. God showed me that His ways are higher than my ways. God guided us to the destination He had already set out for us to find His lost sheep.
Second, God showed me that He will provide everything I need.
One morning, I partnered with a pastor to spread the gospel, and God prompted me to talk to a Muslim woman. From this experience, I learned many things about the religion of Islam. This was my first time spreading the gospel to a Muslim. That same day, I was paired up with a first timer, so we tried to pick an easy target. I avoided those who looked like Muslims. We found a man sitting by himself browsing his phone. After talking to him, we found out that he's Muslim! At first, he was not engaged at all and didn't want to talk to us. But when I told him about the things that I learned from the Muslim woman, he got all excited and went on and on about his religion and even put down his phone. God reminded me of the arguments against Islam and I shared a few with him. He suddenly paused and I told him to just go research it. Although we did not have the chance to share too much about the gospel, but I know that God's truth had already entered his heart. He smiled and waved goodbye when he had to leave.
Third, God helps me overcome my fears.
Not only did God help me overcome my fear of sharing my faith with Muslims, but also the fear of lack of sleep. Since I usually sleep around 9:30pm, I did not plan to join JLC evening activities. I especially didn't want to join the evening door-to-door evangelism. But God is always good and I'm so happy that I joined! The first night that I joined the door-to-door evangelism, we met a woman who had never heard the gospel. That night, she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.
Finally, God taught me that following up and caring for new believers is just as important as spreading the gospel.
Later in the week while sharing the gospel in the park, I met the same man who received Christ as his Saviour in the food court. He was happy to see us and I reminded him that he is now a child of God. After he left, people in the park told me that before I came, he was quite moody but became calm and peaceful once he saw me, so I knew that God wanted me to encourage him again. It will be quite unlikely to meet up with those I talked to at JLC as I don't live downtown, but I know that God has already given me those in my circle of friends and local church who also need to be cared for and require following up. Spreading the gospel is a day-to-day activity and so is following up with those who are seekers or new believers. Becoming a follower of Christ is a process and God wants us to walk alongside new believers.
May God receive all the glory!
佈道小貼士
向家人佈道小貼士(十) -- 你知道他們不信主耶穌的原因嗎? (6)-- 群眾的壓力和影響
這是不可輕看的障礙，也是未信者難以挪開的巨石！尤以堅守傳統信仰的家庭或以家族性信仰為傲是最佳例子。因為群眾的壓力不敢與家人親友意願相違，堅拒接受基督教或其他宗教，以表明自己的忠孝仁義外，又不想被家人親友們所孤立或敵對。倘若要讓他們接受主福音，必需要：1. 恆切的禱告，邀請信徒們為你禱告，設有禱告良伴或成立禱告小組；2.要有受苦心志，不怕艱難和敵對，但要溫和和智慧地面對他們；3. 讓他們看見你的生命的改變；4. 常常主動關心他們的需要和邀請他們一同禱告；5. 倘若他們對信仰動心之時，必需保持密切來往和展開跟進栽培，讓他們不會感到孤單或無助，追求主的信心便會加增。6. 要有心理準備，他們可能因眼前的困難會退後，但不要灰心，總要堅守下去，到了時候，就要收成。
湖光山色
攝影: Eric Lau
北美氣候，四季分眀：春、夏、秋、冬，風光如畫，遠離鬧市，遠足郊遊，心曠神怡！想起聖經裏説：「起初神創造天地 (創世記1章1節 )」。神又説：「天上有光體，可以分畫夜，作記號，定節令、日子、年歳，並要發光在天空，普照在地上 (創世記1章14－15 節)。」
「地還存留的時候，稼穡、寒暑、冬夏、畫夜就永不停息了（創世記8章22節）。」
中心消息與代禱
1. 感謝神的恩典，第四屆耶穌愛華埠 JLC 順利完成感恩。參加信徒超過 300 位，其中英語佈道組有 62 人。總接觸人數：2178 人，談道人數：890 位，決志人數：57位，榮耀歸神。請繼續為教會的跟進工作和探訪等工作禱告。求主讓教會和信徒們藉著本土宣教大行動，繼續把這福音熱在自己的區域中燃燒。
2. 短宣中心秋季課程於 9 月 14 日開始，感謝神。課程有：週三¬－佈道國語，週四－佈道釋經法，週五－佈道進階之福音單張專題；週六（9月16日）－第27屆週末個人佈道訓練，歡迎信徒們旁聽。求主賜恩給教學的教牧同工們，有主的智慧和聰明，讓信徒們得到最合適的培訓，在前線為主打仗，成為主的精銳部隊。
3. 請為短宣中心即將籌備 12 月 19-23 日的聖誕短宣佈道週和萬錦廣場慶祝聖誕節禱告。求主感動信徒們預留1星期或數天假期，過一個有意義和蒙主記念的聖誕假期，不再為自己而活，要為死而復活的主耶穌而活！
4. 請為同工們 9 月 7-9 日的退修會禱告。求主藉此退修日讓我們有美好的相交和分享，也重新檢視個人追求方向和靈命情況；同時，讓我們得著鼓勵，願為主接受新的挑戰，努力向前奔跑。
5. 短宣中心於 10 月 10 日星期二 2:00-3:30pm 為餐飲及商舖佈道感恩見證分享會禱告。除了感恩見證外，並有傳福音技巧交流、訓練和禱告會。求主賜智慧和聰明，知道如何關心、有效跟進和幫助他們在靈命上有長進和突破。
6. 請為每月定期出版的真理報、手機版真理報和 Facebook 網頁等禱告。求主使用不同版面和平臺向不同地區和國家的華人分享福音信息；也求主賜恩給撰寫文章的作者們，賜他們智慧和聰明，有真理立場和屬靈的視野，洞悉現今世代的實況，喚醒信徒和非信徒對尋找生命的方向和有渴求真理的心。
7. 請為每月1次的餐飲聚會和每週 1-2 次的餐飲佈道探訪和跟進栽培探訪禱告；與此同時，我們也作商舖佈道和跟進栽培等探訪行動。所以求主賜力量給同學們和同工們的參與，能有系統和計劃地關懷他們，讓他們對信仰有更多的了解和認識，靈命成長。
8. 請為短宣中心現正招募禱告。1. 有佈道心志或跟進栽培的義工；參與向味香村餐飲朋友們及向商舖老闆或員工等關懷。2. 辦公室和真理報義工。期望能發揮團隊精神，有效地服事大多市的華人教會。
9. 「一人一生獻一年」－「本土宣教士」的召命。９ 月份新學期將至，求主感動大多市教牧同工，推薦有佈道心志召命的信徒一位至二位作本土宣教士，不但為教會培訓佈道人才，並預備他們將來可投身成為傳道人、帶職宣教士或福音同工。受訓期間以 1/3時間上課、1/3 時間多元佈道實習和 1/3 時間在教會事奉或實習。若有個別有傳福音心志召命的信徒，可以與我們聯絡和查詢。在末後的日子中，求主興起信徒們向社區、鄰舍、親友和家人，承擔使命，不單盡上本份，也要還福音的債！
