Melt The Ice & Let It Flow

It's almost 4 weeks since my last update. Not because of the summer fun. But lots of works to do. Even after they were done. My mind just could not think, my heart not feel. I need time.

Kids & Aden just went to HK. Home alone. And I can gather myself a bit.

2 hours ago, I prayed. My heart was heavy:

I was praying for a whole bunch of neighborhood kids & youth, while they were gathering on the grassland outside my townhouse. A new religion from Iran called Baha'i Faith actively penetrates into our 250 unit townhouse complex. Through 2 active UBC students & a few youth & a connection in our community, they organize events targeting adults & kids. I talked to them last week during the "children festival" organized by them in our complex. They will be holding a 2-week children summer class from 1:00-3:00pm every day. Where? On our grassland. All these on my grassland!

A spiritual warfare is waging. Satan is advancing. I am praying hard to hold the line, to break out. But where's my comrades? Where's your army, Lord? I fight hard to keep up my spirit. Still my heart is heavy in this fun fun summertime.

To what people compare institutional church in terms of outreaching the needy world: Ice. If water is the gospel message, water can exist as both solid and liquid form. "Come to our church & hear our special speakers"- the attractional model of church is like ice, a frozen solid existence. The gospel message is then made restricted at a certain time in a certain place.

How many people, nowadays, love to go to church? Even Christians, some, only go monthly or yearly. I never met one single non-Christian friend who was passionate enough to initiate going to church! So to attract them, we create program after program, event after event. A few do come, while most choose to stay at home. We are exhausted, while they come & go.

We beg, "Come ! Come! Come" when Jesus commands His church, "Go! Go! Go!"

Most institutional churches are solid, are ice. Frozen in time & space. Waiting for the rabbit. What if we don't wait for the rabbit? what if we melt the ice? What if we hold meetings like the Baha'i youth outdoor on the grassland in any townhouse complex? What if we even go out into the home in which these non-believers choose to stay? What if we do not ask them to come to church but go to their home to hold discovery groups or start simple church? We are then melting the ice. The resulting water - the Good News of the Kingdom - will seep into every crack of our society.

We shall saturate every sector, every language group, every subculture group of society with the Good News. Students, yuppies, the elderly, club kids, the party-party, as well as people from different nationalities, the poor and the single parent family then have easy access to the gospel message & the love of God.

Simple church is the melted ice. It will flow through cities & nations & touch the world with Jesus' love. Because it exists anywhere, anytime, like flowing liquid. It meets people at where they are. It is Jesus' "Go Go Go"

Aden is my love. Love words come easier for me while ocean apart. She really is. But apart from this, she is a good soldier of Christ. My comrade. She is really reaching out to many women in our community.

A friend of us has 3 little daughters. The last 2 are baby twins. They are so beautiful. They are mixed. Twins can keep mom terribly busy. Like breast feeding. Use some imagination. Plus a little sister of six only. You simply want to die. Going to church?! How? For what? In the noisy nursery room. No way. We pray for our girl friend. Try our best to care. Take the little sister to carnival that mom has a break. Share some good Asian food. Lots of chatting.

Aden knows all the struggles to take care of 3 kids. Together with a Korean friend who is a Christian, Aden initiates to her girl friend that they can start a small discovery group in her house. In her house, she still could take care of the twins when needed. And I could take care of my boys & her little girl, plus the two boys of our Korean friend in my house. A simple church(early form) in her house. A kindergarten in mine. What a team!

Her response is Yes. Isn't it wonderful? How almost impossible for her to attend a conventional church! Now she can seek God in her home, with the twins around, if she likes, even while breast feeding. Why not?

Even more wonderful. She told Aden there was another lady of great need lives in her apartment. Her neighbor has a autistic son (autism). Mild. The boy is in fact the classmate of my oldest son, Caleb. His mom is really struggling to raise a son of autism. Even worse the school had just cut budget that the special attention arrangement to her son no longer existed. She was sad. She was down. Now our girl friend even initiates her to join once the group is formed. A non-believer brings a non-believing friend. Isn't it wonderful? We go to where the need is. The gospel will explode. No one can restrict. The water will flow...

A Japanese lady also wants to join... That is another amazing story!

But for the gospel message to saturate our city, we need army of God. Not just one couple. We need faithful, teachable, risk-taker, Kingdom dreamer.

More than anything else, the Jesus lover. Loving Jesus to see more of Him in their lives. To give more even all for Jesus. To see Jesus loved & worshiped by more people, more ethnic groups, all generations. Loving Jesus to saying Yes Yes Yes. Loving Jesus to dare Go Go Go.

Pray with me to see this army of God will appear soon. Pray for such simple churches to flood the city with His mercy & love.