Warnings served as Encouragement, thankyou Lord!

There are four warnings that I often give to people who are considering missionary work.

1. You heart will be broken many times and you will face many disappointment.
2. You will face financial pressures, battles and problems and also a wide range of differences of opinion on life-style and how money should be spent.
3. You will discover that it is sometimes relatively easy to get started on a project but unbelievably hard to keep it going and at the same time keep the loyalty of the people with whom you are working.
4. You will discover that roots of bitterness can come in very easily in Christian work, which sometimes, due to satanic opposition, can be more difficult and complex than in secular work, especially when money and other motivating forces are absent.

........ Keeping a balance though between faith goals and unrealistic expectations is part of the process of counting the cost.

~ by George Verwer , founder of Operation Mobilization ~

I recorded this as an encouragement to myself, and to you who perhaps facing the same situation.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! I got all FOUR!!!

It is really Grace Awakening. If George faces all these, and if many other missionaries do, why do I think I should escape from this? My problem was I had kept trying to avoid disappointment, rejecting discouragement, and most often, tried to meet all needs, all cries, all expectations. Then, by failing to do so, I blame it on Satanic opposition, and I'll dig and dig to see if I have any open doors in my life towards sin that had caused this hindering obstacles in my path. I had trusted in a lie that "If God had called you to do this, He will make your path smooth, that you will not harvest bitterness in you." "If things are not moving right, it is because of you sin!" "If you get sick, and that is because you are living in such life-style." And now I need to repent.

Blames and accusations can come from all angles. Beware, my friends!

Bible do not speak that way. Most often these people who said these to you, are not going to be> the people who walk with you. Forget about them (i'm sorry for being blunt...), but I doubt they had really care and spent time even just to pray for you. We need to have watchmen for our lives, for our ministries! They is no point getting someone to sit on that position, but then they are not watching for you. Let the Word of the Lord govern us, and let Himself be our watchman, and let us watch over ourselves by the passage above -- the true experiences of many missionaries whom their lives were full of unanswered prayer, but they refused to be discouraged by these.

Let us be encouraged once again! And I thank God revealing to me this truth. I had been very cautious not to allow myself to be puffed up, and yet, I had also in subtleties of putting myself down in an unbiblical way. God help me! Forgive me, Lord!

The book of prophets shall give me strength!

And I believe it does to you!

Quotes

World Evangelism cannot be won without paying the PRICE!

Most Christians want all of the privileges and none of the responsibilites.

You do have to be aware of the needs and opportunities throughout the world as you consider your own future.

The Great Commission is more than a call for you or me to leave where we are and go somewhere ese. There is a course a great need for people to go but there is a greater need for each of us to take up our own responsibility for the church's response to the Great Commission; to be personally involved in it whatever our particular role maybe.

You are called to make a decision!

C.S. Lewis said that we have the tendency to think and feel, but not to act. If we go on feeling and thinking, but not acting, then one day we will be unable to act.

PAIN

Lately, there is a constant fear that grips me. When it comes, I can't sleep, I can't rest, I can't think of any other thing else.

The fear of going back to Hong Kong.

The fear of not having raise financial support before I leave.

The fear of not having raise prayer partners before I leave.

The fear of having ministry partners who SPEAK more than they DO.

The fear of not having accomodation when I reach Hong Kong.

The fear of going to the academic to ask for deferment of school fees payment.

The fear of seeing my professor to negotiate on my dissertation of Hikikomori.

The fear of looking for accomodation.

The fear of not having money to pay the rent.

The fear of hunger.

The fear of loneliness.

The fear of not having money for transportation.

The fear of being long away from home.

The fear of not having enough data for the research of Hikikomori.

The fear of getting involve things beyond focus.

The fear of neglecting people who need a fresh touch of the Lord.

The fear of neglecting people who need a pair of listening ears.

The fear of meeting people who put false hope in me.

The fear of left behind bills to pay.

The fear of meeting hollow faith person in Heart4Japan.

The fear of blank promises.


The feeling is so contrast while compare with previous year as I stepped out with a simple faith. It was by faith that Abraham obyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. (Hebrews11:8) Now I begin to understand why He had always led me step by step. He never revealed His whole plan to me. It is always a step of faith that brought me closer, a step of obedience that brought me to the next door. I guess that is what it needs to be done. I remembered someone told me, if God would had revealed to you His whole plan, perhaps you will be so fearful that you wouldn't be able to step out for it.

and Yes, now I understand. Because I am going back to the same place, and because I had experienced sorrows and difficulties, and for worse I discovered my weaknesses and my unworthiness in times. Once I thought I had lost my faith. But now, I know, it is not about faith. I still trust that the Lord will provide all my needs. I still trust that the Lord will lead me through. I still trust that He will never leave me or forsake me. And He said, "Heart4Japan is MY ministry!" Yet, fears greet me.

Or to be exact, these are not fears, but PAIN......

I love the Lord. I don't want to miss the train of REVIVAL in Japan, yet I'm tired of being Zorro. I wish to move together with a team of people who love the Lord, who are committed, who are willing to serve. Walking together in this journey, encouraging each other, praying alongside for each other! There are so few......

George Verwer said, "Finance seems to be the greatest obstacle..... the real obstale is a lack of love, faith and biblical commitment." And that is piercing to my ears. The greatest needs in the missions field are always PEOPLE and FINANCE. We can have PEOPLE, but no FINANCE; or we can have FINANCE, but no PEOPLE; sometimes BOTH.

Yet, I had also learned. Disappointment in evangelism can often be God's appointment to teach us smething greater and something better. Great biblical, moutain-moving faith does not happen without doubts, struggles and discouragement or even sin. While I stand aginst the fiery dart of discouragement, I believe we all need to repent and turn from all that is hindering us from doing God's will in our day, repent from our unwillingness to pay the price!

信心与考验

最近教会向我邀稿，叫我写在信心踏步的经历和学习，字数限于一百。结果我不小心写了二千多个字。后来再改，反而成了三千多个字。哈哈！看看稿件，觉得把香港的生活和挣扎也写得够淋漓尽致的，于是就把它转成PDF，当成生活报告。

我平时说起这事的时候也是够简短的，总是说："上帝很好！"现在总算是被迫把自己解剖一下，把扫到地毯地下的心情暴光。

相信其实大家都有共同相似的经历。有谁决定走上服事的路的时候没有经过考验？我妈时常说，"某某人是食过夜粥的。"想来没有熬苦，又如何能体会熬苦人的心情呢？嘿嘿，就大方地和大家分享一下，自娱的同时也好彼此鼓励鼓励。

其实说真也并不是我不愿说。只不过我有太多的话要说，难得有人愿意听的时候，那我宁愿提日本。日本有许多需要。而这些需要对我来说都是燃眉的。先求祂的国和祂的义，然后一切都会加给你们。我愿意相信。