My Calling and Vision from God

I am being shaped and molded by God as He continues to encourage me to deepen my relationship with Him through the evangelism ministry. I became closer to God through times of hardship. The following is the scripture verse that came to my mind in my toil, and it became the gracious words that shaped my life:

“[Psalm of David] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ” (Psalm 23: 1-6)

My family immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong 14 years ago, and after attending this church for a period of time, my heart was stirred and I began my service in the church. Initially, I served as the usher in the reception ministry, later sung in the church choir, and have been serving in the Cantonese Local Evangelical Ministry for the past eight years. During my service to Him, I experienced God’s presence and His guidance, and coupled with daily Bible reading and devotional prayer, I received my spiritual calling…to spread the gospel. I am the living testimony of all the good He has done for me. Although some of these experiences may be bittersweet, in retrospect, it was all by God’s grace and to my benefit.

His commission for me was to bring more Chinese-speaking new immigrants into the kingdom of Jesus Christ, whether they are from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, or other countries. He moved my spirit in seeing those that did not believe in the Lord are lost sheep, and I recount the words of Matthew:

“When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them; because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

My Spiritual Inspiration and Purpose

From back then until now, my hopes for the evangelical ministry have not diminished, and I know this is all due to God’s grace! The vision to spread the gospel to the Chinese speaking residents of Sacramento is really beyond my comprehension. While I am grateful of this calling, I pray with sincerity for His direction and guidance.

We all have the same aspiration to love God, and to love one another; to serve Him, and to serve others, proclaiming God’s ministry through love and service unto others. With the commission to spread the gospel as my main focus in life, it also allowed me to develop a more intimate relationship with God. The stirring from the Holy Spirit has been even greater in the recent months, and I have been sharing this vision with the brothers and sisters in Christ; in prayer, seeking co-workers with the same obedient heart to serve in the Lord’s ministry. For the next year, we will be holding discussions to strategize and to equip the ministry in a unified mission, and to begin the work of spreading the gospel of kingdom of heaven to Sacramento in 2017.

Experience the Lord’s Blessings through Service

After serving in the Lord’s ministry, I began to sense that my life has a greater purpose and that it was filled with blessings. The greatest reward I can have is that He is pleased with my faithfulness, and that one day I may be accepted by Him in the kingdom of heaven. On a final note, I would like to share with my brothers and sisters in Christ the following scripture passage, to encourage you to experience the same joy of the Lord’s grace in service that I have had:

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ” (Colossians 1: 9-14)