Brothers and sisters attended Reformation 500 from across Asia – not only China! The following post comes from Jeremy Lee, pastor at Redemption Hill Church in Singapore.
Why did you come to this conference?
The Reformation was a very important movement in church history. After centuries of being sidelined and misinterpreted, the Reformation brought the Bible to the forefront. The reformers championed the authority and sufficiency of the inspired Word of God. This return to the Scriptures led to the faithful proclamation of the gospel of Jesus, of which I am a beneficiary. I was thrilled to learn about an opportunity to celebrate the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation with brothers and sisters in Asia. I was also excited to hear John Piper, Paul Tripp, and Richard Pratt speak, and interested to learn more about the church in China.
What similarities do you see between the church in your country and the Chinese church?
The Singaporean and Chinese church both need to see the beauty of the gospel of Jesus and apply it to every aspect of church life. One common danger they face is the threat of worldly influence and the pursuit of wealth. As a result, people are busy with their career or studies and have little time and energy left for the church. Many might attend a worship service on Sunday, but few would have any “extra” time to spend time with the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture. Even fewer would be willing to carve out time to build intentional relationships with other church members during the week. As a result of this shared idolatry of wealth and success, churches in both Singapore and China need to constantly communicate how the gospel is much more valuable than temporary treasures that will ultimately fade away.
How do you think the church in your country and the church in China can bless/encourage each other?
The church in China can bless us through their testimony of God’s faithfulness to them and in sharing their responses to persecution. I believe that their example of sacrifice and courage will encourage many in our country to step out of their comfort zone to serve the Lord.
Our church, Redemption Hill Church, in Singapore has been blessed with many members who are good at teaching and applying the Bible, who are strong in discipleship, and have a high view of God’s church. We could bless the church in China by sharing with them our experiences of experiencing church, and equipping them with the tools to teach and apply the Word faithfully. We would also be keen to send experienced elders to teach church leaders in China and to invite Chinese pastors to visit Redemption Hill Church, learn our ministry philosophy, and see us in action.
What will you take back with you from this conference?
I was blessed by Piper’s first message on treasuring God in our hearts and will want to communicate this more often as I return to Singapore. I also appreciated Tripp’s first message that taught the importance of living humble and approachable lives with other Christians. I am so thankful God raised the church to be a community of help for me!
A few of my church members who attended the conference were also challenged to live more for God. I will be following up with them in Singapore and will encourage them and many others to step out of their comfort zones to serve the Lord. We are excited about the work God is doing in China and pray for His will to be done there as it is in heaven!
