KUALA LUMPUR - Chinese congregation of the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia was challenged to join in the world mission force as the Church enters its 125th year of history.
The 2nd Chinese Mission Conference of the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia has opened Thursday with over 500 Basel Church leaders and members across Malaysia attending. The four-day conference themed "Inherit the Vision, Expand your Boundary" features a wide range of workshops and seminars about world missions as well as retreats in the evenings.
Rev. Morley Lee, General Secretary of the Chinese Coordination Center of World Evangelism (CCCOWE), was invited to speak on the opening ceremony. Through the main passage from Matthew 28:16-20, Lee urged the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia to inherit the vision of the ancestors and continue the mission of expanding its boundary.
Referring to the word "you" in the passage, Lee pointed out that when churches fail to connect themselves with this commandment once given by Jesus to his disciples, they will face great crisis.
"As the Basel Christian Church enters the historical milestone of 125th anniversary, what is our responsibility?" Lee challenged the congregation, and encouraged them to carry on the Great Commission by following the examples of Jesus’ apostles.
There are three essential characters- obedience, a heart of worship and faithfulness- that a Christian must develop in order to carry on the Great Commission, Lee stated.
"Unless we obey the Lord, we have no way to understand the will of God. If we expand our boundaries without following God, it is a very dangerous act," Lee urged the congregation to reflect on themselves, "With what kind of heart and attitude do we have in front of the Lord?"
A heart of worship comes as the second essential character, according to Lee, when explaining the scene before Jesus gave his disciples commission. The Bible records that the disciples "worship" Jesus when they met him.
"As we worship, first we need to able to see the Lord. In order to meet the Lord, we need to have faith, and faith comes from hearing the word of God," Lee said. "When the disciples met Jesus, they worshipped him immediately. The object of worship is God himself. And worshipping is two-way, through worshipping; we can receive God’s word and encouragement."
Lee suggested, while contemporary worship style prevails in today’s churches, Christians must also learn about the wisdom of fearing God.
"I wish you will not turn your eyes to any others, but only the Lord!" he said.
Last but not the least, Christians must not doubt and be faithful. "No matter we are being well-used or not being well-used by the Lord, no one is useless in His Kingdom," he comforted the congregation.
"It is through you, the Church can continue to open up the future, therefore do not give up because of your own insufficiencies. Let’s receive the work that God has already entrusted to us, and strive towards the world’s mission field," Lee exhorted.
[Editor’s note: Dorcas Lim in Kuala Lumpur has contributed in this article.]
