At the 70th Anniversary celebration of the Bread of Life Christian Church in Taipei (台北灵粮堂, BOLCC Taipei), Pastor Nathaniel Chow (周神助) shared how history is related with God. He emphasized that the true sovereignty of history lies within God. With the theme of “Seventy Years Full”, he pointed out that history is not only a passage of time, but God's action in its midst.
Pastor Chow mentioned that the word “history” is “His story”, emphasizing that in recognizing history, Christians need to align themselves with God so that they can see God's work unfolding. He brought up the biblical concept of seventy years, especially how the Israelites returned to Jerusalem after seventy years of captivity in Babylon, the very fulfillment of God's prophecies and promises.
In his sharing, Pastor Chow quoted several relevant passages from Jeremiah and Ezra to review the background of Israel's captivity and the history of their return to Jerusalem. They rebuilt the temple when the King of Persia’s heart was moved by God. He pointed out that even under gentile ruling, God was still in control of everything, and that the king's heart was in the hands of the Lord.
Pastor Chow also shared that in the 70-year history of BOLCC Taipei, the changes witnessed in Taiwanese society were closely related to the development of the church. He recalled that when he was a teenager, there were only a few Mandarin-speaking churches in Taiwan, and then when the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists broke out, many preachers and Christians retreated to Taiwan, opening up a new chapter of church development. He emphasized that God remained in power through all these changes, and that even in times of challenge and difficulty, God was driving the revival of the church.
He further pointed out that history is not just about negative stories, and that even during the Cultural Revolution, when the church was greatly oppressed, a revival of faith came out. He mentioned the influence of preachers such as Wang Mingdao and Watchman Nee, emphasizing that even while in prison, their works still inspired believers around the world.
Pastor Chow also urged that Christians should interpret history with God at the center. They should see how God has reigned and worked in the arena of history throughout the generations, and brought hope and revival in the midst of difficulties. His sharing not only showed the development of BOLCC Taipei over the past 70 years, but also emphasized God's sovereignty and plans in history.
The Bread of Life Christian Church in Taipei was established in 1954 by Pastor Timothy Dzao (赵世光), and has since set up more than 600 branch churches around the world. Pastor Nathaniel Chow was previously one of the senior pastors, with Pastor Jonathan Chow (周巽正) as the current senior pastor since 2021. BOLCC Taipei has established Gospel Centers in many cities and communities over the years in order to care for the community and reach out to the people. Currently there are more than ten Gospel Centers throughout Taiwan.
