上週在匯點教會Pleasanton分堂舉辦的體育營，見證了一件事，就是當匯點人願意跨越年齡與分堂的界限攜手合作，可以成就非凡之美事。共有42名孩童參加了這次營會，其中14名來自非信徒家庭，更有11名孩童在營會中決志跟隨耶穌。讚美主，因祂行了大能的作為！
然而，主耶穌也用比喻提醒門徒，經歷成功同時，仍要準備面對挫折，預期「人睡覺的時候，他的仇敵來了，將稗子撒在麥子裡」（馬太福音 13:28）。這比喻並不是說，要保持警醒到從不睡覺的地步（不睡覺可以交給神——詩篇 121:4），也不是說，每當稗子出現時，就要立刻抓住並除掉。這比喻是要教導，神的僕人必須具備耐心與包容。要信靠神，相信在收割之時公義必得彰顯。善惡必將被分開。良善莊稼的永恆價值，遠遠超過暫時之惡所帶來的困擾。
在匯點我們致力於廣泛撒種，並非預期所有種子都會落在好土裡。忍受暫時看不到回報的艱難，是因為深信神在萬事中有一個完美計劃，使愛神的人得到最終的益處。我們追求事工效益，是因為我們渴望做一個好管家，但我們絕不會以「挑選有利可圖的客戶」這類追求效益的行銷策略，來取代聖經中「將福音傳給萬國萬代」的要求。若我們盡了本分，自然會「被召的人多」，但我們明白「選上的人少」，而這揀選全然屬於神的主權。
因此，外展活動多樣化，並非缺乏專注，而是接觸不同類型人群的必要。即將舉行的活動就呈現了這種多樣性：
- 本週六8/15，周末中文學校將於10AM舉行推介會，目標是接觸希望子女加強語言能力並且培養道德品格的家庭。
- 下主日8/16，張瑪莉姊妹將分別在粵語及國語崇拜中證道，信息題目是「豐盛的使命人生」。她也會在8/23及8/30分別在Milpitas及Pleasanton堂證道。
- 8/22（週六），匯點與眾銅樂團將於10AM舉行推介會，以樂會友接觸社區。
- 8/23（主日），匯點親子美樂隊將於11:15AM舉行推介會，讓家長與孩子能一同享受學習音樂的樂趣。
- 9/11（週五），Milpitas堂將舉辦「目光折射: 李璧琦音樂生命分享會」；隨後9/13（主日）於Pleasanton分享福音主日信息。
秋季的Lifeway探索聖經系列將於九月開始，研讀羅馬書。可以透過教會訂購羅馬書及之前三季的個人研讀指南（冬季的馬太福音1-13章、春季的馬太福音14-28章，以及夏季的約書亞記、士師記和路得記）。小組組長可向教會索取小組研讀指南。
重複已經報告的事項:
- 華人浸信會教會領袖學院的夏季學期已經開學。詳情請瀏覽 cbscl.org。
- 最新一期《牧人心語》可於此處閱讀。
- 匯點教會的消息在幾個社交媒體刊登。請到此頁瀏覽群組邀請連結。
The Sports camp held at Crosspoint Pleasanton last week was a testimony that when we cross age and campus boundaries to work together, beautiful things happen. 42 kids attended the camp. 14 kids came from unchurched families. 11 kids decided to follow Jesus at the camp. Praise God for the mighty works!
Nevertheless, Jesus reminded His disciples to expect setbacks even when they experienced successes. “While men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat” (Matt 13:28). But that does not mean staying vigilant to the point of never sleeping (leave that to God — Psalm 121:4), nor to catch-and-kill ASAP whenever tares appear. It implies, rather, that God’s servants must be patient and tolerant. Have faith in God that justice will be served at the time of harvest. Good and evil will be separated. The eternal value of the good crop far exceeds the trouble of the transient evils.
At Crosspoint, we are committed to sowing seeds widely, fully expecting that not all seeds will fall on good soil. We endure difficulties, trusting that God works out His perfect plan in everything for the benefit of those who loves Him. We seek cost effectiveness because we desire to be good stewards. But we do not replace the biblical requirement of bringing the gospel to every nation and every generation with marketing strategies picking “profitable customers”. Naturally, if we do our job, “many are called.” But we expect that “few are chosen” and that election is part of God’s sovereignty.
We see the variety of our outreach activities not as a lack of concentration, but rather, a necessary plurality to reach different types of people. Our upcoming activities showcase the diversity:
- This coming Saturday 8/15, we will hold an open house for the Saturday Chinese School at 10AM, aiming to reach families who want their children to develop language skills and cultivate moral characters.
- Next Sunday 8/16, Mary Cheung will bring the message for us at both the Cantonese and the Mandarin service on the topic “Abundant life on mission.”
- On Saturday 8/22, we will hold an open house for the Crosspoint Brass Ensemble at 10AM, which is a channel to reach out to the community through music.
- On Sunday, 8/23, we will hold an open house for the Melodion Band for the Family at 11:15AM, which allows parents and children to enjoy learning music together.
- On Friday 9/11 Crosspoint Milpitas will host Becky Lee for a gospel concert, followed by a Sunday message on 9/13 at Crosspoint Pleasanton.
The Fall season of Lifeway Explore the Bible series will begin in September and study the Epistle to Romans. Personal study guides for Romans and previous season (Matthew 1-13 in Winter, Matthew 14-28 in Spring, and Joshua, Judges and Ruth in Summer) can be ordered through the church. Group leaders may obtain free leader guides.
Repeating previously announced items:
- The summer term of the Chinese Baptist School of Church Leadership has begun. For more information, please visit cbscl.org.
- The latest issue of “Heart of a Shepherd” can be read here.
- Crosspoint Church updates are posted on several social media platforms. Visit this page for group invitation links.
