As we give thanks for the thirtieth anniversary of EFCCA, I look back on the journey of our church, our family and my own life in Christ. Remembering the grace we have received and the many small steps of growth in our lives fills my heart with gratitude to God.
Beginning in 1997, my parents and my parents-in-law came to New Zealand one after another and lived with us. They came to faith and were baptised in 2006 and 2018 respectively. By 2024, all four elders had returned to their heavenly home. Our children, too, have grown in the Lord—from school into the workplace, from dating into marriage—and our eldest now has children of his own, giving us grandchildren.
God has been at work among us, building the church, building our family and building our lives. Scripture says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” This first verse of Psalm 127 is one I often share when providing premarital mentoring to young people as they prepare to establish new families that belong to God.
The church is God’s household. God is our heavenly Father and we are His children. When we are saved and baptised, we enter this household as new members of His family. Through His words and His example, He encourages brothers and sisters to build close relationships of mutual love and trust, and our lives continue to grow. God’s household reveals His truth to us. His work of building is passed down through the generations in both our homes and our church.
In serving the church and walking alongside family through joys and sorrows, reunions and partings, I have experienced the faithfulness and power of God. He is the foundation of unity in our church and of harmony and stability in our families. God enables us to—
Live in Peace with One Another in Christ
Ephesians 2:13–17 says: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.”
In the church and in our families, every person has a different personality, life experience, education and professional background. Without Christ, it can be difficult for us to draw close to one another without criticism or complaint. We often speak about the generation gap between elders and younger people, but even grandchildren who are only two years apart can bump into each other, quarrel and leave us not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Although we were once rebellious and inclined to reject one another, Jesus Christ is able to bring us peace. The blood of Christ cleanses us, and through the cross we are reconciled to God and brought into peace with one another. Our lives are transformed by Christ, enabling us to accept, love, forgive and bless our family members and our brothers and sisters. Joined to the heart of Jesus Christ, we become one.
Our families can therefore become places where God forms us. In marriage we learn the mystery of Christ and the church, Christ’s self-giving love, mutual submission, and the meaning of two becoming one. These life-giving lessons cannot be learned in only a year or two. Submission and sincerely admitting when I am wrong, for example, still challenge me today. In accompanying our parents, we learned the meaning of life. We thank the Lord that several of our elderly family members were able, while still clear-minded in old age, to receive salvation and be baptised. We also learned how limited our time on earth is, and how important it is to redeem the time so that our lives may be used more fully by God.
Daily life inevitably brings difficulties and troubles, yet through the grace of Christ’s redemption, a crisis can become a turning point. Hard experiences not only help us grow; they also deepen our empathy and give us lessons that can help people around us. In a world marked by conflict and division, Christ brings the gospel of peace—a gospel that gives life and growth. Christ calls us to live out the gospel of peace, proclaim it, and pass on God’s blessing. God leads us to—
Pass On the Mission in Christ
To proclaim the gospel of peace is a glorious and weighty mission God has entrusted to us. Jesus says: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20).
The church carries the Great Commission by making disciples and teaching the whole counsel of God until Christ returns. Discipleship in the family is part of the Great Commission and is foundational to it. If the church wants to influence and nurture the faith of the younger generation, one of the most effective strategies is to equip parents to become disciple-makers in their own homes.
Spiritually guiding our children and helping them become disciples is a trust from God, and it is also one of the best ways for the whole family to grow. Chinese parents often hope their sons and daughters will become highly successful. Yet the greatest blessing for our children and our families is that they become disciples of Jesus.
Family discipleship is not optional. We know that in the wilderness of this world, Christ alone is the living spring. Would we not want our children to find Him? If parents lack passion and motivation to live out and teach the faith, we effectively leave the world to shape our children. It should not surprise us, then, if the generation gap deepens and family relationships grow distant.
If we want to lead our children to become disciples, we ourselves must seek to be godly parents. This means living consistently with what we believe: loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving our neighbour as ourselves. Parents lead by example, cultivating in their children a life that fears God and loves both God and people. May our homes become Christ-centred homes—homes in which the life of Jesus Christ is made visible.
An important part of being godly parents is praying continually for our children. We need patience, love, gentleness and compassion as we listen to, accompany and accept them. We need to use Scripture to help them discern right from wrong and pray for them every day. As children grow, they face many unknowns, difficulties and challenges. Parents need to depend on God, watch over them in prayer, and entrust both large and small matters to Him. We also bless our children and lead them to pray with us. I am especially thankful that my daughter-in-law Yuxuan often teaches her children to pray. Our three-year-old granddaughter Wenzhen can already give thanks before meals in both Chinese and English.
Our lives are God’s field and God’s building. I came to faith and was baptised in 1995 and joined EFCCA in 2018. Through every year in Christ, I have received God’s care, mercy and guidance. I thank Him and pray that He will continue to lead us so that “as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
