Since the beginning of 2020, the pandemic of the century spread across the globe, the church work seems to be put on hiatus, but there’s also a great awakening on the commission of the gospel. During this time that the pandemic subsides, Brother Horng Lin of the local churches took an interview on June 5th and discussed the church’s gospel commission and strategy.
“From the perspective of history, many changes are all opportunities of the Gospel!” says Brother Horng Lin, that from the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, the collapse of the Berlin wall, the Persian Gulf war where Iraq was defeated within a hundred hours, these three historical events greatly impacted the Europe. At the time, Brother Witness Lee, servant of the Lord, gave the message saying, “The world situation as the indicator of God’s move on Earth!” This word is a great reminder for the church, the whole of the changes of the world’s situation is all for the propagation of the gospel.
At the time, the co-workers in the United States were the first ones migrating to propagate in Russia. Since 1993, approximately 200 of young co-workers from Taiwan went there, wave after wave, until nearly 200 localities were established in Russia. In addition, the church also called co-workers to head towards the Europe in 2000. So far 100 localities were established in Europe. Later was the propagation of Africa, also with well over 100 localities risen up, this migration and move of the gospel continues today.
Brother Horng Lin stated that for the church, the direction of gospel preaching is through the shifts of the world situation, through seeing God’s intention, striving to complete the great commission of God. Under current situation of the pandemic this year, it is clear that the world’s situation has another great shift. According to Revelation chapter 6, starting from Christ’s ascension to the Lord’s return, it is basically a four horses race, the white horse, the red horse, the black horse and the pale horse. The first one, the white horse, signify the victory of the gospel, the other three horses represent war, famine, death. He especially pointed out, that death is greatly associated with pestilence. The current outbreak of the COVID-19, impacts not just the locals, but the global. Thank God for that Taiwan due to its experience with SARS, has become the most preserved place in the world.
“The most preserved place bears the greatest responsibility!”, Brother Horng Lin commented with great gravitas. This pandemic truly changed the global situation. There are some experts saying, the global economy would decline for over a decade, in addition to the latest social unrest in the United States, which changes are all opportunities of the gospel. When all the coworkers of the church met last week, they have especially prayed for these changes in the world situation, seek God’s heart’s desire, and had very thorough fellowship. In short, this year there would be a year of horn blowing, reminding all the saints of Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” The gospel preaching of the Kingdom is God’s commission for the saints, from the situation in 1991 to today, the churches all over Taiwan became richer, and more mature in life than before, the coworkers have more experiences. It is time for Taiwan to rise up and head out.
Brother Horng Lin says that the propagation of the church this time, is not going to be based on the coworker’s cross-culture preaching, like in Acts chapter 13, but hoping to accomplish through the migration of the saints like in Acts chapter 8, which presents a greater influence to the gospel. There are three models concerning the historical migrations of the saints, the first model is a scattering by persecution; the second is colonialism through strong nations.
The third is truly through commission, by receiving a burden to go. The coworkers all felt that this year is the time for receive the burden, to preach the gospel of the kingdom all over the earth. It was all via sending coworkers in the past, but this year would have horn blowing, hope to call saints to migrate to Europe, Africa, the rest of Asia. There would be a great change in direction, with experienced coworkers leading the saints to migrate and propagate.
Starting this year, we expect that there can be 1% of saints can migrate, and then slowly increase to 10%. Brother Horng Lin says that though this is not an easy work, but he believes that the Lord will accomplish it. Starting from this year 2020, the propagation overseas, will not just be coworkers going, but through leading the saints to migrate out of familiar culture to preach gospel. Three experienced coworkers will be ready to be sent separately to France, Germany, and Ukraine. May these preaching coworkers have a greater burden, leading the saints to migrate, e.g. how to obtain a visa, how to live there, how to fit into the local culture, etc.. The coworkers must become the channel to lead the saints to migrate, which would be broader and stronger than the time when only coworkers do the work.
So far, all the localities in Taiwan, has been assigned destinations of migration. The localities of Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Penghu are to propagate to Sri Lanka of South Asia; the localities of Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan to France; the localities of Taichung, Changhua, Nantou to Laos and Thailand; the localities of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli to India. So far India has approximately 200 churches; the Church in New Taipei City to Vietnam, the Church in Taipei to Germany, Myanmar, Cambodia; the localities of Keelung, Yilan, Hualian and Taitung to Ukraine.
The church also considered the needs of the migration and propagation within Taiwan, six metropolises, three cities, 198 villages and towns all over Taiwan, a total of 207 localities. So far there are 126 churches in these localities, 81 of them with no church, although most of them are in remote areas, but that needs strengthening, which requires not just overseas, but migration within the island.
Since July of this year, in all the big and small meetings of the church, including the young people’s conference, there would be a call for the saints to migrate, to encourage the saints to go out around the globe, just like the virgins in Matthew chapter 25, prepared to go out to meet the Groom.
Translation of Interview of Brother Horng Lin by Kingdom Revival News, June 8, 2020
source: Kingdom Revival Times in Taiwan
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