January 2025, A Letter from Madagascar
Since January of this year, Toliara has entered the rainy season. Especially when hurricanes approach, the heavy rainfall often leads to flooding. For example, in January, two consecutive hurricanes brought over a week of continuous rain. Some saints living in thatched houses in low-lying areas not only had their homes flooded but also had to wade through water to go out, significantly impacting their lives.
But praise the Lord! Through the ministry message we entered that week—”Christ as Resurrection and Wheat”—the Lord gave us timely speaking. Our Lord is the resurrected God; He uses the environment to work His life and nature into us. To live in resurrection today and be constituted with the resurrected God, we must, through “all things,” be conformed to the image of Christ, the firstborn of God (Rom. 8:28-29). I remember one time we had a small group meeting at a saint’s home. Although the road to the meeting was extremely muddy and full of water, nearly twenty saints joyfully came. When the meeting was halfway through, it suddenly started raining. Several brothers asked if we should end the meeting early, but a sister said, “We haven’t enjoyed enough yet; a little rain is nothing.” At that moment, everyone’s spirit was even more released, and the sharing became more enthusiastic as we recounted how the resurrected God led us through such difficult circumstances. Even though the saints were soaked outside, they were filled and overflowed with the Holy Spirit inside. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another…” Seeing the brothers and sisters so simple and absolute toward the Lord deeply moved and encouraged us. May the Lord continue to strengthen His work, enabling the saints to enjoy the fresh supply of the Lord’s resurrected life in all circumstances, receiving the resurrected God into them day by day. (Brother Zhang Hongming)
For the raising up of more young families in the church in the capital, and for more saints to be perfected and function, we have much prayer with the brothers and sisters. Thank the Lord, this month He added a complete family to us. The Lord raised up a burden in us to visit their home weekly. Through regular family meetings, we help them exercise their spirit to contact the Lord’s word and develop an appetite for the ministry’s message. The most joyful thing is that in every family meeting, saints cooperate together, and the saints also have more burden for this family, proactively contacting and caring for them. When we first accompanied this family, they were not used to speaking, but after exercising their spirit and praying-reading the Lord’s word with the saints, their spirits became more open each time. In one family meeting, we shared a verse from the morning revival, John 20:22, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” The message speaks of the Lord breathing the Holy Spirit into the disciples, thereby dispensing Himself into them as life and everything. Now the Lord has become the life-giving Spirit; whenever we call on the Lord’s name, we can inhale Him! In the family meetings, the Lord’s word worked more into them, and they began to pray aloud in the Sunday meetings and share the words they read in the family meetings in the prophecy meetings. Praise the Lord! Now the Lord is the life-giving Spirit, producing the fruit of life in people. (Brother Guo Xincheng and Sister Guo Zengxiaoqun)
Prayer Requests:
Please pray that every saint in Toliara may join a small group, participating in small group meetings, so that more saints may be perfected and supplied in the small group gatherings and build up the Body of Christ.
Please pray that the Lord may gain more high-quality young people in Madagascar who are absolute toward the Lord, so that they may be overcomers in the church life.
2025年1月来自马达加斯加的家书
自从今年一月开始，图利亚拉（Toliara）进入雨季，尤其当飓风来临的时候，大量的降雨常常导致这里发生洪涝。比如在一月份，由于两个飓风接连而来，导致连续下了一周多的雨。有些圣徒居住在茅草屋和地势较低的地区，不仅雨水会淹入他们的住家，甚至出门都要涉水而过，对生活影响很大。
但赞美主，藉着我们当周所进入的职事信息——“基督作为复活与麦粒”，主给了我们及时的说话。我们主乃是复活的神，祂使用环境，好将祂的生命和性情作成在我们里面。今天我们要在复活里生活并被复活的神所构成，就必须藉着“万有”，被模成神长子基督的形象（罗八28-29）。记得当时一次在圣徒家有小排聚会，虽然前往聚会的道路相当泥泞，且到处积满了水，但仍有近二十位圣徒喜乐前来。当我们聚会到一半时突然下起雨来，几位弟兄就问在场的圣徒们是否要提前结束当天的聚会，然而却有姊妹说到，我们还没有享受够，这么一点雨算不得什么。当下大家的灵反而更加释放，分享也更加踊跃，一同述说这位复活的神是如何在这样艰难的环境中来带领我们。即便圣徒们外面被雨淋湿了，但里面却是被圣灵充满且充溢。希伯来书十章二十四至二十五节说：“且当彼此相顾，激发爱心，勉励行善；不可放弃我们自己的聚集，……倒要彼此劝勉……”。看到弟兄姊妹们向着主如此单纯和绝对，我们里面也很受感动和激励。求主继续加强祂手的工作，使圣徒们在各样的景况中，享受主复活生命新鲜的供应，天天都有复活的神加到他们的里面。（张弘明弟兄）
为着在首都的召会中有更多年轻的家被兴起，并为着更多圣徒们受成全、尽功用，我们与弟兄姊妹们有许多祷告。感谢主，在这个月加给我们一个完整的家。主在我们里面兴起负担，每周到他们家中看望。藉着规律的家聚会，帮助他们操练灵来接触主的话，能对职事的话有胃口。最喜乐的是在每次的家聚会中，都有圣徒一同配搭，圣徒也对这个家更有负担，主动接触并关心他们。刚开始陪伴这个家时，他们虽然不太习惯开口，但与圣徒们一同操练灵、祷读主话后，他们的灵一次比一次敞开。在一次家聚会中，我们和他们分享晨兴圣言的经节，约翰福音二十章二十二节，“说了这话，就向他们吹入一口气，说，你们受圣灵。”信息中说到主把圣灵吹入门徒里面，藉此将自己分赐到他们里面作生命和一切。如今主成了赐生命的灵，只要我们呼求主名，就能将祂吸入！在家聚会中，主的话更多作成他们的里面，他们便开始在主日聚会中开口祷告，并在申言聚会中分享家聚会时读到的話。赞美主！如今主就是赐生命的灵，在人身上产生生命的果效。（郭新成弟兄、郭曾筱群姊妹）
代祷事項：
请为图利亚拉的圣徒们都能人人入排，一同有分小排聚会有祷告，使更多的圣徒们能在排聚集中得成全及供应，并建造基督的身体。
请为主能在马达加斯加得着更多质高，并向着主绝对的青年人有祷告，使他们能在召会生活中作得胜者。
