Bible Conference 2020

Sep 12-13, 2020

I Surrender – Our Journey 一生同行

Praise the Lord ! We had a very special Bible Conference this year.

Due to COVID19, brothers and sisters from around the world gathered online for our two-day Bible Conference. Although we could not meet physically, we had a lot of fun interacting with one another with the help of technology and the effort of our wonderful brothers and sisters.

Even before the Bible Conference, we had a 14-day Facebook event called “MediTaste” for brothers and sisters to meditate on the Word of God and taste His goodness. It was very encouraging to read the sharings from different brothers and sisters and it allowed God to prepare our hearts for the Bible Conference.

On the first day, after praise and worship, we kicked off with a creative and fast-paced video of our brothers and sisters sharing what they hope to receive from the Bible Conference. Everyone was excited and happy to see the faces of different brothers and sisters whom we all missed.

Pastor Gavin then began the series of teaching on the theme “I Surrender – Our Journey” and introduced us to the key passage – Romans 12:1. Over the two days, we had different brothers and sisters from the Pastoral Lead Team to share with us. It was refreshing to receive God’s word through different perspectives and styles of teaching.

In the first session “Surrender unto the Lord”, Pastor Gavin, Sister Lolita and Sister Janelle shared what it really means by surrendering unto the Lord. Praise God, Jesus first surrendered Himself to God because of His love for us. Surrendering and submitting ourselves to Him is simply a natural response to His love and mercy. When we make a wilful choice to surrender to Him, we will find true freedom from the bondages of the world. Praise the Lord.

We began the afternoon session by watching a wonderful “Choir at Home” video and praising God together. Many brothers and sisters from different groups recorded clips of themselves singing praise songs and all the clips were compiled together so that we can all “sing together” like a choir even though we cannot physically meet. Praise God for the creativity of our brothers and sisters !

In the second teaching session “Surrender as a Living Sacrifice”, Pastor Gavin, Sister Pik Sai and Sister Kat shared how we can surrender to God as a living sacrifice. In fact, the key is to offer our self-focus to Him and focus on Him. We need to give Him the throne of our lives and let Him direct our paths. If we can humble ourselves before God, listen to Him and give Him time to work in us, He will be able to do great things in our lives.

During our afternoon break on both days, we had “Move Your Body” exercise sessions for brothers and sisters to stretch their muscles. Not only was it refreshing to move after sitting and concentrating for a long time, but the joyful exercise videos prepared by our lovely brothers and sisters were also all very entertaining.

At the end of each day, brothers and sisters also gathered online as care groups to share what they have received. Praise God that we have brothers and sisters to walk with us and support us on our life journey together.

The next morning, it was our Sunday Service. We started by watching a quick recap video of brothers and sisters sharing what they learned and received on the first day of the Bible Conference. Praise God for speaking to us in wonderful ways and for the efficiency of our video editing team!

In the third teaching session, “Surrender and Live in Holiness”, Pastor Gavin, Sister Elaine and Sister Lolita shared how we should surrender and “live in holiness”. We belong to God and He has set us apart from this world to be different. With the post-truth culture of this generation, we need to observe God’s truth and His holiness in order not to be driven by the patterns of this world. Our minds have to be transformed and understand His will more and more through His world. Let us stand strong as true disciples who follow Christ and receive true freedom in Him.

In the afternoon, after another “Choir at Home” praise session, Pastor Gavin began the last teaching session by sharing his own life testimony since 1982 and how God led him and our church in amazing ways. It has truly been a journey of growing, trusting and surrendering to the Lord. When we are willing to give Him a free hand in our lives, God will lead us in living a life of holiness which is truly different from this world.

Pastor Gavin, Sister Gemma and Sister Ivy then shared how we can “Surrender with Worship”. Worship is an expression of our love for God as a response to His love for us. No matter our circumstances and where our hearts are, God is always reaching out to us with His love. We worship Him by having intimate fellowship with Him. When we serve the Lord, if our motivation is from people’s approval and appreciation, we will easily grow weary and frustrated. Our motivation should be a heart of genuine worship so that others can see God’s love, grace and glory. God knows our heart. He remembers our labour in Him and He will honour our faith. The purpose of our lives is to worship and serve Him. Let Him be the centre of our worship and continue to serve Him joyfully.

Praise the Lord for the fruitful and blessed Bible Conference. Let us keep surrendering to God and continue to walk and serve together as a body of Christ in our life journey!