The Crafting of Spiritual Software

At one time, this writer took a computer course where I endeavored to write certain application programs for computers using different computer languages. It seemed to me that it is a very complicated and ruminative process to complete a multifunctional and flawless program, involving much logical extrapolation, mathematical exercise, systematic planning and artistic design. The programmer needs to be extra careful and wary in order to create a satisfactory program. Even the erroneous placement or omission of a punctuation mark can affect the program¡¦s optimal performance. Therefore, the writer really admires those specialists who design multifunctional computer programs, because their ingenuity and contemplative capacity is even more endowed than a complex computer¡¦s. We can infer then how great the ingenuity, sense of beauty, wisdom, knowledge and overall power of the God who created the universe and our brains must be. The author of Hebrews said, ¡§¡Kthe builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.¡¨ (Hebrews 3:3-4) God is indeed worthy of honour and glory.

We all know that a consummate and multifunctional computer consists of two parts, the hardware and the software. By the bountiful grace of God, the hardware portion of our church is now fully constructed, and can be considered splendid. Now is the time for the forming of our (the people¡¦s) inner software. As Paul said, through the teaching of the word of God by His servants and the renewal by the Holy Spirit of the human heart, and supplemented by the submission of man, believers become a crowning letter of recommendation. ¡§You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.¡¨ (2 Corinthians 3:3) The ever-creative Lord is now crafting our spiritual software portions. You probably still remember this writer¡¦s metaphor during our thanksgiving dedication service on March 5. In His production work on ¡§Windows 8280¡¨, God wanted to simultaneously display the beauty of the software (believers) in Christ through the fabrication of the hardware (assembly hall). Of course this analogy is not best suited to describe the work of God on us (Ephesians 2:10), for God gave us free will to choose. He positively does not control us through computer programming, but we must submit to the Holy Spirit that is established in our hearts.

We have now utilized the new hall for a full month. Certainly each time the brothers and sisters gather before the Lord, we must still be filled with praise and thanksgiving. Thank God! By this writer¡¦s observation, everyone has quickly adapted to the new church¡¦s environment and the changes in the schedule of Sunday meetings. Now is the time for us to re-energize ourselves, continue fervently to testify for the Lord, and proceed forward through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Starting in April, the church is promoting three operations that require everybody¡¦s full support. 1) April is the church¡¦s prayer month. I sincerely invite all members to pray daily according to the items in the supplication diary, to become vigilant ¡§elite soldiers of prayer¡¨ for the church. May we all ardently pray and experience more of God, so that His glorious name, will and kingdom will be manifested on earth. 2) The church has established the Caleb Fellowship in April. We hope through it to nurture elite spiritual soldiers and promote the kind of ¡§Following God Wholeheartedly¡¨ spirit, attitude, courage, tenacity and mission displayed by Caleb. The writer beseeches the Holy Spirit to help us not just build up the seniors, but raise up many youthful Calebs as well. 3) In coordination with the Short Term Missionary Center¡¦s ¡§Richmond Gospel Campaign¡¨, during 3 different sessions every week from April to June, each lasting around two and a half hours, the church will have members participating in the outreach program of knocking on each and every door. This is a most challenging gospel assignment that the writer wishes more members will join. If possible, each member should enroll in at least one session every 2 weeks (6 sessions). In the process of nurturing people of Caleb¡¦s caliber, we must first recruit ¡§Gospel Spies¡¨. Will you enlist?

By: Daniel To