Today is the ordination Sunday. We ordain brothers Jimmy Chow and Jeason Chan as Elders of PEC with trembling and joyful hearts. We thank God for always working in their hearts. We also testify to God’s verification and selection in the church. Let us pray to remember their service. The following are their sharing.

Jimmy Chow

Every time when I looked back my life since I was saved by Jesus Christ, it always reminds me how blessed I am that God had chosen me to be saved, raised me in PEC which is a bible-based church, and gave me opportunities to learn from great godly people about the right attitude of serving God.

Psalm 90:12 says “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” “To number our days” in Hebrews means to be aware of how few they really are. Am I aware of how few of the life left for me to serve God? Am I giving my best to Jesus Christ when He had already given His precious life to me even before I knew Him?

According to Statics Canada, the life expectancy of a Canadian male is 79.49 years, which reminds me that I “may have” 25 more years left to serve God before our Heavenly Father calls me home. Knowing if it is God’s will that I may have only 25 years to live creates a sense urgency for me making sure what I am going to do in next 25 years will bring glory and more nonbelievers to our Heavenly Father.

In fact, I may not have 25 years to live or 5 years to live…. No one knows the time our Heavenly Father calls us home, but one thing we know for sure is that the time will come. The one thing that I am afraid of is that I have not given my best to my Lord. What I have today is a gift from God; what I do with it is a gift back to God. May the rest of my life be a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Jeason Chan

Salvation Experience

Looking back at my 43 years of being a Christian, I was initially led to believe in the Lord by a classmate in grade 9. But after graduating from high school, I pursued nursing and gradually became attracted to the world, resulting in reduced church attendance and eventually stopped altogether. Later on when I immigrated to Canada in 1990, I didn't even bring a Bible with me. I thank the Lord for not forsaking me. He guided me to return to church in Edmonton and to seriously consider His salvation. In 1993, I was baptized to bear witness to the grace of the Lord.

Learning to Serve from Knowing God, and Learning More about God from Serving

I am grateful for the Lord's grace, as He has given me numerous opportunities to serve and learn. The experience of serving is not without difficulties and comes with moments of discouragement, powerlessness, and weakness. God used these challenges to help me grow, understand His mighty power, and learn to serve Him humbly.

Learning to be the Clay that God Uses to Mold into His Vessel

Through my service experiences, I have learned to stand before God with reverence. In Isaiah 6:2, it is written, "Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew." In the fear of the Lord, I am prepared to be sent by Him at any time. This is similar to the pomegranates and bells that adorned the hem of the robe worn by the priest before entering the sanctuary. The pomegranate symbolizes spiritual fruit, and I aim to use God's gifts to serve others. The sweet sound of the pomegranates and bells reminds me to learn the lessons of mutual tolerance and love, and to live a life of service in a harmonious atmosphere. It also serves as a reminder to those who serve the Lord that when each ministry steps forward to the Lord's altar, the sound of their footsteps should be vigilant and focused on sanctified service.

"Not that I have already obtained this"

In Philippians 3, Paul shares, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” I often remind myself to reflect, meditate, and seek to understand the vision God has given me. I learn not for myself but for the glory of God. May the Lord accept me, a weak and seemingly useless person, as the clay in His hands, to be shaped into His vessel.