My Testimony

Pastor Eddie Lo

March 2, 2008

FECG, Mandarin service

This is my testimony. Up until last night, I was still working on the first draft. But I know that all I have to do is keep praying; I know God will guide me.

Acts 12:24 is the verse that has guided me all my life. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

When Paul left Ephesus for Jerusalem, he knew he would not be returning. He anticipated great hardships ahead. He even anticipated the possibility of death. Even so, he gave these very words to the Ephesian elders, making it very clear that the goal of his life was to finish the race and to complete the task the Lord had given him.

The primary goal of my life is to finish this same race. Paul had suffered a great deal in his ministry. He was persecuted and even beaten, and yet through all this he was able to sing praises, even while sitting in a jail cell. I don’t know what we would do if we were in his position. I know many Christians in China had similar experiences, and by God’s grace they were able to follow Paul’s example. When I think of them, I can’t help but feel that we Christians in America have things too easy. We don’t have severe persecution; we never feel truly vulnerable. But in both China and the Bible, there were many examples of peoples of faith having to confront adversity to the point of death.

Shortly after I became Christian I was deeply moved by the life of James Hudson Taylor. When he went to China for missions, he took his family with him. His daughter died there. He buried her and still continued on. He did the same for his other daughter. His philosophy was this: “If I had a thousand lives, China should have them. No! Not for China. Can we do too much for Him? Can we do enough for such a precious Saviour?” Like the Apostle Paul, he tasted the sweetness of the gospel and of God’s grace. There is nothing in this world that can compare. Mrs. Cowman was also so close to God. When she experienced God’s grace she began to talk to God as though they were lovers. Once we experience the goodness of God we are drawn to Him and are compelled to obey him. Both Paul and James Hudson Taylor prayed hard in crises. God sustained them and by his grace they moved forward.

Some of you asked me to re-consider when I agreed to preach today. I have not preached for a while and I have no idea how it will turn out. However, I trusted in God; so I prayed and now I am preaching. I am not worried, because I trust in God. Paul had no idea what would befall him in Jerusalem. However, he was not worried about his life. His goal was to complete what the Lord had entrusted to him. He never complained about the terrible things that happened to him. He also constantly experienced heaven because he was so close to God. Jail and persecution were nothing to him when compared to his Lord. I have never been thrown in jail, so I can only imagine what it is like. However, many Christians in China know it first hand. Yet they trusted in God, and even in all their suffering they were able to glorify Him. They know death is an end, but it is not their master.

After I became Christian and began to serve in church, I heard the message from this verse and then meditated on it myself. I made this verse the goal of my life and became God’s servant. I know my time is drawing near. I am at the end of my race. I am not saying I have raced as well as Paul, but I am not abashed to say I have done all I can do. I have made God’s work my first priority. My family was second. I know there were times when I disappointed my children because I tended more to church work.

People have asked me what my secret to leading a church is. I can’t think of any. I believe the most important thing in my ministry is to be close to God. If I am close to God, he will reveal His way in times of trial and tribulation. I have made risky decisions, but they all turned out to be part of God’s plan. You simply have to be close to God. This is not just a cliché or a slogan. This is not my ‘final word’. But it is certainly my important piece of advice to you: you have to walk closely to God daily, like Enoch did. Whenever I have to make a decision, I always put God first. I have His glory in my thoughts. Then I consider how my decision is going to impact my brothers and sisters in Christ. After all those, I will think of the financial impact on me. You might ask why I have to give my hard-earned money to God. I think the answer is very simple. All things come from God, and without Him you have nothing. What you have is His blessing. I believe forty years from now, long after I am gone, you will continue to hear messages like this by many of God’s servants. So don’t take it lightly. This is one of the many ways the Kingdom of God furthers its cause.

My second goal is to complete the tasks that God had given me. Even when Paul realized that once he went to Jerusalem he would not come back, he still focused on completing the task God entrusted him. All his life Paul had done many works for God. But how do we know what are God’s works, and how do we prioritize our tasks? In a church, ten people might have ten different ideas of what God’s works are. I believe that key to this confusion is to let my heart be transformed by God first. The old self is always the biggest problem in serving the Lord. Victor and Bob can attest to the fact that when I was younger, deacons suffered a lot from me due to my stubbornness. I became much better later, and was able to accommodate others’ ways. I also realized that no one person can decide everything.

Being transformed in heart is the fist step in completing Gods’ task. Some famous persons in history seemed influential at their time, like Hitler. But Hitler did not change the world. Only Jesus can change a person’s heart, and then change his or her life. Take me as an example. I was a rogue renegade when I was young, but Jesus changed me. I also read many testimonies about how God had changed people’s lives. One of our church members at FEC San Gabriel used to be the “King of gamblers”. Some of his games involved millions of dollars in gains and losses. He also led a sinful and reckless life. His life completely changed once he began to know Jesus. What many people had failed to do, the gospel had accomplished. Our gospel is a gospel power and change.

Romans 1:16 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” I have witnessed many cases of husbands and wives as well as mothers and daughter-in-laws, their relationships full of only bickering and petty anger, believe in God and completely change their hearts, bringing harmony and joy back into their families. God brings about these changes in two steps. First He reveals his high standards so we can see how we have fallen short. Then, He gives us the power to change. When we realize we are incapable of changing on our own, we pray to the Holy Spirit, who works in our hearts, changing us. The change that God brings about is enduring, not temporary. So if we have God in our hearts, we need to live it and be a testimony to our family, friends, and coworkers.

We evangelicals in America have highly educated, well-trained preachers who are well versed and speak God’s word skillfully, so it is understandable that people are persuaded by them. However, in some rural areas of China, most of God’s servants do not have that same level of sophistication. In fact, some of their sermons would seem quite rudimentary to us. But through God’s power they are able to turn millions of lives around and bring revival to churches. Of course, there are also many great teachers there.

We Christians in America are very blessed. We have good pastors, elders, and deacons that love the Lord. We should do our best to serve God and to bring His gospels to the non-believers so they can be saved. But what exactly are we saving non-believers from? We are saving them from sin, the greatest sin: not believing and trusting in God. Once they believe in God, their lives will be transformed. There were many instances in the past when a church member would come and tell me, “Don’t bother talking to so and so about God; he will never believe.” He went on to say, “Mentioning God to him will only get him upset.” I believe in God’s power. In my forty years of ministry, I never gave up on the wayward sheep. So I prayed for that person first, and then I visited him. That worked, most of the time. Our God is a God that answers prayer.

I don’t know how much time I have left. The goal of my life is like Paul’s: to consider my life worth nothing to me, so I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. This afternoon we will ordain Pastor Mongens. It is not merely a ceremony. To be a pastor is to make a commitment to God, to determine to finish the race and to complete His task. It is neither for fame nor for wealth. I am willing to give up my remaining time to serve my Lord.

This morning when I came to church, a sister offered me a cup of soup. I was very grateful, as it made me very happy. We pastors have gotten used to being everyone’s servant, and there is rarely any appreciation when we do our job. Well, you are an exception, as you are well-taught to love your pastor. Congregations do not have a habit of saying thanks to their pastor or taking him out for a treat. But a pastor is sure to be criticized when things are not going well.

My wish is that you to continue to love God. Before I got up here one of the coworkers offered me a chair. I told him I would rather stand the whole time. I will stand to preach as long as I am able to. I rejoice in being God’s servant. I never realized what a blessing it is. When I was contemplating becoming a pastor, someone told me to think twice about it, as it is “lots of hard work and very little appreciation”. But I have been richly blessed. I thank everyone for your encouragement. I pray that you will love your church more, love your pastor, and be holy. We know that God’s servant should be blameless and leave others with nothing to gossip about and to be Christ-like, but I am confident that even if I fail, you will forgive and accept me again.

May God bless you. That’s all for this morning. Thank you.