Philippians 3:13-14

May we become the vessel for God to fulfil what He has set out to do through us.

Besides the faith story of a sister from Liu Village shared last week, I would also like to share with you today, the faith of a brother who has left a lasting impression on me. After graduating from Nanyang University, Brother Jian Jiping, a Singaporean, became a Chinese teacher. When he retired at the age of 60, he told God that he would like to continue serving Him. Through God’s leading, he found out about the needs of Liu Village, a village situated on a mountain in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. Without hesitation, he made his way to the village.

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Imagine village life in the early 90’s, most if not all the villagers were poor, and their life was hard. Basic facilities were undeveloped or underdeveloped – no proper roads, mostly dirt tracks. On rainy days, it was difficult to walk along those tracks. I still remember my first trip to Liu Village with a group of brothers and sisters from the Mandarin Congregation. It took us several hours of driving to reach the foot of the mountain, and another hour or so of bumpy ride up the mountain through the winding mountain tracks.

Brother Jiping dedicated his life to serve God and His people. Besides serving the villagers personally, he also roped in the support of Nanyang University’s Alumni Fellowship which he is a part of. Through close collaboration between the Alumni Fellowship and Liu Village Church, three kindergartens have been set up, and various efforts have been made to meet the villagers’ spiritual and physical needs. As a result of Brother Jiping’s faithfulness, the Alumni Fellowship’s active involvement, and Liu Village Church’s zeal in sharing the gospel, churches have been established in different ethnic minority villages in that region. Today, almost every village has a local church.
Dear brothers and sisters, we may be ordinary people, but when we have faith in God and are willing to serve Him, we can do extraordinary things for Him. May we become the vessel for God to fulfil what He has set out to do through us.

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)