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十架归路 (The Road of the Cross) |Media #5|

Updated: Oct 20, 2022


Last night, I heard my Senior Pastor sharing about his upbringing and how it shaped him to be who he was. He grew up in the town of Xiamen and migrated over to Indonesia when he was little. During this time, the Mother raised their family as a single mother who worked relentlessly. The Mother soon met a old 60 year Old Lady who kept on evangelizing her. The Old Lady was kind and always told her to believe in Jesus day after day. The Mother soon grew tired of hearing the same thing and hated the lady for pestering her, yet concurrently she respected this lady so much. Why did she respect a person she hated? Mainly because off the Old Lady’s determination and kindness. She soon asked herself— who is this Jesus Christ? and why is this Old Lady spending so much time and effort in telling her about Jesus?… After some time she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior and it really changed her life. One such change came in their weekly family fellowship.


The Mother would always sing the song: 另一天为上帝工作 (Lìng yītiān wéi shàngdì gōngzuò). Which roughly translates to "One More Day’s Work for God." The Mother would sing this song to remind herself that today is another day, another blessing, to work hard for the Lord and to give her best for God. . .


My Senior Pastor (almost in tears) shared how his Mother really inspired the family to know Christ and that this single act of evangelism by this unnamed Old Lady shifted a course in the lives of their family. Through this blessing, my Senior Pastor eventually came to knew Christ and became who he is today. He reminded us:

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17 🌍📖👑

Seeking out the world looks good and all, but it is actually temporary and fleeting. A full life is a life to seek out His Will for our lives. To glorify Him and to enjoy Him. Over the course off the conference I happened to listen to this song:

"十架归路 (The Road of the Cross)"


The love that my soul hunger for, the return to the path of the Cross,

The age of fire urged me to leave, and I should n’t let it go a little bit, I believe that the blood of the Cross is my only way back,

I believe that the blood of the Cross is my only way back.

This return road is sore and painful, cloudy and foggy,

After being weak and dry, with tears and bruises,

But the Lord ’s merciful hands often help and leaded me, he helps me to press on and advance,

And the Lord's merciful hands always help me to go on, moving forward and not turn back. .

I would rather choose ten fold the pains, rather than choose an easy and peaceful Road,

I would rather bleed in the Qing Dynasty road rather than be born in an easy peaceful land.


I rather be humiliated with the Cross, and suffer with the Lord in the cup,

To suffer the insult of the Cross and to taste the suffering with the Lord.

The return journey of the Cross was a long journey,

There are blood, tears and battles, windy, rainy and dangerous,

Blood has been martyred for thousands of years, flowing out on this road.

The blood of martyrdom has flowed out on this road for thousands of years.


Refrain:

Follow the Lord to Gethsemane,

Follow the Lord to Calvary territory;

Finally enter the hometown forever,

Where there is no more sorrow, darkness or clouds...

 

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

—Revelation 21:4—

 

Listening to all this really softened my heart, I never knew how much Christ is working throughout my Senior Pastor’s life. He always reminded us of doing the impossible. That Christ is working out the mission impossible. His testimony inspired me to write this post and to share it—When was the last time I evangelized to my family & friends? Has my life become a witness of Christ? What is stopping me to reach out to others around me?


Dear Jesus, thank you for the inspiring sermon. Please help use my life to do Your Will to live a full life for You. I know all too well that I am not able, I know all too well it is going to be a much harder road ahead. But only by Your grace and providence that I am able too. Please guide me with Your Holy Spirit to not do my will but Your will be done. Please help use me wherever I am right now to be a beacon of Your blessing. To do what I can right now and not always think about what I can do later. Please help me to firstly love You with all my heart, soul, and mind. And secondly to love others as myself. Burn my soul with the fires of evangelism. To have the courage to do what's right in the midst of it all. Amen.

 

Reflection

Dear Lord, it has been roughly 646 days. How time flies and yet how Your grace avails through it all...🕊️

To reflect, this week has been a battle. I felt far away from You Lord. Unknowing that all my stress has accumulated and bottlenecked my spirit. In that time, I distanced myself and instinctively rejected You. And yet through all this time You were working Lord in unimaginable ways.. Thank You Father for giving me grace once more. When I was listening to this song, I started to remember. That moment where I sang 十架归路 (The Road of the Cross), how the lyrics unraveled my heart. What is this unfathomable peace and serenity? I heed not, I know not. How tears just flowed out 😭 in response. I have sinned O Lord...! I. Have. Sinned. So much... In that unspeakable moment my mind ran ablaze. A seemingly instantaneous surge off flashbacks coursed through. Reminding me off this:



The Mother would always sing the song: 另一天为上帝工作 (Lìng yītiān wéi shàngdì gōngzuò). Which roughly translates to "One More Day’s Work for God." The Mother would sing this song to remind herself that today is another day, another blessing, to work hard for the Lord and to give her best for God. . .



Lord, please forgive me in complaining about my life. In asking return to Heaven all the time. For undermining Your grace in my life. Please forgive me for abusing my time, body, and resources. How the Mother would have wished for another day to work hard for You... how my Dad who loved You very much would have asked for the very same thing. Lord, I realize more now how my Road to the Cross is rugged. It is painful, cloudy, and foggy. It tears me up and bruises me to the point of weakness. Yet it is also my only way back.


Thank You for reminding me that when I accepted Jesus, I didn't accept only apart off Him. I knew that this path will be ten folds the pain, it will be bloody like the Qing Dynasty rather a peaceful land. I will be humiliated and suffer the insults waiting for me... There will be blood, tears, battles. And even martyrdom awaiting. And yet. Through it all, please help me Lord to take up my cross and follow Jesus..

And most importantly, humble me Lord. Just like You did towards Your beloved Israel. Who in their arrogance became the self-righteous men and forgotten about the LORD. And in Your righteousness Father, You reminded them and they rejected, You warned them and they provoked You, You punish them and they rebelled. Culminating to the destruction off Israel from Babylon. In Your just and holy wrath You have left a remnant:

Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. Ezekiel 17:22-23 🌱🌳🍎

Lord, thank You for rebuking and disciplining me. As I continue to grow older,.. please wrestle and fight my ego. Contend with me and cleanse me off my transgressions just as You did towards Israel. I know how I started low in life, yet You have brought me to a high(er) lofty mountain. And one day when I feel prideful and high, please bring me low once more. To know that my fate is in Your hands is reassuring. As Ezekiel ends:

Thank You Jesus for my Road of the Cross in which You started. As I progress, please help me as I bear my own cross as You did too. And give me hope in Your covenantal promise. That one day You will wipe away every tear, death will be no more, nor mourning, crying or pain, as the former things has passed. And in that hope I rest 😌… In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

 

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

—Revelation 21:4—

 

Updated on:

September 9, 2019 | June 19, 2021 | October 20, 2022


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