First Assembly worked together with an ethnic Myanmars group in our community for them to have a place of worship. It started June 1st and will run for three months before another evaluation made. The estimated number of Myanmars who will attend this weekly worship service at 3:30pm is about 300 people. Most of these Myamars are refuges.
When I went down from the main hall to car park on Sunday, my attention was drawn to the crowd just outside the church main gate. There were unusual huge crowds assembled at 2:45pm when I realize that these were the Myanmars. Some ruggedly dress while others are with long sleeves and tie. Still, many women are with children. A rough estimation would number them at least 80 people.
It really amazes me that these people are actually waiting for church service!
This scene triggered hundreds of thoughts in my heart as I took a 30mins drive home. Why these Myanmars came so early for service? How did so many of them get to know about the service in our church? Why 300 men, women and children still manage to get their way to First Assembly despite constant harassment from the police in their journey? And these questions led to more questions.
Today, I have yet to have any answers for all these questions looming in my head, but one fact remained – the Myanmars got to know about the service in our church and came early with great numbers despite the harassment from the authority.
It reminded me of the early church in the book of Acts harassed by the Roman government when they assemble at home and in temples, but yet the Bible says, “they grew in numbers”. It also reminded me of the persecuted churches in China that grew so rapidly.
Upon these, I really felt like Nehemiah. He wept for his nation when he heard about the devastation news of Jerusalem in ruin. He did not weep for the circumstances that they are in, but for the sins and the procrastination of the people living in the ruin.
I grew up in First Assembly since I’m 5 years old and never in my 25 years in this church have I seen such large number of people waiting to attend a Sunday Service. My heart was so immune to the fact that people still come late although our service starts at 11am, while other church flourished even though their service starts at 7am or 5pm on Sunday. I believe that only God knows as to why people still come late for service every Sunday.
However, the Scripture records that churches thrive when they are persecuted and it happens today when we look at China and Russia. People cherish the reading of the Word and the assembly of worship more. It seems that persecution is what it takes to have thriving churches.
A glance at the members of First Assembly would roughly estimate that they are from middle or lower middle class income. Many have a car (or more), a good job (with a good pay), a family; affording holidays every quarter of the year and is able to send their child for at least a decent education. God has been so good to the preceding faithful generation that the blessings flow to this generation.
However, are these blessings producing attitudes of gratitude and faithfulness? Perhaps the comforts that we have had made us content with live and with God. The book of Judges Chapter 2 records that it only takes one generation after Joshua’s leadership to forget all about what God has done and did evil in the eyes of the Lord by turning against Him.
Although it is a scary thought, but I never found the courage to pray for persecution to take place in First Assembly in order to our members to appreciate the Word of God and the assembly of worship more.
