II. Introduction
2.1
The assignments and challenges left to the church and church members by the Pr. YM Incident
Now that Preacher YM Yang has been terminated by the IA and expelled from the IA EXCO organization, every member and worker needs to face this new reality and to quieten his or her heart so as to explore and meditate many questions, including:
1) what have we learnt from this unfortunate Incident? and
2) how should the church remember the lessons from this painful Incident so that the same mistakes are not repeated in future?
If we are able to do the above, the price that Preacher YM Yang has paid will not be in vain. It actually will become his greatest contribution to the church.
2.2
My faith in and assurance with regard to the future prospects of the true church. Since the TJC is the house of God, we ought to believe that God has His own special reasons for allowing the Pr. YM Incident to occur in the church, His household. As we try to understand why God has
1) brought such a great calamity upon His church,
2) permitted His people to experience this tribulation, and
3) allowed the church and her members to pass through this great and terrible desert.
We may draw some comfort and encouragement from the history of God’s chosen people, the Israelites, as described in the Old Testament, so that we are not overly pessimistic concerning the future of the church:
a. The church holy workers and chosen people of God (i.e. the church members) were not saints; they were also capable of doing wrong and offending God.
b. The extent of God’s people’s lack of reverence for Him and their rebelliousness against God may not have been any less serious than that of the Gentiles who did not know God.
c. When the people of God sinned, the upright and righteous God personally disciplined and struck them, even allowing them to be attacked, mocked and humiliated by the Gentiles. This sort of punishment continued until His people became aware of their sins, admitted their mistakes, repented before God and returned to His way.
d. It was only when the people of God had admitted their sins before Him, turned from their wrongful ways and returned to the right path that God led and blessed them once again.
e. When the people of God sinned against Him, what He abhorred most and what caused Him most sorrow was when His people, knowing that they had sinned against God, nevertheless tried to save face and continued to
-1) harden their hearts and refuse to repent,
-2) give all kinds of excuses and reasons to cover up their sins, and
-3) bear false witness against the whistle blowers and mislead those who were not aware of what was going on.
The God we worship is a God who listens to our prayers and is willing to forgive; as long as a person truly repents, God will save him.
Therefore, when the church reflects upon and examines itself, its members need to emulate God’s heart of love and mercy towards mankind, supporting one another in prayer and forgiving one another. For though I have done no wrong today, it does not guarantee that I will be more perfect or more pleasing to God tomorrow compared to a brother who has erred today.
May God guide and help us, that we may not be alarmed over the weakness of any given brother or holy worker who has sinned today, nor lose faith in the church.
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