hope in the void

Letter from Xiaotaozi and Xiaolizi on January 1, 2015

The evangelist said: "Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, all things are vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2) What kind of life can reflect the truth of this statement? Only when we live in this city can we better understand the meaning of the preacher's words.

Shanghai is an international metropolis. According to the 2013 census, it has a permanent population of 24 million and a city area of 6,340 square kilometers. On a land area of only 17% of Taiwan (Taiwan’s area is 36,192 square kilometers), there are more people living in it than in the whole of Taiwan. What kind of big city is this with a million people? What can people find in the busy ant-like time and space?

Materialistic urban jungle

Like developed cities in mainland China, is this an extremely materialistic society? Are people's beliefs equated with money worship? Is it all about how to make money? For young people, Shanghai is full of opportunities; the pace of life here is extremely fast, and just twelve subway lines carry more migrant workers every day than the 5.2 million people in Greater Houston (Houston) in the United States. According to Baidu statistics, on November 7, 2014, the single-day passenger flow of Shanghai's subways exceeded 9.6 million (at its peak, people could only stand upright like zombies), which is almost equivalent to every person in Greater Houston taking the subway to and from get off work once.

People living in this big city, in order to own houses and cars, get married and start a family. In order to solve the pressure of work and survival, young people fight for their youth, and middle-aged people fight for their health; only retired aunts and uncles, In order to pick up the lost youth, I rush to the square every day to dance the aunt dance.

Crazy online shopping also reflects the common material pursuits of the mainland people. On this year’s Singles’ Day (November 11) in mainland China, sales on Taobao and Tmall alone reached 57.1 billion yuan. The pursuit of material things eventually led to another round of madness, with sales ranging from 19.1 billion on Singles' Day in 2012, to more than 30 billion in 2013, to 57.1 billion this year, with an average of 40 yuan spent by each of the 1.4 billion Chinese people on that day. When the crazy online shopping is completed and the material enjoyment of the purchase is finished, what is left?

Corruption is a pervasive problem

What can support a country? Is it money? Is it the country’s GDP? Or is it the belief in human hearts that transcends material pursuits? After more than sixty years of red education in mainland China, today all citizens have a materialistic pursuit. The current anti-corruption campaign, whether it is flies or tigers (President Xi requires that both must be fought together), the amount of corruption they embezzle is more than the corrupt person himself can spend in his lifetime, and it is completely beyond the amount of money that people can enjoy. An example that comes readily to mind is the discovery of hundreds of millions of yuan in cash from the home of the deputy director of the Coal Department of the National Energy Administration, with a total weight of one ton of hundred-yuan bills. When corrupt officials are imprisoned, what does the money mean to them?

Without faith, what is the difference between the quality of life of humans and animals? If there is no knowledge of God, how can one be in awe of God? How can man's sins be washed away without the precious blood of Jesus? To solve these problems, I think we all know the answer, which is to follow the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus: "Go and make disciples of all nations."

Seize the time and dedicate it to the Lord

Seeing the needs of the mainland, I also saw the mission of becoming a full-time preacher, and I also thought about where we should effectively devote the rest of our lives, so that we will not end up becoming "vanity of vanity." After many exchanges and prayers with our mother church and mission agencies, we decided to take a step of faith, put down our full-time jobs, and serve the Lord and the people full-time.

On the last day of 2014, we left this "materialistic" urban jungle and headed towards the service factory. On the high-speed train, God gave us Isaiah 52:11-12: "Departure! Departure! Come out of Babylon, and do not touch anything unclean; come out of it... you will come out when you come out." Do not be hasty or flee, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your backstop." The three words "must" in the scripture fill our hearts with special peace, knowing and knowing that God is with us. God is our backing, caring for and supplying all our needs!

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, more than two months ago, when we took this step by faith, God’s provision came to us through you. When we decided to give up our jobs and serve full-time, we also struggled in our hearts. If we quit our jobs, we would not be able to support ourselves, and there would be no salary for serving here. Thinking about the next few decades, will there be living expenses? I'm sick, can I afford medical treatment?

▲At 23:35 before the New Year’s Eve bell rang, a tragedy occurred in the Shanghai Bund. The lives of 36 young people came to an end during the New Year’s Eve carnival! We must devote the rest of our lives to the Lord as early as possible, so that we will not end up becoming "vanity of vanity."

Reflections on the Shanghai Bund Tragedy

Let you see how Father God answered us! The day after I resigned, I received an email from a brother who had donated money to us a year ago. This time, in addition to greetings, he also confirmed our mainland bank account number. When we are willing to take the first step, God’s provision will arrive later; when the moving company packs and moves our belongings, there is no turning back. The next day, the donation from this brother’s family will arrive in our account. . Just like Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River, for us, faith means that we take the first step and God’s provision immediately catches up; we can only fall down and worship and praise God. It is Him who allows us to experience Him again His faithfulness and love allow us to leave with gratitude and embark on our mission!

In 25 minutes, it will be 2015. At 23:35 before the New Year’s Eve bell rang, a tragedy occurred on the Bund in Shanghai. 36 people, mostly students, lost their precious lives in the stampede. Young people Life comes to an end during the New Year’s Eve carnival! What exactly did the carnival bring to these 36 families?

"Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, everything is vanity." A life that does not know God will end in vanity! Remember the Lord who created us, fear God, and keep His commandments. This is our duty and the foundation of our hope! Standing at the beginning of January 1, 2015, let us think together, what will our lives be like? May the God of peace go before each of us, and may the God of Israel be our backing. In the new year, we may draw closer to God and follow our Lord Jesus Christ closely.

Author profile
The author and his wife are alumni of the Pennsylvania KRC Cultural Camp and are currently doing missionary work in Asia.