Shepherd the Lord’s Sheep

        Thankfully, I had studied in a Catholic School since childhood, which gave me the opportunity to listen to Bible stories. When I was a child, I had a simple faith that there is a Creator God in this world. I had also heard stories about Jesus’ salvation, which made me desire to know more about God. Unfortunately, I did not have any Christian friends and so I lacked the chance to understand Him better in my personal life. It was not until I became a secondary school student that God led me to a devoted Christian teacher, who shared the gospel and went to church with me. Finally, I was converted at a gospel rally and became a Christian at the age of 15, and began developing my personal relationship with God and stable church life.

The Calling: Shepherd the Lives of Many

        One year or so after I became a Christian, God called me to become a full-time servant of His through a message during a Sunday service. At that time, the speaker talked about Jesus’ calling people to follow Him as disciples in Luke 5. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (Lk 5:10). The people pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed Jesus. Jesus’ calling of Peter touched me deeply. Clearly, I knew God not only called me to be His disciple but also to become a full-time pastor ministering to a church and shepherding the lives of more people by proclaiming God’s Word and teaching about Him in this time and age. I still remember that when the pastor “counseled” me, who was just a secondary school student, he encouraged me to know God by reading the Bible seriously and learning to serve in a church community. I then became determined to know God better and began to take up different roles at the church to serve God.

Stepping Forward: Seek and Save the Lost Ones

        After graduating from secondary school, the calling still lingered in my heart. More importantly, I experienced God’s unceasing guidance on me. Our church minister invited me to join the first Trans-World Chinese Baptist Youth Mission Conference held in Hong Kong. During the Conference, God encouraged me again by showing me His will toward the world. At that time, I prayed, “Lord! I hope I can see your calling and guidance more clearly in the university and that I have a group of companions walking with me in faith.” Thank God for answering my prayer. At the university, under His guidance, I joined the spiritual movements organized by the Hong Kong Campus Crusade for Christ. During the few years, I learned how to pray, how to be a witness for God by leaning on the Holy Spirit, and how to nurture “multiplying disciples”; God also let me take part in various local and overseas mission trips, which broadened my vision about missionary work and serving God. Torn between responding to God’s vocation and taking up social work as my dream job, I realized that I had a stronger yearning for seeking and saving the lost ones for God in this time and age as God let me see the poverty, fragility, and loss of direction in the souls of university students. Upon graduation, I joined the Hong Kong Campus Crusade for Christ, which was the first step I took toward a full-time ministry. In the past few years, I served on the frontline on campuses and experienced God’s grace in support of the trivial service I offered. In particular, God kept expanding the territory of my service in the past three years. On the path of walking with tertiary students, I insisted on witnessing God, in season and out of season, which also challenged me to continue with all my effort to seek growth through Christ.

Going Deeper: Get Equipped with Theological Training

        In 2022, the sixth year of my full-time ministry, I realized that God was preparing me, step by step, to become an evangelist for these times. The past three years have been filled with changes. God urged me to enter theological studies by means of various experiences. First, I studied an evening program for the Master of Arts in Christian Studies at HKBTS in August 2020. This gave me a first taste of the lives of theological students. During the process, I came to know brothers and sisters from different churches and studied God’s Word more systemically. I also learned how to put my faith into practice in my life. All these were very beneficial to my life. Second, in October 2021, I joined in person the Full-time Ministry Experiential Day Camp organized by HKBTS. I arrived at the Sai O Campus even under the Black Rainstorm Warning. After some time of seeking God, I became reaffirmed that the calling to become a church minister came from God—all of a sudden, I realized the calling of shepherding lives had always been there in my heart. Third, the departure of the minister in my own church made me see more of the church’s pastoral needs. For about a year, I had been helping the church by serving in the Sunday School and giving sermons. God seemed to be using these experiences as my “internship.” The more time I spent on serving God, the more I realized my own inadequacies and the need for God’s servants to receive systematic and comprehensive training in theology so that they may be prepared to be used by the Lord any time.

        While trying to balance my service on the campuses and at the church, I lacked contentment. Because time was limited, I had unknowingly let go of many opportunities to walk with people and build up others’ lives. Yet, the determination to build up the church persisted in my heart. I understand that God is guiding me to become a church minister at this moment. I hope that I will become a pastor who is faithful to the Holy Word during this chaotic era and shepherds His sheep and brings up more people to become disciples who follow the Lord truly.