• Bro. Zhanxiang Liu •
Serving in Various Localities
I am Sister Pingjun Chen-Chen, feeling it’s really an honor to make a testimony for brother Zhanxiang Liu in the Lord who has served in such localities as Taitung, Changhua, Lukang. Now the testimony is described as follows:
In Taitung
In the May of 1952, brother Liu came to Taitung to preach the gospel. At that year, my husband, brother Chun Chen was only 18 years old. After he attended the gospel meeting where brother Liu had preached the gospel, he really touched the Lord and sensed that there is a God in the universe. I also believed that many of my classmates at that meeting indeed had such kind of feeling. At that gospel meeting, brother Chun Chen was baptized, and later he brought some of his classmates to be baptized. Thank the Lord! Hallelujah, praise the Lord.
Changhua
From 1965 to1968, brother Zhanxiang Liu’s family moved to Changhua for serving, he established the whole family’s serving, the young people’s work, and the children’s work. In the beginning, when six people of brother Liu’s family came to Changhua, they lived a fairly hard life, yet he was faithful to labor and diligent to visit. The greatest burden He led the whole church was to perfect the saints’ family by family to raise up to serve the Lord. “As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.” This was the word he often talked about to exhort the saints. His footsteps extended across each saint’s home. The saints were raised up family by family to open their homes one after another and began the home meetings featuring the gospel preaching and feeding. Many homes were brought into the church service. Thus the number of the saints increased. Due to the caring of the “homes”, the perfecting of the children and the people in the saints’ home has become an urgent need.
First, brother Liu began from his own children and brother Xiangcan Guo’s children the perfecting of the young people. The young people in these two families number of over 10. Therefore, every Saturday evening, the young people’s meeting took place. By the Lord’s blessing, gradually more people attended, and the regular attendees of the young people’s meeting had reached the number of 50 or 60. This stage is the most prosperous stage of the young people’s service in Changhua.
Brother Liu’s wife, sister Liu was as quiet as Mary in her spirit, yet she was full of burden for the children’s work, and the sisters also see eye to eye to love serving children. At 3 p.m. on every Lord’s day, sister Liu called the children to join the meeting. And the sisters also received the burden to bring the children in home or in the neighborhood to the meeting hall. To the sisters in remote areas, they hired a taxi to pick up the children. Everyone spent their money and effort with one accord for the children’s work. Hence, the number of regular attendees in the children’s meeting was often up to sixty or seventy. After these children grew up, many stayed in the churches of every locality to function.
Brother Liu actively perfected the saints, and diligently visited the saints at their homes, he left his footprints even in the saints’ homes in nearby towns like Lukang , Miaoli. Brother Liu have been commissioned by brother Xiangze Chang for many times to help the Church in Miaoli. As to brother Liu’s wife, she was full of love. If something has happened to brothers and sisters, she would be always the first to arrive at their homes. Her love and her serving spirit were really touching. Their serving in Changhua for three years has inspired many brothers and sisters. They have left a good example.
In Lukang
During Brother Zhanxiang Liu’s 3-year service in Changhua, he also had visited our family. Brother Liu’s zealous spirit, persevering love, and laboring in faith really perfected us. In those years Brother Chen was a weak brother, he did not participate in the prayer meeting in Changhua (At that time the church in Lukang has not yet been established), I was the only one to attend that meeting. At the beginning of the prayer meeting, the brothers would choose some Bible verses to stir up our spirit so that we have a flourishing and exalted spirit flourish to pray together more strongly and more powerfully and more became one in the spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit and God’s hearing that the prayer has brought down has caused God’s economy to move forward much more. Two Bible verses that I can never enjoy exhaustively were Lev. 6:12: “And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it must not go out.” And Rom. 12: 11: “Do not be slothful in zeal, but be burning in spirit, serving the Lord.” These two verses were the word that brother Liu led us to recite. Today they have become my main motivating power to serve the Lord. When I became weak and backslid, these words occurred to my mind, causing me to immediately return to my spirit, “serving the Lord”. Brother Liu had even ridden a bicycle from Lukang to Changhua to visit our family. At that time, my child was little, I also need to work. When brother Liu saw that I was really tired, he found a veteran, a brother in the Lord to be a babysitter to care for our child that we may feel at ease to work and have strength to attend the meeting. Thank the Lord! Never will I forget his meticulous love and sweaty face.
Through Brother Liu’s laboring to care for our family for three years, when we left Changhua, brother Chun Chen has been recovered to participate in the normal meetings and service, and gradually the Church in Lukang and the Church in Fuxing church had been established so that God had a habitation to dwell in and both God and man had the satisfaction. Today we can love the Lord and serve the Lord, it is really ascribed to the issue that brother Liu’s planting and labor had produced. Today from God, here comes the harvest. Praise the Lord! How glorious! To God be the glory forever and ever.
Sister Pingjun Chen-Chen
November 17, 2015