Day 24 - Psalm 116:1-19

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. - Psalm 116:1


That's a picture of the sister in our small group who was baptized this past Saturday. It was awesome to listen to her testimony and to meet many of the people whom God had used to plant the seeds of the gospel into her heart over the past five years.

I guess I'm still glowing from this past weekend...the conviction that the Lord has laid prominently in my heart is the amazing truth that Jesus Christ sought us out, saved us, and continues to carry us through our journeys on earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power that transforms sinners into the redeemed people of God; and this reality is what ought to compel us to share it with others...and as it transforms our friends and family members and even strangers around us...and as we see Jesus' work in others, it reinforces even further the power of the gospel...and it goes on and on, fueling this passion even hotter.

This psalm is a heartfelt response to the Lord's grace and salvation in this person's life. A noticed a couple of things from this psalm. First, it's very personal. His experience before salvation is very clearly described (see v. 3) and his experience of the Lord delivering him is dramatic (see vv. 4-5). His words emote passion! Second, it is communicative. He's testifying to the saving work of the Lord in his life so that others might know too. He stands before the people to offer sacrifices of praise and vows of commitment to the Lord (see vv. 17-19).

How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. - Psalm 116:12-13


I'll end this post with a testimony from Stephen Suryo, a brother in Christ who was a part of HMCC several years ago. He now lives in Singapore, working as an Information Technology Consultant. That's him in the picture with Jackson Ye (a current HMCC member). It's another story of God saving him and still working through him.

I was not actually aware of the Destiny Campaign till the day I received a Facebook invitation to join the “40 Days to Destiny” group (the power of Facebook! Ha!). As I was watching at the video and listening to P. Seth’s sermon, I was greatly reminded of God’s faithfulness to HMCC over the past few years and to me personally during my stay in the States. Participating in the Destiny Campaign thousands of miles away from Ann Arbor has indeed been very exciting and refreshing at the same time!

One of the most memorable locations for me was Medical Science Auditorium (we used to hold Sunday Celebration here during Spring/Summer semester). There I attended HMCC gathering for the very first time through the invitation of friends. I remember clearly I was very moved by the worship songs that I actually never heard before as well as the wonderful passion that the people had for God. I left the service knowing that I needed something big and eternal in life (Ecclesiastes 3:11). To cut a very long story short, I accepted Christ in the Fall of 1999 and got baptized the following semester. Praise God!

Being in Singapore now and having been here for almost two years have somehow allowed me to establish greater and stronger networks with other HMCC international students who are also now back in Asia. Some of us still have constant communications with each other despite the fact that we are no longer in Ann Arbor and are located in different countries in Asia. It’s been very great! We are praying for HMCC and we are looking forward to seeing God’s power manifested through this church.

And you know what? I want to see more! Let's pray that as we move forward in our church's vision, we all witness the power of the gospel more in our lives!