Better Than Being Made Sworn Brothers Is Being Brothers Indeed
The day before yesterday, in our small-group meeting, a sister mentioned Hymn No. 339: "Lord, take my life and let it be / consecrated wholly unto Thee; / take my days, take every hour, / use them ever, evermore." We all remember that this was sung in the year we took our college entrance examinations, when we consecrated ourselves to the Lord. Not only did we sing it together while studying and preparing for the examinations at Hall Six, but we also sang it together in the meetings, declaring to all the saints that we would consecrate our whole lives to the Lord. That scene is still vivid before my eyes to this day, and I cannot forget it.
I still remember that, back then, you, Tiecheng, and I, because we were always together, were young people who did not know what spiritual coordination was; our affection was deep, and we wanted to imitate the sworn brotherhood of the Peach Garden and become sworn brothers. But one word from Big Sister Wu awakened us: "Are you not already spiritual brothers in the Lord? Why then would you want to become worldly sworn brothers?" This word opened up our spiritual understanding. We realized that we are those who belong to the Lord, that we are spiritual brothers, and that we ought all the more to be perfected, to become vessels of God, fit for God's use. Worldly affection will all pass away, and may even change in nature, but the mutual love of spiritual brothers remains unchanged for eternity.
I still remember that, in our junior year of college, you played rugby and represented National Taiwan Normal University in a competition in Tokyo. In those days it was so difficult to travel abroad; entrusted by relatives and friends, you bought bags upon bags of gifts in Tokyo and brought them back box by box. You also brought back for me a sky-blue windbreaker. Thinking of it now—you were then no more than a young man, yet you did not fear the trouble, and you spent so much time and gave your full strength to attend to the need of every person. Youcheng, from your youth until now, you have lived a life of giving your all for others, a life without self. In the end, when you departed, it was also for the sake of service, for the sake of the Lord's church, without the slightest planning for yourself.
Youcheng, we have far too many memories of you, more than can be fully told. Although later I went abroad to Canada, and there was a church in Montreal, it seems that in the 1980s you never came to Montreal, because in the early years you were teaching, and later you served full-time and had no opportunity. But I remember that in 1995 you led a team of saints from Taiwan to visit us, giving us tremendous encouragement. The next year we too purchased a new meeting hall, and the church gradually increased. After that, you and some of the co-workers from Taiwan also came to visit and to stir us up from time to time. Then later, when the storm broke out in the Great Lakes region and we were deeply affected by it, you still brought the brothers to visit us. I remember it was a bitter cold of ten degrees below zero, and within ten hours sixty-four centimeters of snow had fallen. You had neither a snow coat nor snow boots, yet you still trudged through it together with us, attending the fellowship meeting, so that the saints might understand the truth of the situation. That fellowship meeting laid the foundation for the church in Montreal to hold to the testimony of the Lord's recovery.
On the sixth of January this year, the sister and I came to Taipei and had the opportunity to meet with you. You testified to us of how you received grace last year, telling it in a truly vivid and wonderful way, speaking of how, even though your heartbeat had stopped, God's marvelous healing brought you back to life again. Your complexion and spirit were quite good then, and I too gave thanks and praise for you, ascribing the glory to the Lord—little knowing that that meeting would turn out to be the last time we would see each other!
Youcheng, we owe you too much, more than can be fully expressed. You have now overcome and are resting in the Lord's bosom. We deeply hope that we who still remain on earth will take you as our pattern and, for the sake of the Lord and His church, lay down the rest of our lives, consecrating ourselves wholly to Him. Amen.