Giving People a Chance, Giving the Holy Spirit His Place;
Listening to the Body, Bowing the Shoulder to Bear the Burden
Giving a Chance and Waiting
In 2003, when I was attending the full-time training, one of the classes was Brother Wu's. During the class, he suddenly called on me to stand and answer his question; but after I stood up, my mind went blank, I could not say a word at all, and I did not know what to do. If it had been me meeting such a situation, I would have quickly called on someone else to answer. But Brother Wu waited for several minutes, until at last he heard me say something like "I don't know how to answer," and only then did he tell me to sit down. This matter also left a deep impression on me—he did not at once tell me to sit down, but waited until I had spoken out my inability, and only then let me sit. What patience that was.
Giving the Holy Spirit His Place
At the end of February 2006, I was attending the all-Taiwan co-workers' training, and because eight brothers who came from Korea that year also attended the co-workers' training, I coordinated to do the interpreting. Around Wednesday afternoon, I unintentionally overheard the content of their chatting among themselves, in which they spoke of the matter of Brother Wu and Brother Lin Hong (林鴻) going to Korea on a trip. I thought this had nothing to do with me, so I did not ask in any detail about the itinerary.
At that time I was considering laying down the service and going to look for a job. In the process of praying to the Lord, the Lord called me again. Yet I, like Gideon, had no faith, and disputed with the Lord. I prayed to the Lord, saying, "O Lord! If You will let me follow Brother Wu and Brother Lin on a trip to Korea and come back, I will believe that You have called me to serve."
In the morning, while eating breakfast, I saw Brother Wu; without explaining to him the whole background, I said straightforwardly, "Brother Wu, the trip to Korea that starts tomorrow—I'd like to follow you along."
For a few seconds Brother Wu was dumbfounded, and then he actually answered, "I have no problem with it, but this trip is arranged by the brothers in Korea. Whatever the Korean brothers say, I say Amen!" Hearing his answer, and after fellowship, I went with him to Korea. At one open stretch in the trip, I asked him why he had agreed to so sudden a thing. He said, "I thought it was perhaps something initiated by the Holy Spirit, so I did not stand in the way."
This fellowship deepened still more my feeling about him. He did not look at whether the outward appearance was troublesome or not, but rather paid attention to the inward working of the Holy Spirit; he was a brother who left room for the Holy Spirit and was under the Holy Spirit's control.
Glad to Listen to the Body's Fellowship
About four years or more ago, the Korean brothers came to Taiwan to seek out Brother Wu and Brother Lin Hong for fellowship, and I served as interpreter. At times the Korean brothers would ask me to convey some content to Brother Wu, and when I made an appointment with him for fellowship, he never refused because of his own condition, but always arranged a time, willing to listen to the Body's fellowship. In those fellowships, I discovered that Brother Wu's measure was truly great. He could contact and listen to anyone, and speak out his feeling; he was a very open brother. From him I saw a pattern of one willing to listen to fellowship.
Bowing the Shoulder to Bear the Burden, Serving Personally
When attending an all-Taiwan conference or fellowship, I would arrive at Hall One in Taipei, and several times I saw Brother Wu there carrying books, box after box. Had he not done these things, no one would have said anything; yet he took the initiative, and gladly, to do the work with his own hands.