牧者心聲
踐行植堂的使命
譚廣海牧師
2025 年 2 月 8 日 /9 日
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歲首之際，我為北宣家摯誠的祝願：願神賜給我們基督的智慧與身量，讓神和人喜愛我們的心都一同增添（路二52）。
隨著年歲增加，我們會期待擁有理想的身高體型，各器官都能有效運作，心智情感也有健康的發展。我們的信仰生命若要像基督一樣得著智慧，就要學效祂敬畏神，成為認識至聖者的人（路二40；箴九10），這就是在聖殿裡的教師對主耶穌的提問、聰明和應對感到驚奇的原因（路二46-47）。感謝神，祂藉著基督為我們帶來智慧、公義、聖潔及救贖（林前一30），為此我們應當踐行「傳揚福音、領人歸主及建立教會」的教導，表明教會是在天父家裡、遵從神吩咐使萬民作主門徒的群體。
北宣開堂至今的70多年裡，我們拓植建立的教會共有25間。在上世紀八十年代，前堂主任滕近輝牧師於擔任區聯會主席期間，為香港宣道會撰寫十年增長計劃書，鼓勵各堂會在不同區域開展植堂事工。及後至今的40年，北宣差遣數以百計的弟兄姊妹在各區展開植堂事奉，為不同的年齡群體、學生、婦女、基層人士及新來港移居者建立教會生活，並提供生命教育及社區服務。在多年拓植教會的過程中，神給我們體認四方面的學習：1.立志廣傳福音，為神得著未得之民；2.禱求靈命進深，效法基督牧養生命；3.事奉生命見證，按主聖召發揮恩賜；4.建立運作體制，有效善用分享資源。
主耶穌呼籲我們不但要為差遣工人前往福音禾場祈禱，更要前往各城各鄉察看，帶領心靈流離困苦的未信者歸入基督的國度（太九35-36；西一13-14）。三年前的宣道會教牧同工退修會中，神提醒香港的宣道會要留意新來港人士的福音需要，他們當中多是未曾聽聞福音、未蒙基督恩惠的人。為此，北宣於去年底落實聘請儲備植堂的教牧同工，又在年初一崇拜中為新來港人士的佈道植堂事工收集奉獻，為植立新堂作預備。北宣家踐行植堂使命，並不是要炫耀資源人才的雄厚，卻是要遵行神的心意，凡事上展現與基督福音相稱的行動（腓一27）。在此誠意邀請弟兄姊妹，在踐行教會植堂使命的路上同心同行。願神勵勉和加力，導引我們再次為基督的國度擴張帳幕之地，伸展居所的幔子，放長繩子，堅固橛子（賽五十四2-3）。
At the beginning of this new year, I sincerely extend my blessings to the NPAC family: May God grant us the wisdom and stature of Christ, so that we may grow in favor with both God and man (Luke 2:52).
As we grow older, we naturally desire an ideal height and physique, with our organs functioning effectively and our mental and emotional well-being developing healthily. If our spiritual lives are to attain the wisdom of Christ, we must follow His example in revering God and becoming those who know the Holy One (Luke 2:40; Proverbs 9:10). This is why the teachers in the temple were amazed by Jesus' questions, understanding and answers (Luke 2:46-47). Thanks be to God, He has brought us wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption through Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). Because of this, we must actively fulfill the teaching: "Proclaim the gospel, lead people to Christ, and establish the church," demonstrating that the church is a community in the Heavenly Father's house which obeys His command to make disciples of all nations.
Over the past 70 years since the NPAC was founded, we have planted 25 churches. In the 1980s, our former Senior Pastor, Rev. Philip Teng, while serving as the Chairperson of the Christian & Missionary Church Union Hong Kong, drew up a ten-year growth plan for C&MA Hong Kong. The plan encouraged member churches to initiate church planting efforts in various districts. During the past 40 years, NPAC has sent out hundreds of brothers and sisters to serve in church planting ministries in different districts to establish church communities and provide life education and community services for various age groups, students, women, the grassroots, and new immigrants to Hong Kong. In the process of planting churches all these years, God has given us four aspects of learning: 1. Be committed to spreading the gospel widely and win the unreached for God; 2. Pray for deeper spiritual life and imitate Christ in shepherding lives; 3. Bear witness through a life of service using gifts in response to God's calling; and 4. Establish effective operational structures to utilize and share resources effectively.
The Lord Jesus not only calls us to pray for workers to be sent to the harvest field but also to go into towns and villages to seek out those who are lost and weary and lead them into the Kingdom of Christ (Matthew 9:35-36; Colossians 1:13-14). During the retreat for C&MA pastors three years ago, God reminded C&MA Hong Kong to pay attention to the gospel needs of the new immigrants to Hong Kong. Many among them have never heard the gospel or received the grace of Christ. In response, at the end of last year, NPAC hired pastoral staff for future church planting. At the Chinese New Year Worship Service, we also collected offerings for the ministry of evangelism and church planting among new immigrants in preparation for planting new churches. The NPAC family's fulfilment of the mission of church planting has nothing to do with boasting about abundant resources or manpower. Rather, it is about faithfully following God's will and living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27). I sincerely invite brothers and sisters to walk together in unity on the path of fulfilling the mission of church planting. May God encourage and strengthen us, guiding us once again to enlarge the place of the tent of the Kingdom of Christ, stretch the tent curtains wide, lengthen the cords, and strengthen the stakes (Isaiah 54:2-3).
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