牧者心聲

最近與一位 80 歲的長者到食肆佈道。她曾參加過佈道訓練，知道在食肆佈道要懂得選位，讓自己可向左邊或右邊的客人傳福音。當天食客眾多，我們選了一張已有客人同坐的桌子，既不突兀，也不妨礙他人。

坐下後，我先去買食物——不能只坐不吃，免令店家有損失，也避免讓人懷疑動機。我回來時，發現長者已和同桌的一位女士打開了話匣子。原來她們是同鄉，都是上海人，一開口互聽口音便知道，因此倍感親切。她們從家鄉的見聞談起，到多久沒有回去，再說到是否住在附近。長者很自然地分享到自己參加教會活動的經歷，表示教會就在附近，並慢慢說起為何信耶穌。對方雖表示自己信佛，但並不抗拒繼續聽。我在旁不時插上一兩句，也分享到我媽媽以前也拜神，後來卻信了主。她說說，我們又說說，大家互相分享、互相尊重，談話一直持續。最後，我們送上福音單張，簡介了福音內容，求神讓福音的種子落在這位女士心中，早日開花結果。

這次佈道是去年一次佈道訓練後的延續，我們一直繼續每月一次出隊。藉著恆常的外出佈道，希望能保持參加者對佈道的熱誠，也不斷操練技巧。有時傳福音的操練，就像學游泳一樣，需要持續磨練，才能保持敏銳，不會「生鏽」。這也是許多上過佈道訓練的姊妹們的共同感受。

其實，佈道並無年齡限制。主耶穌吩咐「去，使萬民作我的門徒」時，並沒有豁免長者，每一位信徒都已領受成為福音使者的使命。或許我們以為長者行動不便、聽力有限，但他們也有優勢——更容易與人攀談，也較易得到陌生人信任。若以真誠和愛心與人交流，便不用怕被拒絕。其實，人拒絕的不是我們，而是神的福音。要知道，我們未信時，也曾因不認識而覺得信耶穌的人很「煩」，覺得他們常要勉強人信主。但當我們親身經歷過福音的好處，得著神的恩典，自然也會希望別人能同得這份祝福。求主加添力量，讓我們勇敢向親友，甚至陌生人傳揚福音。

明年1月至3月，長者科將聯同成年科及小組科舉辦日間佈道訓練，並安排至少三次出隊實習。盼望你也能成為其中一員，讓我們一同去傳福音吧！

Recently, I went to a restaurant with an 80-year-old sister to share the gospel. She had previously attended evangelism training and knew that when witnessing in restaurants, it is important to choose appropriate seats that would allow us to share the gospel with guests sitting on our left or right. That day, the restaurant was quite full, so we chose a table where other guests were already seated. It would neither make us stand out nor bother others.

After sitting down, I went to buy food first – one should not just sit without ordering, so as not to cause any loss to the restaurant or make others question our motives. When I returned, I found that the senior sister had already struck up a lively conversation with a lady sharing the table. As it turned out, they were from the same hometown, Shanghai. They instantly recognized each other's accent, which made them feel connected. Their conversation began with memories of their hometown, to how long it had been since they last visited, and then to whether they lived nearby. The senior sister naturally shared her experience of participating in church activities, mentioning that the church was close by. She gradually explained why she believed in Jesus. The lady said she was a Buddhist, but she did not refuse to continue listening. I added a few comments from time to time, sharing how my mother used to worship idols but later came to faith in the Lord. She talked for some time and then we talked. We shared with each other in mutual respect, and the conversation went on. Finally, we gave her a gospel tract and briefly explained the gospel. We pray that God would let the seed of the gospel fall upon her heart and bear fruit in His time.

This outreach was a continuation of an evangelism training held last year. Since then, we have continued to go out to share the gospel once a month. Through these regular evangelistic outreaches, we hope to keep participants' passion for evangelism alive while continually honing their skills. Sometimes, practicing evangelism is like learning to swim. It requires constant exercise to stay sharp and not "rusty." This is probably the shared experience of many of the sisters who have taken part in the training.

In fact, there is no age limit to evangelism. When the Lord Jesus commanded, "Go and make disciples of all nations," He did not exempt the seniors. Every believer has already received the commission to be an ambassador for the gospel. We might think that seniors are less mobile or have limited hearing. Yet, they also have strengths – they can strike up conversations more easily and often gain the trust of strangers more readily. When one speaks with sincerity and love, there is no need to fear rejection. After all, it is not us that people reject, but the gospel of God. We should remember that before we came to faith, we too once thought that Christians were “annoying” because they always tried to persuade others to believe in God. However, after experiencing the goodness of the gospel and receiving God’s grace ourselves, we naturally want others to share in that same blessing. May the Lord strengthen us so that we may boldly share the gospel with our families, friends, and even strangers.

From January to March next year, the Elderly Ministry, the Adult Ministry and the Dynamic Groups Ministry will jointly organize a daytime evangelism training, which includes at least three outreach practicum sessions. We hope that you will be one of the participants. Let us go and share the gospel together!