剛果共和國北基武省（Nord-Kivu,RDC）開拓工作報告

（2004年 8月 04-15日）

楊昱民

壹. 地理位置：

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Goma為剛果東部北基武省的省會，位於湖邊，是剛果（RDC）與盧安達（Rwanda）兩國的邊界城。2002年元月鄰近的火山爆發摧毀了部分市區。非洲「大湖區」（la région des Grands lacs）據法新社 8月 16和 20日

報導乃是當今世界上最動亂的地區之一：剛果才剛從使三百萬人喪生的五年（1998 – 2003）內戰中得到喘息；浦隆地（Burundi）自 1993年起內亂，至今已有三十萬人喪生；盧安達 1994年爆發種族大屠殺，八十萬人喪失生命；烏干達（Ouganda）北部自從 1986年內戰以來，造成十萬人的喪生和一百六十萬人的遷移。Goma就位處於這動亂的大湖區中心，東邊緊鄰盧安達，往東北不及一百公里即烏干達，往東南約一百公里即浦隆地。目前反政府軍主要活動在介於Goma和百公里外的南基武省省會Bukavu

之間的山區。Bukavu於今年六月底七月初曾被反政府軍佔領一星期左右。

貳. EJC（耶穌基督教會）簡介：EJC為傳道人Banyanga與另一同工於 1992年得啟示（安息日、奉主耶

穌基督聖名受洗、洗腳禮、遵守十誡），1995年開始傳揚，至今據EJC 告知有11間有傳道人（Pasteur）駐牧的教會，以及 8處無傳道人駐牧但有聖職人員的聚會處，信徒約 1800人（EJC不以人數多寡，但以有沒有傳道人駐牧為標準來稱聚會點是否為「教會」）。據我方的瞭解，除 4處教會公路可直接通達外

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其餘 15處皆在深山或有游擊戰爭及盜匪猖獗的區域內。這次開拓期間除了位處「極不安全地區」的 8處聚會處沒有人來外（不久前

一位傳道人被殺），其餘 11間「教會」有 10間教會來了聖職人員，並接受洗禮其中 8間的駐牧傳道人出席，並接受洗禮，八位中除一位傳道人，因為路途遙遠必須趕回去外（180多公里的山路，搭車與步行，花了兩三天的時間才生平第一次來到省城Goma !）另外 7位駐牧傳道皆留下來參加八月 11-13日的講習會以及 14日第二次的洗禮聚會。

EJC主委Banyanga（Pasteur）和全國監督Baraka（宣教士Evangeliste）不列在駐牧傳道列。平時兩人兩至五個月定期巡牧全區。不久前EJC傳道人在山裡被盜匪打死時，Banyanga也在場，逃脫得快，倖免。A. 信仰：

1. 一般信仰：一切以聖經為依歸，以聖經為唯一信仰的答案。談道間，樣樣，包括「真耶穌教會」的會名，都堅持要我方拿出聖經的根據！同工之間各有獨立思考，課程中常起辯論。

2. 神觀、教會：相信獨一真神，獨一教會（EJC本以自己為唯一得救的教會）。反對慶祝聖誕節等聖俗混雜的節期。

3. 洗禮：奉主耶穌聖名，在活水中，全身入浸，臉朝上。有除名制度。4. 洗腳禮：相信未經洗腳禮的人不能得救。然所實行的乃是門徒間雙向

的「彼此」洗腳，而非主洗門徒的「單向」洗腳。5. 聖餐：一個無酵餅，一壺純葡萄汁。為避免烤焦，有些聖職人員烤餅

時加入少許的油。6. 安息日：相信並且遵守比我們嚴謹的恩典安息日。聚會從早上九點到

下午四點，中間不休息，無午餐。7. 聖靈：認為說方言是恩賜之一。無法一開始就用方言禱告。8. 聖職人員的按立：依照聖靈長期在各人服事主的過程中所顯出的恩賜，

經眾人的禱告和觀察而按立。大多數的傳道人和宣教士（Evangeliste）都有田產或職業。做聖工出於「不能辜負神所賜給的恩賜」，並沒有要靠福音養生的要求，而且教會基本的奉獻也應該無法維持傳道人的生活。

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9. 聚會方式：詩歌和音樂的頌讚所佔的比例很大。停留期間所聽見的每一首詩歌和擊鼓做樂、唱跳都是Baraka所編寫的。透過翻譯，發現詩歌的詞句故事性極強，全都講論從創世記到啟示錄的事蹟以及有關屬靈生活的規範。思其原因，在於全國教育不普及，聖經並非人人能讀或買得起，所以傳道人將「聖經故事和屬靈道理」編成詩歌，讓會眾背誦，扎入心內。「詩歌」是他們「唱的講章」。已囑Baraka融會貫通本會的教義後，別忘記將之編成詩歌來教唱。

10. 婚姻及服飾：一夫一妻制。若有婚外情，則除名（到目前為止EJC唯一曾執行過的除名是因為淫亂的緣故）。認為節育不合經訓，所以有五個小孩以上的家庭非常普遍。女人不可穿褲裝，但頭戴頭巾（不是因為必須「蒙頭」，而是因為女人的頭髮短）。

B. 組織：EJC是政府立案有正式文號的教會團體。無「創教人」的觀念。聖職人員

按恩賜分：傳道人（Pasteur）、宣教士（Evangeliste）、男女執事、使徒、先知、長老。目前僅知Banyanga，Baraka和Zaire等 3人是全職工人，生活費來自於微薄的十一奉獻。若教會有特別工作，則發起「特定奉獻」來支付。大多數聖職人員是義務工人，在神面前同為肢體，一律平等： 傳道和宣教士：負責傳福音的工作和教會會務。 執事：處理一般事務性的工作。 長老：類似「顧問」。 先知：指具有說預言恩賜的同靈。 使徒：根據與提多在一起的兩位弟兄被稱為「使徒」的事實（林後 8.

23），使徒，對EJC來說單指「受差遣」的人。 由 9位聖職人員組成決策委員會，Banyanga任主委。總體的感覺，EJC的組織可說相當合乎經訓，運作起來極為融洽，值得我們思考和學習。

這次為了和我們談道，EJC所做的準備工作，雖然當地物資難以想像的缺乏和昂貴（以美金作為通用的貨幣），但卻籌備得極為完善：印有聚會安排表、訪問行程、佈道邀請函等單張、另外聖職人員皆有掛在衣服上的名牌，事前也向上至省政府下至區公所等各級行政單位申請聚會准證。另外一星期中（八月 4-10日）來自 10處教會兩百人的住宿安排（男女分睡兩棚搭在火山噴發出來的硬石上的教堂內）和飲食管理，都非易事。根據管膳食的同工說每天伙食費 25美金，大多只吃米、紅豆、玉米粉等類。

新成立的文宣小組4

為了保持道理的純正和避免口頭翻譯時的誤差所遺留下來的以訛傳訛，我方 8月 15日離開Goma前與當地的同工商議籌組了「翻譯小組」。感謝主，十天之後，也就是 8月 25日，小組就將聯總印製的法文「共信之道」翻譯成剛果官方語文之一的Swahili文，連同整理好的教會登記所需之法文規章一併寄給我方過目！愚已於隔天 26日稍微排版後寄回，並請再校閱即可開始出版、並向政府提出登記。

Swahili語文乃剛果和鄰近國家，包括目前本會在東非的英語國家皆可通用。譯本寄來時愚正好在倫敦參加英總傳道人靈修會，並與非洲英語區的同工商討工作的配合與心得。大家驚喜Goma區翻譯的快速，感謝主恩。九月初要往肯亞工作的英語區同工將先帶一份去使用。

另外，法文的「得救要道」（Fondements du Salut，一本以楊約翰長老的「聖經要道」為經，以法語小組重新整理過的郭子嚴長老的「真道題要問答」為緯，將兩本書合併在一起，是一本對本會信仰不但有詳細介紹、而且有清楚解說的書本）本來只期望Goma區能翻譯五大教義＋「教會」等六章共一百多頁即可，但在 8月 25日的來信裡表示因為發現「要道」內容充實，已主動著手要將全本書的十二章兩百五十頁全都翻譯成Swahili文，於 9月 8日來信告知「要道」的翻譯已經進入尾聲，希望我們能夠及早決定印刷的事宜！願主施恩祝福這對非洲許多國家都有相當幫助的文字工作。因為有了「要道」Swahili的翻譯本後，道理在這些地區就能夠較深入的普遍化，我們也不用再擔心口語講道的翻譯萬一不清晰時所可能造成的一知半解。

C. 財務：根據EJC報政府的規章：十一奉獻和一般奉獻用於傳道人的生活費。

根據我方的觀察，其數額應該不敷專職傳道人的生活，「猜想」私底下有一些信徒私自在幫補。除了Banyanga, Baraka和Goma駐牧傳道Zaire外，其餘的傳道人都自己有田產或職業。教會若有特別事工，則做特別奉獻比如這一次的聚會，各教會自己特別奉獻並帶雜糧來。

我們這次來，除了在 8月 5日晚剛到達時，曾問我方是否能夠「自由參與一些」伙食費外（事後想，必是因為打算買肉給我們吃，太貴，付不起），EJC一年多來，在通信裡或在這次停留期間都未曾向我方提到經濟方面的要求。我方根據在Kigali過境的伙食支出（一人一餐約 1.5美金），於 5日晚，支付兩人預定停留期間（5-14日）18餐的伙食 50美金。於講習期間（11-13日），再主動補貼 25美金，囑廚房「買些肉」給參加講習的聖職人員。

來到剛果之前我方已經在信上問過：「你們與我們接觸是出於經濟的期盼還是為了尋求真理？」答以：「純粹為了真理！」。見面後，第一句話就告訴他們：「金銀我都沒有，但我必定會將所有的給你們！」（cf. 徒 3.

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6）。Banyanga第一天與兩百會眾的聚會也向會眾高聲說道：「我們不要金銀，我們期盼我們的客人帶給我們真理！」，會眾大聲說「阿門！」

經過十多天的相處，見他們的樸實與堅毅樣樣比我強，頗能體會亞伯拉罕的感嘆：「我以為這地方的人總不懼怕神」，總由於他們膚色的緣故而懷疑所有主動與我們聯絡的非洲人都無追求真理的誠心，以為他們總不懼怕神，只指望得到經濟的援助（cf. 創 20. 11）！也因為自己曾經偶而的這樣不信任他們，而對自己感到異常的失望與羞愧！

D. 服事：

經過近兩星期的相處，發現EJC的工人有真耶穌教會早期工人的特質：對神有極大的信心、對道理非常的愛慕、領受力極強，常常能舉一反三的說出更清悉的道理、對自己有相當的要求、常常禁食禱告、吃苦、耐勞、停留期間兩次的聚會奉獻，都見聖職人員率先奉獻 …。

參. 開拓前後的大事記與工作摘要：

A. 開拓前： 約於 2002年間由聯總網路小組轉來EJC信件，開始聯繫。 2004年 5月決定前往剛果（RDC）的Goma拜訪通信聯絡一年有餘的

EJC教團。與EJC制訂工作及行程。再三清楚表明「我無金無銀只有真理」。 6月底在非洲Benin工作時得知離Goma一百多公里的南基武省城

Bukavu為反政府軍所佔，和盧安達（Rwanda）交界的Goma城之國界關閉一星期。

7月 16日離Goma四十公里的Nyamulagira火山爆發，居民慌張。 7月 20日Goma的居民因聽聞打戰的風聲開始疏離市區。 7月 21日EJC來信言Goma城中確有波動，但期望見面的計畫不變。回信告知如果進不了Goma，請EJC派代表到盧安達的首都Kigali來談道。

7月 29日（星期四）和張峻嘉弟兄由法國巴黎抵南非約翰尼斯堡轉機，聚會、拜訪信徒至 8月 3日。

8月 3日峻嘉兄幾天來病得不輕，我自己也病痛纏身，誰知，在這一天晚上兩人都意外的得了醫治！

B. 開拓初期（詳情請參考本報告的第陸章「開拓日記」）： 8月 4日（星期三）下午 13h30抵Kigali。EJC主委Banyanga與全國監督Baraka及長老Blaise來接機。因趕不及邊界 18h00關閉前到達兩

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國國界，故在Kigali過夜。蒙聖靈感動，主耶穌基督的帶領，晚餐間與EJC三位負責人有一決定性關於洗禮的談道。

8月 5日（星期四）搭 15人座的交通車，在被稱為「千山萬嶺之國」的盧安達綿綿山路上徐行，4小時走了一百多公里後後進入剛果的Goma。約兩百位信徒，來自九處教會，齊聚集一堂歡迎我們，聆聽道理。EJC具有極大的熱情與愛心。

8月 6日（星期五）早上 18位EJC聖工人員到客棧來談道。「面向下」的問題，使得EJC同工陷入長考。在大會堂裡向會眾講明「嬰兒也得受洗！」造成EJC工人的震撼。

8月 7日（安息日）晨，到Kigali接機的三人到客棧來，表明接受重新洗禮的決心，在第一次一起的禱告中三人都得聖靈。決定 10日舉行洗禮。

8月 8日（星期日）一車 20多人到離Goma七十公里外的Rubaya探訪，在牧場上勉 200多位會眾當如大衛去迎戰歌利亞一樣，為主做個世人眼中的顛狂人，去完成人人都說「不可能」的使命。

8月 9日（星期一）第一次特地與EJC工人禱告，主顯出極大的異象與權能：大光照耀，聖靈如火分開落在各人頭上；主身穿白衣，站在正為EJC工人按手禱告的傳道者身邊，扶持、加添力量。建立各教會報名受洗人的名冊。

8月 10日（星期二）計有來自九處教會 154人在Goma接受洗禮。洗禮後我方要求解散會眾，各歸各家，留下聖職人員明日起舉開講習會。

C, 工人講習（詳情請參考本報告的第陸章「開拓日記」）： 8月 11日（星期三）會眾歸回各家。聖工人員講習會第一天 9h00 -

16h30。談「真教會工人的條件」「安息日」。討論「EJC更名為真耶穌教會（VJE）」以及教會登記和基本信仰書本翻譯等事宜。

8月 12日（星期四）工人講習會第二天。談「教會組織」和「洗禮、洗腳禮、聖餐、獨一真教會」。讓學員反覆實習，熟練聖禮的執行。囑咐：「一切聖禮暫停，不可為人按手」。得知許多會眾是步行 15 - 44公里的山路來參加這次的聚會！回去後積極宣道，要求受洗者眾，定於 8月 14日再舉行一次洗禮。

8月 13日（星期五）工人講習會第三天。複習基本信仰，談聖靈。沒有答應Mugunga要求補助明天將前來受洗的三十人共 15美金車費的補助。記掛聖工在我們離開後的後續發展。一夜無眠，「明天，我主已先我行」的安慰

D. 第二次施洗（詳情請參考本報告的第陸章「開拓日記」）： 8月 14日（安息日）在Sake教會為 106人洗禮。兩次共洗禮 260人，其

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中有來自 10處教會（EJC共有 11處教會，8.處聚會點）的 48位聖職人員：10名傳道人，8名宣教士，15位執事，11位女執事，1位長老，1名先知，2位使徒。EJC主要負責人幾乎全部都翻轉過來接受真道，成了一支充滿活力的神的軍隊！

8月 15日（星期日）叮嚀Goma同工在我們離開後應該著重辦理教會登記、翻譯、宣道、求聖靈等事項。傍晚抵Kigali過夜。回顧十多天來的恩典，深知愚自己乃不配且無用之徒，願一切榮耀歸給天上的真神、救主耶穌基督！阿門！

E. Swahili 語文與非洲英、法語區聖工： 8月 16日一早離開Kigali，在肯亞首都Nairobi轉機六小時，出境拜訪住在Nairobi的肯亞宣道中心秘書Emma姊妹，商討翻譯教會信仰成Swahili語文的事宜。據Emma姊妹說肯亞曾著手進行，但因能流暢書寫Swahili文的人才不多，進度緩慢。夜抵南非約翰尼斯堡教會，家庭聚會。

8月 17日峻嘉兄和我 8月 3日出發前得醫治的病都復發！峻嘉兄病情不輕，無法進食。感謝主，開拓期間主恩賜了我們一個「夠用」的健康。午夜離開南非，18日晨返抵法國。22日赴倫敦。

8月 23日於倫敦舉開俄羅斯小組工作會議。 8月 23-25日參加英總傳道人靈修會並與英總同工交換英、法兩語區在非洲工作的方針與心得，彼此勉勵相互代禱、扶持，眾人喜樂，沐浴在主恩中

F. 「共信之道」翻譯完成，立定教會登記規章 8月 25日Goma以驚人的速度將要向政府註冊改名的法文規章，以及已經翻譯成Swahili文的法文「共信之道」 (Dogmes) ，透過電子郵件寄來Swahili文是剛果五種官方語文之一，鄰近國家，含英語區的肯亞、烏干達Tanzania，等數國在內皆可通用。立刻將寄來的「共信之道」編排成小冊的樣式，同時過目「規章」內容，即刻寄回，並囑咐立即付印使用，並請將「規章」提交政府申請登記。英國同工見共信之道翻譯成Swahili同聲感謝頌讚，九月初去肯亞的梯次將帶去使用。

G. Goma 被反政府軍佔領，請代禱 8月 27日從網路讀到法文日報 Le Monde 26日之報導：剛果反政府軍已佔進Goma，全城死寂，只有軍隊來往於街頭。去信安慰Goma同靈，並請眾人代禱。

8月 27 - 30日：27日讀完新聞後，即與英總陳路加執事飛往愛爾蘭的都8

柏林（Dublin）協助、探訪，不再上網，不再有Goma的消息，非常的記掛。數度告訴陳執事，夜裡或晨起，常會突然失神的以為仍在非洲工作。難忘Goma的恩典和新受洗同工的忠心勤奮與環境的堅苦。

8月 28 - 30日在愛爾蘭的都柏林工作。這裡是愚所知在歐洲（或全世界）唯一由福建出來的信徒獨立在外地所建立的教會，都是 20歲左右的青年，很有熱情與活力。目前由英總關懷。安息日二十多人聚會。都柏林負擔來訪工人的食宿，英總負擔每星期六聚會地的租金。禱告中 4- 6人蒙主恩賜聖靈。

H. 印行「共信之道」，完成教會註冊登記，「得救要道」翻譯進入尾聲。反對歸真者開始反撲。 8月 31日從Dublin回到 Leicester路加執事家。讀Banyanga傳報平安的信件，並說「共信之道」已付印並開始使用；他和Baraka已四處到原本的EJC教會向信徒傳揚真道，大家盼望著下次的洗禮。

9月 8日Banyanga寄來剛果教會 9月 2日向政府註冊登記的文號。並說「得救要道」翻譯已經接近尾聲，希望我們這邊能很快做好印刷估價，以便決定在剛果或在境外裝訂成冊（每章將獨立成一單行本，方便查考，節省經費）感謝主恩！另外，Banyangaa特別請求代禱，因為反對歸真者開始騷擾教會，然，同工們堅信真理必定得勝。祈求恩主力上加力，恩上加恩。

肆、 感想1. 這次開拓期間，聖靈的工作來得出乎意料的權能與快速，於是邊工作邊將日日的禱告和工作重點分成四個階段：i. 「我們在天上的父，願人都尊你的名為聖」：宣道時期，以談道為主，願人人明白主真理歸入主耶穌名下。

ii. 「願你的國降臨」：以祈求聖靈，洗禮，建立教會為目標。iii.「願你的旨意行在地上如同行在天上」：鞏固道理根基，乘勝追擊，擴大教勢，架構組織，舉開講習會，事事交託主。

iv. 「我們日用的飲食今日賜給我們」：祈求主恩眷新受洗的同靈生活，使他們能夠達到有餘而分給他人的地步。

2. Goma是山城，附近多山，地勢高高低低，對呼吸微弱的我是一大挑戰。開拓前懇求主給予一個「能夠工作」的身體，蒙主成全。體力因爬坡呼吸顯出非常的不濟，Goma同工提議背著我走山路，我沒答應，一步一恩典的走完該走的路，做完該做的事。但這地方，以及將來可能發展的地區，

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勢必因為戰亂或山深而使得外人難以進入。所以這裡的聖工以及聖禮的執行必須及早的託付給當地良善又忠心的同工。

3. 除了聖禮的道理Goma的同工認識得不是很清楚外（現在已經接受真理，已經和我們一樣了！）他們在其他各方面，幾乎都是早期真耶穌教會工人的翻版：大有信心、愛慕真理、刻苦己心、安貧樂道、犧牲奉獻、拼命努力！心想，如果有一天，這些同工來到「我們」的地方，看到神在物質方面對如此的祝福，可是教會在屬靈上卻又如此的慵懶，不知道會不會放聲大哭？

4. 亞拿尼亞領受真理在保羅之前，並且奉主耶穌的名給保羅洗禮，但保羅卻成了比亞拿尼亞更明白道理更貴重的器皿。我們如果祈願教會日日臻於完全，則必須接受「繼往者能開來」、「青出於藍勝於藍」的恩典，如此，「末後的榮耀要大過先前的榮耀」才有可能在每天的工作當中就持續的實現。也應當學會接受後來之人對我們的教導與訓練，而不是作慣了師傅，一昧的以為需要「訓練」的總是別人，失去了自我反省、提升的機會。

5. 這次讓EJC花了許多的積蓄舉開如此盛大的聚會，並且在受洗前後都未曾做任何物質的要求，受洗後，立刻投入「真教會」的工作（文字翻譯、回以前EJC聚會點開拓）。對貧困的他們，視而不見，沒有任何的物質承諾沒有任何的一分幫補，甚至連帶在身邊上百顆小小的M＆Ms巧克力糖，一粒都沒給，這樣的「狠心」，很煎熬自己。

6. 親身經歷聖靈勢如破竹的能力，那份驚歎、興奮和感恩，還有隨著而來自覺不配的心情，難以忘懷。

7. 最後一日，我走過一個月前因戰亂而關閉的關卡，在剛果這邊蓋了個出境印、在盧安達那邊蓋了個入境章，恍惚做了一場夢，無法相信十天之中，一切已經有了徹底的改變。回望在車揚起灰塵裡的Goma，滿懷感恩與記掛。噢！Goma，你出你入，願主保守你，我們會很快的再回來的（預計2005年元月，峻嘉兄學校寒假期間再一起回Goma）！

伍、建議

1. 按立：峻嘉弟兄夫婦六年來，自費從台灣飛法國，每年以將近一個月的時間義務的加入非洲聖工的行列，添補法語小組成員能夠投入非洲工作時日的不足。盼望聯總負責人會能與台總商討，考慮按立如此忠心又良善的同工為聖職人員，以便能獨當一面，幫助更多的聖工。

2. 借調：非洲法語區的開拓工作，在神的恩眷下逐漸擴展，若能有合適的全職工人參與，則在時間的調度上將更靈活。盼聯總向台總商請，於需要時，能借調已有服事經驗，且會讀、寫、說法語的謝宏駿傳道加入。今年八月以來，所有與非洲法語地區的通訊和聖工報告，謝傳道和所有的小組成

10

員一樣，都有一份副本，以便逐漸瞭解聖工發展的順與逆。陸、 開拓日記（8 月 4 至 15 日）開拓初期： 8月 4日（星期三）上午由約堡搭機下午一點半抵Kigali。EJC主委

Banyanga（47歲）與全國監督Baraka（35歲）及長老Blaise（30多歲人，一中、小學的創辦人之一及校董）來接機。因趕不及邊界 18h00關閉前抵達兩國國界，故在Kigali過夜。蒙聖靈感動，主耶穌基督的帶領，晚餐間與EJC三位負責人有一決定性的談道：

為了瞭解也是奉主耶穌聖名行洗禮的EJC有沒有「重洗」的觀念，故意說我方乃「奉主耶穌聖名」在「浴缸」裡行洗禮的，Banyanga聽後馬上要我重洗，我說我之洗禮乃是奉主耶穌聖名行的，所以不但不能重洗，而且這次來就是要來傳「在浴缸」裡洗禮的道理。Banyanga聽罷，臉色大變，立刻接口道：「既是這樣，你們就回去吧！」我歡喜的緊握他的手哈哈大笑。感謝主！因為這一「你們回去吧！」不但說明了EJC的確不是為了錢財與我們聯絡，而且具有「只要不合乎聖經，就必須要更正」的追求。

於是反問道；「你們面向上的洗禮有聖經根據嗎？」答說：「我承認沒有！」於是將「面向下」的經文翻給他讀，請他注意（羅 6.5）的復活是「未來式」的復活與（西 2. 12）過去式的復活是不同的復活！後者指的是靈命在受洗時立時的復活，前者指的乃是外在身體將來的復活改變。洗禮在「復活」上成全了「靈命」和「身體」復活的兩大奧秘。若要「外在的身體」將來復活改變成與基督耶穌復活時相似的靈體，條件(if) 就是洗禮時必須「外在」的與主死的形狀聯合！Banyanga聽罷，反覆再三的讀，面露非常的驚訝，三人彼此談論之後，Banyanga惶恐的問道：「那我們該怎麼辦！那我們該怎麼辦！」我未及回答，Baraka和Blaise在旁嚴肅又無奈的接話：「只得重洗啊！」於是，三人互看，苦笑，哀嘆。

這一簡短的談道成了Banyanga日後向堅持「我們既然已經奉主耶穌聖名受了洗，絕不可以再重洗」的EJC同工，見證他如何接受「重洗」的過程：既然EJC要求「奉主耶穌名」在浴缸洗禮的人必須重洗，如今EJC自己不符合聖經，同樣的人家也要求我們重洗，既然錯了，就必須要重洗！

8月 5日（星期四）Banyanga一早告知，昨夜他和Baraka一夜睡不著，想著面向下洗禮的問題：「你們帶給了我們一極大的震撼！」他說。

早上八點，乘十五人座的私營小公車，經四小時全程起伏的山路，越盧安達邊界進入剛果的Goma城。約兩百信徒，來自九處教會，齊聚集在棚搭於火山噴石上的簡陋會堂（借來的），歡迎我們的到訪，聆聽道理。

明天起，每天早上 9h00 - 13h00在客棧與聖職人員談道，14h30 -

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17h30與會眾在會堂聚會。18h30後，遍地漆黑，無電，難以辨路。晚上八點左右忽有人敲門，原來Banyanga帶領八、九個人挑食，走

一公里多的夜路來，要峻嘉和我單獨享用晚餐。掀開藍子，有兩條魚，麵條炸薯條，大驚，不敢承受如此之愛。只簡單的碰碰，要他們再挑回去，並且囑咐：「晚餐我們會自理，千萬別再挑來」。【補記：住處類似民宅改成客棧，只有三間房，起初說法律禁止兩男人

在同一房間過夜，經過一番交涉，兩人一房，20美金一天，實在是貴（當時還不知道此地物價驚人），要求提供早餐。怎能料到每天早餐的煎蛋和麵包，竟然成為我們開拓期間每天的主要糧食：中午和EJC一起用餐，因為糧食準備不多，故意吃很少，留給他們。晚餐，客棧每天停水，電力非常微弱（連燈都點不亮，只好在蠟燭光下寫開拓日記），無法沖泡自己帶來的三合一麥片，於是去買香蕉來壓壓空胃。一星期後，才發現原來峻嘉兄帶來的熱水器，插在插座上，本來三分鐘即可熱滾的水，等它一個小時，竟一樣也會滾起，從此每晚可以喝一杯麥片！】

8月 6日（星期五）早上EJC聖工人員 18人到客棧來談道。Banyanga要我們自己親自和他們談「面向下」的洗禮。於是從「天火、凡火」（請參拙作多年前曾刊於聖靈月刊與Manna）切入「低頭向下受洗」，眾人驚訝聖經的明顯記載。談道後，EJC同工聚在一處商議、辯論是否要接受「重洗」。

在走向會堂的路上，得知EJC根據「『信』而受洗的必然得救」，反對12歲以下還不會自己相信主的小孩受洗。到了會堂，由「主的名」（請參拙作，多年前曾刊於聖靈月刊與Manna）切入小孩也應該受洗去罪，兩百會眾頌讚歡呼不絕，對講道中的提問：「小孩會不會死？」「小孩有沒有罪？」「需不需要主耶穌基督赦罪的救恩？」會眾不斷的高聲熱情回應：「會會！會！」「有！有！有！」「要！要！要！」EJC同工驚變，不知如何是好。聚會後，Banyanga向我說：「Yang，你帶給了我們極大的困擾！」

聚會中，EJC根據詩篇 150篇：「你們要擊鼓跳舞讚美神 …」用鼓聲角聲，吉他等各種樂器，邊唱邊跳讚美神。各教會合唱團獻唱時，歌聲優美連唱帶跳（和我們幼兒班的唱遊類似）。但集體會眾全部一起起來在會堂唱跳時，唱跳時間一拖久，偶會有一兩人進入無法自我控制的情況（唱個不停，或跳個不停，但並無邪靈工作的特徵），令人擔心。【補記：因曾經有過一次按手要歌跳者停止的紀錄，洗禮後，特別囑咐

受洗過的聖工人員，聚會時全體會眾一起的唱跳要有節制，不要超過 10分鐘（平常達到 30分鐘以上）。】

8月 7日（安息日）一早 4日去Kigali接機的三人來客棧表明接受重新洗禮的決心。商議後，決定 10日星期二舉行洗禮。正巧客棧老闆不在，且無客人，於是抓住機會第一次邀請他們和我們一起禱告祈求聖靈，結果三人

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都在客棧的房間內蒙主恩賜聖靈。EJC非常注重安息日，守的是恩典下但比我們嚴謹的安息日。聚會從

早上 9h00到下午 16h30中間無間斷，沒有休息，沒有午餐，也沒有人離席！第一次教導會眾求聖靈。起來幫助按手時，單獨面對如此多第一次求聖靈的會眾，有力不從心的感慨，只得專注於走道兩旁的會眾以及台前的聖職人員。多人得聖靈。

聚會後到Blaise長老孿生兄弟家，是傳道人，也是決策中心九位委員之一，因職業因素不在Goma。接著跟來了十五位傳道人和聖職人員，抓住機會與他們談道，尤其有關嬰孩受洗的道理，一一詢問是否明白？感謝主，在場的眾同工都表明下星期二接受洗禮的決心。幾天來見神工作明顯，和峻嘉兄在禱告中不斷思索後繼工作的進行：

在第一時間內避免EJC的分裂，保持他們目前運行良好的組織架構。 差派Banyanga和Baraka深入EJC各教會和聚會點去傳揚真道，直至全部或大部分歸真為止。

立即向政府提出「真耶穌教會」登記。 翻譯「共信之道」以及「得救要道」中的五大教義以及「教會」等六篇章成他們的語文Swahili。

因為山區和戰亂區不是我們外人能夠進得去的，將來聖禮的執行勢必如同使徒初期和真耶穌教會世界各地初期的開拓史一樣，必要時，得託付在道理上得了教導的新近虔誠歸主人去執行（比較：在Benin的Cotonou我們已經建立教會多年，但至今仍在尋找、訓練合適的工人來為主所用）。

夜聞來自市中心的槍聲數起。客棧老闆的弟弟豎起耳朵，面露憂慮，但馬上又說：「我不相信會打起來。」

8月 8日（星期日）晨起，歡喜的翻一節幾天來與峻嘉兄對將來工作的記掛和懇求有了一來自聖經安慰的經節和峻嘉兄分享：「彼得就吩咐與他同來的約帕弟兄奉耶穌基督的名給哥尼流一家施洗」（徒 10. 48）。約帕的人信主不久，但彼得吩咐他們去施洗；保羅在剛建立的教會中選立了長老，就將他們交託了主（徒 14. 23）！主若恩憐，等這開拓工作報告會知聯總同工後，等真耶穌教會在剛果正式登記完成後，應該是奉主耶穌的名「吩咐」這批已經明白真道且在各方面都比我更配得的虔誠同工，進入深山和動亂區去施洗的時候了。

以 70美金租一輛十五人座的小包車，坐了二十多人，到山區公路可達的最後一處教會Rubaya探訪（如果各自付車費，一人來回需要 4-5美金）。眾人在擁擠不堪的車上，來回途中不斷的唱詩，真佩服他們的體力與熱情！

因接近交戰區，軍警關卡重重，Banyanga出示省長批准且寫有峻嘉13

兄和我名字的「傳福音聚會」許可證，一路過關，花了兩個半小時，來到離Goma約 70公里的Rubaya山城大村落，這裡的教會以 230美金買了一塊約 1000公尺平方的地，正籌款蓋簡單的會堂（約需 500美金），目前是露天聚會，信徒約 160左右。

車在村裡遊行廣播邀請人來聽福音，最後停在離村頭一公里的牧場，引來約兩百人，與牛為伍。本來EJC只打算簡單介紹一下我們，但眾人不散，喊著：「既然來了，怎可不留下神的話語就走？」於是Banyanga請峻嘉兄和我講話，開始佈道，簡介真耶穌教會的信仰以及真教會如何在神的恩眷下，從貧瘠積弱的中國興起，逐漸將福音傳向四方。這樣的聖工，如同「大衛擊殺歌利亞」一樣，依世人標準，絕對不可能成功，但依聖靈的能力這事必定能夠實現了，而且也真的實現了！

勉勵眾人服事主當效法大衛，不要看輕自己，不要被環境的險惡和自身的卑微嚇倒，當靠主的名為主做個俗人眼中的癲狂人（cf. 林後 5. 13； 徒 16. 24），去完成神所託付「將福音傳遍天下」的重任！福音要傳遍非洲當然要由仍舊身在貧瘠中的你們來接下重任，這樣的抱負，在世人眼中或許近乎顛狂，但聖靈的工作，將使好譏笑的人遲早有一天會在神的能力面前，再也笑不出來！群眾聽罷，歡呼雷動，歸榮耀給天上真神。村裡的政治首長也在場聽著。

簡單用過只有米、紅豆和地瓜的午餐，循原路回Goma，回到客棧，因路途的灰沙，全車人都「灰」了頭，「土」了臉，相視大笑。

8月 9日（星期一）客棧老板前天說如果再佔用客棧的桌椅談道，每天要多收 10美金。與Banyanga商量，決定另尋它處。早上十多位聖職人員來到客棧準備一起去新的地方一起學習道理。眼看老板不在，抓緊機會以經節向EJC同工說明使徒如何確定人得了聖靈。第一次特地邀請EJC同工單獨和我們一起跪下禱告祈求聖靈。請管理員通融我們在客棧的走道上禱告求聖靈。主實在恩憐了開拓的工作！在短短不到十分鐘的禱告裡（管理員因禱告聲音大，緊張的要我們停止禱告），禱告的地方被聖靈大大充滿，許多人得到聖靈，看異象，見榮光。數人見榮光如大光照耀在眼前；聖靈如火焰顯現，分開落在各人頭上。一人見主身穿白衣，站在正在為他按手禱告的傳道人身邊。眾同工將頌讚榮耀歸與施憐憫與慈愛的天上真神，救主耶穌基督！

禱告之後，到Blaise的學校教室談道，講論「洗腳禮」。課後，要求各地傳道人一定要分開建立明天申請受洗人的名單。下午聚會時，Banyanga和Baraka向在場兩百會眾致歉：多年來因自己認識的不足，以致於在洗禮的道理上教導得不夠完全。「如今，我們已經尋得了真理，決定明天全家受洗！希望神也帶領你們明白！」我當場聞之動容。

趁著天未黑，請各地傳道人開始建立各教會報名受洗人的名單。同時，峻嘉兄和 Joel傳道先行離開，到市裡去買麵粉，葡萄汁以及所有有關三大

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聖禮所需用的東西。在聚會結束的禱告中，多人得聖靈。下午起，天空烏雲密佈，打雷閃電，夜裡，風雨大作，擔心著明天百

多人的洗禮和洗腳禮都得在露天的湖邊舉行，如果風雨持續大作，可該怎麼辦才好？夜裡和峻嘉兄禱告懇求不停，輾轉無法入睡，以手機傳出簡訊給家人和法國以及幾天前才認識，非常關心開拓工作的南非同靈：「一切出乎意外的恩典，請特別為八月 10日代禱」。一夜數度起身，望烏雲密佈的天，睡時掛心，醒時禱告。睡在隔床負責洗禮場務的峻嘉兄應該更以難入睡

禱告懇求中，心頭總浮現先前寫過的一篇文章：「明天，我主已先我行」（刊於聖靈雜誌 2004年四月號），隱隱感覺到，明天，約櫃已先行三天路程，預備好了安歇的地方，正回過頭來領我，我雖然憂愁，但主必已經有了美好的預備，只要我緊緊跟著約櫃行，無論順逆，必都是最美好的道路！想起完全交託主的保羅，也禁不住的為教會掛心、流淚禱告，大大安慰了望著天，心想著「必有傾盆大雨」的我。

8月 10日（星期二）計有來自九處教會 154人在Goma區接受洗禮。今晨的天，不因昨夜數度起身的懇求而放晴，仍是烏雲黑壓壓一片，

空氣濕涼，大雨隨時都會傾盆灌下，難以想像一百多人在湖邊大雨下洗禮和洗腳禮的狼狽。於是跪禱，六點，望天，祈求主給予八小時的雨歇時間。六點半，和峻嘉兄一起晨禱，突然雨像決了堤一樣，嘩啦嘩啦的傾洩下來，下到禱告的心差點給淋了，然而，很快的，在禱告中又得了莫大的安慰。七點左右，雨全停。九點到洗禮場，十點多開始洗禮，太陽在密雲中偶而露臉打個招呼：嗨！我在這裡。

除了峻嘉兄外，請最先下水的Banyanga和Baraka留在湖中和身邊學習、幫忙洗禮和洗腳禮，直至下午兩點左右才全部結束，密雲裡，雨竟然一滴也沒掉下來！離開湖邊整隊回教會，峻嘉兄去做無酵餅，我去換衣服，近下午三點，雨又下了。一看錶，正好距離早上雨停時八個小時！難以形容當時的感動與觸摸到主恩浩大的心情。

154人的洗禮和洗腳禮，單是說：「奉主耶穌聖名﹍」就說了三百多次在站在水中尖石上施洗兩個小時，跪在湖邊亂石上行洗腳禮一個多小時，本已經不強健的身體，更顯出體力的不濟，然而內心卻是非常的歡喜與感謝，但也帶有一絲絲揮不去對未來的掛心。

我方提議聖餐禮後解散兩百會眾，各歸各家，獨留下聖職人員，尤其傳道者參加 11 - 13日三天的講習會，前EJC的同工欣然同意，並說他們也有同樣的想法，正想和我們商量。

工人講習： 8月 11（星期三）日眾人歸回各家。9h00 - 16h30在Blaise長老的學校舉開工人講習會（三天中共來自八處教會的 19為聖職人員參加，17人受

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聖靈）。從客棧至學校，路過一建築堂皇的教堂，問 Joel.傳道是誰來蓋的？「是歐洲來的宣教士幫他們蓋的」。進了教室，向眾同工說：「你們都知道峻嘉兄和我來到你們這兒，除了真理以外，無金無銀。今天我路過那堂皇的會堂，內心想著：不知你們見我們這樣的無金無銀會不會有點兒失望？」語未畢，眾人猛搖頭。Banyanga起身說：「我們要的乃是真理！」眾人笑容滿面的回應：「阿門！」

於是向他們講述真耶穌教會初期的歷史，尤其在中國，在台灣都是在無外援的情況下，蒙主親自帶領，一步步的長大成人。如今不但蒙福，而且還能夠有餘分給需要的人。勉勵在貧窮中起步的他們，求主讓剛果在屬靈的道理上以及在物質的生活上都能夠同樣的蒙福，並且有餘的恩待需要的人！

課程中討論會名的更改，談真教會工人的四大基本條件：好名聲，聖靈充滿，智慧充足，大有信心，以及安息日。結束時禱告，數人得聖靈。有榮光、異象顯現：數人見榮光如大光照耀；見聖靈如火降臨在各人身上者；見十字架發光；見主身穿白衣顯現。其中一人見主身穿白衣，手抱聖經，告訴Rubaya的工人回去後，「不要懼怕，要勇敢的為主作見證。」

會名的變更解說許久，因為少數同工無法明白為什麼EJC（基督耶穌的教會）要放棄「有聖經根據」的會名，一定要我方說清楚「真耶穌教會」（VJE）會名的聖經根據。經過一番解說之後，Banyanga接著說明當初取名EJC的由來，大家便歡喜接受了，決定在最短的期間內向政府申請改名：若登記為新的宗教團體，需費時很長，且費用也高（約 300 - 500美金），恐怕不易批准；若只是「更名」，則需要透過律師公證，費用較少（估計 100美金），時間短，成功率大。另外，愚以為「更名」將使EJC走入歷史，自然消失，如果是新立一宗教團體，則在法律上EJC將與VJE並存，恐怕造成將來沒有歸入VJE的EJC.成員會緊抱仍立案的EJC和我們對立。最後決定「更名」並修改規章裡的「信仰」篇。勉勵並指定專人負責翻譯法文版的「共信之道」和「得救要道」裡的五大教義 + 教會，共六篇一百多頁成剛果官方語文之一Swahili文。印刷成本事宜交峻嘉兄來處理。

這批來自EJC的工人，可以感受到他們在多年服事主的路上，各具恩賜，如今突然要他們當個新生兒，「不要為人按手，不要執行聖禮」，是很大的不習慣。「恩賜乃是神所賜給的，為什麼不能用來造就教會？」「如果遇上臨死的人要信主，也不能為他們施洗？」再三解說不是不能，而是暫時不要，就當自己是個新生兒，一切得重頭來，最後大家歡喜接受。

Banyanga若有所思的告訴我：EJC同工能夠如此同心一致的歸真，對他來說是一意想不到的大神蹟！

夜裡市區有槍戰，一搶匪被軍人擊斃。 8月 12日（星期四）第二天工人講習會。

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一早Banyanga和Baraka來客棧找我們，請教將來教會行政組織當如何處理？我回說：「這裡的同工我認識不深，不好越俎代庖。」答曰：「我們已歸真，需要更有屬靈智慧者的指導。」感謝主，大家商議結果，暫時維持EJC體系，等福音傳遍了EJC先前的聚會點後，等眾人都決定了要不要歸真時，再做進一步的重組。在這過渡時期勉當溫柔的對待「猶豫不決」的同工，不要激起對立。緊要的是趕緊向政府提出教會登記和翻譯教義信仰成Swahili文，以便所有的信徒都能夠深入的明白我們所信的是什麼！

課程反覆的說明洗禮、洗腳禮和聖餐的道理，要他們輪流上台來講述並「實習」三大聖禮。感謝主，因為本來差異就不多，執行起來駕輕就熟。 洗禮：「低頭向下」很容易被明白，「小孩受洗」則請他們能靈活的使用經節向眾人說明清楚（突然Banyanga插話：9日晚大家都認識的嬰孩Promesse病重，她的媽媽問Banyanga是否仍應該讓小孩10日去洗禮？Banyanga勉之，結果嬰孩受洗後得醫治。眾同工高聲頌讚主，好像一下子道理全貫通了）。

EJC原有只要慕道朋友表明要接受洗禮就即刻為他洗禮的習慣，問我道：「嬰孩既然需要赦罪，是否出生的當天就應當立刻帶去洗禮？」

聖餐：EJC用一個無酵餅，一壺純葡萄汁，但主張一定要在下午三點，主被釘死之後才能舉行。引經據典，讓他們明白隨時可以舉行。

洗腳禮：「與得救有絕對關係」本來就是EJC的信仰，但EJC執行的是彼此的洗腳。詳細說明「我不洗你，你就與我無份」是「單向」主耶穌為門徒洗腳的功用。因為人與人間彼此的洗腳，縱然有人因故不願意執行，也不至於會構成「與主無份」！與得救有關的洗腳禮，是奉差遣者奉主耶穌聖名「單向」的為新受洗的人洗一次。再三教他們重複的背誦約翰福音十三章第八節，直至每人都能朗朗上口為止。

「獨一真教會」：EJC原本就以自己為唯一的得救教會，所以「獨一真教會」對他們來說領受起來並不困難。

有些同工希望能夠更加明白為何昨日禁止他們按手、洗禮？聖經根據何在？我說：因為他們是「新受洗的」，不好一下子承擔大任，需要一時期的安靜並反覆思想所領受的道理。尤其如今蒙主洗清罪愆，恩賜能力將比從前更加明顯，恐怕容易心生驕傲。「禁止」是為了「保護」，希望大家能夠像孩童一樣安靜的學習。全國監督Baraka用Swahili話接著說：「我們才剛受洗，必須學習，必須謙卑，必須等候神的使用！」眾人異口同聲的以為美。其實我內心深深的知道，連無用如我者都得以蒙主差派，行聖禮，這

批除了洗禮和洗腳禮的道理明白在我之後之外（明白之後，常有舉一反三更深入的領受），那一樣不是我的榜樣？若真要說「不配」，真正不配的應該是我而不是他們！常告訴他們，亞拿尼亞奉差遣，為保羅洗禮，被聖靈充滿；百基拉，亞居拉將更詳細的福音講解給亞波羅聽，但結果神所重用

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的都是「後來」的！將來在非洲這塊大地上，神在他們身上所顯的能力必然會超越過我和峻嘉兄！故當預備自己隨時為主所用！

從Banyanga口中才知道昨天解散回去的會眾，大多數得步行 15 到44公里的山路才能回到家！聞之心疼。從小就聽說真教會初期的同靈，就是如此的渴望真道，初期的工人就是如此的翻山越嶺，誰知，今天竟然就在眼前！更應證自己除了比他們早幾年聽聞到道理外，各方面都比他們不足。昨天回去的同靈，將福音傳報給周圍的人，許多人聽後想下山來領受

真道，希望我們離開前能夠再舉行一次洗禮。與同工商量決定 14日安息日在Sake教會再舉行一次洗禮。兩三天來幾次告訴峻嘉兄，我害怕犯了一個錯誤：幾天來的禱告，明

知深山之地與盜匪盤據的地區，至少三、五年內我們應該進不了，他們要去那些地區也不是沒有危險和困難。在這「或早或晚，一定是他們去執行聖禮」的情況下，我們應該立刻吩咐他們進山去宣揚真道，為歸服的人執行聖禮，趁聖靈工作如此明顯的時刻，乘勝追擊，一舉將整個EJC翻轉過來，不要給潛在的反對者有喘息的機會，要不然，等反對勢力整好隊形，恐將有一番爭戰。我知道，我一直在消滅感動我的聖靈。當然，沒有「吩咐」，將來開會時會少了許多「善意的誤會」，但。誰能平息我內心的自責與對主的愧歉？【補記：8月 23-25日與英國同工靈修會時，談到內心對這事的掙扎，請教大家的處理方式，結果都認為在這情況下，應該放手給他們去執行！9月 7日與Banyanga通電話，得知「反對」的人開始擾亂，但他堅信真理一定會戰勝。9月 8日來信請求代禱。】

8月 13日（星期五）工人講習會第三天。重複基本教義，要他們輪流再講述一次，好讓他們習練得通達。另外談

聖靈：囑咐同工回各自教區後，要教導信徒求聖靈。「求聖靈」是這次開拓其間較沒有機會做的工作，因為會眾大多，會

堂裡又遍地是火山爆發的尖石，不容易久跪，所以與會眾「求聖靈」的禱告不多，會眾得聖靈的也無從仔細計算。專注在「聖職人員」的求聖靈感謝主，參加講習會 19位來自八間教會的傳道和聖職人員，17位得了聖靈，榮光，大火，主的顯現等異象，堅固眾人的心。可惜的是「女」執事方面，雖然姊妹也有人得聖靈，但因為不知道誰是誰，所以也不知道女執事到底有沒有人得聖靈？講習會也無女性同靈參與，不知是不是這兒的習俗？

EJC原以為「說方言」只是聖靈的恩賜之一，據說他們當中有這樣恩賜的人。但無法一禱告就以靈言禱告。所以這次「得聖靈」的標準，以「不管你以前會不會說方言，現在必須要會說與以前不同的方言，並且

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一禱告就能說出」。Banyanga和Baraka有「唱靈歌」的嶄新體驗。Mugunga的傳道人說明天有三十人要來受洗，盼能資助他們一人 0,5美金的車費。結果被眾人叫去說了一頓，責備他不應該向我們開口要補助！上課時含淚告訴Mugunga的傳道和眾同工：「不給！要受洗，自己走路來！」「但我們有老幼婦孺，路程是 17公里！」「不！不給！﹍ 請各位要明白，不給，對我們來說是一件很痛苦的事，我寧願給，來得快樂些，但，我不能給。」Mugunga的傳道看著我，點點頭，唉！他真的能明白我的苦楚嗎？聽說Rubaya傳道因為沒有車費，所以沒有下來參加這次的開拓聚會。有同工問說是不是可以資助他車費（來回 4美金），好讓他有機會來參加講習會，或許能明白而受洗，如此將省去對Rubaya教會的擔心。與峻嘉兄商量結果，還是決定不給，因為在坐的有不少同工都是步行遙遠路程而來的！

一夜難眠，想到這批同工的優質，想到深山裡嗷嗷待洗禮得救的眾人，想到他們一個個睜大眼睛學習道理的純樸，想到將來持續開拓的未知數，想到回去開會時，如何才能讓眾教會明白神在這裡的工作，明白不是每個膚色深暗的人的心都是黑的﹍，夜半起身，跪倒床頭，思想起來，情不自禁的躲在棉被中放聲大哭。淚裡，「明天，我主已先我行」像首歌，緩緩升起，擦去眼淚。「主阿！祈求你聖靈引領你的教會，讓我們緊緊跟隨著你的約櫃行！」

當夜，避居浦隆地的剛果 Tutsis族一百多人為據推測來自剛果、盧安達和浦隆地的Hutus族所殺，造成區域性的緊張。

第二次施洗： 8月 14日（安息日）在Sake教會區佈道，並為 106人洗禮，其中不少第一次洗禮時，對「小孩受洗」仍持猶豫態度的傳道人，經過講習後，特地趕回去帶妻小來受洗。許多已經受洗的和聽見受洗人回去傳報福音的人，一早就從山裡步行三、四個小時以上來參加這次的聚會。有一教會三位青年特地趕來，蓄意反對並阻止他們教會的人受洗。結果聽了一堂洗禮的道理後，三人竟都明白，接受了洗禮！到昨天為止，EJC十一間教會裡，有九間的人來參加聚會，結果今天來了第十間教會，包括三位聖職人員的人，起初抱著來「看看聽聽」的心情，結果全都被道理感動，接受了真理，領了洗！洗禮前，一直掛心著昨天上課時沒答應當地傳道要求資助他們 0,5美

金車費的Mugunaga的人。問Banyanga：「Mugunga的人來了沒？」「他們還在路上走，馬上就到！」我偷偷的擦去眼淚，等著，等著，結果來了 17人。直到今天，每每想起這事，總還自問：「他們全到齊了沒？」

今天的天氣，本該如幾天以來的每天一樣，陰雨，結果，主實在恩待了我們，因為Sake會堂太小，容納不下 300人，只好在室外聚會，竟然整天出個大太陽，教會還為峻嘉兄和我撐起「遮陽傘」！

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第一次洗禮時，只注意到Banyanga和Baraka帶領全家大小來受洗，第二次則見若干傳道特地回去帶小孩來洗禮，所以第二次的洗禮小孩多過第一次許多。有一位單獨來參加開拓聚會的傳道人，在講習會第二天結束後請假，入山中將妻小帶出來受洗！怎不讓人動容！

Sake的洗禮場地是一山間泉湧的水源，細石為底，雖然洗了百多人，水仍然清澈非常。洗腳禮就接旁邊另一水源的水，在青草地上，陽光下舉行滿滿數說不盡的恩典。

兩次洗禮共 206位受洗，其中有來自 10處教會（EJC共有 11處教會，8.處聚會點）的 48位聖職人員：10名傳道人，8名宣教士，15位執事，11位女執事，1位長老，1名先知，2位使徒。

EJC決策中心有 9位執行委員，除 2位因職業關係外出缺席外，其餘7位都出席了這次開拓的聚會，6位接受洗禮，1位「請多為我禱告，希望下次能夠明白嬰孩受洗的道理，接受洗禮」。主恩浩大，願一切榮耀、頌讚都歸主耶穌基督聖名！

8月 15日（星期日）早晨陸續來了送行的同工。本已定好 9h00的班車，見同工來得多，機會難得，請人去將班車改成 11h00，和同工們商討我們離開之後的工作：教會登記、翻譯「共信之道」和「得救要道」、返回原來的教區去宣道、勉勵會眾祈求聖靈等等。

Rubaya教會說有一百多人要受洗，請我們再多留兩日，上山去為他們施洗，但因為一連串的轉機機票事先以定好，只好作罷，相約 2005年元月底見。求主保守。

通過關卡，進入盧安達，回望飛快流逝、滿滿恩典的十二天，好像雅各夢醒，難以置信：「神真在這裡！」車窗外遠處的火山，終日籠罩在煙霧裡均勻、雄壯的山影，蘊藏著無比的爆發力，等著瓜熟蒂落的一天。

（8 月 16 日到 9 月 8 日的記事，請回讀第三章「開拓前後的記事與工作摘要」這份報告在 9 月 8 日封筆，以留做剛果教會開拓史料。願一切榮耀、頌讚都歸天上的真神，救主耶穌基督，哈利路亞，阿門！）

後記：同工張峻嘉弟兄將另有他工作和觀察的報告交聯總。附件： 1. 相片

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請見隨報告附上的相片檔案：PhotoCongo : 1. 在Goma開拓期間的聚會場地，是借來的。蓋在火山爆發出來的石頭上。 2. 在湖邊洗禮。PhotoCongo2：1. 洗禮後合影。 2.參加講習會的聖工人員以及兩位管飯食的姊妹。2. 剛果教會註冊登記證（請看附件VJEregistre.jpeg檔）

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Report on the Pioneering Work in Nord-Kivu, RDC (August 4-15, 2004)Y.M. Yang

I. Geographic LocationGoma is the provincial capital of Nord-Kivu which is in the eastern region of Congo. Close to a lake, Goma is situated at the border between Congo and Rwanda. In January of 2004, the eruption of a neighboring volcano destroyed parts of the city.According to reports by the Agence France Presse (AFP) dated August 16th and 20th, “la région des Grands lacs” is one of the areas in the world with the most upheaval. Between 1998 and 2003, three million people died in the civil war in Congo. Another civil strife since 1993 in Burundi claimed more than 300,000 casualties. In 1994, the genocide in Rwanda claimed 800,000 lives. Since 1986, the civil war in the northern region of Uganda claimed more than 100,000 lives and forced 1.6 million people to migrate. Goma is situated in this “la région des Grands lacs,” with the neighboring Rwanda in the east, Uganda less than one hundred kilometers in the northeast, and Burundi about one hundred kilometers to the southeast.Currently, the anti-governmental forces are active in the mountainous regions between Goma and Bukavu, which is the provincial capital of 南基武省 about one hundred kilometers off Goma. Bukavu was occupied by the anti-governmental forces for about a week between the end of June and beginning of July.

II. An Introduction of the EJCIn 1992, Banyanga, a EJC minister, and another co-worker received revelations regarding the Sabbath, baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, footwashing and the observance of the Ten Commandments. Since the ministry began in 1995, the EJC has 11 churches with resident ministers and 8 places of worship without resident ministers but with sacred workers. The EJC has about 1,800 members. (The EJC distinguishes a church from a place of worship not by membership, but by whether it has a resident minister.) We

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understand that, except for 4 churches reachable by highway, the remaining 15 locations are in the deep mountains or areas rampant with guerilla warfare and robbery.During this missionary trip, no one came from the 8 places of worship in the “extremely dangerous zone” (a minister was killed not long before). But sacred workers from 10 of the 11 remaining churches came and accepted baptism. Resident ministers from 8 churches also attended and received baptism. One of the ministers had to go back because of the long journey home (he had to travel more than 180 kilometers of mountainous roads by car and foot, only to arrive for the first time at Goma after 2-3 days!) The other 7 resident ministers stayed for the seminar on August 11-13th and the second baptism on the 14th.Pastor Banyanga, the Chair of EJC, and Evangelist Baraka, the National Overseer, are not considered resident ministers. On a regular basis, both of them travel to and pastor all districts every two to five months. Not long ago, when an EJC minister was killed by robbers, Banyanga was on the scene but had a narrow escape.

A. Faith1. General faith: The Bible is the basis of all beliefs; it is the

only solution to their faith. During discussions, they insisted that we show them the biblical basis for our beliefs, including the name of our church! Each worker thinks independently which resulted in constant arguments in classes.

2. Godhead, church: They believe in the One True God and One Church (EJC originally believed that she is the only church that saves). They oppose celebrating festivals that mingle the sacred with the worldly, such as Christmas.

3. Baptism: They baptize in the name of Jesus Christ in living water, with full immersion and face upward. They practice excommunication.

4. Footwashing: They believe that those whose feet have not been washed cannot be saved. But they practiced “mutual” footwashing among the disciples, not the “one-way” footwashing Jesus performed for His disciples.

5. Holy Communion: One unleavened bread, one jar of pure grape juice. To minimize burning while baking, some sacred

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workers add a little oil.6. Sabbath: They believe in observing the Sabbath by grace but

in stricter terms than us. Services begin at 9am and end at 4pm, with no breaks or lunch.

7. Holy Spirit: They believe that speaking in tongues is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and one cannot begin speaking in tongues immediately in a prayer.

8. Ordination of sacred workers: Sacred workers are ordained after they demonstrate the gifts of the Holy Spirit in long periods of services, with prayers and under the observations of the congregation. Most ministers and evangelists either have properties or are employed. They do sacred work so that they will “not be unworthy of God-given gifts.” They do not demand to be provided for by the gospel. Regular church offerings are not enough to sustain the livelihood of the ministers.

9. Liturgy: Hymns and praise music play a large role during services. Baraka composed every hymn, drum music, or dance we heard during our stay there. Through interpretation, I found that the lyrics consist mostly of stories told in words and phrases that retell events from Genesis to Revelation and describe the standards of spiritual living. The reason for this is that education is not prevalent in the country and not everyone can read or afford a Bible. So he turned Bible stories and spiritual teachings into hymns for the congregation to recite and remember. “Hymns” become “sermons that can be sung.” We have instructed Baraka to familiarize himself thoroughly with our doctrines and turn them into hymns that can be taught to the congregation.

10. Marriage and dress code: One husband and one wife. Any member who has extramarital affair is excommunicated. (So far, the only excommunication performed in the EJC was a result of sexual immorality.) They believe contraception is not biblical. Consequently, families with more than five children are prevalent. Women should not wear pants, but scarves are allowed (not for the purpose of “covering their heads,” but because they have short hair.)

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B. Organization:The EJC is a religious organization officially registered with the government. There is no concept of a “founder.” Sacred workers are differentiated by their gifts: pastors, evangelists, deacons or deaconesses, apostles, prophets, and elders. Currently, we are aware that Banyanga, Baraka and Zaire are full-time workers whose living expenses come from meager tithes. “Special funds” are initiated to pay for special projects in church. Most sacred workers are volunteers and are equals as members of the Body before God:

Pastor and evangelist: responsible for preaching the gospel and church administration

Deacon: handle general administrative tasks Elder: liken to an “advisor” Prophet: refer to a member who has the gift of prophecy Apostle: based on the fact that the two brothers who were

with Titus were called “apostles” (2 Cor 8:23). To the EJC, an apostle refers exclusively to “one who is sent.”

Nine sacred workers form the Executive Committee, with Banyanga as chair.

The general feeling is that the EJC conforms to the teachings of the Bible and operates harmoniously. They are worthy of our consideration and emulation.To discuss the truth with us, the EJC made full preparation despite shortage and cost (US dollar is their common currency). They printed service and visitation schedules, evangelical invitations, and other publications. Other sacred workers have name tags on them. They also registered this event with the provincial government and local agencies and applied for service permission. In addition, during the week of August 4-10, they had to arrange lodging for 200 people from 10 churches. (Separated by gender, the members slept in two tents that were put up in a chapel built on hard rocks that came from volcanic eruption). Meal preparation and lodging were no easy tasks. According to the co-workers who were in charge of food, they spent about US$25 per day which afforded them mostly rice, red bean, corn flour, etc.

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A newly established literary ministry teamTo maintain the purity of the gospel and to avoid discrepancies in oral interpretation and the resulting misconceptions, we coordinated with local workers to form a “Translation Team” before we left Goma on August 15th. Thank God that after 10 days, which was August 25th, the team translated the French version of Our Basic Beliefs published by the IA into Swahili, one of the official languages of Congo. Along with the French version of the By-laws needed for church registration, the team sent these translations for us to review! The next day, I made slight changes in the layout and returned the documents to them. I requested that they proof-read the translation before publication and then register with the government.Swahili is the common language used in Congo and neighboring countries, including English-speaking countries in South Africa where we have churches. The translation was sent to me when I attended the UKGA Ministers’ Cultivation Seminar in London. I had the chance to coordinate and share reflections with co-workers responsible for the English-speaking African areas. Everyone was surprised by how quickly the Goma team completed the translation. Thanks to the Lord’s grace. In the beginning of September, these co-workers will bring a copy of the translation to Kenya.The French version of Fundamentals of Salvation is a compilation of Eld John Yang’s Essential Biblical Doctrines and Eld SY Kuo’s Questions and Answers about the Truth. Fundamentals has detailed introductions to and clear explanations about our church beliefs. We initially hoped that the Goma team would translate the five basic doctrines and the topic on church, for a total of six chapters that span more than one hundred pages. On August 25th, the team wrote and told us that the publication is substantive, and they proactively decided to start translating all twelve chapters of the book (about 250 pages) into Swahili. On September 8th, they wrote again and said they were about to complete the translation and hoped we could decide on its publication!

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May the Lord show His grace and bless this literary ministry that can benefit many African countries. After Doctrines is translated, the truth will penetrate more deeply in these regions. We will not have to worry about ambiguities resulted from inaccurate translation of sermons.

Finance:According to EJC’s report on government regulations, tithes and general offerings should be used to pay for the ministers’ living allowance. We observed that their offering is insufficient to pay for the ministers’ living expenses. We figured there must be some members who help them out in secret. Other than Banyanga, Baraka and Zaire (who is the resident minister of Goma), other ministers have their own properties or occupation. A special offering would be established for any special church task. For instance, each church brought their special offering and food to attend this service.During this trip, the only time we were asked for money was when we first arrived on August 5th. They asked if we could voluntarily help with some food expenses. (In retrospect, they probably wanted to buy meat for us but it was too expensive and unaffordable.) Whether in their letters in the past year or during our stay, the EJC never made any financial demands. With reference to US$1.50 per person per meal while we were transiting in Kigali, we offered US$50 for 18 meals for the two of us who would stay on August 5-14th. On our own volition, we added US$25 for meals during the seminar on August 11-13th and requested the members who worked in the kitchen to buy some meat for the participating sacred workers.Before we went to Congo, we wrote and asked them, “Are you contacting us with financial expectations or purely for the truth?” They replied, “Purely for the truth!” After we met them for the first time, the first thing I asked them was, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I will give you!” (cf. Acts 3:6) On the first day, Banyanga told the congregation of 200 with a loud voice, “We do not want silver or gold. We

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only hope that our guests bring us the truth!” The congregation shouted, “Amen!”After staying with them for more than 10 days, we witnessed that they are better than us in their simplicity and unswerving determination. I could almost feel what Abraham felt, “I thought the people here do not fear God.” Because of their complexion, I doubted their motives for contacting us. I thought they do not sincerely pursue the truth, do not fear God and only wish for financial assistance (cf. Gen 20:11)! I was really disappointed at and ashamed of myself for mistrusting them in a few instances!

ServiceAfter nearly two weeks of being together, I discovered that EJC workers possess the qualities of our early TJC workers: their great faith in God, their longing for the gospel, their ready acceptance of the truth, their ability to ask relevant questions and explain the truth more clearly, their demand on themselves, their frequent fasting prayer, their endurance of hardships, their initiative to offer first during the two services we had with them, ….

III. Summary of major events before and after the pioneering trip:

A. Before the trip Around 2002, the IA IMP forwarded emails from the EJC and

we began communication with them. After more than a year of communication through email, we

decided in May, 2004 to visit the EJC in Goma, Congo. With the help of EJC, we planned our work and itineraries. We repeatedly declared, “I have neither silver nor gold, but only the truth.”

At the end of June, while working in Benin, Africa, we learned that Bukavu, the provincial capital of 南基武, which is over 100 kilometers from Goma, had been occupied by anti-governmental forces. The national boundary between Rwanda and Goma was closed for a week.

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On July 16, volcano Nyamulagira, which is 40 kilometers from Goma, erupted, causing panic among residents.

On July 20, residents in Goma heard rumors of war and began to evacuate from the city.

On July 21, the EJC wrote about the turmoil in the city of Goma, but hoped that the meeting plan would not change. We responded that if we could not enter Goma, the EJC could send representatives to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, to discuss the truth.

On July 29 (Thursday), bro Gin-Jia Zhang and I departed from Paris, France to transit at Johannesburg, South Africa. We had services and visited members till August 3rd.

By August 3rd, bro GJ had been seriously ill for several days and I myself was burdened with ailments as well. Miraculously, both of us were healed that night!

B. The beginning of the missionary trip(for details, please refer to chapter six of this report, Missionary Diary)

On August 4th (Wednesday) at 1330 hour, we arrived at Kigali. Banyanga, the Chair of the EJC, Baraka, the National Overseer, and elder Blaise came to receive us. Since they were late to arrive at the national boundary between the two countries by 1800 hour, they stayed overnight at Kigali. With the movement of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ, we had a crucial discussion over dinner with these three ministers regarding baptism.

On August 5th (Thursday), we rode on a 15-passenger vehicle and began our slow journey along mountain roads in Rwanda, a country known for its numerous mountains. After four hours and over 100 kilometers, we arrived at Goma, Congo. There were about 200 members from 9 churches who gathered at one place to welcome us and listened to the truth. The EJC has great warmth and love.

On August 6th (Friday) morning, 18 EJC sacred workers came to our hotel to discuss the truth. The EJC co-workers had long thoughts about the issue of “bowing one’s head” during baptism. When we explained to the congregation that “infants

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must be baptized too,” the EJC workers were shocked. On August 7th (Sabbath) morning, the three ministers who

went to Kigali to receive us came to the hotel and expressed their determination to receive baptism again. In our first prayer together, all three received the Holy Spirit. We decided to baptize them on the 10th.

On August 8th (Sunday), 20 some people rode in one vehicle and visited Rubaya, which is 70 kilometers from Goma. At a grazing ground, we encouraged more than 200 members to be like David who fought against Goliath, to be out of their mind in the eyes of worldly people for the sake of Christ and to complete the impossible mission.

On August 9th (Monday), we had our first prayer with the EJC workers. The Lord showed great visions and power. A great light shone and the fire of the Holy Spirit fell on each one’s head. Wearing white, the Lord stood next to the minister who was laying hands on the EJC workers to help and strengthen them. We also established a directory of members from each church who registered for baptism.

On August 10th (Tuesday), 154 people from 9 churches were baptized in Goma. After baptism, we sent the congregation home and had sacred workers stay for a seminar the next day.

C. Workers’ Seminar (for details, please refer to chapter six of this report, Missionary Diary)

On August 11th (Wednesday), the congregation went home. The first day of the Workers’ Seminar lasted from 900 to 1630. We discussed the qualifications of the workers of the true church, the Sabbath, the change of church name from EJC to VJC, church registration and translation of publications about the basic beliefs, etc.

On August 12th (Thursday), which is the second day of the Workers’ Seminar, we discussed church organization, baptism, footwashing, Holy Communion, and One True Church. We asked the participants to repeatedly practice conducting the sacraments. However, we instructed them not to perform any sacrament and not to lay hands on anyone.

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We found out that many members had to walk 15-44 kilometers of mountainous roads to attend this service! After these members returned to their respective churches, they actively preached to other members. Since many members requested baptism, we decided to hold another baptism on August 14th.On August 13th (Friday), which was the third day of the seminar, we reviewed the basic beliefs and discussed the Holy Spirit. We refused to subsidize the US$15 fare for 30 members who would be coming for baptism the following day. We hoped that the ministry would continue to grow in our absence. I couldn’t sleep the entire night, but was comforted by the thought that the Lord was walking before me in this ministry.

D. The second baptism(for details, please refer to chapter six of this report, Missionary Diary)

On August 14th (Sabbath), we baptized 106 at Sake Church. We baptized 260 in these two baptisms. Among them were 48 sacred workers from 10 churches (EJC has 11 churches and 8 places of worship): 10 preachers, 8 evangelists, 15 deacons, 11 deaconesses, 1 elder, 1 prophet and 2 apostles. Almost all the important workers of the EJC have converted to the truth and become a spirited army of God!

On August 15th (Sunday), we reminded the co-workers at Goma to take care of church registration, translation, evangelism, praying for the Holy Spirit, etc. in our absence. We arrived at Kigali in the evening and stayed there overnight.Recounting God’s grace in more than ten days, we realized deeply that we were just unworthy and useless servants. May all glory be to the God in heaven, our Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

E. Swahili and our English and French ministries in Africa: On August 16th morning, we departed from Kigali and spent 6

hours to transit at Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. After we

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went through customs, we stayed with sis Emma, the secretary for the Kenya Evangelical Center in Nairobi. We discussed the task of translating church beliefs into Swahili. According to sis Emma, members in Kenya attempted the translation. But there were not many members fluent in Swahili, progress had been slow. We then arrived at the Johannesburg Church in South Africa and had a family service.

On August 17th, the sicknesses that bro Gin-Jia and I were healed of before the trip recurred! Bro Gin-Jia was so sick that he could not eat. Thank God that during the trip, He gave us “sufficient” health. We left South Africa at midnight and arrived in France in the morning of the 18th. On August 22nd, I flew to London.

On August 23rd, there was a meeting in London about the Russian ministry.

On August 23-25th, I attended UKGA Ministers’ Cultivation Seminar. We shared our reflections and thoughts about the direction of the English and French ministries in Africa. We encouraged one another to pray for and help each other. We were joyful and bathed in the grace of the Lord.

F. Common Beliefs was translated and church by-laws established By August 25th, the workers at Goma, with amazing speed,

emailed us both the church by-laws needed for government registration and the complete translation of the French Common Beliefs (Dogmes). Swahili is one of the five official languages used in Congo. It is also a language used in neighboring countries, including the English-speaking districts in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. We immediately laid out Common Beliefs into a small booklet. After reviewing the by-laws, we promptly sent it back, instructed them to use it immediately and register it with the government. Co-workers in UK were thankful and gave praises to God when they saw the translation of Common Beliefs. They will bring the translation to Kenya in their trip to Kenya in the beginning of September.

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G. Goma was occupied by the anti-governmental forces. Please pray for them.

On August 27th, I read an online report, dated 26th, by the French paper Le Monde. The anti-governmental forces had occupied Goma. There was deathly stillness; only the armies were coming and going on the streets. We wrote a letter to the members in Goma to comfort them. Please pray for them.

August 27-30th. After reading the report on the 27th, dn Luke Chen and I flew to Dublin, Ireland to assist the ministry and visit members. Since I couldn’t get online, I didn’t have any news about Goma. I was very concerned. On several occasions, I told dn Chen that, whether during the night or early in the morning, I absent-mindedly thought I was still working in Africa. I could not forget the Lord’s grace in Goma and the faithfulness and diligence of the newly baptized co-workers in that difficult environment.

August 28-30th. I worked in Dublin, Ireland. As far as I know, this is the only church in Europe (or perhaps the world) established independently by immigrant members from Fu-Jien. They are mostly youths in their 20s and are full of zeal and vitality. They are under the care of UKGA. On the Sabbath, more than 20 members attended service. Dublin takes care of the food and lodging for visiting workers; UKGA pays for renting the place of worship on Saturdays. During prayers, the Lord gave the Holy Spoirit to 4-6 people.

H. Printed Common Beliefs, completed church registration, in the final stages of translating Essential Doctrines

反對歸真者開始反撲。????? On August 31st, I returned from Dublin to dn. Luke’s house at

Leicester. Banyanga wrote to report safety and that Common Beliefs has been printed and is being used. Banyanga and Baraka have also been preaching the truth to other EJC members who hope to be baptized the next time.

On September 8th, we received registration documents from Banyanga, dated September 2nd, of the Congo church. Since the translation of Essential Doctrines was almost complete, we had to quickly find printing estimates to decide whether

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to print it in or outside of Congo. (Every chapter would be printed as a stand-alone volume for convenience and cost savings.) Thanks to the Lord’s grace!In addition, Banyanga also requested intercessory prayers because opponents to return to the truth began to disturb the church. Nevertheless, our co-workers firmly believe that the truth will be triumphant. We pray that the Lord would add strength upon strength, and grace upon grace.

IV. Reflections1. During this missionary journey, the work of the Holy Spirit

was shown with unexpected power and speed. As I worked, I noted the four stages of work through daily prayers:

a. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” During our preaching, we focused on discussing the truth so that everyone could understand the truth and return under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

b. “Your kingdom come.” The objectives of the ministry were to pray for the Holy Spirit, to baptize and to establish the church.

c. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” By relying on the Lord in everything, we solidified the foundation of the truth, built upon previous successes, expanded the ministry, established structure and held seminars.

d. “Give us this day our daily bread.” We prayed that the Lord’s grace would be with the newly baptized members so that they will have more than they need to give to others.

2. Goma is a city by the mountains. The uneven terrain posed a great challenge to me since I have difficulty breathing. Before this trip, I prayed to the Lord to give me a “workable” body and He granted me. Because of my difficulty in breathing while climbing hills, a co-worker in Goma suggested carrying me on his back. I refused, taking each step in God’s grace to finish the path I needed to take and the work I needed to do. However, outsiders will have difficulty accessing this place and other potential places of development because of chaos

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caused by war or the remoteness of the region. So this ministry and the execution of sacraments must be handed over to local, good and faithful co-workers as soon as possible.

3. Other than some previous ambiguities about the truth of baptism (now that they have accepted the truth, they are just like us!), the co-workers at Goma are almost alter egos of our early church workers: full of faith, love the truth, disciplined, repose in poverty and delight in wisdom, willing to sacrifice and offer, and diligent! I thought to myself, if one day these co-workers were to come to “our” place and see the church in spiritual lethargy amidst God’s abundant material blessings, would they cry out aloud?

4. Ananias received the truth before Paul did and baptized him in the name of the Lord Jesus. But Paul turned out to be a more precious vessel who had a deeper understanding of the truth than he did. If we pray and hope that the church will become perfect over time, we must recognize and accept that our successors will be better than us. Only then can the promise of “the glory of the latter shall be great than the former” be realized continually in everyday of our work. We should also learn from the teachings and discipline of our successors and not grow accustomed to being teachers. If we always think that only other people need to be “trained,” then we lose the opportunity to examine and improve ourselves.

5. During this trip, the EJC spent much of her savings sponsoring such a big event. They did not make any material requests before and after baptism. After baptism, they immediately threw themselves into the ministry of the “true church” (translating publications and evangelizing in former EJC places of worship). We turned a blind eye to their poverty and did not make any promise to provide material support and subsidy. I did not even give one of the hundred some M&Ms I had with me. I was tortured by such “cruelty.”

6. After personally experiencing the relentless power of the Holy Spirit, I was filled with astonishment, excitement and thanksgiving. But what followed was the unforgettable feeling of unworthiness.

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7. On the last day, I walked through the customs which was closed one month earlier because of the war. After having my passport stamped by the authorities in Congo and Rwanda, I felt as if I had a dream. I did not believe that within 10 days, there was a complete change. Looking back at Goma amidst the dust kicked up by the car, I was filled with thanksgiving and longing. Oh! Goma, may the Lord guide your coming and going. We will return quickly (we plan to make another trip to Goma in January 2005 when bro GJ is having his winter vacation)!

V. Suggestions1. Ordination: In the past six years, bro GJ and his wife flew

from Taiwan to France at their own expense. They volunteered almost one month each year in the ministry in Africa to make up for manpower shortage of the French team. I hope that the IA and Taiwan GA can discuss the possibility of ordaining such a good and faithful servant so that he can take up more responsibilities in sacred work.

2. Assistance: Under the grace and guidance of the Lord, the ministry in the French regions of Africa is expanding. With the participation of suitable full-time workers, we will have more flexibility in dispatching. I hope that the IA and Taiwan GA can consider inviting Pr. H.J. Hsieh, who is experienced and fluent in French, to this ministry. Since August of this year, Pr. Hsieh, like other team members, has been receiving communications and sacred work reports about the French ministry in Africa to familiarize him with its successes and difficulties.

VI. Missionary diary (August 4 to 15)

The Pioneering Period August 4th (Wednesday). We flew from Johannesburg in the

morning and arrived at Kigali at 1:30pm. Banyanga (47 years old), the Chair of EJC, Baraka (35), the National Overseer, and Elder Blaise (in his thirties, one of the founders and Board of Directors of one elementary and one junior high

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school) came to receive us. Since they arrived too late at the border before it closed at 1800, they stayed overnight at Kigali. With the movement of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ, we had a pivotal discussion about the truth with the three ministers over dinner:To test whether the EJC, which also baptizes in the name of the Lord Jesus, had the concept of being baptized again, I intentionally claimed that we baptize in “bathtub” “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Banyanga immediately wanted me to be baptized again. I told him that my baptism was performed in the name of the Lord Jesus and not only would I not be baptized again, I came to preach about baptizing in “bathtub.” When Banyanga heard it, his face fell, and immediately told me, “If this is the case, please go back!” I joyfully held his hands and laughed. Thank God! By saying “Please go back!” EJC proved that they did not contact us for money, but was pursuing the truth in the spirit of “correcting whatever is contrary to the Bible.”I therefore asked him, “Do you have any biblical support for baptizing with face upward?” He replied, “I concede that we don’t!” I referred him to the passage about “face bowed.” I asked him to pay attention to Rom 6:5 where “future” resurrection is different from “past” resurrection (Col 2:12)! The latter refers to the revival of the spiritual life at baptism and the former refers to the revival and change of the body in the future. Baptism fulfills the two mysteries of completing the “spiritual life” and the “body.” If “outside of the body” is to be raised in the future in the likeness of the spiritual body of Christ when He resurrected, then one of the conditions of baptism must be that “outside of the body” must be in the likeness of the Lord’s death! After Banyanga heard about it and repeatedly read the passage, he was expressedly astounded. After the three ministers discussed among themselves, Banyanga fearfully asked, “What should we do? What should we do?” Before I could answer him, Baraka and Blaise could not help but gravely replied, “We have to be baptized again!” So the three of them looked at each other, forced a smile and sighed.

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This brief discussion later became Banyanga’s testimony of how he accepted “rebaptism.” He testified about this incident to other EJC workers who insisted that “we have already received baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus, we will not be baptized again.” If EJC demanded that those who were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus in a bathtub must be baptized again, then they themselves must be baptized again when they knew that they were not following the Bible!

August 5th (Thursday). Banyanga told us early in the morning that he and Baraka could not sleep the entire night. They were thinking about the issue of baptizing with head bowed. He said, “You have brought us a great shock!”

At 8 o’clock in the morning, we rode in a privately operated 15-passenger bus. After a four-hour journey across uneven mountainous terrain, we passed the Rwandan border and arrived at Goma, Congo. About 200 members from 9 churches gathered in a shabby chapel, which was a shed put up above volcanic rocks. They welcomed our visit and listened to our preaching.Starting from the next day, we discussed the truth with sacred workers from 800 to 1300. Between 1430 and 1730, we had services with the congregation in the chapel. After 1830, it was pitch black and without electricity, we had difficulty finding our way.At about 8pm, someone knocked on the door. Banyanga led eight to nine people to bring us food. They walked more than one kilometer in the dark to bring us dinner that we could enjoy by ourselves. I opened the lid of the basket and found two fish, noodle and French fries. We were utterly surprised and did not dare to receive such great love. We briefly touched the basket, asked them to bring it back, and reminded them, “We will take care of our own dinner; please don’t bring food again.”(Remark: Our hotel was converted from a residence. With only 3 rooms, the hotel also prohibited two men staying in the same room. After some negotiation, we shared a room for US$20 per day. It was very expensive (we didn’t at that time how expensive things were there). We asked for breakfast

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and had fried eggs and break. Little did we know that that became our main meal during the trip. We had lunch with EJC, but because there was little food, we purposely ate very little so they’d have more. At dinner time, the hotel did not have any water supply and electricity was negligible. (I could not even turn the light on, so I had to write my diary under candle light.) I could not make the oatmeal I brought, so I bought some bananas to fill my empty stomach. After a week, we realized that the water heater bro GJ brought with him could boil water after plugging it in for an hour (not the three minutes it usually takes). From then on, we had a cup of oatmeal every night!

August 6th (Friday). In the morning, 18 EJC sacred workers came to the hotel to discuss the truth. Banyanga wanted us to personally explain “head bowed” in baptism with them. So I began with “heavenly fire, earthly fire” (please refer to my previous article published many years ago in the Holy Spirit Monthly and Manna) and explained “baptizing with head bowed.” They were astonished at the clear records of the Bible. After we discussed the truth with them, EJC co-workers discussed and argued among themselves whether they should be “baptized again.”On our way to the chapel, we learned that EJC rejected the notion of baptizing children under 12 based on the fact that one must ““believe” and be baptized to be saved.” After we arrived at the chapel, I began with “the name of the Lord” (please refer to my previous article published many years ago in the Holy Spirit Monthly and Manna) to discuss the issue of baptizing children to wash away their sins. Praising and cheering, the congregation responded affirmatively to these questions: “Will children die?” “Do children have sins?” “Do they need forgiveness from the salvation grace of the Lord Jesus?” The EJC co-workers were astonished and did not know what to do. After service, Banyanga told me, “Yang, you have brought us great distress!”EJC conducted their services in the same manner as described in Ps 150: “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet…”. Playing drums, trumpets, guitar and other

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musical instruments, they sang and danced to praise God. The churches had a combined choir presentation during which they sang beautifully and danced (similar to the sing-along in Kindergarten classes). However, when the congregation sang and danced together for a prolonged period of time, occasionally one or two people would not be able to control themselves (they would either sing or dance nonstop, but there was no symptom of the work of the evil spirit). We were worried.(Remark: Since there was an incident where we laid hands on a member to stop singing and dancing, we especially instructed the newly baptized sacred workers to limit the congregation’s singing and dancing to no more than 10 minutes. (It usually went on for more than 30 minutes.)

August 7th (Sunday). The three ministers who went to Kigali to received on the early morning of the 4th came to the hotel and expressed their determination to be baptized again. After discussion, we decided to hold the baptism on the 10th, which was a Tuesday. It so happened that the owner of the hotel was not there and there were no other guests. We took the opportunity to invite them, for the first time, to pray with us for the Holy Spirit. The Lord graciously gave the Holy Spirit to all three in the hotel room.EJC places much emphasis on the Sabbath. They keep the Sabbath under grace but in stricter terms than us. Services begin from 900 to 1630 without any break, rest, or lunch. And no one leaves! The first time we taught the congregation to pray for the Holy Spirit, we stood up and laid hands to help them. Facing so many members who were praying for the Holy Spirit for the first time, I sighed about not being able to step up to the occasion. We could also focus on the members by the walkway and the sacred workers at the front of the chapel. Many received the Holy Spirit.After service, we went to the house of Elder Blaise’ twin brother who is an evangelist and one of the nine executive members. Because of his occupation, he does not live in Goma. 15 other evangelists and sacred workers followed. We took the opportunity to discuss the truth with them. Point by

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point, we asked them if they understood the truth of infant baptism. Thank God, all the co-workers expressed their determination to be baptize on Tuesday.In these few days, we clearly witnessed the work of God. During our prayers, bro BJ and I continually thought about the ways to follow up:

o To avoid division within EJC, we kept their working organizational structure.

o Sent Banyanga and Baraka to all the EJC churches and places of worship to proclaim the truth until all or the majority return to the truth.

o Immediately register the “True Jesus Church” with the government.

o Translate into their language, Swahili, Common Beliefs and six chapters from Essential Doctrines, including the five basic doctrines and church.

o Since outsiders have little access to these mountainous and war-prone regions, in the future, where necessary, the sacraments must be entrusted to and performed by newly baptized, reverent workers in the same manner as in the missionary history of the early Apostolic Church and the True Jesus Church worldwide. (In comparison, in Cotonou, Benin, we have established a church for many years, but until now we are still looking for and training suitable workers for God’s use.)In the night, we heard several gun shots from the city center. The younger brother of the hotel owner held up his ears in anxiety, but immediately said, “I don’t believe there will be a fight.”

August 8th (Sunday). Getting up in the morning, I joyfully shared this Bible verse to comfort bro GJ who, over the past few days, had concerns and expectations for this ministry: “He commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” (Act 10:48) ??????? The members at Joppa did not believe in the Lord for long, but Peter instructed them to perform baptism. ??????? Paul appointed elders in newly established churches and commended them to the Lord (Act 14:23)! With the Lord’s grace, after the IA co-workers have

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received this missionary report and the True Jesus Church in Congo has been officially registered, it would be time to, in the name of the Lord Jesus, “instruct” these reverent co-workers who have understood the truth and are more worthy than I, to go into the mountainous and war-prone regions to baptize members.We rented a 15-passenger bus for US$70. With more than 20 people riding in it, we visited Rubaya, which is the last church reachable by highway in this mountainous region. (If everyone were to pay their own fare, it would have cost US$4-5 round-trip per person.) Even though it was really crammed in the bus, they continually sang hymns on their way back. We admired their stamina and zeal!Because we were close to a war zone, there were many passes set up by the military police. Banyanga showed a governor’s “evangelical service” permit with bro GJ’s and my names on it. We spent two and a half hours to go through these passes and arrived at Rubaya, which is a large village about 70 kilometers from Goma. The church spent US$230 to purchase a 1,000 square-foot piece of land and is soliciting funds to build a simple chapel for US$500. Currently, about 160 members have service in the open.The bus went around the village to broadcast invitations to the evangelical service. Finally, it arrived at a pastureland one kilometer from the village. About 200 people came, with their oxen. Originally EJC only planned to introduce us briefly, but the congregation refuse to disperse and shouted, “Since you are here, how can you leave without preaching the word of God?” So Banyanga invited bro GJ and I to preach. We introduced the beliefs of the True Jesus Church and how, under the gracious guidance of God, the true church rose from the impoverished China and gradually spread the gospel in all directions. In the same way as “David killed Goliath,” this ministry would never have succeeded by worldly standards. But by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, this ministry would be and has been fulfilled!We encouraged the congregation to learn from David to serve the Lord and not look down upon themselves. They must not

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to be scared by dangerous circumstances and their sense of inferiority. Instead they should rely on the name of the Lord to be out of their mind in the eyes of worldly people (cf. 2 Cor 5:13; Act 16:24) and to fulfill the God-given commission to “preach the gospel to the world”! To spread the gospel through all of Africa, they, who are in poverty, must take up this burden. Such aspiration may be insanity in eyes of worldly people, but with the Holy Spirit at work, one day those who ridicule will not laugh again before the power of God! After hearing the message, the congregation cheered and gave glory to the true God in heaven. Even the senior officer of the village was present.After having lunch with rice, red bean and sweet potato, we took the same way back to Goma. When we returned to the hotel, we looked at each other and laughed, for all the passengers in the bus were covered with dust from the trip.

August 9th (Monday). The hotel owner informed us two days earlier that if we needed to use his facility for discussion, he would charge us an additional US$10. After discussing with Banyanga, we decided to find another place. In the morning, more than ten sacred workers came to the hotel to go together to a new place to study the truth. Since the owner was not there, I seized the opportunity to explain to EJC co-workers how to determine if one has received the Holy Spirit. This was also the first time we invited just the EJC co-workers to kneel down and pray for the Holy Spirit. We sought the manager’s permission to pray for the Holy Spirit along the walkway of the hotel. The Lord has mercy on this missionary work! In less than ten minutes (the manager anxiously demanded that we stop the prayer when he heard how loud we were praying), the Holy Spirit filled the place of prayer and many received the Holy Spirit, saw visions and witnessed a glorious light. Several people witnessed a glorious light shone brightly before their eyes; the Holy Spirit appeared like flames that fell upon each person’s head. One person saw the Lord in white garment, standing next to the minister who was laying hand on him. All co-workers gave praises and glory to the merciful and loving God in heaven, the Savior

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Jesus Christ!After prayer, we went to a classroom at Blaise’s school to discuss the truth of footwashing. After class, we requested that the local ministers furnish a list of members from their own church who requested baptism the next day. In the afternoon service, Banyanga and Baraka apologized to the congregation of 200 members. For so many years, their teaching about baptism was not complete because of their limited understanding. “Today, we have found the truth. My entire family has decided to get baptized tomorrow! I hope God will lead you to understand!” After hearing his statement, I was visibly moved on the spot.Before it grew dark, we requested the local ministers to establish a list of member from their own church who were going to be baptized. At the same time, bro GJ and preacher Joel went into the city to buy flour, grape juice and other things necessary for the three sacraments. During the concluding prayer, many received the Holy Spirit.Since the afternoon, dark clouds covered the sky and there was thundering and lighting. A storm raged in the night. We were worried that there was little we could do if the storm continued till the next day when more than one hundred members were going to be baptized and had their feet washed by the lake, in the open. In the night, bro GJ and I prayed incessantly. We tossed and turned and could not fall asleep. I wrote a short message with my mobile phone to my family and some South Africa members whom we only met days before and were very concerned with the missionary work: “Everything happened under the unexpected grace of God; please pray especially for August 10th.” I got up several times during the night. Looking at the dark clouds that filled the sky, I worried in my sleep and prayed when I was awake. Bro GJ who slept next to me might had an even harder time falling asleep since he was responsible for baptismal site preparation.During my prayer and petition, an article I wrote previously appeared in my mind: Tomorrow, My Lord is Already Ahead of Me (published in the April, 2004 issue of the Holy Spirit

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Times). I sensed that, tomorrow, the ark would be three days ahead of us already and has prepared a resting place to which it will come back to lead us. Even though I was worried, the Lord had already made the wonderful preparation. I needed only to follow the ark closely through thick and thin. It will be the most wonderful path! I thought about how Paul entrusted everything to the Lord but could not help worrying for the church and prayed in tears. Looking toward the sky, I was greatly comforted, thinking about myself in “heavy downpour.”

August 10th (Tuesday). 154 members from 9 churches were baptized in Goma.The weather this morning did not clear up because of my petitions through the night. There was a dark mass of clouds and the air was damp and cold. Heavy rain could have poured at anytime. I could hardly imagine the difficult position the more than one hundred members would be in getting baptized and their feet washed next to the lake in heavy downpour. At 600, looking at the sky, I knelt down and prayed that the Lord would give us eight hours without rain. At 630, while bro GJ and I prayed, the rain poured as if a dam has collapsed. At about 7:00, the rain stopped completely. We arrived at the baptismal site at nine and began baptism after ten. The sun seemed to show its face occasionally from the dense clouds to greet us, “Hi! I’m here.”Besides bro. GJ, Banyanga and Baraka were the first ones to step into the lake and they remained there, right next to me, to learn and help with baptism and footwashing. The sacraments were not completed entirely until around two in the afternoon. Even with dense clouds, there was not a drop of rain! In an orderly fashion, we left the lake and returned to the church. Bro. GJ made the unleavened bread and I changed. At almost three o’clock, the rain came again. Looking at my watch, I noticed it was eight hours after the rain stopped in the morning! It was difficult to describe how moved I was to experience God’s immense grace.To baptize 154 people and wash their feet, I had to repeat over three hundred times, “In the name of the Lord Jesus….”

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I stood in the water on sharp rocks for two hours to conduct baptism. Then I knelt by the lake on stones to conduct footwashing for over one hour. I am not very strong to begin with and my stamina was not holding up. But I was very joyful and thankful in my heart. Still, I had lingering worries about the future that could not be wiped away.We suggested that after Holy Communion, the congregation of two hundred should be sent home. Sacred workers, especially the evangelists, should stay for the three-day seminar from 11th to 13th. The former EJC co-workers happily agreed and said they had the same idea of staying and had wanted to discuss with us.

Workers’ Seminar August 11th (Wednesday). The congregation went home.

Between 900 and 1630, we held a Workers’ Seminar at elder Blaise’s school. (During the three days, 19 sacred workers from 8 churches attended the seminar and 17 received the Holy Spirit). We walked by a magnificent chapel from the hotel to the school. I asked evangelist Joel, “Who built it?” “Missionaries from Europe built it for them.” After entering the classroom, I told the co-workers, “You all know that bro GJ and I came here and brought only the truth, and neither silver nor gold. When I passed by the magnificent chapel today, I thought to myself, ‘I wonder if you are disappointed that we have come here without silver or gold?’” After I spoke, the workers shook their heads forcefully. Banyanga stood up and said, “We want the truth!” The workers were all smiles and concurred, “Amen!”I then described the early history of the True Jesus Church. Especially in China and Taiwan, the ministry matured into adulthood without any outside help, but with the personal guidance of the Lord. Today, the ministry is not only blessed, but also has enough surpluses to help those in need. I encouraged them who are starting out in poverty to pray to the Lord so that they will be equally blessed spiritually and materially and have surpluses to graciously help the needy!During classes, we discussed changing the church name, the

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four basic qualifications of True Jesus Church workers (i.e. good reputation, filled with the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom and faith), and the Sabbath. During the concluding prayer, several workers received the Holy Spirit with the manifestation of glorious light and vision. Several workers saw glorious light shone like bright light, the Holy Spirit descended upon the workers as fire, the beaming cross, and the Lord appeared in white garment. One of them saw the Lord in white garment. Holding a Bible in His hand, the Lord told the workers of Rubaya that when they returned, they “must not be afraid, but courageously witness for the Lord.”There were long discussions about changing the church name. A minority of co-workers could not understand why EJC (The Church of Jesus Christ) must forsake its name which is “based on the Bible.” They demanded that we explain clearly the biblical basis for VJE (True Jesus Church). After much explanation, Banyanga continue to explain the rationale for naming EJC. Everyone then joyfully accepted the change and decided to register the name change with the government as soon as possible. It would take a long time to register as a new religious organization. The cost would be high (about US$300-$500) and approval is not assured. But if only a name change is involved, a lawyer’s notarization would suffice. Additional benefits include lower cost (about US$100), shorter registration time, greater likelihood of success. Furthermore, I would think that by “changing name,” EJC would be history and disappear. Otherwise, if we established a new religious organization, EJC and VJE would legally coexist. It would be possible for EJC members who have not been converted to VJE to oppose us. The final decision was to have a “name change” and amend the “Beliefs” section in the by-laws. We encouraged specially-assigned workers to translate the French Common Beliefs and six chapters (five basic doctrines and church) from Essential Bible Doctrines, a total of more than 100 pages, into Swahili, the official language of Congo. Bro GJ would take care of printing and cost issues.I could sense that these EJC workers had been serving the

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Lord for many years and they possess different gifts. Now that they suddenly became newborn children, they were not used to “not being able to lay hands and conduct sacraments.” “Gifts are given by God. Why can I not use them to edify the church?” “If someone is dying and wants to believe in the Lord, can we not baptize him?” I explained repeatedly that it is not that they cannot, but just not now. I wanted them to think of themselves as newborn children who should start everything anew. Finally they joyfully accepted the arrangement.Deep in thought, Banyanga told me: It was an unexpected miracle to him that the EJC co-workers were so united in returning to the truth!In the night, there was gunplay in the city and one robber was killed by the military.

August 12th (Thursday). The second day of Workers’ Seminar.Early in the morning, Banyanga and Baraka came to our hotel and asked us how to take care of the administrative structure of the church. I replied, “I do not know the co-workers here well and I should not exceed my authority.” But they replied, “We have come back to the truth and need the guidance of someone who is spiritually wiser.” Thank God, after discussing with the group, we decided to maintain the current EJC system. We will reorganize after the gospel is spread to all the EJC places of worship and when the congregation had decided whether to return to the truth. In this period of transition, we encouraged them to gently treat the “undecided” co-workers and not cause any opposition. The most important tasks were to send in our application of church registration to the government and translate our doctrines into Swahili so that all members could have deeper understanding of our beliefs!During classes, we repeated explain baptism, footwashing and Holy Communion. They were asked to go on the pulpit, in turn, to explain and “practice” the three sacraments. Thank God, since there were few differences to start out with, they handled it well.

o Baptism. “Head bowed” was easily understood. We

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encouraged them to use Bible verses and be quick-witted in explaining “infant baptism” to the congregation. (Suddenly Banyanga interjected, “Promesse, the infant that everyone met on the 9th, was very ill. Her mother asked, 'Should the child be baptized on the 10th?' I encouraged her to, and the infant was healed after baptism.” All the co-workers praised God, as if out of a sudden they understood everything.)EJC originally had the practice to immediately baptize any truth-seeking friend who expressed desire for baptism. They asked me, “If infants need the forgiveness of sin, should they be baptized on the same day they were borned?”

o Holy Communion: EJC uses one unleavened bread and one jar of pure grape juice. But they insisted that it must be held at 3pm, after the time of Jesus' death. We quoted the Bible and let them understand that they could hold it anytime.

o Footwashing: EJC's original belief was that footwashing has “a direct relationship to salvation.” But EJC performed mutual footwashing. I explained in detail that “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me” refers to “one-way” footwashing that the Lord Jesus performed for the disciples. Even if someone is unwilling to perform mutual footwashing, that in itself will not result in “not having a part with Jesus”! The footwashing that relates to salvation is performed only once and “in one direction” in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to newly baptized members. We taught them to remember John 13:8 repeatedly until each one of them could recite it.

o “One True Church”: EJC originally thought she was the only church that saves. So it was not difficult for them to accept “One True Church.”

Some co-workers hoped to understand more why they were forbidden from laying hands and baptizing members yesterday. What is the biblical basis? I said, “'Those who

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are newly baptized' should not immediately take up heavy responsibilities. They need a period of time to quiet themselves and repeatedly ponder over the truth they have accepted. Now that the Lord has washed your sins away, your gifts and power will be more manifest than before. So we “forbid” you to “protect” you from pride that can easily result. We hope everyone can have a child-like heart to learn quietly. Baraka, the national overseer, continued to say in Swahili, “We have just been baptized. We must learn and be humble, and wait for God to use us!” Everyone concurred in one accord.Deep in my heart, I knew that someone as useless as I have been sent by the Lord to perform sacraments. Other than the fact that these co-workers knew about the truth of baptism and footwashing later than I did (after they understood, they have deeper reflections on them), they were my example in every regard. If we talk about being “unworthy,” it is I and not them! I often told them, Ananias was sent to baptize Paul and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Priscilla and Aquila explained the gospel in greater detail to Apollos. As a result, God used the “latter” significantly! In the future, in this huge continent of Africa, God will manifest greater power in them than in bro GJ and I! That's why we need to prepare ourselves at any moment for God's use!From Banyanga, I learned that the congregation who were dismissed yesterday had to walk 15 to 44 kilometers of mountainous roads to go home! I was agonized. Since I was little, I heard about the early TJC members who craved the truth and the early workers who went through great lengths to obtain the truth! Who knew that we witnessed that today! It further proved that other than knowing the truth a few years earlier than they did, we lagged behind them in every other aspect.The members who returned yesterday preached the gospel to people around them. After hearing it, many people wanted to come down from the mountains to receive the truth and requested that we perform another baptism

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before we left. After discussing with the co-workers, we decided to have another baptism on the 14th (Sabbath) at Sake church.I repeatedly told bro GJ in the past few days that I was afraid of making a mistake. In my prayers in the past few days, I knew fully that at least in the next three to five years, we would not be able to enter the deep mountains and regions occupied by robbers. Even they would not be able to access those regions without perils and difficulties. In the situation where “sooner or later, they would have to perform the sacraments,” we should have immediately instructed them to go into the mountains to proclaim the truth and perform the sacraments on those who obey the truth. We should seize this opportunity when the work of the Holy Spirit is so prominent to turn the EJC over in one full swing, not leaving any breathing room for opponents. Otherwise, after the opposing forces organized themselves, there might be a battle. I knew that I was extinguishing the movement of the Holy Spirit. Of course, without my “instructions,” I would avoid any “benevolent misunderstanding” during meetings in the future. But who could appease the self-blame and shame towards the Lord in my heart?(Remark: During the cultivation seminar on August 23-25th, I shared my struggle with co-workers in UK. I asked them how we should deal with it. Everyone agreed that in this situation, we should leave it to them to perform the sacraments! On September 7th, I learned from Banyanga over the phone that “opponents” have begun to cause disturbance. But he firmly believed that the truth will triumph. He wrote on September 8th to ask for intercession.)

August 13th (Friday). The third day of Workers' Seminar.After reviewing the basic beliefs, we asked them to repeat them so that they could become conversant them. We also discussed:

o Holy Spirit: We instructed the co-workers to return their respective regions and teach their congregation to

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pray for the Holy Spirit.“Praying for the Holy Spirit” was that part of the pioneering ministry we did not have much opportunity to do. The congregation was too big and it was difficult to kneel for long because there were sharp stones from volcanic eruptions in the chapel. So we didn't have many prayers to “pray for the Holy Spirit.” There was no way we could tabulate the number of members who received the Holy Spirit. We focused on “sacred workers” who prayed for the Holy Spirit. Thank God, among the 19 pastors and sacred workers who came from 9 churches, 17 received the Holy Spirit. Some saw glorious light, big fire, and visions of the Lord's appearance, affirming their faith. Unfortunately, in terms of “female” deacons, even though there were some sisters who received the Holy Spirit, we did not know who they were and if any of the deaconesses received the Holy Spirit. No female members attended the seminar. We did not know if this was custom there.EJC originally thought that “speaking in tongue” is only one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was said that among them was one who had such gift. But he could not pray in tongues immediately in his prayer. So the standard of “receiving the Holy Spirit” this time was “whether or not you spoke in tongues before, now you must speak in a different tongue than before and you will speak it when the prayer begins.” Banyanga and Baraka had the new experience of “singing spiritual songs.

The pastor of Mugunga said more than thirty people would come the next day to be baptized. He hoped that we would help each person US$0.50 for bus fare. Consequently, he was scolded by the congregation, reprimanding him that he should not have asked for subsidy! During class, I told the pastor of Mugunga and other co-workers in tears, “No! If they want to get baptized, let them walk!” “But the young and the old, the women and the weak would have to talk 17 kilometers!” “No! I'll not give it to you!... Everyone should

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realize that it is agony not to give it to you. I'd rather give to be happier. But I can't.” The pastor of Mugunga looked at me and nodded his head. Could he really understand my pain? It was said that Pastor Rubaya did not have the bus fare to come and so did not attend the seminar. One co-worker asked if we could subsidize US$4.00 (roundtrip) so he would have the opportunity to attend the seminar. He might understand and be baptized, alleviating our worries for the Rubaya church. After discussing the issue with bro GJ, we decided against it because many co-workers who were present also walked long distances to come!I could not sleep the entire night. I thought about the fine qualities of the co-workers, the congregation who were eagerly awaiting the baptism of salvation, the innocence with which they opened their eyes wide to learn the truth, the unknowns in the future ministry. I thought about how I could explain during meetings so that our churches could understand God's work here. They needed to realize that not everyone with dark complexion had a bad heart… Getting up in the middle of the night, I knelt at one end of the bed, thinking, couldn't help hiding in my blanket and cried aloud. In my tears, “Tomorrow, My Lord Is Already Ahead of Me” lingered like a song and wiped my tears away. “Oh Lord! I pray that your Holy Spirit lead your church, so that we can closely follow your Ark!”That night, over 100 people from the tribe of Tutsis in Congo who escaped to Burundi were allegedly killed by the tribe of Hutus who came from Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. There was unease in the region.

Second Baptism: August 14th (Sabbath). We preached at Sake church and

baptized 106. Many among them were pastors who, during the first baptism, had hesitations about “infant baptism.” After the seminar, they rushed back home to bring their wife and children to be baptized. Many who have been baptized and those who went back to spread the gospel, walked in the mountains for three, four hours in the morning to attend this

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service. Three youths from a church rushed to the service and intentionally opposed and prevented members from their church to be baptized. But after they heard the truth of baptism, the three of them understood and accepted baptism! Until yesterday, members from 9 of the 11 EJC churches came. But today, members from the 10th church came, including three sacred workers. They initially came to “see and hear,” but they were all moved, accepted the truth and received baptism!Before baptism, I kept worrying about the members from Mugunaga against whom I refused their pastor to subsidize US$0.50 each for their bus fare. So I asked Banyanga, “Have the members from Mugunaga come?” “They are on their way and should be here soon!” I secretly wiped my tears. I waited and waited. 17 members came. Until today, whenever I thought about this matter, I'd ask myself, “Are they all here?”The weather today should have been the same as the last few days, gloomy and rainy. But the Lord was gracious with us. The Sake church chapel was so small that it could not accommodate 300 and we had to have the service in the open. Throughout the day, it was so sunny that the church even put up a “sun-shading umbrella” for bro GJ and I!During the first baptism, we noticed that only Banyanga and Baraka brought their households to be baptized. During the second baptism, we witnessed some pastors who went home just to bring their children to be baptized. So there were more children baptized in the second baptism compared to the first. One pastor who came by himself to attend service took a day off after the end of the second day of service, went into the mountains to bring his wife and children to be baptized! How could we not be moved!The baptismal site at Sake was a spring in the mountains with fine pebbles at the bottom. Even after we baptized over one hundred members, the water was still clear. Footwashing was held in another nearby spring, next to a pasture. It was held under sunny weather, with innumerable grace of God.We baptized 206 in these two baptisms. Among them were 48 sacred workers from 10 churches (EJC has 11 churches and 8

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places of worship): 10 pastors, 8 evangelists, 15 deacons, 11 deaconesses, 1 elder, 1 prophet and 2 apostles.EJC has a nine-member executive committee. Other than two who were absent because of their work, the remaining 7 attended this pioneering service. Six of them were baptized and one of them requested: “please pray for me and hope that I'll understand the truth about infant baptism the next time and be ready for baptism.” Great is the Lord's grace! May all the glory and praises be unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

August 15th (Sunday). In the morning, the co-workers came in batches to send us off. We initially booked the bus for 900, but we changed it to 1100 so we have the opportunity to discuss these co-workers the tasks after we left—church registration, translation of Common Beliefs and Essential Doctrines, returning and evangelizing to their own regions, encouraging the congregation to pray for the Holy Spirit, etc.Rubaya church told us that they have over one hundred members who wanted to be baptized. They wanted us to stay for two extra days and go up to the mountains to baptize them. But since we have already booked a series of flight transfers, we could only decline the request but agreed to see them again in January, 2005. May the Lord guide them.After going through customs, we entered Rwanda. In retrospect, time flew by quickly and the twelve days that were filled with grace were almost like Jacob waking from his dream in astonishment, “God is really here!” Outside the window, the volcano, afar, enveloped in smoke and cloud throughout the day, cast a magnificent shadow that hid unparalleled explosive power, waiting for the day when the fruit ripens and falls to the ground.

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