On February 28, 2021, churches that were affected by the coronavirus pandemic rebound in some parts of China were once again suspended from onsite gathering for more than two months.
Baoji Shilipu Church in China's northern Shaanxi Province ushered in the eighth Sunday worship after the second suspension.
At 9:00 a.m. on that same day, the online audio Sunday worship for Shilipu Church started under the auspices of Elder Hu Xianhua.
Next, at the proposal of Elder Hu, believers who participated in the online session were invited to sing the hymn "Praise My Heavenly Father”.
After the intercession, Pastor Wang Binghui led everyone to read Psalm 115:1-18. Next, Yao Chao preached a sermon about "Striving to know Christ", based on Philippians 3:1-21.
"In today's world, science keeps developing through constant exploration and pursuit; cultural knowledge, various disciplines and other fields are constantly improving, the human world is constantly changing. So Christian life should also be constantly updated and improved, with faith in 'Striving to know Christ.' This will ceaselessly propel us forward and improve our spiritual knowledge," she said.
"Once we finish familiarizing ourselves with Christian doctrine, we should strive for perfection, so as to be as dependent on God as the people of Israel were back in those days. We need to work hard to get out of the wilderness before we can enter the beautiful land of Canaan. Only by fighting hard and overcoming all kinds of challenges can we get to the land flowing with milk and honey. So, we cannot slack off, cannot be lazy, we should pursue persistently so that we can gain the power of the Holy Spirit, full of the stature of Christ's growth (Ephesians 4:13), and become the one God loves."
After the end of the sermon, the congregation sang Onward Go, one hymn collected in the Chinese New Hymnal, and recited the Lord's Prayer.
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Joy Zhang
