On September 7, the Holy Light (Shengguang, 圣光) Church in Jiangning District, Nanjing City, held a Sunday service, featuring a sermon, "Where's Your God?"
At eight o'clock in the morning, the officiant, dressed in a black robe with a green collar, ascended the altar and began the entire service with Psalm 19. The whole congregation stood and sang "The Song of the Trinity's Arrival" together, then recited the Apostles' Creed. Afterward, the officiant prayed for the entire congregation, the preacher, and the nation's revival, with the congregation responding with resounding "Amens." Following the intercessory prayer, the choir performed "Morning Song."
After the performance, Preacher Zhou Shanqi drew from Psalm 42 and Hebrews 11:6 to deliver a sermon titled "Where Is Your God?"
At the start of the sermon, Teacher Zhou noted that Psalm 42 describes the psalmist facing hardship, enduring physical distress and anxiety, while others mocked him, asking, "Where is your God?" Yet, he remained steadfast in God's faithfulness. The psalm ultimately concludes that turning our gaze to God is the true answer to life's challenges. This raises an age-old question: Why do believers in God still encounter suffering? This is especially true for figures like Job in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament, who lived with devout faith and diligently followed biblical teachings, yet endured immense trials. Unbelievers often mock the faithful as a result, assuming their God cannot protect them.
In response to such doubts, Teacher Zhou emphasized that Christians must understand the nature of the God they believe in and face adversities with unwavering faith, using their personal experiences to offer genuine testimony to non-believers.
Teacher Zhou referenced biblical passages to illustrate God's presence with believers amid trials. God reigns from the highest heavens, overseeing the entire earth, and stands at the believers' right hand to aid them. Furthermore, God leads them from the front and calls them to repentance from behind. God also dwells in the temple, where believers should patiently await His presence and engage in joyful praise and thanksgiving. He resides in our hearts as well, being truly omnipresent. She particularly highlighted that believers need not pray only in the temple but can commune with God anytime and anywhere.
Holy Light Church in Nanjing was built on land provided by the local government after the Majiatou and Yinxiang churches were removed in 2007. Completed in 2013 and officially named in 2015, the church features a main sanctuary of 1,500 square meters with 1,300 seats and now hosts over 900 worshippers at Sunday services by October 2016, along with active participation in weekly Bible study and prayer meetings.
Originally published by the Gospel Times
- Edited by Karen Luo and translated by Antonio Xu
