Stories of Grace

In John 5:17, Jesus tells us that “My Father is always at his work, to this very day…” In Philippians 2:13, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” In our "Stories of Grace" feature, members are invited to share a particular instance of how God has been at work in their lives.

This month, our contributor is Daniel Pun.

I grew up in a Christian family and my parents were always very encouraging in my walk with God. My parents would often remind me and my siblings to always put God first. In my room growing up, my parents put up a plaque with the words from Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

We would also go to church every Sunday, church-scouts on Wednesdays, choir on Thursdays, fellowship every Friday, church retreats during the winter and summer, and occasional mission conferences. So, growing up, I was fully immersed in this Christian bubble. My parents also were very transparent about their own walk of faith, so I did not ever doubt that God was real. It was a fact to me, and it still is a fact to me. God being relevant, however, was a different story.

Growing up in a church was great. But when I hit middle school/high school, it all kind of changed. It was my first time to experience bullying—and it was at church. I was left out and intentionally excluded. Suddenly, going to church was something I dreaded. The more I was excluded, the more I withdrew. I started to find my identity with peers that did accept me. I began to grow an attitude of indifference towards church and hung out with friends from high school that did welcome me. I still went to church because of my parents. But whenever I could get out of it, I would.

It was not that I stopped believing in God, doubted His existence, or was angry with God. I simply stopped seeing the church’s relevance to my life. I would still go to church and fellowship and say and do all the “right” things. I would pray before meals, read the Bible during family worship times, and was an obedient “Christian” son. But the more indifferent my heart became, the harder it became, and the more legalistic all of these “Christian routines” became. I knew that God was real, but that didn’t matter to me. God was irrelevant to me.

This continued all the way up to grade 12. But then something changed. Some of my close friends were Christian, but we had never talked about Christianity or anything spiritual. But when I was in grade 12, these friends began to ask me about my faith and would encourage me daily, if not weekly. “Hey, Pun (my nickname in high school), did you do your ‘devos’ [i.e., devotional time] today?” They started to invite me to their church fellowships as well. I cannot exactly say that I was thrilled about going, but I still went because they were my friends. I think it was through this that I began to rediscover my faith again. I saw that church could be different. It could be warm.

I started to go back to my own church with a renewed attitude, looking past the people and more towards God. At the end of grade 12, a new youth pastor at my home church invited the congregation to join him in a mission trip to Longlac 58 [a.k.a. Long Lake 58 First Nation]. It is an aboriginal reserve 16 hours north of Toronto. I do not know why, but I felt compelled to go. Even though I was only a “Sunday Christian” at the time, there was something deep down that just would not go away until I filled out an application form for the trip.

During the mission trip, I did not know what to expect. I did not even know how to articulate the gospel clearly. I just remember that when other people were reading their Bibles during quiet times, I thought to myself, “I should read the Bible, too…”  At this point, it had been quite a while since I took the initiative to read the Bible for myself and, to be honest, it felt kind of awkward. But once I started reading it for myself, I felt God like never before. The closeness, the warmth…it was overwhelming. Everything started to make sense—why my parents continued to “force” me to go to church, why my friends suddenly went Christian on me and asked me about my faith, why I felt the need to be here in Longlac. God had been pursuing me, even though my heart was hardened. God never let me go. It was his grace.

After two weeks in Longlac, I came home with a renewed sense of purpose in my life and in my faith. Things did not change instantly, but it was a start. My faith was re-ignited. And I believe it was in that moment that I actually became a Christian, as I was no longer living under my parents’ faith. My faith was now something special between God and me alone.

Upcoming Events

                                                  Pastor Dennis Brown (2008-2018)

• Children’s Ministry Summer Schedule. For the month of July, the Children’s ministry will be taking a break from formal teaching. The children can go to their normal classrooms and enjoy fellowship together, snacks, and movie time. Regular classes will resume in August.

• Gospel-Centered Leadership – Wednesdays, July-August, 7:30pm. Men are invited to a third round of community group gatherings for men. Our focus will be on gospel-centered leadership. Deacon David Morton will be leading. For the month of July, the group will meet at the church apartment. You can sign up at the welcome table or e-mail Peter Brown at pb2059@gmail.com to indicate your interest. This segment will last for approximately eight weeks. 

• G2C Language Exchange – Sunday, July 15th, 3:30-4:30pm. Join FPC’s student ministry, G2C (Gospel 2 the Campus), today for a chance to practice your English—or your Mandarin. You do not have to be a student to participate! Location will be announced during the service.

• Monthly Prayer Group – Tuesday, July 17th, 7:30-9:00pm. Come join us at “The Engine Room,” FPC’s monthly prayer group, for an evening of kingdom-centered prayer. We gather at 7:30pm and go into prayer from 7:45 to 9:00. All are welcome. Contact Peter Brown at pb2059@gmail.com for the (nearby) address.

• Pastor’s Open House, Saturday, July 21st, 6:30-9:30pm. You are invited to an open house hosted by Pastor Dennis at the pastoral apartment on Saturday, July 21st from 6:30 to 9:30pm. Come and see the remodeled church apartment and have one more opportunity to pray for and bless each other. If you need the address, email Pastor Dennis (dennis.brown.pca@gmail.com) or the church (fpchurch@friendshiptaipei.com).

• Summer Sermons. Pastor Dennis will conclude our long study on the Book of Romans on July 29th. The titles of his messages will be "Friends" and "Final Benediction.” In August, there will be four guest speakers who will be preaching through the Book of 1 John. Then, on September 2nd, Peter Kim will be installed as lead pastor with Pastor Paul Kong preaching. 

"I Miss it Every Day of My Life"

by Pastor Dennis Brown

Ten years ago, when I announced to my church in Philadelphia that I had accepted a call for a church in Taiwan, a woman approached me afterward. She said she was interested in my announcement. She went on to share that she and her husband had lived in Japan for a number of years. I said, “Well, how was it?” Her response was, “I miss it every day of my life.” As she explained further she mentioned how they lived in a large house in a suburban neighborhood, but that people didn’t know each other well. She also said life in Japan was much simpler.

As I come to the end of ten years in Taiwan, I feel the same: I will miss it every day of my life. And if you ask, “What are the things you will miss the most,” here are a few:

First, the Taiwan people. We have all seen the t-shirt, “Taiwan… it will warm your heart.” I resonate so much with that statement. While I love my own country, every time I would return and land in the Taoyuan airport, I would say to myself, “Thank the Lord, I am back in Taiwan.” A friend of mine said the same thing after traveling to China. The Taiwanese have warmth, gentleness, and respect that I think is unparalleled in all my travels. I have been in so many countries of the world, but Taiwan is unique.

Second, the neighborhoods. I recall someone saying that parts of living in Taiwan were “magical.” I do not think that is an overstatement. When I walk through my neighborhood between the church and the apartment, it is filled with little shops (changing a lot)—coffee, hair-cutteries, boutiques, sneakers, barber shops, electrical, plumbing, hardware, ethnic eateries, and even an Indonesian spice shop. There is a minimum of multinational chain stores so it feels more human, authentic, creative, and alive. That, combined with the young people in the night markets at night gives a feeling of life and energy. There are also moments of humor, like the day you met the young man in the 7-11 in his pajamas. It is never boring.

Third, the geography of Taiwan. I recently took a tour on Highway 11 between Hualien and Taitung. It was stunningly beautiful and serene. You could walk to the ocean and pass a couple of grazing musk ox with hardly a soul around. If you looked to your right, you could see the blue of the mountains, and to the left the spray of the ocean. And if you breathed deeply, you could catch the scent of pineapple or other tropical fruits growing. And then, when we went back up on Highway 9 in the Rift Valley we went to a mountainous area that felt like you were in Switzerland. I must have taken a couple hundred pictures. This is just one of the memories I will always carry with me, and it will doubtless draw me back as much as I am able to in years to come.

Friendship Church. I planned on staying for only three years, but the people, the country, the church grew on me, year after year. I loved the diversity of nationalities, the youthfulness, the teachability, the humor. It got into your bones. So I will carry Friendship in my heart to the end of my days. At the end of Romans, in chapter 16 (where we will be on this home stretch of messages), Paul greets twenty-six people by name. He was not simply the greatest missionary and theologian of the world, he was also a great pastor who loved his people and tried to know them by name. In the Old Testament, the priest carried the names of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed on his breastplate into the presence of the Lord. I hope to do that with you after I have gone. Someday, I will say with Paul in Romans 15:32—“by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”