“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”(Luke 8:15)
We deeply thank God for blessing our one-day 2009 Fall Bible conference which was held from 10 am – 4 pm on Sunday, Nov. 1. The conference was held at Carleton University with a total of 25 attendees from Carleton and the University of Ottawa.
- Conference preparation
Our prayer for this conference was, firstly, to raise young leaders through message training, testimony training, and organizing the programs and, secondly, to encourage the new Bible students whom we met this fall to have a right attitude towards the Bible and introduce them to Bible meditation through testimony writing. To accomplish these goals, we studied Luke 8:1-15 “The Seed of the Kingdom of God.” Primarily, we focused on the parable of the sower who scattered seed onto the path, rocky soil, thorns, and good soil. To prepare, several growing students and leaders met for two weeks before the conference, inviting students, praying together according to these prayer topics, and preparing the programs. In this way, our students and growing leaders were trained and grew in stewardship.
- Conference programs
Beginning with group Bible study as one large group (led by Joshua Brinkerhoff), we learned that the kingdom of God means to be ruled by God and have joy, peace, and freedom in Jesus. Many of the students who were stressed by their midterms were so happy to hear this good news! We also learned that just as a seed needs good soil in order to grow and bear fruit, our heart needs to be good heart-soil in order for the kingdom of God to enter and grow. Following the group study, Stephen Chapchal delivered a clear Sunday message. Stephen confessed that he used to have a path-like and rocky attitude towards God’s word, full of pessimism and despair due to deep inner fatalism. But through Bible study and especially through serving one brother with Bible study, he repented and gradually his heart is changing into a humble heart that treasures the word of God. After the message, Jarrod Martin and Ian Mui shared their life-testimonies to reveal how God has changed their heart-soil through studying the Bible. Jarrod grew up in a Christian family, but he pursued a life of pleasure through an immoral relationship with a girlfriend, which left him void and hopeless. But through 1:1 Bible study for the past year, he repented and accepted Jesus’ forgiveness and set a new life direction to please God. Ian shared his struggle to give God’s word first priority amidst his studies as a student and now as a full-time worker. Several students also participated in a brief skit to reveal the characteristics of the four heart-soils in the parable. Finally, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared by Rebecca Lee, Dana Brinkerhoff, and Grace Yoon. After the main program, Joshua gave a brief presentation entitled “Testimony-Writing: What, How, & Why?” to introduce Bible-testimony writing to our new students.
- The Fruit of the Conference
After the main programs, we all wrote one-word testimonies. Three new students (Stella, Ibby, & Aneesh) shared their one-word testimony. They testified what kind of heart-soil they had and decided to study the Bible deeply with good heart-soil. Their testimonies were full of repentance and thanksgiving. We thanked God for planting one word into their hearts. We pray that God may help the seed of His word grow in them and they may faithfully meditate on the Bible and attend our Friday Testimony-Sharing Meeting. Beginning with them, God may raise up new disciples in Ottawa.
- What I learned personally
Personally, through this conference I realized that my heart is full of thorns from my PhD studies and from my family. I didn’t prioritize meditating on God’s word and serving Bible students, but just wanted to study hard at school and then enjoy my family at home. I repented of my bad heart-soil and decided to challenge these thorns through writing my Bible testimony early in the week and challenging 7 Bible studies per week. Thank God for giving me an opportunity through the conference to examine my heart and set a new direction to honour and cherish the word of God.
In conclusion, thank God for blessing our Fall Conference and planting His word into our students’ hearts! Please continually pray for Pastor Samuel G. Lee to serve the word of God and pray for Ottawa. Please pray for God to make Ottawa a spiritual capital city for Canada!
