Recently, I read an article in The Economist with interest. It was entitled “The Chinese are everywhere”. Even in the farthest backwaters of Africa, the Chinese were moving in.Deep in Lestho’s arid, starkly beautiful eastern highlands, Mokhotlong is t
he remotest town in one of Africa’s poorest countries. Proper road access was not available until 1950s. Today, on the main street, the petrol station is Chinese-owned. Next to it stands the Hui Hua supermarket. Then comes the Hua Tai ironmonger and the Ji Li Lai general store. Farther down the road is the Fu Zhong hardware and furniture wholesaler.It is one of four enterprises owned by Chen Juo-feng, who is only 22. Mr. Chen started off with just one shop when he came to Lesotho four years ago from Fujian, a coastal province that has provided many Chinese emigrants through the ages; 172 other members of Mr. Chen’s family are scattered across Lesotho, too.
My wife Kim is a 5th generation Chinese in Malaysia. Her great great grand parents also came from Fujian. Her many uncles are shop and business owners in different parts of Malaysia.
This gave me a thought that Chinese probably have very strong pioneering and entrepreneur spirit in their blood. One can find them all over the world. If they are disciples of Jesus, they can fulfil God’s command to “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” [Mark 16:15] :o).
Whether you have a pioneering and entrepreneur spirit in your blood or not, if your are a believer in Jesus, you are called by God to preach the good news to all creation. The time is near. Like what the psalmist says “We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds. You say, "I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly. When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. To the arrogant I say, 'Boast no more, 'and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak 
with outstretched neck.'" No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs. As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.” [Ps 75:1-10 NIV]I find it amazing that even someone as wise and rich and powerful as King Solomon has written (under God’s instruction of course) the Book of Ecclesiastes It may appear to sou
nd negative, that life is meaningless, yet it is full of wisdom. He said “In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise - why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool- why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all [extremes]. Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city. There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. Do not pay attention to every word people say, or 
you may hear your servant cursing you- for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. All this I tested by wisdom and I said, "I am determined to be wise"- but this was beyond me. Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound- who can discover it? So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.” [Eccl 7:15-25 NIV] In the Explorer St
udy of Christianity for seekers yesterday, I shared about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Jesus came to give us an abundant life, not bound by the rules of man. “At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath." …….He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread-which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you
had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." [Matt 12:1-14 NIV]The Word of God says “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength; for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers. Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say. He who plots evil will be known as a schemer. The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker. If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this, "does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” [Prov 24:3-14 NIV]
Amen & amen.
