Battle Log

• Battle Log
• Toowong (QLD) Team

Battle Log of Operation 513 at Toowong on Tuesday Dec 10, 2024 from 1330-1430

It was day of worst rainy weather for street outreach, but Johnny and Hung still turned up as normal to deliver our committed gospel ministry under extremely harsh condition. Hung used to have a private deal with the Father that God will withhold rain when Hung is in ministry with God. This promise has never been broken even once. Time and again, Hung can serve with a dry period of time with rain falling down before and right after the ministry time. But today, God seemingly broke this mutual understanding allowing rain falling non stop during the whole street outreach time. See what!? In retrospect, God created a condition for me to demonstrate the real ancient meaning of "Merry" .

Every year, when Christmas is near, I uses to ask people while doing street outreach why Christmas only is greeted with Merry Christmas and not Happy. Because "Merry " is an old English word bearing a totally different meaning as similar to happiness. Its origin can be traced back to a very old English Carols with the first verse as follows:

"God rest you merry, gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay.

For Jesus Christ our Saviour

Was born upon this Day.

To save poor souls from Satan's power,

Which long time had gone astray.

Which brings tidings of comfort and joy."

Notice the punctuation coma is before gentlemen, so merry is not used as an adjective for gentleman, but as a noun representing something with power that God ensure to give to us as a free gift being brought by the birth of Jesus Christ incarnating as our Saviour"

The historic meaning of the phrase "God rest you merry" is 'may God grant you peace and joy';

I illustrated this to the gospel targets, that "happiness" is something conditional to the environment. I feel happy for some materialistic thing I received but "Merry" or joy is some valuable substance that we have possessed in our heart that will keep us positive irrespective of circumstance. For instance , under heavy rain, I will not be happy to come out to chat with people. But with "merry" or power of joy and a transformed born again life with inner peace, I will still defy the harsh environment and find meaning with motivation to keep doing gospel outreach in whatever circumstances.

Hurrah, all except one who were willing to connect with me all found great enlightenment by the old meaning of "merry" which has led them to a more literal perception of blessing and gift of eternal life by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior"

So God is sovereign and "God can make all things work together for the goodness sake of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"

Recap is the brief battle log of Hung: -

1) With only 1 minute left , I greeted someone Merry Christmas and asked if he knew why Christmas alone use Merry while all others use Happy. Just barely gave him the answer and the tract as a good approach to kick off a gospel conversation.

2) Rejected by one guy who refused to stop listening to his own music.

3) Then I was led to approach Willy from Ecuador, who appeared having a heavy heart not keen to listen the gospel though I still shared him the core message.

4) A girl by the name Lee from HKG to Australia for 4 years already, is non religious, but rapport quickly built because of our Hong Konger identity .

5) Then I approached Ahmed an Indian using the Merry Christmas gag and fair dinkum slang to successfully bring Jesus through the word Merry into his heart.

6) Then another Merry Christmas gag to an English lady who did not understand the Merry gag but claiming that English is silly. But after she learnt all about the real ancient meaning of Merry, she turned fully amazed and laugh her way to get on the bus.

7) Noah another local Aussie young chap also found the real meaning "Merry: intriguing and vowed to think deep to cash in "Merry" into his heart and life especially he has been given a biblical names.

View previous Toowong (QLD) report (26 November 2024)

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Toowong Team (QLD)

Meets 1:30-3pm every Tuesday afternoon at the Toowong train station on the 2nd floor and splits into two teams, one at the main entrance of Toowong Tower on Sherwood Road, another at the foot of the pedestrian bridge across Benson Street.

Contact Johnny Hsieh for more information.

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