"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

Ping Ng (Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church)

God used zealous brothers and sisters during my time in Short Term Mission Chicago to teach me much about evangelism and myself. In the past, I had attended several evangelism classes and participated in training but none was as intensive and inspiring.

What struck me about my experience this time was the zeal of the leaders and students to equip themselves for fulfilling the Great Commission. I was deeply touched by the faithfulness of the program participants. Most of them were from different area churches and commuted long distances daily. Some even took days off work. One sister opened her home to house three others to lessen their travel time. Together we formed a bunch of jovial yet serious students. I appreciated the climate of trust and humility and the sense of community among us. In all the exercises of sharing and critiquing each other’s testimonies and practicing evangelism techniques, we encouraged and supported each other as each strived to become God’s approved workman and we developed camaraderie along the way. It was uplifting for me to train and partner with members of God’s family outside of WCAC, and to be in the broader sphere of His Kingdom.

While we honed our evangelism skills, practiced new techniques and strategies, we were also challenged by Bible messages given by the leaders. I was reminded of the ongoing battle between God and Satan for human souls and the dire spiritual state of the unbelievers. The questions confronted me were: Do I have compassion for those who are lost? And do I care enough to share the Only Way with them even if it entails rejection and ridicule? Yes, I had the passion to share the Good News when I was a new convert and did so readily then. However, over the past 20 some years, that passion waned. I have become complacent as I surrounded myself with Christians. With evangelism put on the back burner, its techniques naturally became rusty and forgotten.

My days in Short Term Mission Chicago awakened me to my own spiritual state as well as that of the unbelievers. God put me in the company of faithful believers to sharpen my evangelism skills and challenged me to join the Christian soldiers on the battlefront.