Donald is my brother I never knew until July 2002.
Donald, Anita and four other Chinese families met with a few of us from SMBC to
discuss forming a Chinese ministry here. I still remember all those brothers
and sisters sitting in Donald’s living room – the same room Donald left to go
home to God at 5:00 AM Tuesday, May 13th. Anita told me he left peacefully
-- with a little smile.
That’s how I remember my brother – always smiling –
and joking. He called me Chen xiansheng -- Mr. Chen and I called him Zhou xiansheng
(Mr. Zhou -- his legal family name -- but most Americans cannot pronounce
“Zhou”, so his family uses the name “Chow”).
We spoke on the phone many times about the Chinese
Ministry here. When he called me, as soon as I said hello, immediately I would
hear a rapid stream of Chinese sentences I could not understand. Then laughing,
Donald would speak more slowly, “Chen xiansheng, ni hao ma?” To which I would
reply, “Oh, Zhou xiansheng, wo shi hen hao. Ni hao bu hao?” – (Mr. Chen, how
are you? Oh, Mr. Zhou, I am fine. You OK?)
Donald was a hard worker for our Chinese Fellowship
and his hard work was motivated by love. His great desire was that Chinese
people might know Jesus -- the one and only way to an eternal life of love, joy
and peace with God. One of the last things he said to me on Monday, May 12th
was “tell him about Jesus”. Donald’s whispered words referred to one person but
his life shouted, “Tell the Chinese people about Jesus!”
Two words, Love and Trust, will always remind me of
Donald: Love for his precious family. Love for his brothers and sisters here in
our church. Love for others that do not yet know God. Love for God who saved
him, giving him eternal life through Jesus who died for him. And trust -- Trust
that since God had adopted him as His own child He would accomplish His great
purpose of making Donald more like Jesus. Several months ago in his living room
Donald told me that whatever happened to him would be good -- because God
always does what is best. That is a living example of trust in God I cannot
ignore or ever forget!
Soon I will read Romans 8:26-39 as requested by
Anita. These verses define real trust
in God—Donald’s trust. The first verses tell us, “God works all things together
(both good and bad things) for the Good of those who love Him and are called
according to His purpose.” This Good towards which God works is changing people
to be like Jesus. Donald knew this is God’s #1 purpose and Donald trusted God
to accomplish this greatest Good in his life and in the lives of his brothers
and sisters as well as others who may not yet trust God.
Oh yes, Donald wanted to be healed. Hundreds,
perhaps thousands of believers offered many prayers for healing – But the answer
was no – Why? -- Because Donald lacked faith? No! Never! – God did not heal
Donald because there is a greater Good towards which God is working. But we
question, “What could be greater than healing Donald?” because we see only the
pain and sorrow resulting from the sickness and death of a young and faithful
servant of God. Our Father also sees all
of this, but beyond this He sees the greater Good that can be achieved only
through Donald’s trusting death rather than his healing. He not only sees it.
He works in all things to achieve it.
Are we surprised that God would do this? Are we
surprised that God would allow sinful men to kill Jesus, the sinless Son of God
to accomplish a greater Good – the salvation of millions and millions –
including us? No, we are not surprised, we depend on it. Bad things happened to
Jesus who lived and died trusting God so that we might know, love and trust God
– the greater Good.
Now, there are some people that say they believe
God but really do not know Him. They think if they say enough prayers, use the
right “magic words” in prayer, and do religious things; then God must give them what they ask for. This
kind of thinking is the definition of “religion” and the purpose of “religion”
is to control or manipulate God so He will give me what I want. Religion opposes
and insults the One True God! My brother Donald did not have religion. He had a
loving and trusting relationship with the Sovereign God through Jesus. Donald
was willing to be used by God for a greater Good, just as Jesus, in a much
greater way, sacrificed Himself for our Good!
So what greater Good is God working to achieve through
the trusting death of my brother Donald that He could not accomplish by healing
him? The short and very honest answer is “bu zhi dao” – I don’t know. God is
Lord of all. He is in control, not me, and He has not told me or anyone else what
Good He will achieve; but He has told us that He will do it!
I suggest only three greater Goods that God may
accomplish through Donald’s trusting life and death that could not be
accomplished in any other way. God may achieve a thousand, ten thousand or a
million times more good than we can imagine but let’s consider just these
three:
1. God may use the example of Donald’s trusting
life and death to unite all brothers and sisters here, regardless of race,
language and culture into such a close and loving spiritual family that it will
absolutely amaze all of us who are part of it and anyone outside who sees or
hears of it!
Why would Donald’s healing
not have accomplished the same thing? – His healing would not have broken our
hearts and shattered our pride. Yes, we would have rejoiced and praised God for
healing Donald but we might also have secretly congratulated ourselves –
thinking our “faithful” prayers had healed our brother. But now we must face
the truth. God alone is God. No one controls Him. Yes, He wants us to pray to
Him and ask for what we want in faith -- but trusting Him to do what is really best;
not thinking we control Him by saying the right magic words!
2. God may use the example of Donald’s trusting
life and death to open the minds and hearts of many who do not yet trust God because
He will never let them forget this day or ignore Donald’s example of living and
dying in total trust of God!
Why would Donald’s healing
not have accomplished the same thing? – God knows those people who love Donald
but do not know God. These people would have rejoiced at Donald’s healing and
might even have praised God for it; but then, when everything was back to
“normal” they would forget God and return to their “normal” lives. Thus, God
knows there may be no other way to open the minds and hearts of these people
except through Donald’s example! If this is what God is doing, then I can
almost hear my brother Donald saying, “Give praise to God, it was all worth it
to bring friends and family to trust the One True God.”
3. God may use the example of Donald’s trusting
life and death to convince all of us who are
believers to really trust God, rather
than trying to control or manipulate Him with religious words and actions so He
will give us Health, Wealth and Happiness while we ignore the fact that His #1
purpose is to transform our characters to be more like Jesus and bring more
people to know and trust Him as did my brother Donald! – Why would Donald’s
healing have not accomplished the same thing? -- For the same reasons already
given above.
Donald will rejoice with us when God achieves these
and many more good things. Today, as you read these memories of Donald; he is still my friend and my brother. I will see him again, and when I do; we
will both be smiling -- really big smiles!
Closing prayer at Donald’s Funeral
around noon on Friday, May 16, 2008
Father in heaven I praise and thank you for the
great love you have for us, which is seen most clearly in Jesus; who entered
this world more than 2,000 years ago to show us what real love is, to pay the
penalty for our sins and to purchase our adoption as your children. Because of
what Jesus did for Donald long ago, we know Donald’s spirit is, at this moment
at peace with you, at peace and excited -- because he is now experiencing real
life that will last forever. His battles and pain are over. He has fought the
good fight and trusted you to the very end of his life.
You promise that at the end of time, when Jesus returns
to Earth for all believers who remain alive at that time, you will first clothe
the spirits of all your children who previously died (including Donald) with
perfect, resurrected bodies – Bodies just like Jesus’. Donald will not have a
weak leg and will not have to wear a leg brace. He will jump with joy as much
as he wants during this great reunion of all God’s children with Jesus our Lord
and with one another.
Father may your Holy Spirit fill the hearts of
Anita, Jeremy, Wesley and all the family members in this time of great loss and
sadness. Comfort them with a peace that passes human understanding; constantly reminding
them that Donald is now in the best of all possible situations in the best of
all possible places for he is with You, the One who bought him with your blood,
making his adoption into your family an eternal reality.
Lord, I pray you will give us wisdom and
understanding so we may provide the right kind of support and comfort to Anita,
Wesley and Jeremy. Lord, we want what we say and do for them to be exactly
right – not too much so that we overwhelm them and certainly not too little.
May we be sensitive to what they need and love and support them in the best
possible way both now and in the weeks and months ahead.
Father, as we leave this place never let us forget
or ignore what we have seen and heard today. We celebrate the life and home-going
of your child and our brother. Please use his example to accomplish the
greatest Good for your Glory and your people. Bring us all into a deep
relationship of love and trust with you and each other through the great gift
of Jesus in whose blood, name, power and authority we offer this final prayer
and all that has been said and done here this day.
Yesu, women xiexie ni!
Amen
Milton Chamberlain (Chen Baolin)
