Each year at CBS, a new vision is set by the coordinators. This vision is developed over the summer through prayer, seeking the Lord’s will, searching the Word, and discerning the needs within the fellowship. Once the vision is established, it acts as a source of focus, direction, and encouragement for the fellowship.
Through the years, CBS has proclaimed itself to be a fellowship that seeks “to know Christ and to make Him known”, and this year’s vision is no different. Our vision for this academic year draws from 1 Peter 1:3-5, which says:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5
What powerful verses these are. In them, we praise God the Father for giving us Jesus Christ His Son. We hear the good, good news that we have freely been given a new birth in Christ despite our sinfulness. We bask in the free gift of adoption into His family as loved children. We gain confidence that simply through our faith in Christ, we can be sure of a lifetime spent in His presence. Does all of this overwhelm you? It should! These words from 1 Peter carry in them the weight of the Gospel, a message that gives witness of God’s existence, power, love, and unexplainable mercy. Our response to this Gospel is to praise God– having a deep love for His powerful promises!– and to have faith– believing with our heart, soul, and mind that Jesus Christ is the only One who can replace our sinfulness with His holiness. And with this faith, we are forever shielded from death’s clutches by God’s power.
For CBS, a fellowship of new and old believers in the Gospel, this verse captures what we have as a prayer for this year and beyond: to grow and mature with certainty that we have been claimed by God as His children, not because of anything we did, but because of everything God did in Jesus Christ. And for our non-believing friends, we pray that this verse gives you a glimpse of the mystery of God’s grace and that you grow in your curiosity about what Jesus offers you freely. We pray that CBS would be a place where the Gospel thrives!
Dearest CBS and friends, may we ground our words, actions, and prayers in 1 Peter 1:3-5 this year. Out of joyful thankfulness for God’s gift of salvation, let us live in faith to know Christ and make Him known! Let us love Him, for He first loved us.
Your brother and sister in Christ,
Daniel and Meili
Chinese Bible Study 