Brother Chen Ku is our dearest loved one. He has five younger brothers; three of them are Ph. D. from United States, yet when he was young he likes to play cards and loose a lot of money, didn’t have any achievement, but he loves his family very much, he loves us very much and we love him very much too. We gave him money or shared with him the achievement in the world, but all these cannot be brought into eternality. But he is our most dearest; we gave what’s the best to our most dearest. Thanks the Lord, he was saved when he was old, not only did he receive this divine and eternal life, he was able to enjoy this life abundantly.

Family member of Brother Chen Ku

     I’m grandfather (Brother Chen Ku’s) only grandson. Ever since I have memory, he loved me the most, we are very close, and we even would drink from a same cup of tea. Every time when I returned to grandfather’s home, I would always run toward his embrace with excitement, embrace him and yelled out, “Grandpa! Grandpa!” When I graduated from grade school, once when I stepped out of school’s door, I remembered seeing the aging grandfather waiting to take me home. Because of this, ever since I was little I would afraid that he’ll leave me, leaving this world. Sometime when I dreamed of grandfather leaving this world, I would be very upset within my heart. 

     Through the arrangement of God’s sovereignty, Grandfather moved from Hsintien to Panchiao more than seven years ago (1993) to live with my family and me. We would preach the gospel to him, hoping he would believe in Jesus, because of his active personality, smart and capable yet aging and hearing impaired, grandpa would not accept the Lord. Six years ago, one time he went for a walk by himself, he was pushed and fell by the cross road by a group of grade school students, after coming home, he fell down once again. When he got up at the middle of the night to use the restroom, he already cannot walk, I used chair to push him to the restroom. After take him to the hospital, doctor decided to perform a surgery on him to replace grandfather’s two joins to the hipbones. Our whole family is very worry about him being seventy-eight years old, how is he going to survive through such a dangerous operation, because of this, I desperately prayed for this matter. After surgery, he was so feeble laying on the bed to the point that he didn’t even have the strength to take in water or grabbed anything, which make him feel like that he didn’t have any way to go on living any more. At this time, he thought of the gospel that we preach to him, so he tried to cry out, “O- Lord Jesus! O- Lord Jesus!” for the sake of saving his own life, he even more desperately called on Lord Jesus. Amazingly things happened, he witnessed after he call on the Lord’s name, he regain his strength.

     Because grandfather has living experience for God, after he returned home from hospital he was baptized at my home (1994. 9. 29), be baptized in to the Lord. Because of the surgery make his walking and going up and down stair very inconvenient, he must rely on the walker to slowly moved forward, to recall this period of process, it’s God’s blessing make-up for him. The difficulty encounter in the walking, make him trust in the Lord even the more, and not to trust in ourselves; On the other hand, our family love and care for him even the more, we would often take him outdoor to breathe fresh air. It’s like Jacob in Genesis, although his socket was out of the join, yet the sun was arising. Grandfather started his glorifying Christian living.

     People not only need to born anew, be saved and to become children of God, more importantly is our life in God must be nourished and to grow. But when I think of his hearing impaired and the inconvenient in walking, I really didn’t know what to do. God is not a respecter of persons. When we think of Joseph’s story in the Bible, (Genesis Chapter 37 to Chapter 50) not only is it easy to comprehend, it also help people to know God, so I make Xerox copy of this session of the Bible for him to read. The more he read, the more he was attractive to it, not only did he read Genesis Chapter 37 to Chapter 50, he continue to read Exodus, Leviticus . . . even New Testament which he had read one to two time. Grandfather also like to read many spiritual booklets, such as Life Study, Twelve Blankets, and Watchman Nee series of literature . . .. What impress me the most is after he read Concise Way of Praying by Madame Guyen; he would sit on bed by himself lift up his hand and pray, to fellowship with God. He read the spiritual books and reports until he almost leaves this world, moreover, he would let me know the progress. Other than this, more amazingly, grandfather who is deaf and cannot hear melody can look at hymns and start singing his own melody. 

     Through the understanding and the enjoyment of the Lord, grandfather had slowly lost his appetite for playing card. Remember when I was little, I would block him at the door, wouldn’t let him leave the house to go to play card, but I just can’t block him. But half year after he was saved, there is one time there is one relative who like to play card who he must visit every year, when he returned home from the visit he told me, “Grandpa didn’t play card this time.” I was so moved that tears were circling in my eyes; inside of him Lord Jesus is a God who is so real and alive. Eight months before he passed away, he had more private subjective and deeper experience with the Lord. At that time, he already cannot walk, and even unable to stand up, but from the spiritual booklets he read about a session of Bible story that help him. This session of scripture is about Peter saying to a cripple who begged for money: But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not possess, but what I have, this I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6) Then immediately this man got strong, he got up walking and jumping praising God. When read to this, grandfather then prayed to the Lord, “ Lord, I want to get up and walk.” He used active will and cooperates with the Lord. Thank You Lord! Finally two days before he passed away, he was able to use walker to go down stair, accompanied us to zoo to play.

     Because grandfather and my family were all saved and become God’s children, our relationship is not only in the nature realm as a family, moreover in resurrection we have become beloved brethrens in the Lord. Just like in the book of Philemon, the relationship between Philemon and Onesimus in the new man were no longer just master and servant, but is higher than this relationship, they have become beloved brethrens in the Lord. I do not have any vivid memory of outing experience with grandfather before he was saved. After he believes in the Lord, although it was difficult for my father and I to take grandfather out for outing, but it was full of the present of God and His grace, many of these experiences were vivid in front of our eyes even until today. It doesn’t matter where we were playing physically, rather it matter we were with in the present of triune God, within the present of God’s love and the body of Christ. There is one time I was passing out gospel tracks in the park; he was sitting in the wheel chair praying for me. Two days before the Lord took him away, we bring him to the zoo to see the penguins; this grace and joy were more enjoyable than going to South Pole main land to see the penguins. I believe, no matter it was going to Yangmingshan, Pangchaio new train station, Ta-An Forest Park, or ride on the MRT, all the experiences will not pass away in vain. In eternity, living in the Jew’s Feast of Tabernacles the days will become commemorate of the present of the Lord with us.

     A little over last half year of grandfather’s life on this earth, I would spent every day reading with him one or two part of the verses from the Morning Revival, afterward we would pray. Although he cannot hear my voices, but when he pray and read the verses from the Scripture, it was full of revelation, it let my spirit call deep on deep and echo with his spirit. When he was praying he was full of joy. What he likes to tell the Lord the most was “Lord, I thank You for Your great love.” This kind of voice deeply circling and etch within my heart. As the result, I like within every day this time of sweetness with grandfather, and push the door and enter grandfather’s little room, beside the lighted little desktop lamp on the little desktop, watch him wear his presbyopic glasses, and read with him God’s Word. Not only enjoy the warm atmosphere of grandfather’s present, but also enjoy the supply from God’s Word. There is one time an unbeliever friend who like to debate about the Gospel said, “ I’m already sixty years old, How is it possible for me to change my presupposition to come to believe in Jesus?” When this gospel friend had found out that my grandfather had come to believe in the Lord at age 78, and eyewitness how sweet and full of enjoyment grandfather was during the time when grandfather was pray and read the Scripture, he was then deeply convinced. Grandfather and I pray and read until the day before he leaves this world. Next day, I habitually push the door to enter grandfather’s room, and want to pray and read with him, and then I discover everything else is still the same in the room, but grandfather had already gone, there are no more chances to be with him. 

     In the morning of October 11, year of 2000, I was in the office and receiving the news that grandfather had gone into coma during his sleep early in the morning, speedily rushed to the hospital’s emergency. At that time his heartbeat, and blood pressure were slowly decreasing. With tears in my eyes, like before, kissed grandfather on the cheek, until the originally with warm temperature blood color cheek had turned into cold, gray color. When the Lord took him away, our whole family surrounded him. He had finished a life like Isaac enjoyed the Lord, when he left this world he didn’t experience any suffering. I felt grandfather had come to believe in Jesus at his old age with condition of hearing impaired and inconvenience walking, in these six years of believing in the Lord like walking up the hill, just like Mary pouring the perfume at the feet of Jesus, the Lord said, “She has done what she could…. And truly I say to you, where the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be told as a memorial of her.” (Mark 14:8a, 14:9) Right now, although grandfather is sleep in the eyes of all (leaving this world), but “through faith, though he has died, speaks.” (Hebrews 11:4b). Also in the Bible the Lord has promised said, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so also those who have fallen asleep through Jesus, God will bring with Him.” (1 Thessalonians 4: 14), also said, “I come quickly!” (Revelation 22:20) But today, what we hope is that the Lord can return to us quickly, at here we cry, “Come, Lord Jesus!”