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Losing ourselves in God’s great missional story

Now is the judgement of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:31-32)

Our God is a God on a mission! Our God seeks to rescue, redeem, and restore all of His creation through the death and resurrection of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus.

In Dr Ed Stetzer’s words, our God is a missional God. And the Church is God’s principal vehicle for advancing His mission in the world.

He came to draw us to Himself, and then to send us out for His work! (Mark 3:14)
All of us then have a calling from God to discover and to ‘lose ourselves’ in His great big missional story – wherever He sends us. The only question is: “To where and to whom?”

For some of us, it will mean being sent out of Singapore and into the cities of Asia and beyond. This should not be a surprise. We have the world’s most powerful passport. We have been blessed with substantial resources. Some have observed that we are like an Antioch in Asia.

The bottom-line remains: We are God’s Church and His Spirit is already on the move to complete His mission – in and through us!

GoForth: A millennium vision
The first GoForth National Missions Conference was organised in 2002, after a few church leaders caught the vision of organising a conference to catalyse a national missions movement for every generation of the Church. Held every three to four years, GoForth serves as a platform to unite Singapore churches to seek the Lord together, to learn together, and to collaborate for our Father’s global mission.

We cannot tell exactly how God will work through each conference, but we can expect Him to do something. I remember two conferences that had a deep impact on my life.

During the triennial Urbana 2003 Student Missions Conference, I told the Lord that I would be prepared to go wherever He would send me, if ever that time came. No such ‘call’ was given, but I reckoned what mattered was the willingness to go that God was nurturing in me.

The other conference was the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering in 2016. That was when the Lord spoke clearly to me that I was to be a ‘connector’ for the Kingdom – to work for the unity of the Church. I was also very blessed to make new friends there, one of whom I look up to now as a spiritual mentor!

How you can play a role in GoForth
On the back end, there has been much prayerful planning on the part of the GoForth team to design and execute the GoForth 2018 Conference programme. Please pray for, support, and trust them to do the job well, as the Lord disciples and empowers us all. We want GoForth 2018 to be a blessing to the churches and the individuals who attend, and for it to effectively serve the churches for missions equipping and mobilisation.

Register for GoForth 2018 today at www.goforth.org.sg and you may encounter God in the following ways as you take the next step in following Jesus on His mission – whether as an individual, a leader, or church ministry:

  • Get awakened to His great big mission and discover how He has already been at work in and out of Singapore.
  • Receive greater clarity of your specific calling from the Lord.
  • Make new connections with people who may become your friend, ministry co-labourer, leader, or even mentor.
  • Gather as a community with other like-minded people who share the same passions and vocation as you. Such communities often become the incubators for future Kingdom initiatives!

The possibilities are endless. The first step is to decide to be present.

A topic for everyone
Take time to prayerfully browse through the many workshops, special lunchtime interest sessions (Circles of Passion), and our Children’s Programme. Do also check out our line-up of distinguished international and local speakers.

With two language tracks – English and Chinese – conference delegates can select from more than 70 workshops covering pertinent topics that reflect the fast-evolving urban lifestyle, community, and environmental needs and trends in Asia and beyond.

For parents: Would you consider GoForth as an opportunity for your child to get further engaged in God’s mission? If your children are aged between 7 and 12 years old, sign them up for the Children’s Programme! I love what a pastor shared at a recent GoForth mobilisation event. He was addressing fathers and mothers when he said, “The best way for you to love them is to release them to do what God has put on their heart.

How GoForth can serve you as a church leader
Consider the wide variety of ways to participate in missions:

  • Be ready for your Perspective of missions to be challenged and sharpened.
  • Review your church’s missions Policy, especially to find out more about strategies for urban evangelism and church planting, and for bringing gospel witness through transformation in society.
  • Plan for GoForth to ignite and accelerate missions-related conversations in your church. Can the ‘Go Urban’ theme dovetail with the missions emphasis in your church, for instance? I know of a church which, on learning about GoForth’s ‘Go Urban’ theme, chose ‘My City | Beyond My City’ to be its missions theme for the year.
  • Meet with church and para-church organisation representatives to become your Partners in missions.
  • Bring along other People and help us get the word out. Let us know if we can supply you with free publicity materials to share with your congregation. Give someone a friendly nudge today by telling him or her, “I think you should go for GoForth.”
  • Pray with us and for GoForth – because Jesus said to His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

May GoForth be the occasion for God’s people here in Singapore to get down on our knees more earnestly and get fully engaged – mind, body, strength and soul – to share God’s great story with those who have yet to know Him. It was for this that He died.

Ng Zhiwen –
oversees the area of Mobilisation in the GoForth National Missions Conference 2018 Organising Committee.

GoForth 2018 in a nutshell
What? A missions conference for a National Missions Movement.
When? 21– 23 June 2018.
Where? ACS Barker Road Campus, 60 Barker Road, Singapore 309919.
Which? There are different tracks to pursue: English, Mandarin, and Children’s.
Conference details and registration: www.goforth.org.sg
How? For more information, contact admin@goforth.org.sg, or your church’s pastor or missions staff.
Who? How about you?

Photos and event logo courtesy of GoForth 2018 Organising Committee

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