An Invitation…#NextLap
By Ps Vernon Quek
We’ve been speaking about the Next Lap, the vision for the next season of Zion Bishan BP Church, for quite some time now. I wonder how you are feeling about what the Lord has been saying to us: that every single member of our church family must be matured.
I’m aware that there are many reasons to be hesitant about investing in this maturing work together with the leaders. One reason might be that you aren’t convinced that this is your role in the vision. After all, it’s Paul describing what he as an Apostle does? In other words, isn’t this maturing ministry just for the pastors and elders, the leaders of the church? Aren’t the rest of the saints meant to support the shepherds of the church in their ministry to mature everyone?
Let’s look closely again at what Colossians 1:28:
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Notice who Paul is saying does the work of proclaiming, warning & teaching in order to present everyone mature in Christ? He uses the pronoun ‘we’ – meaning Paul and the Colossians. This is in clear contrast to when he uses the pronoun ‘I’ in the verses just before:
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings… for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister…
And in the verse right after:
29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Paul is saying that this maturing ministry is a partnership between himself as he teaches the word and makes Christ fully known to the saints, and those Colossians who now know what is the great hope of Christ in them.
So let me invite you as a saint who has Christ in you to partner with us in this maturing ministry. There’s a lot of proclaiming, warning and teaching, to do here at Zion Bishan, and we have a long way to go in our journey. But this hope that we have is more than worth it. To see a multitude growing and maturing in Christ (including ourselves!) – may the Lord do the work in and through us, in order to achieve His desire for Zion Bishan!
If you’d like to discuss what this might look like for you personally, we the Elders (including the Pastors) would love to have a meal or a coffee with you to talk more, and discuss how we can equip and support your maturing in Christ!
