Reaching the World One on One
By Mr Timothy Ong
These are the words of Jesus as He taught the crowds at the Sermon on the Mount, chosen also as the theme verse for Missions Month this year:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matt 5:14-16, paraphrased)
Missions Month every year is an opportunity and a reminder for us to consider afresh:
(1) What IS our Mission?
(2) How are we doing in our proclamation and witness of the Gospel to a watching world?
As I pondered on these questions, a few images come to mind. It is my prayer that these images collectively will help us consider what being the people of God looks like – and the crucial role we play in His Plan of salvation for the fullness of time (Eph 1:10).
First, we are a lighthouse. Though we are undeserving sinners, God has by His grace, shone the light of the knowledge and glory of Christ into our hearts (2 Cor 4:6), in order that we may know Him and have relationship with Him. What we must continue to hold out, both within the shores of Singapore, and even to the ends of the earth is this: God still desires to reconcile sinful Man and fallen Creation to Himself in Christ – and this IS His Mission that we, the Church, are participating in (2 Cor 5:18).
We are a hospital – for the weary, the broken, the lost. In seeking out His disciples and reaching out to the crowds coming to Him, Jesus said that He came not to call those who are well, but those who are sick (Mk 2:17). To the many who are hurting will we offer comfort? To the many around us who are still suffering will we point to hope? Just as we have received God’s everlasting kindness and compassion for us in Christ, we can be bringing the harassed and helpless (Matt 9:35-36) to the true rest and life we have found in Jesus our good Shepherd.
Finally, the church is a school – where each one of us is being trained and equipped for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ (Eph 4:12). While there may be a time for us to heal and/or learn, we cannot allow ourselves to #getsent only after we have reached maturity because we will never actually get there! It is through our getting sent, and stepping out in faith and obedience, that we allow God to work powerfully in our weakness through His Spirit. The work of opening blind eyes and convicting hearts of God’s truth belongs solely to His Spirit anyway!
May the grace of God our Father, the compassion of Christ, and the power of His Spirit strengthen and motivate each one of us, to #getsent for His Mission!
