Our church has been in Sarawak for almost 120 years. God has blessed us, so that our church spread across every part of Sarawak, even to Sabah, Australia, New Zealand, and other places. Today our church has over 130 churches and preaching centres, over 110,000 church members, almost 200 pastors, and almost 60 overseas and local missionaries. We received many blessings, and also shared the blessings with others. The church seems to be in good shape. What else can we ask for? What kind of change does this church need, or what reformation do we need?
Brothers and sisters, when we look at our church, it is not important that we are satisfied. What is important is that we ask, “Is God’s heart satisfied? Is our church truly a church after God’s own heart?”
The D6 conference revealed to us that our church needs to follow God’s words and ways to begin reformation. Only then can we be a church after God’s own heart, only then can our church satisfy God’s heart.
But how do we reform? What should our church do next?
Love God Wholeheartedly
Last time we saw that we need to start with ourselves. As Deuteronomy 6 (D6) says: “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.”
Jesus in the Gospel of Mark chapter 12 quoted the above D6 words to respond to the question of the teacher of the law: “29 ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’”
Brothers and sisters, you and I must first obey this greatest commandment, that is to know and believe in the Lord Jesus, then to love our Lord the only God wholeheartedly, love our Lord Jesus who died for us wholeheartedly, even to love him until we are also willing to die for Him!
When you and I are willing to die for Jesus, only then are we going to love others as ourselves. We will be willing to die for our spouse, our family, our brothers and sisters (remember, the new commandment is to love one another just as Christ loved us and died for us), even die in sharing the gospel to the nations (as the martyr Jim Elliot who demonstrated God’s sacrificial love in dying for the cannibal tribes, so that they understood the gospel, understood God’s love, and understood sacrificial love).
Family Discipleship
When we are willing to die for God, only then are we ready to start family discipleship training. As Deuteronomy 6 continues after we love God wholeheartedly: “7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
As parents, when we love Jesus wholeheartedly, our children will also decide to believe in Jesus. They will follow Jesus wholeheartedly and love Jesus wholeheartedly.
When every family loves Jesus wholeheartedly, our church will love Jesus wholeheartedly. Then the church will begin to thrive.
The question is: what is the future of the church? How do we have intergenerational worship services? How does the whole family join in worship? How do our families do discipleship? Do we still need children Sunday School? How do our families join in ministry together? How do we do evangelism and missions as a family? All these questions need to have answers.
Waiting, Strategy, Vision
So, brothers and sisters, once we have made the resolution to die for our Lord, we need to continue our work in at least three areas
1. Pray and wait
Prayer is waiting on God’s direction, calling upon God’s touch, and waiting on God’s timing. So in church services and prayer meetings, we need to pray for the future of D6. Every pastor and church member needs to remember D6 in private prayers and fasting, to ask for God’s guidance.
2. Ponder upon a plan
Pondering together is for all pastors and church members to walk together with God, to come up with a suitable strategy and plan that will fulfill the D6 vision step by step. We do not know how much time we need to ponder and discuss the D6 plan. In the past, we pondered and discussed for almost 10 years before all the churches were united to send out our first cross-cultural overseas missionary. How long will it take to fulfill the D6 vision? We need to wait upon God’s guidance. Each board in the annual conference needs to sit down and discuss. To start off, these boards should include Boards of Laity, Family Wellness and Counseling, Christian Education, Worship and Music, etc.
3. Pass on the vision
“Where there is no revelation (vision), people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.” (Proverbs 29:18) Starting with Pastors’ School, Laity Convention, and D6 Conference, our pastors and leaders need to first receive the vision from God, which is to receive God’s Word. Then they must pass on that vision to the people, so that all are united in spirit and united in steps. This transmission of vision needs to be carried out in the pulpits during worship services in each church, maybe even for up to half a year or a year, so that we are all on the same page with God. When we are connected in hearts and hands, we will go far.
Dear brothers and sisters, how will our church thrive in the next 10, 50, 100, even 1000 years? We must be steadfast in believing and obeying the words and ways of God. Whatever obstacles we face, we will walk together, one heart and one mind, obeying Jesus’ great commandment, completing Jesus’ great commission! Amen?!
Note*
In this article D6 means the message from Deuteronomy chapter 6, not necessarily the direction provided by some D6 conferences because D6 conferences in different places may have different emphases but the Word of God remains the same forever.
By Rev Dr Tie King Tai, SCAC President