"The whole church taking the whole Gospel to the whole world"
The month of October saw Cape Town host the third Lausanne Congress, a diverse gathering of Christians from around the world. At the historic congress, the 4 000 delegates from 198 nations discussed and grappled with global issues affecting the church and evangelism. The congress derived its name from Lausanne, Switzerland where Billy Graham and other leaders hosted the first congress in 1974. The Lausanne movement aims to unite Christians in order to see 'the whole church taking the whole Gospel to the whole world.'
From the 20th to 22nd of October, I was blessed to be able to attend Connected2010, a conference running alongside the Lausanne Congress. At Connected2010 I heard how God has strategically placed Africa and specifically South Africa in a favorable position to impact the world. God has indeed given South Africa so much - He has blessed us so we can be a blessing to other nations. Despite the many challenges facing our nation, God's vision goes beyond our own communities to the cities and villages of a world in desperate need of good news.
Step into God's story
God is earnestly seeking to get His family, the peoples of the earth, back to himself. One of the speakers at the conference said that complexity is easier to deal with when you know whose story you are in. The story of God's glory is a story bigger than ourselves because it's purpose centres around God and His renown, but it's a story in which we all are precious. Another speaker added that God invites us to collaborate with Him to see relationships restored.
'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.'
2 Corinthians 5 v 17 - 20
Above is a worshipper at our church's recent Tabernacle experience. The tabernacle, which really means dwelling place, points to Christ and speaks of God longing to be with His people. God, a relational being is looking to gain relationships back to Himself and is continually inviting us into intimacy with Him. At the special service, everyone was invited into a deeper love walk with God, knowing that there is never a time when we cannot approach Him. All of God's dwelling with His people is on the basis of the finished work of the cross, where the cost for our intimacy with God has already been paid in full. The experience for me was an encouragement that I can come to God with the confidence and openness of a young child who knows that her parent loves her uniquely and distinctly.
Jesus: 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'
Zimpeto
Please pray for 9 of us from His People Tokai as we travel to Mozambique on a mission trip from the 19th of November till 5th of December. We are visiting the Zimpeto Children's Centre in Maputo, a part of Iris Ministries, started by Rolland and Heidi Baker. The centre hosts a children's home, a clinic and a school. Zimpeto is full of opportunities to serve, so please pray that we make the most of these, serving in a way that best reflects God's compassion for the people of Mozambique.
