Building a missional legacy

As we continue our 38th anniversary theme of “Building Our Legacy,” Missions Sunday gives us an opportunity to ask a very important question: What kind of missional legacy will we leave for the next generation?

An anniversary is not only about remembering where we have come from. It is also about asking where God is calling us to go. As I wrote in our anniversary editorial, the legacy worth building is not one where people remember our names, but one where the next generation inherits a church that still faithfully proclaims Jesus Christ.

And if we want to leave behind a church that proclaims Christ faithfully, then we must be a church that lives on mission.

James has been reminding us that mature faith is not merely about hearing God's Word. We are to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). Missions is one important way we put God's Word into action. We have heard the gospel. We have received the grace of Christ. Now we are called to make Christ known.

Looking Beyond Ourselves

God has placed Mt Hermon in a particular neighbourhood and given us a particular opportunity.

As we look around us, there are people living and working in Henderson, Bukit Merah and Telok Blangah who need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. There are neighbours who may be searching for meaning, families carrying burdens, elderly residents who are lonely, young people trying to find their identity, and people from different backgrounds who may never have walked through the doors of a church.

What would it look like for Hermon to become increasingly intentional about reaching the community around us?

Perhaps it begins simply by going.

Going to meet people. Going to serve. Going to listen. Going to build friendships. Going to share our lives. And, when God gives us the opportunity, going to tell others about Jesus.

We often pray, “Lord, use us.” Perhaps one of the ways God answers that prayer is by giving us opportunities to cross the road, enter a community centre, serve a neighbour, or participate in a Community Services activity.

Our mission field is not only somewhere overseas. Our mission field is also right here at Henderson, Bukit Merah and Telok Blangah.

Looking Beyond Singapore

But God's mission is also bigger than our neighbourhood.

We thank God for the mission partners He has given us in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. Through these partnerships, God gives us opportunities to participate in what He is doing beyond Singapore.

Not all of us will become full-time missionaries. Not all of us will be called to live overseas. But every Christian is called to have a heart for the nations.

Some can pray. Some can give. Some can encourage our mission partners. Some can welcome missionaries. And some can go.

Perhaps God is calling some of us to take that next step.

I would encourage our members to consider participating in an overseas missions trip with one of our mission partners. It may stretch us. It may take us out of our comfort zones. It may even change the way we see our own lives and priorities.

But sometimes we need to leave our familiar surroundings to see more clearly the greatness of God's mission.

Building a Family Legacy of Mission

As we think about legacy, I especially want to encourage our families.

We rightly invest much time and energy in giving our children good experiences. We plan holidays, celebrate birthdays, take family photographs, eat together and create precious memories.

But what if we began to ask a different question:

What kind of memories will help our children see that following Jesus means living for something bigger than ourselves?

So, families, perhaps consider making two simple commitments.

First, let your next family activity include participating in one of our Community Services activities.

Instead of simply asking, “Where shall we go together?”, perhaps ask, “Whom can we serve together?”

Let our children see Mum and Dad serving others. Let grandparents serve alongside grandchildren. Let our families discover the joy of giving rather than simply receiving.

Second, consider making your next holiday an overseas missions trip.

Instead of asking only, “Where should we go for our next holiday?”, perhaps ask, “Where might God want us to go to serve?”

Imagine the legacy we could build if our children grew up seeing missions not as something the church occasionally does, but as something that is simply part of what it means to follow Jesus.

They may not remember every holiday destination. But they may remember serving alongside their parents in Thailand. They may remember meeting God's people in Malaysia. They may remember praying with believers in Myanmar. They may remember seeing the joy of Christians who have very little materially but treasure Christ deeply.

And perhaps, years later, God may use those memories to call them to serve Him. That is a legacy worth building.

Building a CG Legacy of Mission

The same applies to our CGs.

Our CGs are not simply places where we study the Bible and enjoy fellowship. They are communities of disciples who have been called to follow Christ together.

James reminds us that hearing God's Word must lead to doing God's Word.

So perhaps our CGs can consider taking our fellowship beyond the usual meeting. Go and serve together. Participate in Community Services together. Visit and encourage people together. Pray for our mission partners together. And perhaps, when the opportunity arises, go on a missions trip together.

There is something powerful about serving Christ alongside one another. We discover one another's strengths. We learn to bear with one another's weaknesses. We pray together, serve together, struggle together and rejoice together.

Sometimes the deepest bonds are formed not when we sit around a table talking about serving Christ, but when we actually get up and serve Christ together.

A Legacy That Points to Christ

Dear Hermon family, our Missions Sunday is not ultimately about increasing the number of activities in our church calendar.

It is about our hearts. Do we have the heart of our Lord Jesus?

Jesus did not come simply to make us comfortable. He came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He left the glory of heaven, took on human flesh, humbled Himself, and went to the cross for sinners like us.

The gospel we proclaim is a gospel of a Saviour who came to us.

And because Christ came to us, we go to others. We go because Christ first came. We serve because Christ first served. We love because Christ first loved us. We give because Christ gave Himself for us. And we make Christ known because there is no greater treasure than knowing Him.

As we continue Building Our Legacy, may we therefore build not merely a legacy of good church programmes, buildings or activities, but a legacy of mission.

May our seniors leave behind a legacy of praying for the nations. May our parents leave behind a legacy of families that serve Christ together. May our young people discover that following Jesus is an adventure of Gospel mission. May our CGs become communities that do not merely study God's Word but put it into practice.

May Hermon become increasingly known—not simply as a church that gathers, but as a church that goes. A church that goes into Henderson, Bukit Merah and Telok Blangah. A church that goes to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines.

And wherever God opens the door, a church that goes to make Christ known.

One day, another generation will gather to mark Missions Sunday. What will they inherit from us?

May they inherit a church that loves Christ deeply, loves people sincerely, and is willing to go wherever God sends us with the good news of Jesus.

May they inherit families who taught their children not merely to attend church, but to live for Christ.

May they inherit CGs that learned not merely to hear God's Word, but to do it.

And may they inherit a church whose legacy can be summed up in our mission statement – Glorifying God by being and making disciples of Christ Jesus.

  One Hermon @ Henderson,

Pastor Daniel Tan