16 Sep Not of This World, But Actively Engaged with This World
John 17:15-16 – I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
As we move into the second half of 2022, Christ’s high priestly prayer in this passage reminds me of two principles – seemingly in opposition to each other, but to be held in tension.
Firstly, we are to actively engage with the realities of this world even though we are ‘not of the world.’ When we consider the swirl of upheavals over the past few years, around the world and in Asia, this is especially important.
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the current crisis in Sri Lanka, and other regional unrest/armed conflicts such as in Myanmar and Ukraine have resulted in untold suffering. The continuous waves of economic turmoil bring great uncertainties to everyone, but the poorer sectors of our societies are slammed especially hard.
In these painful contexts, AsiaCMS may not be a relief agency, but we endeavored to engage with the ground realities as they unfold. Hence, a big thank you for your partnership. At the height of the pandemic in 2020-2021, we were able to channel your giving to provide relief. Right now, we are again doing the same as the people of Sri Lanka face hardships of unprecedented proportions.
Secondly, we bear in mind that we are not of this world. We live and serve with a long-term eternal perspective. Every follower of Christ has an acute sense of dual belonging. We have a sense of belonging to this world, but our heavenly eternal belonging is the more permanent one. We keep eternity in constant view, remembering the eternal dimension of all that we do.
We serve with the constant awareness that Christ’s ultimate purpose is the reconciliation of sinful humankind to God through His redemptive death on the cross. This message of the cross is central. It is to be communicated to all.
Hence, we do all we can to facilitate the communication of the gospel, incarnating Christ, especially to people who would otherwise have no means to encounter the love of Christ in ways that are contextually relevant. This is in line with the first of AsiaCMS’ three-fold focus of engaging the unreached and least-reached people groups with the gospel.
Rev. Chan Nam Chen (PhD)
Executive Director
Special announcement – AsiaCMS celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2022! We thank you for your faithful partnership in serving ‘Together, on the Edge in God’s Mission’. In conjunction, we are organizing a 10th Anniversary Thanksgiving Dinner in Kuala Lumpur on 23 October 2022.
If you are in Kuala Lumpur on that date and you can join us for this celebration, please email us at office@asiacms.net for more details.