3 minute read
LIVE OUT LOVE
IN IT TOGETHER
A global crisis has shaken our country and galvanised the Church into action. Could the call to join together and Live Out Love be more timely than ever?
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In these unprecedented times it may seem to the onlooker that we—the Church of Jesus—are dispersed. Church doors have been closed. The latest buzzwords are ‘isolation’ and ‘social distance’. We are urged to ‘stay home’. And yet, amidst a crisis when we are told to be separate, the Church is coming together digitally; united by a re-invigorated desire for our world to know that hope is found in Jesus.
Research conducted at the beginning of May by Tearfund (Tearfund.org) discovered that one in four adults in the UK have watched or listened to an online church service. People are seeking; looking for a hope that rises above the mounting uncertainty and anxiety.
“This is a great opportunity to share the love of God with people,” Lawrence Tong (International Director of OM) reminds us, “especially those who need some hope and reprieve from the stress and pressure.
This is a time for us as a Church, as a
people of God, to come together and journey with our non-believing friends and assure them that in the midst of all this, there is a God who is in control.”
STORIES FLOOD IN Our churches galvanise to respond to the needs in our communities—phone calls, food parcels, online worship services. OM workers around the world become voices of reassurance and peace. Communities are educated about the virus, hygiene packs are
distributed, online communities are formed and vulnerable people are supported. We are human; not immune from fear, anxiety and sorrow. When Jesus prays to the Father in Gethsemane, He too is overcome with fear and sorrow at what lies ahead. We are not alone.
But He chose to declare God’s love and goodness. He puts His trust in the Father’s plan. As do we.
LIVE OUT LOVE Earlier this year, the Live Out Love initiative was launched—just weeks before coronavirus began to rapidly change our daily lives.
A distinct mark of Live Out Love is unity. 12 Christian mission agencies coming together to empower Jesus followers to share God’s message of hope with those who don’t yet know Him. Together, changing the tide of how the Church engages in mission.
When the circumstances are right, Logos Hope plans to visit the UK to provide a unique venue for Live Out Love events. The ship will arrive in the wake of a crisis that has shaken our country and stirred the Church into action. There lies an opportunity to harness and further ignite a desire to Live Out Love, inspiring and equipping Christians to share God’s love with those who don’t know Him.
“I believe Logos Hope’s visit is going to be a catalyst,” Seelan Govender (CEO of OM Ships) encourages us, “drawing people to work together in order to accomplish something they could never do as an individual church, denomination, or mission agency. We feel this is a momentous opportunity for something hugely significant to take place, as we come together and focus on what God wants us to do.”
There are nearly three billion people who have never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel and that number grows by 60,000 every single day. Some are in far flung corners of the earth—small villages and tribes we’ve never heard of—others live on our streets, in our cities, across our closest borders.
HOW WILL THEY KNOW THE LOVE OF THE FATHER? When we come together. United by His love to make His love known. “Be one as We are one.” The words of Jesus to the Father. And His words to us. “Be one… Then the world will know.” (John 17:22-23).
WHAT NEXT?
Visit liveoutlove.co.uk to find out more and subscribe for updates.
As circumstances stabilise and plans are prayerfully formed, we will be sharing how you can participate in this fresh opportunity to unite with Christians across the UK. Together, we will pursue God’s vision and purpose for His world.
