FEATURE ARTICLE: FLOURISHING IN THE KINGDOM THROUGH GOD’S WORD
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” —John 15:8
As we abide in Christ and He in us, we experience the life and love of Christ flowing into our lives, resulting naturally in fruitfulness. This fruitfulness manifests as we move towards spiritual maturity, becoming more and more like Jesus. In a word, fruitfulness is Christlikeness—Jesus increasing in us, His disciples, produces the fruit that honours God.
With Bible engagement and advocacy being two of the core pillars of the Bible Mission in Singapore, the Bible Society emulates the works of Christ’s apostles and endeavours to consistently organise a range of annual flagship events to allow more to encounter Christ in a deeper and more meaningful way through God’s Word.
Exemplifying Fruitfulness Through Action
Happening yearly between May or June, DECLARE—a Bible proclamation movement that celebrates the restoration of the public reading of God’s Word by Christian communities across nations and generations—launched a different format on its 8th year movement in 2024. Reading from Genesis to Revelation, DECLARE 2024 spanned three consecutive weekends, contrary to the usual 72-hour reading over three days. Other than holding this proclamation at the Bible House, local and overseas readers were reading concurrently in various nations and locations, on mountains, and even aboard cruise ships at sea.
Anne Soh, from Arts Release and one of the praying parents at DECLARE, shares: “God’s Word is powerful, and when we declare it, it doesn’t return to Him empty. Whatever we read aloud, He is doing something, working and shifting the atmosphere over the nations.”
The D6 Family Conference, inspired by Deuteronomy 6, is an annual event dedicated to equipping families for discipleship. With tracks in both English and Chinese, the conference has served as a cornerstone for the Society's efforts to align with Jesus' heart through generational discipleship. Over the past decade, D6 has consistently upheld its mission to nurture discipleship that begins in the family and extends to the broader Church community.
Bryan Au, a participant of the D6 English Track who serves in St. James’ Church children’s ministry, shares: “I’ve joined the D6 conference for the past three years because I believe in its vision that every family should be a missional family and should honour the mandate that God has given us in Deuteronomy 6. It’s powerful as we are all ultimately God’s family, so Church ministry is family ministry. D6 conference has taught me over the years how to take care of God’s family.”
Organised every year, ETHOS Institute holds conferences, lectures, talks, and seminars annually and continues to serve as Singapore’s think-tank over the last 10 years. To celebrate ETHOS Institute’s 10th anniversary in 2024, Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, was invited to speak on how a growing spread of misinformation and disinformation can undermine the trust and social harmony that we enjoy in our society today.
Minister Edwin Tong shares: “As our society becomes increasingly diverse, there will be policies and issues on which our communities may hold different views. This is where the government must take a balanced approach in finding a path that serves the best interests of Singapore and keeps our people together. Thank you to ETHOS Institute for providing a platform for this meaningful discussion! It is through dialogue and discourse that deeper understanding can be fostered.”
Celebrating Fruitfulness in Mission
On 5 July 2024, the Bible Society celebrated its 201st year of the Bible Mission in Singapore and the 187th anniversary of its official registration at its Bible Mission Banquet 2024. The Bible Mission Banquet is a yearly fundraising initiative by the Bible Society, aimed at raising funds for countries in need of Bible resources and humanitarian aid. The theme for 2024—Towards Mission 2033: From Faithfulness to Fruitfulness—highlights our gratitude for God’s steadfast faithfulness towards the Bible Mission work and extends our heartfelt appreciation to dedicated partners and supporters like you that enable us to further the Bible Movement and rejoice at the harvest.
We were privileged to have Minister Edwin Tong, regional and global mission leaders from about 10 countries, donors, supporters, volunteers, and dear friends of the Bible Mission grace the occasion with their presence and shared mission. The event was made possible through the steadfast support of Mr Robert Ng, Executive Director and Chairman of Sino Group; Mrs Dorothy Chan; and Far East Organization for their generous sponsorship of the banquet at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, as well as hotel accommodations for overseas missionaries who came to grace the event.
The evening resonated with festivity, thanksgiving, and mission sharing from various mission leaders from the region. To be able to share in the camaraderie forged by Christians from all walks of life speaks to the fruitfulness of the Bible Mission that God has so graciously blessed.
We honour the joy of reaping the harvest of the labour through our various Bible Mission efforts. Not because we cause faith and life to grow, but because God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7). We pray that as we continue to be connected to the source Jesus Christ and abide in Him, His divine power will be granted through the knowledge of Him, so that He may use us and that we may bear fruit.
We invite you to partner with us so that we can continue extending God’s love and grace to the nations. Let us band together in one united mission for God's Word to impact more lives!
