Evangelism and Intentional Discipleship

Decade of Evangelism and Intentional Discipleship 2017 to 2028

 

Village to Village Evangelism and Intentional Discipleship Awareness Program June 2017 to June 2018

INTRODUCTION (Setting the Scene)

Evangelism and Renewal is not a new thing to the Anglican Church of Melanesia. It is already an ongoing mission activity within ACOM that is geared towards renewing people’s Christian life in relation to God, neighbour and the church. Therefore, as the church continues to develop physically, mentally and spiritually, so too do we need to constantly re-evaluate and re-look into the life, growth and journey of the church thus far to see where it has fallen short of its mission mandate as outlined in its mission statement (see Annex 1), and see how we can then build upon those past experiences and lessons learnt, especially from the previous Decade of Evangelism and Renewal launched from 1991 – 2000, to enable the mission and ministry of ACOM to its members to become more alive and vibrant and help to move the church forward to greater growth and maturity in faith, mission, and discipleship in the years ahead.

It is from this backdrop that the initiative towards a relaunching of another Decade of Evangelism and Renewal programme to span the years from 2017 to 2027 was taken by the new Archbishop of ACOM. The decision to re-launch the Decade of Evangelism and Renewal was further inspired by the overall theme of a “Vision of an emerging church: building a new community of God’s people in the Anglican Church of Melanesia”, that was formulated and introduced by Archbishop George Takeli at his inaugural address during his enthronement as Archbishop in April 2016. This vision provides a theological premise and platform for reflection that will help towards the discernment of a prophetic description, as well as towards building, the “new and emerging church” which God wants us to set up in our Anglican Church of Melanesia today and during this decade of evangelism and renewal relaunch period.

As a consequence of the above events, the proposal to relaunch the Decade of Evangelism and Renewal in our church was submitted to the ACOM Board of Mission in its meeting in June 2016 and was unanimously approved. This decision was later endorsed by the Executive Council of ACOM during its meeting in November of the same year. Following these two endorsements, the Pre-launching of Decade of Evangelism and Renewal programme was officially launched on Pentecost Sunday June 4th, 2017.

Furthermore, this Decade of Evangelism and Renewal is ACOM’s response to the call by the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC16) in its meeting held in April 2016, in Lusaka, Zambia, to bring healing, hope and renewal in the Church and towards “advancing discipleship in a broken world within the Anglican Communion”. It is a call for ACOM congregations to actively engage in the proclamation of the Good News of God’s Kingdom to the world, and to become more mature in their love of God through their faith in Jesus Christ.

Evangelism and Renewal is a core tenet of ACOM’s mission mandate and therefore all members of the church must not be spectators but rather, be active participators during this Decade of Evangelism and Renewal 2017 to 2027.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

In terms of the aims and objectives of this awareness programme, our target is that by the end of the program:

1. Members of ACOM should have a fresh understanding of the crucial importance of evangelism and renewal at the heart of our faith and ministry within the Anglican Church in Melanesia.
2. Members of ACOM should know that we are called to serve God in evangelism and discipleship and to offer ourselves through exercising our spiritual gifts for the building up of God’s church and advancing his kingdom in Melanesia.
3. Members of ACOM should understand the nature and purpose of evangelism and renewal in the context of Melanesia and in the light of biblical models of evangelism and ministry and visualise how these can be translated into addressing the social issues affecting Christians in Melanesia today.
4. Members of ACOM should understand the different approaches, principles and methods to be used to renew and mature Christians in their faith and relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, and be ready to respond to the call by the church to engage in the work of evangelism and discipleship.

TOPIC 1: EVANGELISM AND RENEWAL

1. What is Evangelism?

The term ‘Evangelism’ is drawn from the Greek word “euangelion” which means “good news”. The use of this term in the Gospels is two-fold. First, this “Good News” is a person, Jesus the Messiah and Son of the living God, and Our Lord and Saviour. Secondly, it is the Good News about our Salvation from God through the birth, life, ministry, teaching, crucifixion, death, resurrection, ascension and glorification of His Son, Jesus Christ.

In view of this, the task of the Anglican Church of Melanesia in this re-launching period of the Decade of Evangelism and Renewal from 2017 to 2028 is therefore to ensure that this “Good News” must be witnessed and shared to all its members so that they may be filled to overflowing with the love, joy, peace, comfort and hope of Christ in their lives and in turn become empowered and enabled to propagate the message of the good news to many other people. The Church must be the light and salt of the earth (Mk. 5:13, 14).

What then are some of the things we know and understand as “Evangelism”?

1. Evangelism is where one spiritually hungry beggar tells another hungry beggar where to get food and bread – that is, from the Church of Christ who is himself, the spiritual Bread for the world. It is only within the church of Christ in the world, which is constantly hungry in spirit, that the good news of love, joy, peace, comfort and hope in God’s Kingdom can be found. It is in this regard the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 is given to the church to: “Go to the spiritually hungry people everywhere” (Mt. 28: 19), “Make disciples” (Mt. 28: 19), “Teach” (Mt. Mt. 28: 20), and, “Love and care for the sheep” (Jn. 12: 15-17).
2. Evangelism is described by Archbishop William Temple as follows: “To Evangelise is to present Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, that people will come to put their trust in God through him, to accept him as their saviour, and serve him as their Lord in the fellowship of his church.”
3. Evangelism as previously hinted, is the Good News about Jesus the Son of God. It is not a good news about a certain church’s traditions and practices. Nor is it an ideology of a nation or group of people. Rather, it is simply the good news which talks about Jesus: his status, name, teachings, promises, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and the whole life of God’s Kingdom, which he purposely came to establish among his people in this world.
4. Evangelism is God-centred and hence proclamation of the good news must accord equal status to the three persons of the Trinity: God the Father, the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. All too often evangelists tend to emphasise Jesus the Son and accord less mention and emphasis on God the Father, not realising Jesus’ emphatic statement that “My father and I are one” (John 10:30) and that “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).
5. Evangelism is an activity that depends entirely on the work of the Holy Spirit for its effectiveness. We can speak, teach, challenge, share and encourage but it is only through the work of the Holy Spirit that people’s hearts can be convicted of their sinfulness and inner healing and renewal is brought about in their life in Christ in body, mind and spirit. Our human understanding and strength cannot achieve anything in this regard unless it is guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit for the glory and honour of the Triune God.
6. Evangelism is a corporate activity as practised in the New Testament and in that sense it must be incorporated fully into the work of the church, the Body of Christ. It cannot operate in a vacuum but must operate within the Church, which is a community of God’s people and is a community of LOVE (John 13: 30-35). It challenges human decisions with love and in effect leads someone into a personal decision for Christ and into becoming a baptised and discipled member of Christ’s church in the world. It has been said that an evangelism that does not begin with the individual has not begun at all. Evangelism starts with the individual an ends with the individual.
7. Evangelism is an activity of God that challenges our human decisions. In the New Testament teachings and sermons of Jesus, the Apostles, and the evangelistic preachings of the Early Church and Christians through the ages, there was always the element of challenge in their delivery. Evangelism must challenge people to make the right decision to repent and change, and hence engage in a saving relationship with God that is reflected in their strong faith in Christ, their obedience to Christ and his teachings, and their love for Christ reflected in kind and loving action towards others.
8. Evangelism that is effective should produce good and strong disciples among the converts and believers. It is the main goal of evangelism to produce Disciples of Christ who are fruitful and committed to God, to the welfare of neighbour, and to the physical and spiritual growth and development of the Church of God in the world. Again, evangelism is not an easy task to carry out but with great faith and determination, effort and hard work, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can achieve great strides in the task of discipleship.
9. What is Renewal in the Context of ACOM?

Renewal is not as easy as merely talking about it and teaching it to others, and then expecting them to be renewed while we can sit back and relax and say we have done a good job. It is not something to be complacent or lazy about but is something that is so important and sensitive in the lives of God’s people. This is because how they will be renewed towards making a conscious change for God will make the difference to their salvation prospects in God’s eternal kingdom.

The kind of renewal that God wants is one that allows Christians to grow their roots deeply in Christ and bear much good fruit in their lives (John 15:5; Gal. 5:22-23). It is a renewal that is humble, penitent, faithful, prayerful, and is guided by the Holy Spirit into an experience of change that comes from a deep exploration of oneself before the Lord. It is a renewal that must be firmly grounded in scripture and theology in order for it to be a lasting renewal.

Entering into renewal involves a real personal commitment of oneself to God and is not a decision or step to be taken lightly. It would mean committing our time, money, manpower, knowledge, wisdom, courage, strength, understanding, patience, humility and our earthly possessions and properties for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Yet our faith is in the words of Jesus himself who said: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. (Matt. 6:33 KJV)

It is when members of the church experience true renewal in their lives that the mission and ministry of the church becomes truly alive and active, becomes stronger and more vibrant, and continues to make an impact in terms of church growth and development in the following areas:

1. Spiritual Growth;
2. Physical Growth;

• Economic Growth;

1. Sociological Growth;
2. Strategic Growth of the Church.

It is through active renewal that these five church growth areas in ACOM can be enhanced. This means that ACOM’s Office of Evangelism and Renewal need to produce appropriate resource materials for the teaching and education of our church leaders (lay and clergy) and our congregations to take place as far and as widely as possible throughout all the dioceses of the church. The recommended kind of evangelism and renewal topics to be prepared for this teaching throughout the decade period would include the following:

1. Scriptural Renewal
2. Doctrinal Renewal
3. Liturgical Renewal
4. Sacramental Renewal
5. Church Traditions and Practices Renewal
6. What is the Church and Who Started It? Understanding Renewal
7. Who is the Church and why the Church? Understanding Renewal
8. Church Catechism (Questions and Answers) Understanding Renewal
9. The Three Strands of Anglican Spirituality: Anglo-Catholic, Evangelical & Charismatic. Understanding Renewal
10. Clergy and Clergy Wives’ Ministry Renewal
11. Christian Leadership quality. Understanding Renewal
12. Church Organisation and Structure
13. Lay Ministries
14. Pastoral Ministries
15. Children’s’ Ministries
16. Youth Ministries
17. Parent’s Ministries
18. Marriage Enrichment
19. Church Growth Principles
20. Home Mission principles and organisations
21. Social Gospel
22. Ecumenism
23. Sectarianism
24. Christian Sabbath
25. Christian Stewardship
26. Money, Work and Business
27. Nominalism/Backsliding
28. Community Education & Learning
29. Cultural Renewal
30. Population Awareness

These are the kinds of evangelism and renewal teaching topics that ACOM would like to carry out in its teaching program in all the dioceses both in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia, that would help to renew all areas of church life and growth as well as renew individual Christian lives of ACOM members. This is the end result that this decade of evangelism and renewal program seeks to achieve in the next ten (10) years so that we may be able to discover the deeper meaning of our Anglican tradition and values which may in turn result in a deeper meaning for the life and growth of the Anglican Church of Melanesia.

3. How do we know that Renewal has taken place (a test for renewal)?

A student in school goes through a series of examinations in the education process in order to move up from one class or level to a higher one. To fail means one cannot go further but must do the test paper again or repeat the class again until he or she has passed the required test papers and examinations.

This same principle applies when we seek to enter into God’s Kingdom. The journey there is hard and tough. It requires everyone to renew their lives and to model it according to Christ’s pattern of life. It requires self-examination on the part of every member of the church, seeking the mind of God in prayer so that renewal takes place thus helping them to pass the test into God’s Kingdom.

As a leader in the church (both lay and clergy), you should ensure that you are first renewed before you can talk about or teach it to others. Renewal must take place in your own personal lives first before you can preach it to others. Then, being renewed you should carry out an assessment of your congregation to gauge the extent and reality of their faith, hope, love, knowledge, wisdom, prayer and worship life, giving, humility, holiness, and repentance. You need to do this by asking the following questions:

• Do your church members truly love the Lord?
• Do they really love and care for each other?
• Do they give to God honestly?
• Do they have family prayers at home?
• Do they share the faith at home and in their community?
• Are they ever honest at work and in their Christian life and faith in God?

In terms of the local church or parish as a whole, you will know that it is a renewed church and is living the life and ministry it is supposed to be living and carrying out in the community and in the world if is truly engaging in the following activities:

1.     Worshiping 2.     Teaching 3.     Knowing one another 4.     Knowing the Lord 5.     Sharing 6.     Caring 7.     Praying 8.     Meeting together 9.     Encouraging one another

10.  Fellowshipping 11.  Growing together 12.  Loving 13.  Belonging 14.  Forgiving 15.  Witnessing 16.  Sharing hospitality 17.  Using our gifts 18.  Living in Unity

These and other ways of gauging the level of commitment of your local church and congregation will help you assess and determine whether true renewal has taken place or not and if not, what steps you need to take in order to change or remedy the situation for the better so that God’s blessing will continue to permeate and empower your church and community to be a blessing to others.

TOPIC 2: WHY ARE WE DOING IT IN OUR CHURCH?

1. Why Do Evangelism and Renewal in Our Church?

This is an important question for all Christians and members of ACOM to think about. Answering and unpacking this question will help us to understand why we do evangelism in our church and why God established his church in the world.

Firstly, the Church is God’s divine institution which God Himself had already intended to create before He made the universe (Eph. 1: 4-6). God established His church in this world so that through its evangelism work (teaching and preaching Ministry), people may become strong and committed Christians and be able to attain salvation in Christ Jesus, the Son of God. Thus, this salvation life can only be received from God through the life, work, and ministry of his church here on earth.

In this regard, ACOM as a divine institution set up by God in this world must continue to fulfil His divine plan of love and goodness for humankind and the whole of creation through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord for His glory and honour. ACOM must play its part in helping God’s mission to spread the Good News to all the world and become the avenue for the extension of Christ’s ministry made possible through the gifts of the Holy Spirit to believers (Ephesians 4:7-13).

Secondly, the Mission Consultation of ACOM convened in June 2004, that brought together key mission leaders and strategists of ACOM, highlighted the need for the Church to engage in active evangelism in order to “Shift the Church from a maintenance mode to Mission orientation”. In particular the following has been identified as some of the root causes leading to a lukewarm situation in the Church:

• weak faith in God as reflected in the decline of worship and poor participation in Church activities,
• poor leadership and administration of mission work in the Church and in dioceses,
• lack of team work among leaders of different ministries in the church, divisions causing disunity and conflicts in communities,
• the increase of immorality,
• poor sharing of resources such as funds and other forms of resources,
• lack of knowledge and understanding for clear organizational structure; and,
• the uncertainty over new social changes; making people wonder about the future of the Church and its mission.

As such the Church needs to explore in greater depth why it has not been able to effectively achieve, or fulfil, its mission mandate as set out in its Mission Statement (especially during the period from the last Decade of Evangelism from 1991 – 2000 and up until now), which states:

“ Our purpose is to be a faithful part of Christ’s Body through exercising our Baptismal Ministries of: ‘Spreading the Good News of God’s Love in Jesus Christ, being like Christ in thought, word and action, worshipping God in Spirit and Truth, and demonstrating God’s Love in responding to human needs in loving service’. ”

The church therefore needs to reengage in a new vision of an emerging church that will set new initiatives and direction for the wholistic growth of the Church into the future in this new Re-launching of the Decade of Evangelism and Renewal from 2017 to 2028. This is an evangelism task that seeks to shape, mould, develop and grow our Christian life and commitment in the following areas:

1. Spiritual growth
2. Physical growth
3. Economic growth
4. Sociological growth
5. Strategic growth

In all of this, the Mission Statement of the Church must always be the guiding road map or compass that will help the Church set clear goals and objectives, vision and hope for the future, and hence help to bring in spiritual renewal and transformation that will give birth to a ‘new and emerging church’ in all of the dioceses of ACOM.

2. Why the need to be evangelised and renewed in this re-launching program?

A decision to be born again or to be renewed in our Christian life needs to be made by Christians in Anglican Church of Melanesia during this re-launching programme because of the following five (5) forth coming problems which no one will avoid from happening in his/her life.

This is because they are part and parcel of the natural process that all of us will follow as a means of going back home either to God, or Satan, when we die. Where and who we will end up with depends entirely on own choice and decision. We can either choose life and blessing or death or curse (cf. Deut. 30:19), and one or the other will determine our final destination according to this process:

Human Journey: Birth, growth, deterioration, rebirth

This is to do with our human body for we cannot always stay young in our physical body.

There is already a set natural process that our human body go through in its life span:

1. To be born into this world,
2. To be a baby,
3. To grow young,
4. To grow mature,
5. To grow old and weak and then soon to meet with Mr Die calling us home.
6. Then comes Mr Death calling us home saying ‘your time is up lets go back home’. Naturally nobody will ever refuse this dictatorial directive and order by Mr Death. It is something that must be met with no choice – leave as ordered.
7. After DEATH comes Mr JUDGMENT – be reminded too that nobody will ever miss Mr judgement because God has already laid this down as a means of qualifying for our individual entry permits to enter into which home we laboured, slaved and committed ourselves while we were still yet in this world – going around living and doing our daily works of life.
8. Then comes Mr Kingdom (God) who will enquire of us from Mr Judgments handed down decision for where we are to follow as our end results – meaning that though we are human we still struggle and try our best to live up to the spiritual and holiness standard and requirement that is God’s expectations for us to have, and to instil in our Christian life and commitment while we are still yet in this world.
   When we are judged to belong to God as the end result, it is Jesus who will then warmly welcome us home to share eternal joy and peace into Gods kingdom.
9. Finally, then comes Mr Hell (Satan) following Mr Judgments handing down of the decision for others to follow in the opposite direction as their end result. Satan too will warmly welcome those of us who chose him into his home, which is a big and burning kingdom prepared ready for those who really love and serve him in their satanic life while in this world. These people will suffer an everlasting death in the everlasting lake of fire that is hotter than anything the world has ever known and which will never go out. It is a burning lake of fire that will enjoy sucking their blood and flesh but which will result in them never dying eternally but ‘enjoying’ everlasting pain and suffering with Satan.

TOPIC 3: HOW DO WE DO IT IN OUR CHURCH?

How do we carry out Evangelism and Renewal in our Church?

The Church is the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12: 27) in the world and is the seed of the living faith. The Church, like a seed, contains within itself the generative power to remain the body of Christ (Charles Van Engen “God’s Missionary people”). In its current state, it will not be rebirthed as a different Church but as the same Body of Christ, only with new strength and vigour.

In this regard, it is God who will give his Church new growth while our part is to carry out proper planting, watering and care. When we do our part faithfully and properly, the seed Church will grow to become a new ‘emerging Church’ in the dioceses of ACOM from 2017 and beyond.

The strategy for carrying out Evangelism and Renewal in this re-launching period is geared towards TRAINING of key leaders, both ordained and lay, in our all of dioceses, and these trainers will carry out further teachings in their dioceses, regions, districts, parishes, villages and homes (home mission groups). In this way, the programme reaches out to all Anglicans in their homes and villages throughout the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. The ADMINISTRATION strategy for this programme requires the co-ordination of all evangelism programmes such as teachings, workshops, resource materials, planning, liaising, monitoring and evaluation and other tasks to be run by Evangelism Coordinators or Mission Secretaries in the Mission offices of all the dioceses of ACOM, in consultation with the Evangelism and Renewal Office at Provincial Headquarters in Honiara and Luganville.

The important thing in this strategy is that training must go together with effective coordination and administration of the programme for it to be successful in reaching out to as many of our Anglican congregations as is possible.

TOPIC 4: WHO WILL DO IT?

1. Who will carry out this Evangelism and Renewal in our Church?

The task of Evangelism and Renewal is not left to the clergy alone but involves everybody and all the ministries within the Anglican Church of Melanesia. We need to equip and utilise all our existing human resources and ministry agencies for this work, such as: Bishops, Diocesan Mission Staff, Priests and Wives, Mothers Union/Girls Friendly Society, Sunday School Teachers, Youth Leaders, Men’s Ministries, Catechists, Religious Orders, Companions and Associates of the Religious Orders, Melanesian Guild of Servers, School Teachers, Chaplains of Schools and Rural Training Centres, Chiefs, Parish Chairpersons and Council Members, Parents, Anglicans with teaching gifts, Politicians, and all members of the Anglican Church of Melanesia.

It is the Spirit who calls each one to the service of God in this world. The Church is responding by confirming that call, and we are the Church, the Body of Christ, with that mandate to “Go!”

Since this task belongs to everybody, we all need to be reminded that doing Evangelism and Renewal is not as easy as just talking and teaching it to others and then expecting them to be renewed, while we sit back and relax thinking that we have done a good job. No, it is not that simple but is in fact very challenging because it is a renewal that has to start with ourselves as individuals first, and in our own homes and among members of our families first, before moving out to others.

Again, since this task belongs to every member of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, we all need to be reminded that renewal must begin in our own minds and hearts first before good changes take place in our lives and in turn enable us to reach out and help others find renewal in their lives as well. Such renewal must also affect and challenge all other areas of our lives for the better and for God, including in our work places, our responsibilities and duties and roles as men, women or children, our leadership, our rest and play, our relating and relationships towards other people, thus making us children of God and disciples of Jesus.

All of these goes to make a church that is strong, healthy, robust, and is developing in a holistic manner both physically, mentally and spiritually.

2. The kind of person uses in Evangelism

To answer the question about “Who will do the work of evangelism in our church?”, we need to also consider the related question: “What kind of person does God want to use in the work of evangelism?

In answer to this latter question therefore, the kind of person that God wants to use in the work of evangelism must be:

1. Someone with a “CHANGED CHARACTER”. Someone whose heart, mind and soul – whole life – has been renewed and made new in Christ.
2. Someone who has a deep and strong “PRAYER LIFE AND A HEART FOR SCRIPTURES”.
3. Someone who is “FLEXIBLE” and can easily adapt to any situation, time, people and culture, as seen in the ministry of Jesus and his apostles in the New Testament times (Gospels and the Book of Acts).
4. Someone who has “FALLEN IN LOVE WITH JESUS CHRIST” and is ready to talk about him –his life and birth, ministry and suffering, his name and promises, his resurrection and ascension and his glorification and coming again.
5. Someone who is “OPEN TO THE GUIDANCE AND LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT” and His spiritual gifts.
6. Someone who is “OPEN AND ADAPTABLE” to both formal and traditional forms of worship, as well as, free and contemporary forms of worship, and grasps well the understanding of the THREE STRANDS OF THE ANGLICAN FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY – Anglo-Catholic spirituality, Anglican Evangelical spirituality, and Anglican Charismatic spirituality
7. Someone who has a “HEART AND CONCERN FOR THE POOR AND NEEDY” and patterns his/her life, work, ministry on earth after Christ’s ministry.
8. Someone who is “WILLING AND READY TO SACRIFICE HIS/HER LIFE FOR JESUS CHRIST’S SAKE” and for the whole work of the kingdom of God to be carried out in the world.

CONCLUSION

It is hoped that with this awareness programme, members of ACOM throughout the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia would be rallied to take up the call to evangelise and renew their homes, families, tribes, communities, churches, suburbs, towns and cities, islands, provinces and nations. This is what the church calls upon all of its members to engage in during this Decade of Evangelism and Renewal Re-launching from 2017 to 2028.

We must ensure that the people in the pew become more adept at articulating what has been poorly understood in the past and develop new insights and are able to participate fully and effectively in the overall evangelism ministry in this Decade of Evangelism and Renewal.

The church is at a ‘crossroad’ today where it must make a conscious decision to adapt, change and become relevant, dynamic and alive, to make the church become an avenue for nurturing faith equipping and empowering people for mission work in Anglican Church today. This therefore requires that all members of ACOM must participate in order for this programme to be truly successful. None must be passive or be a spectator. Every one of us must undertake our calling and commission to be disciples and evangelists of Christ in the world to the honour and glory of God.

ANNEX 1: MISSION STATEMENT OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF MELANESIA

English Version

“Our purpose is to be a faithful part of Christ’s body through the exercising of our baptismal ministries of: ‘spreading the Good News of God’s Love in Jesus Christ, being like Christ in thought, word and action, worshipping God in spirit and truth; and demonstrating God’s Love in responding to human needs in loving service’.

Pidgin Version (Solomon Islands)

Aim blong iumi hemi fo stap olsem strong part blong Bodi blong Christ for iusim olgeta ministry blong Baptism: ‘olsem spredim Gud Nius blong lav blong God long Jesus Christ; fo stap olsem Christ long tingting, toktok, an akson; fo wosipim God long tru wei and wetem hol hat; an fo som aot lav blong God long waka fo helpim pipol.

Bislama Version (Vanuatu)

ANNEX 2

A Theological Reflection on the ‘Tepuke’: The Church as a means of transportation into God’s Kingdom.

This salvation life can only be received from God through the life, work, and ministry of Christ’s church here on earth.

And this is where the “TEPUKE” canoe transport into God’s Kingdom picture story comes in as follows:

Our great forefathers of the past could not travel to a faraway island or place without the following transport requirements:

The “TEPUKE” Canoe Transport – This reflects the Christian church here on earth which is our means of transport into Gods Kingdom when our call to rest in God comes (at our death bed).

1. A timber to sit on comfortably –This reflects the displaying of our Christian faith in terms of commitment towards God, our neighbours, and the church of God for overall growth and development.
2. A paddle to get the canoe moving –This reflects our life of prayer, worship, and meditation, in the sense that our loving relationship with God has to be made and established for the empowering of our Christian commitment to His glory and honour.
3. Food and Water –This reflects the word of God (the scriptures), the Good news of Gods kingdom, and the sacrament of Holy Communion.
   For we need these spiritual food for the continued spiritual growth and development of our Christian life and commitment.
4. A bail out water container –This reflects changes, repentance and renewal of our Christian life – from bad to good and to abstain from evil in our thoughts, words and deeds etc.
5. A compass (star, current, waves) –This reflects that all the above means of travelling helping to land us safely at our destination must all be done according to the will and mind of God for His glorification.