The Cornerstone Family across different congregations gathered to worship the Lord at our combined service on 10 March.
Held at the Singapore Expo, it was a beautiful time of seeking the Lord and hearing Pastor Yang, the father of Cornerstone House, share his vision on “Building for generations”. We were reminded of the need to do what it takes to see that the fire of revival is not lost, and God’s Kingdom advances beyond each generation. This, he emphasised, requires fathers and mothers to connect with sons and daughters, and for the younger generation to honour those who have paved the way for them.
Our guest speaker, Christine Caine spoke about the need for inter-generational unity as the church enters a new season and navigates the “exchange zone” where leadership transitions happen.
Judges 2:7-10, “the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel……(but) when all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.”
Christine reiterated that despite witnessing the miraculous parting of the Red Sea and experiencing God’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery, an entire generation lost hope and forgot the purpose and promise of God. This too can happen to us if we are not mindful of the generations that come after us.
Quoting Hebrews 12, she went on to share that a church that only focuses on one generation is not doing what God desires. There is a need to engage the generations after us, as “yesterday’s” methods simply will not work anymore. “The same Holy Spirit at Pentecost will give us wisdom today to use the tools of today to reach the generation of tomorrow,“ she added. In fact, we are living in a time when the great commission to bring the hope of the gospel to all the world has become possible because of the internet.
She challenged the congregation not to be concerned only about personal comforts, which keep us as spectators in the Kingdom of God. We need to be willing to “get on the field” and to “pay the price” so that God can use every one of us for His glory – to make disciples of all nations.
God requires new wineskins so He can pour in new wine. And yet Luke 5 tells us that the old wineskins are also to be preserved and celebrated because of the maturity they possess. Will we, as a church, be willing to pour into new wineskins, and also recognise the beauty in old wineskins?
Only by His grace!
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