Kairos Opened My Eyes To Missions
I had arrived home from my summer holidays on Thursday, 18th June. Yet, the very next day, I happily jumped into the car with my parents to join the second session of the Kairos course.
It was not that I had any particular interest in this course — I was mainly there to beat the jetlag and to meet church members whom I had not seen in all the months I was away!
However, God works even through such imperfect motivations, and soon, I found myself drawn to attend the full duration of the course.
Attending the Kairos course came at a very timely point in my life. Before returning home to Singapore, I had spent two weeks sitting in Temple Bar — a seedy, heavily-touristed street in the heart of Dublin city — touting a billboard for an Asian food place.
Leaning onto my billboard, I passed my time reading various books from the church library, and this led to many a conversation with curious passers-by of all nationalities about God and the Bible. Looking back, this unplanned and unprepared evangelism was God's way of priming me to be more prepared to learn about His heart for missions.
What is Kairos all about?
Kairos course was developed in 1994 in the Philippines to assist in the development and growth of the mission movement within the country. It aims to help in the 'formation of a truly Biblical worldview and to assist in a believer's journey into becoming a world Christian' (Living Springs International, 2011).
The course took place as a series of eight evening classes and a final full day integration session. Sessions followed largely a basic structure of worship, devotion, sharing, teaching and a video, and participants were expected to follow up on each session's readings during the week.
The course began by introducing us to the biblical perspective of missions. We looked at familiar passages with a fresh missional perspective, from the Abrahamic covenant (blessed to be a blessing to all nations) to the Great Commission (to make disciples of every nation).
We then journeyed through the expansion of Christianity through the ages, tracing the footsteps of men and women who gave their lives to the expansion of God's Kingdom across nations and borders.
The course then brought us back to the present, touching on mission strategies, mission fields, and barriers to mission work. We finished off with a call to realign our lives, reconsider our priorities and refocus our activities.
What I learned from Kairos
Apart from its challenging topics and excellent materials, another thing that set this course apart for me was the wide range of participants taking part in this run of Kairos Course.
We had school-age students, working adults, and retirees from the different congregations as well as different churches. This lent a certain richness to discussions, especially in our small groups, that I typically wouldn't see in my highly homogenous bible study group.
We young ones had the space to ask hard questions and appreciate the wisdom and experience of older participants. When the generations came together to learn and talk about God, what we were able to take home each week progressed far beyond textbook knowledge.
May God give us grace to continue to tell of His mercies, so that not only the generations — as I have seen in this course — but also all nations and peoples will come together to give glory to His name.
May we be faithful to the call to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
~ Maranda Lim
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