Sent 2018: Equipping a generation
I wonder if you ever stop to consider what the world needs most right now… it’s a bit of a mess isn’t it? Perhaps you think it needs better leadership in world government. Maybe you think it needs people to be educated about the problems that we face as humanity: inequality, racism, climate change, war and much more. It could be that you look at the world and think that it’s such a mess, we can’t really do anything to sort it out.
Let me tell you the two words that I think the world needs right now.
The gospel.
The good news that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the creator of the universe, that he came to earth and, in amongst our mess, lived the perfect life that we couldn’t live, perfectly pleasing God. That he died a brutal death was no accident, but was rather a pre-planned event that, in doing so, he would take upon himself the just punishment for all our wrongdoing. The good news that he rose from the grave to completely disarm the evil powers of the world. The news that Jesus is coming again and that we can know God as our Father now and in eternity!
That news, that gospel - it changes lives. It changed mine and is changing me daily. It has changed the lives of 100s who have been at Sent over the past two years and it has changed the lives of the dozen or so who declared “Jesus is Lord” at Sent last year.
Sent is about equipping a generation to live and breath this good news. It’s about drawing us together to receive fresh envisioning for our role in the big story of Jesus’ Kingdom advance. In 2016 and 2017 we have had two outstanding weekends as we’ve gathered together to worship God, receive from his word and his Spirit and we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.
Sent 2018 promises more of the same, with worship led by Olly Knight & Alice Watts, with great preaching from Mike Pilavachi and Nick & Marlene Boyd and with fun out-of-hours Sent events in the local area (who remembers the Praise Party in 2017 which was OFF THE HOOK?!)
This time round we’re in the capital joining forces with the Relational Mission leadership conference. This is hugely exciting because as well as sessions solely for students and twenties, we’ll also have main sessions alongside 100s of leaders in our family of churches - I can’t wait to be inspired and equipped by leaders in our movement such as Mike Betts, Stef Liston and to see where God is taking this family in the years to come.
Let me take you back to the start. We believe Jesus Christ is not an answer but the answer to the world’s needs. God wants us to take this good news of Jesus far and wide - to our workplaces, to our campuses, to our neighbourhoods and to the nations.
Sent is about equipping us to do just that - please let me urge you to come along. We’re in for an amazing adventure.
About the Author
Tom heads up the leadership team at Hope Church Ipswich and also leads the team for Sent; a movement of students and twenties in Relational Mission. Tom is married to Sarah and they have three young children.
