“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.” (1 John 1:1-4)

The Apostle John had indeed lived a life inheriting the legacy and bringing forth the new. From his youth when he was called by Jesus beside the Sea of Tiberias to his old age when he wrote “The revelation from Jesus Christ” in the Book of Revelation (1:1), John has entered new horizons ever since he came to know Jesus. He turned from a professional fisherman to an apostle spreading the gospel of Christ. He began as an apprentice, acquiring a new perspective and receiving a new mandate from Jesus. Then he became a teacher, proclaiming to people “what we have seen and heard.” Shouldering the task of passing on the legacy, he passed on to believers after him Jesus’s teachings.

Though we are of a different background, time and space than the Apostle John, we share the same journey of faith that inherits the legacy and brings forth the new. This reminds me of the cartoons I watched when I was young: Ordinary boys would imagine themselves becoming superheroes who punish the wicked and the evil, and typical girls would imagine themselves turning into beautiful and good magical angels. They all think of themselves transforming into a brand-new identity totally different from their original one. Now transformation is not that impossible after all. It really is what believers would experience. They receive a new life with new power to live like Christ. Then, just like the Apostle John, we pass on the Word of life to others. As members of the community of believers, we shoulder the responsibility of passing on the legacy so new generations in the spiritual family can share in the fellowship we have with the Father and the Son Jesus Christ.

As a member of the big NPAC family, you and I have the bountiful grace that Christ our Lord has prepared for us for our passing on of His legacy and bringing forth the new. This is because the seven spiritual legacies of NPAC are our foundation to do so: 1) God gives grace to the humble; 2) Work together in harmony, respecting each other; 3) It is more blessed to give than to receive; 4) God is the centre of everything; 5) Teaching the truth is our basis; 6) Offering by faith; and 7) Love our church. These legacies drive NPAC people, be they here or overseas, online or offline, to insist on worshiping the LORD. Let us pray courageously to the LORD that He may give NPAC shrewdness and wisdom to explore evangelism and pastoring opportunities, and with the love of the Lord, nurture new generations of believers so that we would live out the likeness of Christ at home and in the workplace in this generation.