By Stuart Moorhouse
Do you know what showcases God’s heart for the nations? We caught a glimpse of His heart for the nations by being among 140 Navigator leaders from seventeen Asia-Pacific nations. In July, The Navigators of New Zealand sent twelve leaders to a four-day Asia-Pacific Campus-Grad Forum. Each forum participant serves in a unique context, yet the unity we share in Jesus, and our shared commitment to seeing the gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom advance, was unmistakable.
The time was immensely encouraging and formative for our whole team, reminding us again of the why behind our ministry here in New Zealand.
The forum provided a rich variety of opportunities to learn – from one another and from God. There were thoughtful speakers, moving testimonies, reflective workshops, time in the Scriptures, and space to share from the places where God has each of us serving. Our very own Glen Morris, and Tim and Leah Simpson, were on the forum planning and delivery team, and several of us New Zealanders led workshops. At the conclusion of the forum, one of the leaders remarked, “It is one thing to put on a conference; it is another when there is a tangible sense of God being in it with us.” This gathering sincerely felt like the latter.
While the forum offered many insights, one theme rose to the surface for our team: “A heart for the individual, a vision for the world.” Bulus Silas Bossan, who was one of the speakers, traced how, throughout the biblical story, the Lord’s heart has always been both personal and global — deeply attentive to individuals, yet relentlessly committed to blessing the nations. From the very beginning, God’s promise to Abraham reveals His expansive vision: “and all peoples of earth will be blessed through you.” – (Genesis 12:3).
For us in The Navigators, this profoundly resonates. We believe God simultaneously calls us to invest our lives in individuals so that He might bless the nations through them. This kind of heart is cultivated through our personal and shared walk with the Lord – the One whose heart is both for individuals and all the peoples of the earth. We pray that the Lord would raise up leaders in this age in New Zealand who He will use to bless the nations.
