It was truly a joy to spend time as a global family this past week for GFW26. From the wonderful daily prayer sessions on Facebook, to the gathering of pastors and coordinators from all over the world on a Zoom session, and even the uplifting global services that have begun in this quarter of the year! Wherever we are, the joy is palpable when we come together as a family. Especially when we are able to see familiar faces, share testimonies and new experiences with each other.
Why do we gather?
Have you ever wondered why such a gathering is important for us as a movement? The Bible says in Ephesians 4 that we should make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. For despite our physical locations being far apart from one another across continents, we are part of one body, one Spirit, one hope!
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Convicted to grow
As important as it is to embody this as a global family, it is also important to live it at our local level. Pastor Jessica from Hope Taipei received a conviction from God in the beginning of 2026, which incidentally marks their 30 year anniversary as a church, to move in a direction of “Growing and Maturing in Christ”. The church continuously worked towards this theme, obeying God’s heart to grow deeper in a spiritual maturity. Furthermore, this became their focus during the Spring Bible Conference that took place recently.
Through exploring our relationship with the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, Ps Lai Ling as the invited guest speaker for the conference further expounded on the true purpose of growth and maturity. Drawing from the same chapter in the epistle to the Ephesians, Ps Lai Ling shared that our growth and maturity in Christ is deeply tied to our unity as a body. If a church stands united, we can unlock a greater measure of God’s blessing and strengthen the collective impact of our church! How great is that?
Moments that change lives
During the teachings of the conference, a brother shared that he was once again reminded of the importance of keeping an intimate relationship with God as well as the necessity of raising his children with a discipleship-focused mindset. Another sister shared that she was moved to tears throughout the sermon, her heart deeply stirred by God so she cried out to the Lord and declared that every chain shall be broken, all the strongholds shall be torn down. She continued to surrender to God, to be a willing vessel for God’s work.
These life changing moments that we are seeing in Hope Taipei during the Spring Bible Conference does not need to be limited to them alone. We are all part of the same body of Christ, and we too can experience these kinds of experiences in the halls of our local churches. According to His perfect timing and divine plan, God continues to move in the hearts of many. As children of God, our part is to keep our eyes fixed upon Him, guarding our hearts so that we remain humble and surrender to Him, willing to obey His Word and His will.
This is where it begins
The theme from GFW26 this year was “Strengthen to Saturate: It begins within”. That means that it is in our hands, our personal lives, if we want to saturate our communities, our nations. All it takes is a change within, a conviction to do something for God, a passion ignited for His Kingdom. If we do that, just like the Pastor Jessica of Hope Taipei says, there will surely be a revival in the house of the Lord, and the lives of His children will be transformed by His mighty power!
