Singapore turns 60 on 9th August 2025. As I give thanks for God’s blessings upon Singapore over the past decades, I am also reminded of the saying from Confucius: “at sixty my ear was obedient” (六十而耳顺). What Confucius meant was that at sixty years of age, one would be mature enough to hear and understand the will of Heaven with ease.
What is God’s will for Singapore? At one level, God’s will for Singapore applies to any nation: that all people should know His salvation and turn to Him in worship (Psalm 67:1-5; Malachi 1:11). We as His church have therefore been commissioned to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). God’s will for Singapore is that more people should embrace the gift of salvation in Christ and become His disciples.
More than that, I believe that Singapore can also play a distinctive role in God’s agenda for the nations. It was Billy Graham who described Singapore as the “Antioch of Asia” in 1978, and the term has stuck ever since. I believe this continues to be Singapore’s role in God’s redemptive plan.
In New Testament times, Antioch rose to prominence by virtue of its strategic location along major trade routes, much like Singapore today. It became a thriving, multi-cultural hub within the Roman Empire. When persecution scattered early Christians from Jerusalem (Acts 11:19–26), some found refuge in Antioch. Remarkably, God transformed this formerly pagan city into a centre of spiritual growth. The church in Antioch flourished so noticeably that outsiders began calling them “Christians” (Acts 11:26)—the first time this term was used. Antioch later became a vital launching pad for mission work across the Roman Empire and beyond, including to Persia and China. It was here that the early church grasped the global scope of the Gospel.
As Singapore celebrates SG60, we are more multi-cultural, well-resourced, and closely connected with the wider world than ever before. More than ever, Singapore is well poised to take up the mantle of being the Antioch of Asia. In fact, the late Pastor Rick Seaward of Victory Family Centre once challenged Singapore to be an “Antioch of Antiochs”, to inspire other cities and nations to be Antiochs too.
For Singapore to be an Antioch of Antiochs, we need to become Antioch Christians and Antioch churches. Holy Covenant Methodist Church is well placed for this. We are a multi-lingual and multi-cultural community, with our Mandarin and English services blending both Asian and Western elements of Christianity, and with our congregations comprising people from Malaysia, China, Singapore, and other nations and cultures. It is not uncommon to have brothers and sisters in our midst speaking two, three, or four or more languages and dialects. God has brought us together and we have learnt to respect and embrace one another’s distinctive cultural identities. This also enables us to be more welcoming of newcomers of all backgrounds, or to engage effectively in regular missions work in other nations.
My prayer for HCMC, in line with SG60, is that we would increasingly become a sending church. Many amongst us have or will return to your home countries—this is a great opportunity to carry the Gospel spark that God has ignited in you here to where you are going. At the same time, may all of us partake ever more in missions, evangelism, and social outreach. And may God raise up more full-time missionaries, pastors, and church/parachurch workers from our midst. Together, let us send forth many more Antioch Christians into the world.
