Faith
Calling the Church to Repentance and Sacrificial Love
Faith Facts
- Asiri Fernando of Youth for Christ Sri Lanka opened the World Evangelical Alliance Assembly in Seoul with a devotion on repentance, peace, and sacrificial love.
- Fernando emphasized the biblical foundation of repentance and the transformative message of peace found in Christ, rooted in Ephesians 2 and Luke 24.
- He urged the church to embrace sacrificial discipleship and mentor the next generation in faith and humility.
Asiri Fernando inspired global church leaders to return to the message of repentance and the forgiveness only Christ can provide. Through personal stories and scriptural truth, he reminded the assembly that God desires closeness with His people, and that true discipleship is marked by humility and love.
Fernando taught that delivering peace requires urgency and faithfulness to the Gospel mandate, with believers embodying Christ’s compassion to a hurting world. He called upon the church to distinguish true repentance from mere remorse and to turn from all forms of injustice and secret sin, encouraging transparency and accountability.
“Return to Me with all your heart, says the Lord, with fasting and weeping and mourning. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
He illustrated the costly nature of bringing good news through stories of perseverance and the vision of God’s glory, highlighting the need for the church worldwide to act with urgency for the lost and unreached. Pointing to Isaiah 52:7, Fernando underscored that spreading the Gospel calls for sacrificial footsteps and unwavering commitment.
He concluded by calling leaders to spiritual fatherhood: investing in the next generation through service instead of authority and never abandoning young leaders in their struggles, mirroring the Good Shepherd’s dedication. Fernando’s message reminds believers to anchor their lives and mission in Christ’s sacrificial love, building up the family of God with boldness and grace.