Earlier this fall, I attended a “Foro” (forum) in Honduras, where members of churches from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, Canada, and the US gathered together to assist in the development of a new Lutheran church body in Honduras. Before Christmas, I will head to Chile to participate in another Foro involving Lutheran groups in South America.
A Foro is a public gathering in order to conduct business; however, a foro of Christian brothers and sisters coming together for the sake of the Gospel and building God’s kingdom is something special. It echoes these verses from Hebrews 10: 23-25:
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Reaffirming our unswerving hope in the truth of God’s Word, encouraging and building each other up through Christian fellowship, and prayerfully making plans so that our ministries can effectively reach the ears and hearts of those in our communities where we serve… those are the wonderful results that can come out of a Foro!
Pray that more and more of our churches, leaders, and organizations can continually meet in this spirit of working together so that our call to “go into all the world and make disciples” is fulfilled right before our eyes!
Dr. Phil