About
It’s a learning thing. Going Further is a growing time for those young adults and leaders who hang out with the Presbyterian tribe in NZ. It’s a week in community to consider loving God and living the Jesus way as you head into the year with your life, career, studies and church.
Following the risen Jesus personally and as part of his body – the church – is the call on our lives – but it is seldom straightforward. We know there must be more, but get distracted, overwhelmed and on occasions discouraged looking for the reality. Going beyond the superficial noise and easy words to the stuff that really matters requires clearing some space to receive, pray and reflect on what’s happening. It’s about “going further” being formed in us.
It is a time to be open to the new, to be refreshed, to hear the voice of Jesus, connect in community and to be re-formed in order to go further as God’s people in the world.
The Theme - The Cost of Discipleship
What can the call to discipleship, the faithfulness to the word of Jesus, mean today to the university student, the business person, the shop assistant, or the labourer? What did Jesus mean to say to us? And how is his teaching relevant for us today? We will explore such questions over the course of this week together. The Sermon on the Mount will provide the foundational biblical stream for this week.
We will explore the difference discussed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer between “cheap grace” and “costly grace.” Bonhoeffer explains that ‘Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves…grace without discipleship….costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a [person] must know…It is costly because it costs a [person] his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.’
Discipleship is not easy. But it is an adventure with God and with others. GF12 will challenge you to think about the implications of being a follower of Jesus for your relationships, your church, your vocation, and your spiritual life.
What will be happening at Going Further 2012?
Learning times, Swimming, Worship, Kayaking, Prayer, Jetty bombing, Creation care, Sunbathing, Spiritual direction, Snorkelling, Friendships, Hiking, Scripture soaks, Surfing, Planting, Asking questions, Fishing, Express Art and Music, Sleep, Fuel, Choco..lates, Solitude, …
“There were too many God moments to express in mere words. There were too many meaningful conversations to retell. There were too many expertly crafted photographic moments to recreate with mega pixels. There were too many exquisitely choreographed moments of nature to recount. The colours too vivid, the relationships too rich, the teaching too nourishing, are you getting the picture? Words just aren’t enough to express what the Going Further experience was like” Rachel 2010 Participant Invercargill