Awakening Antioch - A Glorify Reflection
On 19 & 20 August 2021, Awaken Generation held its live worship and album recording at Gateway Theatre, Singapore. Moved by a desire to magnify the Lord in one of the toughest times the world has ever faced, we felt it was important to gather the body of Christ in worship. But nothing prepared us for how profound those two nights would be.
In this blog, worship leader Josh Yeoh shares his experience at Glorify, and how God is awakening Singapore to its call as Antioch of Asia.
When Alarice invited me to be on AG’s live album, I didn’t expect our conversation to end with: What if we recorded ‘Reward’ in Malay?
Singapore has been called the Antioch of Asia. Although biblical Antioch was first about beholding (Acts 13:2) and then sending (v. 3), its regional role in the spread of the gospel is why we know much today about this ancient seaport where Christ-followers were first called “Christians”.
As the Church in Singapore beholds Jesus and matures into Christlikeness, God is shifting our gaze toward the nations beyond the shores of this 728.6km2 island nation. It is not coincidental that Malay is the national language of this little red dot that sits amid the only region where Malay (and Indonesian) is widely spoken, yet by comparison, rarely used to worship Jesus.
What if Singapore’s significant God-given resources were channelled away from building funds and sound system upgrades and into the preaching of the gospel throughout the surrounding region?
Recording ‘Reward’ in Malay, to me, was not about doing the cool worship thing in a different language; it was about taking a step toward Antioch, about sowing a seed of the gospel for the sake of our neighbours.
On Recording Day, God met us powerfully as we rehearsed Ganjaran (Reward). Calvin paused the rehearsal to lead us into intercession for Malaysia and Indonesia. There was not a dry eye in the house.
Later that night, Reverend Simon Tan, Executive Pastor of Community of Praise Baptist Church, explained that God sent people from surrounding regions to build the Church in Antioch: “He sent Barnabas to Antioch.” I was shaken. Four years ago, when I arrived in Singapore, the Lord had said to me: “Be a Barnabas.”
Everything that happened next was a blur: first Alarice, weeping, took the microphone and honoured the two Malaysians who had moved from little Penang island to partner with God’s Antioch storyline for Singapore. Then, we found ourselves declaring Isaiah 24:14-16 in Malay and interceding for the nations.
That night, as we offered up worship in the language of this region, I believe we were making known “the manifold wisdom of God...to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (Eph. 3:10).” We were responding to Isaiah’s prophecy, that in an hour of silent darkness, we would “in the east give glory to the Lord; in the islands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel (Isa. 24:15). And we were aligning our hearts and singing our “yes” to the Lord, for the region to have its Antioch and for Jesus to receive the reward of His suffering.
Josh Yeoh is a worship leader, preacher, and songwriter. His desire is to reveal the Father’s heart, awaken the Bride to wholehearted love, and call the generations to prepare the way of the Lord. Moving from Penang to Singapore, he calls RiverLife Church home, where he pioneered the Prayer Room and leads equipping for worship and intercession.
Josh is married to Shalom, and they share a love for mentoring the next generation, good coffee, and hearty laughter. Follow him here @yeohjo