Grab our RSS feedGrace's Vision for World Missions | The Local Church
I've been preparing a series of short posts on Grace's newest international missions partnership -- this time, India. (I haven't forgotten that I still owe a Nigeria update too! Stay tuned).
First, though, it seems helpful to me to re-introduce Grace's vision for local and global missions.
Although this post is more lengthy than most, I hope our church members will read it with care, prayer, and a heart for engagement in healthy discussion that will sharpen our understanding and heighten our involvement in God's glorious work.
Grace's Plan for World Missions IS the Advance of the Local Church
Because of the teaching of the New Testament, Grace's primary "spreading" efforts for our city and for the unreached world are one and the same. That is, our goal is to see local churches strengthened, and new churches planted.
We believe The Great Commission cannot be separated from church-planting or strengthening ("...baptize them..." - is a local church ordinance).
- The Unreached Peoples of the World: When the gospel penetrates peoples of the world where there is no church, the only way to fulfill Christ's commission is for new churches to be established.
- The "reached" peoples of the World: Where the gospel exists, there is almost always a need for churches to be strengthened, and even then, for new churches to be planted (Greater Memphis, for example, has roughly 1.5 million souls, which calls for quite a few more churches than the existing number in order to effectively reach each person with the gospel. Not to mention that a good number of the already existing churches have forsaken the gospel...if they ever had it to begin with).
Evangelism is good, and it is necessary. Every Christian should be "commending Him Whom we cherish." But evangelism is not the end.
In order for us to "teach them to observe all that Christ commanded" it will take more than five minutes of street-side witnessing -- at home, or abroad. For baptism and for true discipleship, Christ commission calls for the presence of local, visible, congregations.
When the Apostle Paul was nearing the end of his life, and had seen churches planted in most of the city-centers of the known world, he exulted in the completion of his work, saying, "...from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ" (Romans 15:19). How could he make such a claim?
Unless we see that Paul had established Christ-centered, gospel-proclaiming, church-planting churches in every sector of that vast region, there's virtually no other way to understand his statement as truthful. Yet it is the truth.
Paul knew that healthy churches will own the responsibility to reach their "Jerusalem" and the "uttermost parts" by planting other churches in every place there's not one -- be it the other side of town, or the next city, or the next country, or across the ocean.
Christ-centered Churches are God's Answer to "His Big Three"
God's big three are:
- The edification of His people through the gospel
- The equipping of His people for Christian ministry
- The evangelization of the entire world
How's that going to happen?
As we read the New Testament, God has put forth only one plan for the accomplishment of these three eternally important needs, and His plan is the church.
- How does the church relate to the edification of God's people? See 1 Corinthians 14:12, 26; and Ephesians 4:29 (Each written to entire congregations!)
- How does the church relate to the equipping of God's people? See Ephesians 4:11-13
- How does the church relate to the evangelization of the entire world? See Romans 15:19; Matthew 28:18-20; (Or, the Book of Acts!)
Yes, God does the edifying. Yes, God does the equipping. Yes, God does the gospel-spreading. But He does so through His people, and in the Bible, Christ's people identified themselves with His churches for the enjoyment and accomplishment of these three, and more. Does God use para-church ministries, and lone-ranger missionaries who are not directly serving as extentions of a local church? Yes. No question about it.
But such expressions, as fruitful as they may be, are being employed by the Holy Spirit as a sign that the church is not pulling her intended weight. In reality, the non-church based efforts that our Lord is using are an indictment on the church. Thankfully, He's bigger than our disobedience! But that shouldn't justify our consciences.
How Does Grace Decide Where We're Getting Involved Next?
In Memphis, Africa, Europe, and Asia, Grace Church is already intentionally invested in the spread of the gospel through church-based gospel-expansion.
By His grace, the Lord has been pleased to grant partnerships to Grace Church that are biblically-solid and led and filled by brothers and sisters in Christ of whom the world is not worthy!
- Locally: Our plan locally (nationally) is to pray for God to raise up leaders among us, and to thrust them out to the harvest fields to serve an existing church, or plant a new one.
- Globally: Our plan globally is three-fold, and in this order: Encourage existing work of indigenous church leaders to reach the world through church planting. Assist the work of indigenous church leaders to reach the world through church planting. Support the work of indigenous church leaders to reach the world through church planting.
1. Grace Church is Congregational in Government -- That is How we Decide Where to Go Next
Congregationalism is rooted in the reality of the priesthood of each believer. That means that each of us, as believers in Jesus Christ, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and have access to God's throne. We can, should, and must commune with Him. In so doing, we will know His purposes and plans.
That being the case, we believe that the congregation as a whole is responsible for seeking, affirming, and implementing the will of God.
We don't pass this responsibility off to the elders, or to the missionaries, or to anyone else. Each of us should be seeking God's face, and listening to His voice. We must! And we must do so not only individually, but also collectively. That's a big part of the reason we gather for an hour each Sunday morning for corporate prayer. Prayer doesn't change God, it changes us. We need to hear from Him. As we pray and sit under His Word, He guides, He answers.
2. The Body (That is, someone in it) Receives the Burden. Then the Body (That is, those in it) Searches the Matter Out. Then the Body (Both, individually and corporately) Gets Involved as the Lord leads.
As someone in the body is burdened for a particular avenue of gospel-expansion, the body should make this a matter of prayer.
As we explore the potential of involvement through diligent research and investigation of the need, and as the Lord confirms His plans for our involvement, we move forward as He leads.
3. Where Is Grace Going Next?
You tell me.
So, where are we going next to encourage the work of church advance? Where are we going next to assist in the work of church advance? Where are we going next to support the work of church advance?
I pray that each of us will be involved maximally through praying, giving, and going as our Lord leads!
Our assumption is that wherever our Lord leads us to be involved, we will "stick with it" until the church is strengthened to carry on the work without us...or we have been sufficiently impacted by them to carry out the work among our own people.
4. How and How long is Grace Going to Continue to Press Forward? We are Small and Our Resources are Limited.
By faith, until Jesus comes again. Let's go.
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