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I find this a very good article with great insight
as to how God may be tying things together as we see the day approaching. I
might say I do want to see unity in the body; it will come at the cost of
clinging to the truth of the word of God, dying to our self, and taking up our
cross and following Him. I say this even as I realize myself that I don't know
what all that holds, but it is a must as we are thrust into the end times.
Peace at all cost is looming on the horizon as we see politicians trying to
take Israel out of God's divine covenant plan. Therefore, we must approach
these things with fear and trembling, for our God is a consuming fire.
Blessings in Him,
Martha Lucia
www.watchmannetwork.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ THE NET ”
Making connections - Building relationships
- Promoting prayer
Phil & Lynne Townend
INTRODUCTION
This vision is based on my own experience and sense
of what God seems to be doing in the world today. I do not claim it to be a
`prophecy’, but I do I believe there to be prophetic insight here – much of it
gleaned from others.
The global perspective is where we start, since I am
sure this needs urgent restoration across the Body. In the past certain
individuals and groups – especially missionary and parachurch organizations –
have carried the torch for world evangelization. But we are all called to have
the world on our hearts. For many of us the first verse of Scripture we learnt
was John 3:16, `For God so loved the world…’ God has always had the whole
world in focus, although He is active in every part. We too need to see things
this way, His way.
From the global context, however, we need to see how
these principles work out at the local level. The global and local are two
aspects of the one church. If the Body is the sum of the parts, to function
effectively all the parts need to work in harmony, allowing the flow of Holy
Spirit life through the whole Body that is His home. So as well as having a
global perspective, we need to understand what God is doing at local level and
become passionate about what local church life could be like if God REALLY had
His way there!
There are two dangers to avoid here: firstly, for
those networking across the Body to drift into a superficial world of exciting
relationships that have no ultimate effect `on the ground’ where most people
are. The converse danger, however, is for local believers to get so buried in
their own needs and aspirations that they neither see how they fit in the wider
picture nor experience the life that flows from the wider Body.
What follows is an explanation of what I believe God
is doing in the Church today, in its global and local aspects, with some
concluding thoughts. You may not agree with everything I have written, but I
hope it will encourage you to think and pray about the issues raised and the
significant times we are living in.
GLOBAL ASPECT
The net now forming
At this very moment in history God is beginning to
cover the world with a network of interlocking relationships between groups of
believers in every place. Although the net is in a very early stage of
development, it is forming at a rapid pace. Initially, God is joining key
individuals and groups together, making critical personal and geographical
connections for His future purposes. But His intention is to involve everyone
who is willing to be a part of this net.
Divine initiative
In the process, God is releasing the Body of Christ
world-wide from many of its traditional and `neo-traditional’ constraints in
order to make room for new developments and allow for the level of joining that
is required. This does not mean that old forms are being summarily discarded,
but that they are being naturally superseded by new relationships and
priorities. This is more a case of evolution than revolution, as God in His
mercy increasingly takes `hands on’ control. While many of our endeavors and
relationships, new and not so new, are being used by God, He is also overtaking
our initiatives with His own in order to achieve His desired outcomes His own
way! There will be no doubt in the end that it was God Himself who formed the
new wineskin that is soon to appear.
The call to prayer
God has made the success of this joining dependent
upon our co-operation with Him, primarily in the place of prayer. This has
always been the way God works. It is all the more important now, given the
difficult times that we live in and the greatness of God’s present-day
purposes. Today God is promoting prayer everywhere. There is an unprecedented
call to urgent prayer in and for the nations. Starting spontaneously, many
national, regional and international prayer movements are emerging - and
already they are beginning to connect with one another. Prayer
centers
committed to twenty-four hour prayer for the nations are springing up all over
the place, and are also being linked. This global network of prayer
foreshadows the network of kingdom life that we are talking about. Special
seasons of intense intercession are happening somewhere all the time. There is
a tremendous increase world-wide in prophetic revelation in the place of
prayer. Flexible and mobile prayer teams are becoming a common feature in the
advance of the Kingdom. Sometimes these teams are going out to prepare the
ground for intensive evangelism. More often they are dealing with unresolved
issues from the past through warfare prayer and acts of penitence and
reconciliation. These are remarkable developments. Yet there must still be
an exponential increase in prayer across the whole Body for the true Bride of
Christ to come forth, ready for Christ’s return. There are some signs that
this kind of increase is beginning.
The significance of Israel
At the same time, God is restoring some key
understandings to the church concerning the place of Israel in His purposes at
the end of the age. Israel is, as it has always been, God’s time clock. We
are to watch its face more closely than ever, seeking to bless that nation and
co-operate in what God is doing there and among Jews everywhere. Above all, we
are to pray for Israel – especially for the peace of Jerusalem. Our attitude
to Israel and what is happening in the Middle East as a whole affects other
aspects of our lives, even though the relevance is often not revealed to us.
We need to be prayerful and vigilant. We need to love the Jewish people
unconditionally, wherever we find them. We also need to be sensitive as to how
they might relate to the global net we are expecting.
The destiny of the nations
The relationship between believers in different
countries – especially between those in Western and Third World countries - is
of particular significance as this net forms, since any barrier obstructs God’s
purposes. God has chosen to distribute gifts variously among the nations. The
church in each nation needs to give what it has and receive what it lacks, each
using its redemptive gift and fulfilling its national destiny, in order that
the whole global Body of Christ might be built up. In particular, the church
in rich nations must face up to its responsibility to release the practical
resources that God has so graciously given to it, in the knowledge that God
will give back to us out of the abundant spiritual treasures He has placed
within His church in poorer nations. As is true from believer to believer and
congregation to congregation, so from nation to nation: we need each other and
the gifts that we bring to each other to be complete.
The structure of church
Another important area of new insight is to do with
the way we express church. The DAWN (Disciple A Whole Nation) strategy, the
Cities for God initiative and the burgeoning cell church movement are just
three particular reflections on what it means to be church at the turn of the
millennium. Other ideas about how to be church in the home and in the world,
or how to penetrate the profusion of subcultures in Western nations and reach
minority or unreached people groups around the world, are being given
variously. As has always been the case, the Holy Spirit deposits revelation as
and where it suits the Father’s purposes. This increase in revelation itself
bears witness that the end draws closer. None of these insights are complete
in themselves, but must be seen in the light of the Big Picture of what God is
doing and the net that is forming.
The release of apostolic teams
An essential element in the process of change now
taking place is a fresh release of apostolic ministry, according to the New
Testament pattern. In contrast with some recent models, the emerging
apostolic dimension is not so much about setting government in place but about
releasing ministry to `go’ in order to bring maturity to the Body of Christ.
This `going’ can be to a place, a group or a nation or nations. A key feature
of this emerging ministry will be the creation of flexible, mobile apostolic
teams that will move from place to place, bringing that which is lacking into
local situations everywhere, establishing new churches wherever they are
needed. The relationship between the local and mobile will be one of mutual
submission, always looking for the leading and anointing of the Spirit. The
teams will operate out of local bases, often communities of local congregations
already flowing together in God’s purposes. Some will grow within and out of
existing missionary organizations and parachurch groups, recognizing the
significance of their historic role, but embracing new ways of going about
their calling. The teams will vary, changing in personnel to fit particular
situations. They will function relationally, as the Spirit leads. Often these
teams will overlap and interact with one another naturally, as and when
appropriate. There will be no set form for them, although we will see
prophetic, teaching, evangelistic, healing and other ministries functioning
regularly through these teams. What counts will be the gifting and anointing
God wants in a particular team at a given time for a specific situation. Many
teams will be multicultural and international in make-up. This will express a
powerful witness to the world and into `the heavenlies’ of the unity of the
church. These teams also strengthen the mesh – representing translocal
relationships - which link the knots in the net, so that the whole net can
become strong. Some teams are already operating in a limited way. Others are
beginning to form. Thousands more are needed in order to see the whole net
come into place.
The manifold wisdom of God
It must not be thought that the net or the apostolic
teams that operate across the net represent a simple, uniform structure – as
the image of a net might imply. In fact, while the principles hold everywhere,
the outworking on the ground will be a profusion of many and different
expressions of church life as God makes a supreme revelation of His
`multifaceted’ wisdom and incarnates Biblical truth in myriad different
contexts through His church at the end of the age. In many ways the variety
and diversity will be greater than we see now. The wonder of it all will be
the strength of the unity, the level of co-operation and the underlying
faithfulness to the Scriptures that will characterize this church. What might
seem structural chaos to many will, in fact, be the true organism - as distinct
from organization – that is Christ’s Body, the Church.
The preservation of wine
Neither must it be assumed that present
denominational and other organizational structures will necessarily disappear.
When Jesus used the metaphor of wine and wineskins, he was not rejecting old
wine, but simply showing the foolishness of putting new wine in old skins.
There is old wine that is good, very good. But it needs the old skins.
Perhaps this speaks of the accumulative wisdom of the church that is preserved
in, what may seem to many of us, archaic containers, yet has brought us to
where we are now and still provides kingdom life for many millions of people
today. As long as it is kingdom wine, it is worth drinking. I believe there
will be older structures, forms and practices that will be interwoven into this
great net of kingdom relationships, becoming part of the rich variety and
diversity we have already spoken about.
The call to give
All these changes call for a great release of
people, time, money and other practical resources into the work of God’s
Kingdom . Hospitality will become a commonplace gift, to the point where
no-one can really call his home his own. Many practical comforts – especially
in the West - will need to be `liquidated’ into finance for the kingdom and
more often than not released into the Third World. People will be required by
the Spirit to uproot and go to far flung parts of the world. The UK in
particular will have a special mandate to send people. Bibles, Christian books
and magazines, worship material and other resources will be needed in abundance
to feed the coming growth in the church. The many apostolic teams will need to
be equipped and supported to do the work they are called to do. All this will
be required, despite increasingly adverse economic conditions world-wide. More
than ever before we will need to know how to give, how to pray and how to trust
the One who holds everything in His hands.
LOCAL ASPECT
Change at local level
Nowhere is the change that is taking place more
evident or needed than at a local level. The local church is the microcosm
of the global church. However, what constitutes a locality is often a
complicated matter. For most believers it is important to be able to identify
with some clear geographical region beyond their own group - yet without
becoming as ego-centric about that area as we can be about our group! The
biblical concept of a `city’ is helpful, if understood to include a town,
borough or other administrative area. But it is a fact that unity can be
complicated, and many of us are relating to one other at different levels, from
immediate neighborhood to large, urban conurbation. The principle to bear in
mind is to pursue as far as we can unity at EVERY level, but discern the main
perimeters of local church for us. Some will probably need more wisdom from
the Spirit here than others, depending on specific local circumstances.
Defining local church
Bearing this in mind, we can define local church, in
its simplest, biblical terms, as the sum of believers in a given area – one
body of people irrevocably joined to one another, without barriers of age,
race, background - together expressing the life of Christ to the community
around them. This definition does not preclude variety within and among local
expressions of church, but it does insist that these will be facets of one
local entity and that this unity be explicit in terms of identity and vision.
This is the local church that the Spirit is working to restore at this very
moment in history.
A fundamental shift
While many people adhere to this definition in
theory, the practice is often very different. Many still refer to their own
congregation as their `local church’ and treat it to all practical purposes as
a self-contained, independent structure with respect to vision and mission –
even if another one meets directly across the road or operates in the same
patch! I believe God is challenging this unbiblical and unwarranted
autonomy. Scripture says that we are members of one another. It is only we
who often restrict this to relationships and ministry within `our group’,
forgetting that most epistles were written to the church in localities, not
individual groups. Anyway, there is no limitation on our unity. This
principle of interdependence is as true for families as for nations, and needs
to be manifest in every arena – including local church, as we are defining it
here. I believe that God has this issue - a vision for true local church in
true unity for common territory - near the top of His agenda today, and that
the winds of change at local level are there for those who have eyes to see
it. That is one reason why there is such a restlessness at local church level
- certainly in the West. It is a sign of the fundamental shift taking
place.
The church now emerging
The fact is that many Christians – including church
leaders – are no longer content being cooped up within an independent
congregational structure and vision, often feeling restricted by too small a
vision with little progress towards stated goals. There are probably more
Christians than ever struggling within their local fellowship situation,
hankering (probably unwittingly) for a bigger vision to live within. Some are
frustrated where they are; others are moving uncertainly between congregations,
or out on their own somewhere. Whether this is good or bad, of course,
depends on individual attitudes and particular circumstances. But it is
happening, and we cannot ignore it.
New alignments
One of the most significant developments locally are
the many links that are forming naturally between Christians across
congregational fences, usually where a common `heart’ for the common territory
is felt, quite often forging bonds that are at least as real, meaningful and
fruitful as those experienced within their own respective groups. In
particular, young people are getting together across traditional boundaries as
if it was the most natural thing in the world – and they wont be returning to
the way it used to be either: they are the future happening now! Some leaders
are uneasy about this, because it seems to cut across their own initiatives and
agendas. Of course, issues of rebellion, running from personal issues, etc.
are part of the mix. Yet this restless tension and spontaneous re-aligning is
to be expected when God is changing things. Upheaval of this kind always
brings both good and bad elements to the surface. However, whatever negative
forces may be at work, the solution is not to be reactive and try to preserve
the status quo at all costs, it is to press through into what God has taken
hold of us for – whatever THAT costs. When you consider that it is often at
the local level that we find most resistance to change - both in human and
spiritual ways - then things are bound to get interesting when God starts
moving here!
The front line
When considering what God might be doing at local
church level, we need to remind ourselves that it is here at the local level
where for most people the `rubber hits the road’ in terms of kingdom life. The
local church as it exists in cells and congregations, homes and public places,
schools and workplaces, is the real front line of God’s kingdom. This is
where the vast majority of believers live out their faith day after day, and it
is not so easy here to stay focused and faithful in often mundane situations.
We can so easily get side-tracked into secondary issues and petty concerns. I
believe it is here that, quite frankly, the enemy gets us most battened down in
various kinds of pride, complacency, self-seeking and other ways of preserving
what we have – without us really being aware it! Over the generations satan
has been largely successful in cutting us off from one another locally,
effectively blunting the local church as a powerful force for God’s kingdom in
the area. If he can now get us to take the present renewal and focus inwards
on our own group and its mission, he will have seriously restricted our ability
to disrupt that long held hold over our localities. And if he can
neutralize
the church at this level, all the exciting movement at translocal level is of
little consequence. Remember, just as the whole church is the sum of its
parts, so is the local church the main substance of all that makes up the
universal church. Because the local church stands on the front line in God’s
kingdom purposes, it is imperative that we listen to His voice at local level.
In the light of what we have said about local church – and, indeed, the whole
sweep of God’s dealing with His people - I think it is entirely unreasonable
and unrealistic to ask God to move powerfully in our localities, yet expect Him
to leave untouched all our structures and systems – however biblical we think
ours are! We really must choose to co-operate with God as He works to set His
people in each place free to be all that they were meant to be as an instrument
for the advance of His kingdom in these latter days.
The present renewal
I believe that much of what we are reaping now goes
back to what happened a few years ago, when a fresh wave of the Holy Spirit
broke out and impacted many churches in the Western world – especially in the
UK. One of the prophetic ‘slogans’ of the time was ‘Jesus wants his Church
back.’ This was clearly a true word from the Lord to His Church. But many
people interpreted this within their own narrow mindset of what church, even
local church, meant. Leaders preached a half word - `Jesus wants THIS church
back’, or even `Jesus wants OUR church back’. Some saw it largely in terms of
the renewal of their own stream or denomination. Yet this was not what had
been proclaimed. Jesus was after HIS church, ie the WHOLE thing back, the
Church he died and rose again for. It follows that, if Jesus wants His Church
back, it is so he can manifest his Headship over and his purposes through that
Church. Why should we assume He will leave things as they were in terms of the
structure of the church locally? Might He not consider the independent ways we
operate as belying the unity that He Himself prayed for? There is a strong
argument from outside the church that our disunity does more to prevent a lost
world finding the saving love of the Father than any other single factor. As
the Owner, Jesus has every right to do what he likes with what He owns -
including demolishing or reordering as he sees fit - so that he can build what
He has in His heart to build. For those who believe in the net now forming
and the united expression of local church that is emerging, this is no
surprise. We must face up to the fact that much of what exists in our
localities church wise will need some radical attention before we see what we
are believing for begin to take shape.
A reformed local church
The fact is God is restoring something more akin to
the picture we see in the New Testament of local church life in terms of its
unity, simplicity and flexibility. He is taking the best of what we have
brought with us down the centuries and through more recent decades, adding new
forms for the needs of the present time, and connecting the whole thing
together. What will emerge is one interlinked network of believers in a given
area, together covering that area with many and varied small and middle-sized
groups. Older groups will bring the best out of their own particular history
and multiply it, but always seeking to further the overall progress of God’s
kingdom in the area (and beyond). Many new groups and new types of church
life will form. The cell-based church model provides valuable principles as
to how we might become much more flexible through its emphasis on small groups
(although at present is heavily postulated towards an independent church
structure). Relational unity among recognized leaders is a clear prerequisite
for what is coming, as is grass roots prayer across denominational and other
lines. United leadership is needed now to bring some cohesion within the
wider local Body. This must work in hand in hand with outside input `into’ the
area (not just `over’ individual congregations), bringing what is lacking into
the Body and knitting the local into the translocal scene.
An apostolic church
However, the relational connecting that is happening
is the starting place for, not the fullness of, what is coming. It is not
ultimately about having a strong group of pastors who are bringing their
congregations together and flowing together for the sake of the gospel locally
– encouraging though this is. Rather, it is about having the right leadership
ministries released within the whole local church and surrounding community, in
conjunction with appropriate help from outside, so that Ephesians 4 can be
fulfilled and maturity might come. For a variety of reasons, we have tended
to shy away from the key issue of the role of apostles and the apostolic in the
church today. Once we realize that the apostolic is all about the church
‘going out’ and that the reason for having apostles in our midst is so that the
whole church might become apostolic, then we can begin to appreciate and covet
this ministry. God is restoring the so-called ‘five-fold ministries’ in
these days – including the apostolic - in order to complete His mission. But
this is about function not title, servant hood not government, and will more
likely than not challenge many of our previous notions relating to these
leadership ministries. However, if we keep in view a local (and universal)
church that is growing ever closer to maturity as a teaching, pastoring,
evangelistic, prophetic and apostolic community of believers, we will welcome
among us those who are strategic in helping this come about.
Call the elders…
In particular we need to see true spiritual
‘fathers’ or elders take their place amongst us, in our churches and
communities. By this I mean those appointed and anointed of God (not man) to
provide a spiritual canopy over the territory for the sake of the people who
live there – believers and non-believers alike. This is more than and
different from simply a gathering of congregational leaders. It is a divinely
ordained group of men (and women) sharing responsibility and authority in the
Holy Spirit for specific regions. It does not even have to be an explicit
group that meets and has an overt function. It may include individuals active
in secular fields, exercising eldership and exerting influence there, but all
joined by the Spirit towards a common vision. These elders are not
necessarily of high profile or active in conventional church leadership. They
will want to serve not rule, and the bulk of their ministry will relate to the
hidden ministry of prayer. They will discern and build in harmony with the
traveling apostolic teams we have already identified. They will release,
simply by being in place, a plethora of ministry in the local community. The
important thing is that these elders be recognized and honored by the church
and, to some extent, the wider community. We will know when they have come
into position because of the new sense of strength, security and freedom in the
Holy Spirit that will be evident – as well as the fruitfulness that will follow
hard on the heels of their inauguration. This is a restoration of New
Testament patterns and a fulfillment of our desire for God’s order. But beware
God’s serendipity here! There is little doubt it will all look very different
from what we have been expecting!
Local and translocal
It is perhaps important to stress again here the
God-ordained interdependent nature of the whole church, local and translocal.
As we have asserted or implied a number of times already, there is in reality
only one church of Jesus Christ. So even local churches as we are defining
them here are no more self-sufficient than an individual person, cell or
congregation, and therefore need to be joined to the wider body to be complete
and have real success. The purpose of the apostolic teams mentioned earlier
is to establish, help and support local churches and their leadership as
appropriate, so these churches can mature and multiply, finding their own key
ministries from within as well as receiving ministry from outside. In the
process, these visiting teams will be making kingdom connections - facilitating
the wider networking essential for global church expansion, and also being
agents for the creation of specific mutual, life-giving relationships between
local churches in different parts of the world, as the Spirit makes such
links. Again, this is in contrast to much of the apostling we have known in
recent decades. In the past, these apostolic relationships ‘at a distance’
were mainly vertical and functioned within a particular denominational or
stream context. Those will have to adapt in a changing situation. Either
they will continue as a helpful but less significant support to one part of the
local body, or evolve into a significant ministry to the whole local church -
or simply disappear. As I mentioned earlier, some local churches (as we have
defined them) will become apostolic home bases for traveling teams. However it
works in each situation, there will be amazing and strategic links around the
world that will mean in a very real and meaningful sense that to be part of the
local church is to be part of the church world-wide.
The Flow of the Spirit
How the local church will be organized and express
its life will vary from place to place as it does now, according to the
history, culture and (hopefully) the present needs of that area. We must
never interpret the principles here as representing or determinant of any
specific form – like MacDonald's opening another virtually identical restaurant
in yet another town. God intends displaying His manifold - ie ‘many faced’ -
wisdom for all to see. He is a God of variety not uniformity. But there is an
essential underlying understanding about unity and priorities which is
non-negotiable for the future. We must be ready to die to our own ideas and
desires to be part of God’s greater purpose for the locality in which we live –
and, indeed, his global purposes. We need to realize that perhaps more than
ever before it is true that the river of God’s Spirit flows where hearts are
being joined, gulfs are being bridged, vision is corporate and a destiny is
being pursued together.
The challenge today
At the present time it is important that each local
congregation ask itself a fundamental question about how it views its life and
ministry. Does it operate out of an independent mindset, expressing a
unilateral vision, with only a secondary or optional regard to what else is
going on locally? Or does it seek out fellow local believers, desiring a
corporate vision for an area together, looking to find its place in the wider
context? The latter situation must become normative for everyone to
prosper. Sadly, much of the local linking that is going on today falls short
of this principle, reflecting a struggle with issues of priorities. The truth
is that until a group (or, let’s face it, the leadership of that group)
acknowledges that its own destiny and success is irrevocably tied up with that
of all other groups in that area – and, indeed, the whole church world-wide -
it will not give the necessary priority to finding and following a corporate
vision, and in consequence will not be able to fully play its part in
fulfilling God’s highest purposes for that area.
CONCLUSIONS
The end is in sight
We have looked at the net that God is making, His
fishing net. As in the parable Jesus told, God is building a net for a great
catch of fish (people) at the end of the age. Looking back we can see that
He has visited His church in recent years to encourage us and restore many
things to us. And now it is time for Him to build the end-time net. God is
always moving things forward, according to His own schedule. We cannot afford
to stand still or miss His timing. As the 90’s started, many prophetic voices
were predicting the transformation we are talking about here. One
particularly respected voice prophesied that the church at the end of the
decade would be almost unrecognizable from the one at the start. Yet, despite
some significant developments, this profound change has not yet happened: so
were the prophets wrong? I don’t think so. In my opinion the prophetic
insight was correct, it is the church that has been painfully slow to respond
to the Spirit. We are far more entrenched in our familiar surroundings and
resistant to change than we think we are, and that has kept us, I believe,
behind God’s schedule. However, in many ways the 1990’s have been a watershed
for the church. We have certainly seen more failure of past methods and
structures than we have success with our new ones. But most believers are
agreed that there is no turning the clock back now. The scene is set for a
fulfillment of the hopes of the early 90’s, and, indeed, of the biblical
expectation of a glorious church before the end comes.
The last great push
So where is it all going? Where does it end? Many
people are talking about revival today. Others speak of great harvests of
souls to come. Yet God has more in His heart than even these wonderful
things. The Scriptures are clear: we know our mission mandate is fulfilled
when we see Jesus return in glory. It is my firm conviction that we are
entering the final stage in history and that the present stirrings in the
church and the world – particularly events in and around Israel - are the
beginnings of the final great `push’ of God’s Spirit, in partnership with God’s
people, that will ultimately usher in the return of Jesus. However, He will
only come back to a spotless Bride in a fully evangelized world. The net
represents both the Bride of Christ in its global completeness, as the body is
joined together, and the Church’s mission fulfilled, as it spreads over the
face of the whole earth. We are all called to be part of this great
enterprise.
A final warning
In all this change, we need to watch ourselves
carefully. It is vital we remind ourselves constantly that it is God who is at
work right now bringing about this great transformation. Rebellious, divisive
and critical attitudes and behaviour on our part with regard to God’s people
and any existing church structures are never justified, and will seriously
hamper, if not severely undermine, what God is doing at the present time, if
given the space to do so. We must watch our heart attitudes, preserving the
unity of the Body at all costs, following the footsteps which lead to the
Cross. We need more grace than ever to stay right with God and right with one
another through this time of change, looking to God to lead us forward and for
us to simply find the grace to follow. Out of an undying love for the world
God sent his Son to die for all people. God will only work His purposes out
through those who will share in that same heart of love and self-sacrifice, and
share the same vision to see the whole world netted with living Church, bearing
witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that the end might come.
As each part does its work…
As you have been reading this article concerning the
Church at the turn of the Millennium, I hope you have been listening for what
the Spirit might be saying to you through it. It is time for all God’s people
to be seriously asking Him to take from us all that obstructs His highest
purposes through us. We then need to ask Him to fully include us in what He is
doing today - both in the nations and down our street - rather than ask him to
simply bless what we are doing. Expressed in different words, there is a need
for sincere and radical repentance, i.e., turning from that which is not lined up
with God’s will to that which is. We must then ask in simple sincerity: show
us, Lord, our part in Your great scheme of things and we will do it. For the
whole Church is built up as each part does its work. Ultimately, the church
on earth boils down to you and me and every other Christian seeking to do what
God tells us to do in the power of the Spirit. Let’s ask God for the grace to
do it!
Phil Townend - Revised & released, June1999 [UNDER
REVISION – JUNE 2001]
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