Together. If you’ve been online during the past two months, you’ve likely seen celebrities, businesses, singers, athletes, everyone using this word at some point or another. “We are in this together.” In fact, this global pandemic has people all over the world in some form of lockdown. A virus has brought the whole world together.
But this is my question. How can a virus bring the whole world together, but the Church can’t come together over the Gospel of Christ?! The amazing thing though is that in the past two months, the internet has been saturated with the Gospel like never before! Churches have gone to media to reach out, and many, many, MANY are hearing the Gospel for the first time! So, when this pandemic is over, what will happen to those efforts? And what could happen if WE as the church took this opportunity to unite in the Gospel like never before? We could reach the entire world!
Jesus spoke of this ultimatum in John 17:21, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” If churches would genuinely fortify the foundation of their church on the Gospel, we’d find a lot more building on the same platform. The early Church met together on the first day of the week, but they also met during the week at each other’s houses out of devotion to God and fellowship with one another. They grew together, learned together, shared together, and were bold in the Gospel TOGETHER! Imagine if all the churches in a city came together with the goal of reaching the lost people in it! People would know we are Jesus’ disciples by our love for one another, just like He said (John 13:35). So often we see churches fighting over who does what best! There are many who can preach the Gospel better than me. I’m okay admitting it. But there is no one who can preach a better Gospel than me! And it’s that love found in Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection that unites us with fellow brothers and sisters to reach the world! If a church thinks neck and neck, they will fight head to head.
Now I’m certainly not oblivious to the fact that there are churches that are not churches at all! There is leadership with no lordship. There is organizing with no agonizing, superficial instead of supernatural. I am not by any stretch saying we are to partner with those people. The sheep have no partnership with wolves. But we do have partnership with other true believers.
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” (Philippians 2:1-2)
Genuine believers living by faith, full of the Spirit, obedient to God’s inerrant Word, coming together to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ! That is my vision! I want to see that Church. The NEXT generation needs to see that Church. They need to BE that Church. And it starts now with coming together over the love of Jesus with the singular goal of doing what the Church is commissioned to do, reach the lost with the Gospel.
I challenge you to begin taking steps in this direction. What could we do with an army fighting together? Reach the world.
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