The Hope of the World

He is moving by His Spirit as He always has. People of all cultures and capacities are hearing and acting upon His word and the face of the local church is changing forever.

It has been said that “the hope of the world” is the local church. This is as true today as it was when Jesus declared that “I will build My church and the gates of hades (hell) will not prevail against it.” (ref. Matt. 16:18) But God has dramatically changed the face of the local church through the work of the Holy Spirit from what most of us have known for the last few centuries. The very structure, appearance and personality of the church has now taken on the characteristics of the early church as depicted on the pages of the book of the Acts. (ref. Acts 2:43-46) The veil has been torn, (ref. Heb. 6:19-20; Matt. 27:51) all have been set free to worship the Lord and to enter into His holiness. All are invited and all will be challenged to choose just who they will serve. Today, in countries on every continent, the identification of the local church expressed by steeples, buildings, sanctuaries, audiences, pews, robes, priests and preachers has changed. The local church is undergoing a fresh transformation and her mandate is to love and to impact the city in which she resides. 

The Mennonite Brethren and the C2C Network are two of several excellent teaching and funding organizations that are contributing substantially to the establishment of hundreds of small gatherings of Christians, lead and inspired by competent pastors whose mandate is to equip every Christian to become a servant and a disciple maker in their neighbourhoods and in their workplaces. The Word is taught, the faith is shared, missions are forefront, the hungry are fed and the poor are cared for. The workplace and the marketplace are seen as places of worship as ‘the church’, everyday Christians, encounter their colleagues and customers, bosses and employees for many hours each and every day. The result is that every member of the church, the Body of Christ, is lovingly engaged in the purpose of God- to build His church and to invite all into His presence. The methodology will vary of course but the key is to engage the whole church in the greater work of serving the Lord while going about daily demands and responsibilities. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict and to save those who are encountered and served. The task of the Christian is to live a life that honours the Lord, love and serve others, and, when presented with an opportunity, declare that Jesus is Lord of your life. The mandate is to ‘reach’ the city and not necessarily to invite people to church or to a concert. I have said many times with a variety of responses that Christians should not invite someone to church before  having invited them into their home.

The apostle Paul wrote his letters to the ‘saints’, referring to believers and followers of Christ. Every saint is a worker who is not ashamed of the person of Christ nor are they reluctant to declare their faith in Him to those they encounter day to day. The workplace is an unreached domain into which we are to shine the light of hope and truth. The Lord’s prayer declares “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” (Matt. 6:10) Kingdom focused workers, whether CEOs, managers, manufacturers, maids or merchants have His work to do as they serve with diligence and competence in the place of their calling. Yes, pastors are called to serve as are all who come into a dynamic love relationship with Jesus Christ. Who are you called to serve?

Marketplace leaders have an enormous opportunity to convey God’s love for the city. The Levites are gone and there are no more laymen (Heb. 7: 23-24). God has called and empowered business leaders to partner with pastors to impact every segment of our cities. No more silos. One church in unity (ref. John 17:17-21) utilizing the gifts of apostolic leaders, pastors and priests, teachers and prophets and intercessors! Men and women of influence in our communities, who choose to live and work in such a way that others are compelled to notice and to be blessed. It is happening now in cities around the corner and around the globe. God is not doing a new thing. He is moving by His Spirit as He always has. People of all cultures and capacities are hearing and acting upon His word and the face of the local church is changing forever.

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