When I first became a pastor twenty-three years ago, God impressed on me that I had too low a view of the local church. I saw it as an institution, an organization, with all its inherent flaws and weaknesses. Over the past twenty years, the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the people of God, helped me to see the Church in a very different light—something beautiful, something powerful. Despite human sin and brokenness, God gave me a higher view of the Church as the mysterious and beautiful bride of Christ.
It was the Book of Ephesians in particular that helped lift my eyes to see the greater story of God. In the first half of Paul’s letter, I saw God’s amazing love and expansive grace declared, and by the end of the letter, I realized that it was only in the context of this greater story that our lives begin to make sense and have greater purpose. We are drawn into God’s story of salvation and grace, and we see the power and beauty of the Church, only as we live our lives worthy of the calling we have received.
When I look at our MB churches in Ukraine right now, I see everyday disciples living lives worthy of the calling they have received.
When I look at our MB churches in Ukraine right now, I see everyday disciples living lives worthy of the calling they have received. In the midst of an ongoing war, the needs and circumstances are overwhelming, and the darkness is both physical and spiritual. And yet, the Church continues to serve those in need, bring comfort and counsel to the traumatized, and partner with others in God’s mission. They are living and proclaiming a hope in Christ, while praying for peace that passes understanding and for the light of Christ to overcome the darkness.
In Ephesians 3, Paul describes this divinely designed beauty in the Church like this: “His intent was that now, through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (3:10-11). A little later, Paul adds, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (4:11-13).
These two passages give quite a picture of the Church. By the grace of God and a Gospel centered on Jesus Christ, the Church declares the wisdom of God in the heavenly realms and is able to attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, as there is Spirit-filled gifting, unity, and knowledge of God. These are remarkable images and truths of the Church becoming a beautiful and powerful outpost of the kingdom of God in every corner of the globe. It’s also where our stories are embedded in God’s story.
Now, from my vantage point within Multiply, I continue to love the Church and to maintain a high view of the local church. Multiply exists to serve the Church (and most particularly our MB family), not the other way around. We help churches send disciples to make disciples in all corners of the world. Our desire is to connect the local to the global context and to be about God’s mission together. Our collaborative work is not only in sending disciples, but also developing missional leaders, and strengthening mission partnerships. But we do all this to contribute to a movement of disciples who will fulfill the mission that Jesus gave us.
In this edition of Witness, you will read about how God is at work in local churches in places like Wichita, Black Creek, and Orange Cove, and to the ends of the earth. Around the world, local churches are making disciples of Jesus that are in turn making disciples of Jesus, joining in God’s story of truth and grace for lost people. In all of these stories, global workers are partnering with national leaders to support the extraordinary work of local churches. And somehow, God allows us to be part of it.
May God lift your eyes to see more of the beauty of the local church of which you are part.
As you read these stories, may God lift your eyes to see more of the beauty of the local church of which you are part, and may God’s Spirit nudge you toward ways that your church could be part of the stories God is writing in both local and global contexts. We want to join you in helping the manifold wisdom of God be declared in the heavenly realms, and see the transformation found in Jesus Christ be experienced in the lives of individuals, families, and countries around the world. This is the story of God’s Church!
