Its always amazing to me how the church looks different all over the world. Every culture has its own church culture that goes with it. In America church is something people do on Sunday and is often how they can get involved in serving the community and volunteering. In Africa church was a huge event several times a week that everyone goes to and it seems that everyone is involved in. In Asia church is often a small community of people coming together to study together. In Central America church is very westernized but there is a lot of passion and devotion to the church and Christian living.
Church is many things all over the world. It seems for all the things that it is, we rarely see it act as the body that is was designed by Christ to be. That is not the way every church is. And that is not how many of the churches that I have had the privilege to attend all over the world operate. But it is one of the most beautiful things when the church truly operates as the body of Christ and comes together to be His hands and feet to people around the world.
This month I have gotten the privilege to see multiple churches here in La Ceiba serve as the body of Christ. We have worked with a church that serves the homeless community and gives out 300 meals every week and also allows the homeless community to sleep there. We have worked with a church that devotes so much of its time and energy to disciple members of its church and community so that they can go out and make more disciples; because that’s what disciples do they make more disciples. And we have worked with our awesome hosts who have an amazing dream for the church body in the future.
So often the American church has this idea, at least subconsciously, that they have got Christianity all figured out. And there are so many things that the American church does so well. They fundraise extremely well and they know how to bring the gospel and organize things on an extremely large scale. However, sadly they sometimes fall into this attitude of thinking that they have it figured out and everyone needs their help.
The American church has somewhat shown by its actions that it is the provider of Christianity to the rest of the world. Through this the American church is saying that the churches in other countries are completely dependent on them and it puts these churches around the world in the position of someone who can only receive help. It is true that people need help all around the world but they need help in order to be brought up and then become capable of helping others too. They should not be left to just needing help.
So our hosts this month are amazing people and they have an amazing dream. Their organization is called Connect Global and they work in La Ceiba, Honduras. “The gospel is the same all over the world. The same gospel that is preached in the United States is preached in Honduras. The Great Commission cannot be left out of that gospel. We are blessed to be a blessing to people around us and all over the world.” That is what our host said and it is one of their dreams to raise up missionaries from Honduras to not only preach in Honduras but in countries all over the world.
They believe in the empowerment of the church and that churches all over the world should be allowed to raise up individuals as disciples who go out and make other disciples. We come and send people to Honduras and many other countries all over the world and preach the gospel to them. That is awesome. But do we ever envision and encourage and pray for the day that those people and the churches in those countries will send out their own missionaries to other nations as well.
As a body it is crazy to think that we can do everything alone. We are simply one part of the body and we need the other parts to accomplish what the Lord has set before us. There are places where it is dangerous for North Americans to go and where the gospel may not be as welcomed because North Americans preached it. In those same places it would not be as dangerous and the gospel would be more well received by members of other nations. We need help if we are to spread the gospel and glorify the Lord all over the world.
It is time to stop saying and thinking that we are so much farther along and that we alone can spread the gospel to the world. It’s a team effort. It’s a full-body effort. We need to help our brothers and sisters all over the world live out the Great Commission as well. It can’t just be about us because it is not at all about us anyway. It is about people coming to know the love and grace of Christ and Christ receiving all the glory. We need everyone. It would be a lot easier if we all did it together.
That’s the beautiful vision our hosts have of the church body. They are working to raise up missionaries from Honduras and send them out to the Middle East and countries all over the world. Along with their project to begin a maternity home for new mothers at the hospitals here in La Ceiba, they are trying to start a school to raise up missionaries from Honduras. What a beautiful vision of the church body. Why can’t we all come together and spread the gospel around the world together working as a full body?
If you want to learn more and check out how awesome our hosts are you can visit their website at goservechange.com
GLORY TO GOD!
