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Need for Local Body Of Christ

S
Sree Oct 24, 2016

I wrote the following content in another thread here, but wanted everyone to read this to understand how people in poorer nations want to see local Body Of Christ. The intension is not even to start a discussion but to show the hunger that believers in poorer nations have for seeing a Body Of Christ built in their locality that people in Western world clearly lack.
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I have witnessed a group of people in a small city in India, lets call it city 'A'. They were discouraged that they could not find any Local Body of Christ in their city to be part of. They went everywhere and found only babylon. Many even cheated on them and extracted the little money they had. Finally they heard that, about 3 hours of travel distance from their city (in one direction), there is a Church which is a representation of local Body. Now what did these people do? They travelled every week 3 hours to meet with this Church in say City 'B'. In India traveling 3 hours as a group of families is very tiring, it can be compared to traveling 10 hours in US or Australia. That too they were poor people and hence had to use public transport. If you google on Public transport in India then you will get gruesome pictures for sure.

After seeing the continuous longing and faithfulness in these families. The Church in the other city ('B') decided to help them to setup a local body in their own city ('A'). Now this did not happen immediately. The elders in the Church in city 'B', waited several months to see if these families from City 'A' really wanted to be committed to a local Body of Christ.
Now these families used to travel in the morning to attend meeting in the other city ('B') and in evening the elders from the other city will travel back to this place ('A') to meet with them locally. I have also travelled with elders to encourage this new church that was being planted (in city 'A'). I know how tiring the travel was. But this kept happening for server months after which a Church was finally born in their own city ('A')!

The point I am bringing here is people in such poor nation are finding the need for a local Church and were willing to put all their effort in seeing one built in their locality.

Now I know there are many who have looked into institutional churches in Western world and have rejected searching Church totally. They decided to live as individual believers without being part of a Church. Can any of them say that they were willing to take such effort that these poor people in City 'A' took? If they had taken such pains then they have all rights to sit discouraged that God has failed them to bring them to a local body of Christ.
If they had not taken such pains, then are they willing to pray that, God will bring them to a local Body of Christ or use them no matter how pain taking it is to build his Body in their locality?

sermonindex Oct 24, 2016

Brother,

These are wonderful thoughts you are sharing on the need for local bodies of Christ established. One thing I would add is that a group of individuals can commit together apart from Elders of another city and God Himself can raise up Elders amongst them over time. Sometimes saints are looking too much for the verification of men in other localities and not trusting the Lord Himself to give them the giftings in their local area. Of course we should seek unity with other bodies of Christ in local areas that are full of overcomers and those fully committed to the Lord.

If they had not taken such pains, then are they willing to pray that, God will bring them to a local Body of Christ or use them no matter how pain taking it is to build his Body in their locality?

Amen. There is a struggle and much prayer involved but God can bring this about by His grace!

S
Sree Oct 24, 2016


I would add is that a group of individuals can commit together apart from Elders of another city and God Himself can raise up Elders amongst them over time.

I did not tell the complete story. I finished at a point where the church was born in that locality. So gradually the elders there reduced their frequency of visit. They started going once in 2 weeks and then once in a month. Now I believe they go once in 3 months. Before they distanced themselves from the city, they made sure Godly brothers with Father's heart were appointed among the local believers as elders.

I am not saying this is the only way a church is born. A church can be started even without guidance from another local church in another city. But in this case they wanted guidance and God provided them one. They also took all the effort to seek guidance.

The reason I know the story well is, one of the elders who guided them is my Father-in-law. I have traveled with him to this city. I have witnessed the hunger these believers had. I have also witnessed how God started adding people to this church.

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