The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a story established long before we were born, and it will continue long after we pass.

What God is doing in a city or in a region includes every person He has called, regardless of their church or denomination. Churches and denominations are made up of people, and since there are no perfect people, there can be no perfect churches or denominations. And that is the road that we are all on. We are all "work[ing] out our salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12

God has chosen to move through imperfect people like you and me. He has chosen to move through imperfect churches and imperfect denominations. What God does in a region belongs to all His children and not just a single church or denomination.

John 5:17 God is already working. The way to advance the kingdom is to join Him in the work. We do that by honoring those who have come before us. We pray for the region and ask the Lord to establish strategic relationships. We celebrate the victories of others because the regional body is made up of many churches. If I do not honor the anointing on others, how can I benefit from their gifting? If I am a foot and do not believe the stomach is part of the body, how can I receive the nourishment I need from the contents of the stomach?

As leaders, we need to celebrate what God is doing in other churches. As believers, we are often so involved in our churches that we have little time to consider how God moves through other people. There is no condemnation in this. I am simply writing from my own experience of doing that very thing.

Scripture says that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The Lord has desires and plans for every region of the world. He may use us to do a new thing in a region, but He was already moving long before we ever got there.

So what does it look like to celebrate what God is doing in other churches? The first step is to realize that every church belongs to Jesus. It does not belong to the pastors, and it does not belong to the people. Church is not a democracy. It is a Monarchy, and we know the King.

Secondly, just like people, every church has a purpose, a calling, and a sphere of influence. If most churches do not look alike, it is because they are not supposed to. When we celebrate other churches, we are celebrating what God is doing, but we are also celebrating the identity of that church in the context of the regional church at large.

Third, remember that division is the exception and not the rule. There are times when separation from unrepentant people is necessary due to harm that is being done. However, remember the prayer of Jesus in John 17. His prayer is that in Him we would be one.

Please pray with us as we bless the Body of Christ in Vancouver and ask the Lord for His Divine connections in our region. May the Lamb receive the reward of His suffering.

Faith and Love,

- Andrew