The mission of God is to redeem his fallen creation, restoring all that is broken and distorted by the ravages of sin and evil so that all creation can regain its intended relationship with God and one another. God accomplishes this mission of restoration through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God’s people are the object of his blessing and the instrument of his blessing to the world. Through the work of Christ on the cross and the holistic witness of the church to the world, all nations experience God’s blessing. God’s people find their purpose and delight as they participate with God in fulfilling his mission to the world. (Colossians 1:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21).
When our relationship with God is restored by faith in Jesus Christ, the first thing that happens is that God connects us to his family. That family of God stretches around the world and throughout time. This is the clear teaching of Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and John 17.
In his grace, God intentionally gives every Christian different gifts for “doing certain things well” (NLT, Romans 12:6) so that the whole body can thrive. Every Christian is called to use their God-given gifts to serve Christ’s church and strengthen her witness to the world (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Peter 4:10; Ephesians 4:4-16; 1 Corinthians 12:7).
Every Christian, every church, and every missions organization has a valuable and unique role in God’s mission.
Relational humility is the pressing need in the global church today. Humility precedes unity and results in genuine love and collaboration. To the church in Corinth, Paul described the humble partnership he practiced with them: “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith” (ESV, 2 Corinthians 1:24). In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul writes, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (ESV, Philippians 1:3-5).
Partnership is striving side by side “from a platform of servanthood rather than power” (Borthwick, 104). An important, collaborative question for Christians wanting to serve Christ’s global church is, “We are here to serve. Is there anything in our experience or resources that you could use to fulfill your vision for your country?” (Borthwick, 104).
With humility and mutual respect, we join hands with our brothers and sisters in Christ to engage in God’s mission…together.
The book of Acts is the story of Christ’s church expanding as local churches are planted around the Mediterranean and into Europe. Individuals came to Christ and formed local churches in Ephesus, Colossae, Rome, Philippi, etc.
These local churches became attractional communities of restoration, offering hope in all the areas broken by sin – our relationship with God, with others, with ourselves, and with creation.
GACX is a global alliance of churches and mission organizations committed to the vision of healthy, multiplying, and sustainable churches in every village, neighborhood, digital space, and relational network so that every person is in reach of God’s restoration.
To engage every relational network and to connect with every community, a church for every 1,000 people is needed. That’s the vision of GACX.