We had a great time in Mexico and best of all, we participated in God's ongoing work there. Each morning we had a different activity, Two different days we walked around the city praying at different locations, two other days we worked on a new church building. Of course, on Sunday we attended worship with a local congregation. In the evenings we led Bible school for the children.
The last night in Mexico, I had the great honor to lead a joint Mexican and American communion service. We sang and read scripture in both languages, several prayed aloud in their own language, and through an interpreter I led in the observance of The Lord’s Supper. Through out the entire service, Mexicans and Americans were unified by the Holy Spirit through koinonia. (See note below)
I have been on many other mission trips prior to this trip, however, on this trip the Holy Spirit has really helped me to understand what it means to “be the church.” I wish I could point to a particular experience, a theological reflection, or another benchmark of the trip where I received an epiphany. But that is not the case.
God has (and is continuing to) motivated me to embrace the importance of contemporary believers understanding that we are the church. Additionally, we are to be the church to our world. This means we can no longer depend on pastors to do the work of ministry. It means believers have to understand that while the church may gather at the church building, the purpose of gathering is to be scattered into the communities as Christ’s ambassadors. (See: 2 Corinthians 5:20)
Most importantly, if we are to be the church, we must become consistent with our loyalty to God and become devoted to following Christ in every area of our lives.
Note: Koinonia is a Greek word that is very difficult to accurately translate into a single English word. Basically it describes a special relationship and intimate participation among people. The word is frequently translated as “fellowship” in the New Testament. However, koinonia implies a stronger, more intimate bond between people that the modern usage of “fellowship” describes.
