From Eden in Genesis, to the cross in the Gospels, all the way to the New Jerusalem in Revelation, there winds the thread of one constant theme. That is the theme of grace, forgiveness, and mercy. Jesus sees this theme with such importance that He imprinted it into us through an indelible picture of The Teacher washing His disciples’ feet – the incredulous act of taking other’s offenses against us as our responsibility. What’s more, in this call of a seemingly “upside-down justice”, Jesus assures that we will be blessed if we do it.
Ephesians 4:11-13 helps us see that the more we embrace this theme of washing each other’s feet – for the functions of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor/teacher to work in unity – the closer the Church will manifest the fullness of Christ. We can only start to imagine how this blessing will influence the 7 societal mountains, make disciples of nations, and radiate the beauty of Jesus’ Bride to the end of the earth, so all who see us will want to join us.
Through the many years of straining to articulate a Kingdom strategy and to mobilize the “10,000 market place soldiers”, God has finally taken us to a place of seeing this simple truth: Jesus has predicated the Church’s power and influence on our ability to overcome offenses in the body, through the washing of our brother’s and sister’s feet – of taking other’s offense as our responsibility.
MTC 2016.seeks to establish a platform for raising up Kingdom standard bearers of the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Why? because these are the outflows of grace, forgiveness, and mercy, the elements that encompasses the washing of feet, the elements that builds the body for it to manifests the fullness of Christ.
Unresolved offenses are some of the most stubborn impediments to Church growth today. In that also stands the greatest opportunity for standard bearers of grace, forgiveness, and mercy to rise up and paint that truly extraordinary picture of the Church.