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Timothy Tennent, Lausanne Theology Working Group Chair
If anything should encourage us to continue in the work of World Evangelization, it should be the historic growth of the Church, particularly in the last few decades. Around the world brothers and sisters are daily being added to the number of those who are being saved, to the number of those who are worshipping and heralding the name of Jesus! Praise the Lord who is building his Church!
With this growth has dawned a new season for God’s people – a season marked by multiple centers of Christianity. Throughout history, the church has moved mainly uni-directionally – from Jerusalem to the Roman Empire, from Rome into Europe and beyond. Even though God’s people have made mistakes along the way, the Gospel has been planted deep throughout the world, resulting today in the ability to say, “Missions is from everywhere to everywhere.”
We celebrate God’s move throughout the world, while also recognizing the challenges for God’s people in partnering together. For his glory, we prayerfully seek to overcome the historical misunderstandings that God’s people have perpetuated towards people of other cultures. We defy persistent neocolonial attitudes. We resist anything that would come against unity under Jesus Christ, which God desires for his people. We pursue not only reconciliation – for that would be too little – but true partnership in the Gospel.
This earnest desire for partnership brings us back to where we started in prayer this month, in awe of the Gospel. The same good news that reconciles us to God and to each other is the same good news that compels us and propels us out into the world, in partnership with each other.
Let’s praise God together as we marvel about what he has done, and is doing, in the world. Let’s pray for true Gospel partnership across cultures. East, North, South, and West – may all of God’s people see and act on opportunities for cooperation and collaboration. May the world truly know that we are Christians by our love.
This blog is a part of the Lausanne Global Prayer Focus. We invite you to journey with The Lausanne Movement in prayer throughout the month of May. This journey will be a personal one, and a collective one. It will be focused on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, his good news for all people.
In week 4, we are focusing on Our Partnership in the Gospel. 
Download a prayer guide for the week, or visit lausanne.org/pray to access the new content daily. You may also enter your email on this page to be sent a weekly email reminder with the new prayer content each week of May. Be sure to select “Prayer” as a Topic Interest.