@ODPrayer writes on twitter, “CHECHNYA-Pray for more fellowship for local Christians. Usually Christians have to leave the country in order to meet with other believers.” (via Twitter / @ODPrayer: CHECHNYA-Pray for more fel ….)
The reason this kind of thing is important hearkens back to what we were just discussing in “Why bans on the evangelism of children are important.” The primary way that the church grows is through (a) demographic growth (e.g. children born to the homes of Christian believers) and (b) through people who become part of the church because they value the social network in the church. (Rodney Stark has illustrated this well in his books.)
When there are too few Christians for either (a) people to marry & raise believing children or (b) social networks to develop, then the growth of Christianity will be stunted. One of the reasons why it’s important for Christians to go cross-cultural can be seen in John 1:14, especially in the Message translation: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”
When Christians move into the neighborhood, they not only show what Christ is like, but they also help get these cycles started. But it takes time…
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