Hope That Restores What's Broken | a 7-Day Doxa Deo PlanSample

The Church as the Hope

Habakkuk 2:14 ESV “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

“When God gives dominion to humankind “over all the earth,” it shows that his purpose in creation was to fill the whole earth with his glory.  That’s why God created humans — to fill the earth with his glory.  Which means, therefore, that the promise that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” is a promise that the earth will be filled with people carrying the glory of God affecting all of creation.  It is a promise that God’s plan of redemption will be successful in bringing people to faith in Christ in every people group, who will in turn effect the entire world. He will indeed make all things new!” [Matt Perman] DR

When we talk about transformation, we are talking about deeply affecting the BROKEN systems in our world, i.e. in the church, education, business, arts, government, media, social services, sport. This implies ‘the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world’.

Perhaps you have heard the African saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  

Who has the primary influence on our ‘villages’?  Who gives the ‘village’ its values and its primary cultural expression? 

We firmly believe the Church, called as an agent of the Kingdom of God, is responsible to bring back hope to our cities, so that the brokenness can be addressed.  Christianity is a comprehensive, life-giving framework of truth that, when embraced, will have a redemptive effect on the culture. 

Ephesians 1:22–23 MSG  “The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church.  The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.”

Hope is realigning communities to the Kingdom.

Who is “the Church?”

What role can you play in bringing back hope to your community?