*DAILY DEW 24/DECEMBER/2022* *3 Ways Missionaries Interact with Local Churches* (II) _Key Bible Text:_ *"I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church."* _Bible Insight:_ The circumstances of a church’s birth will set the course of its life, and an unhealthy church can be a blight on its community and an ordeal to restore to health. Church planters have the privilege and responsibility of getting young churches started off right. Far better to raise a new church up in the way it should go than to leave a string of mistakes for later generations to correct. What about when churches are no longer new? How should missionaries relate to churches that have already been planted and growing for a while? _2. Missionaries Partner_ There are certainly many parts of the globe without a single gathering of local believers, but wherever there are healthy congregations within physical reach, missionaries must partner with them. After all, they cannot bypass the church in order to plant the church! Whenever possible and beneficial for reaching the unreached, missionaries must collaborate with existing churches. Tragically, some churches are decidedly unhealthy, and missionaries must work around those congregations. But writing off a church as “unhealthy” should never be taken lightly. And it should never be upon the basis of nonessentials like instruments in worship or order of service. An unhealthy church is one which is willfully disobedient. It not only falls short of the biblical directives for church life, but it also exhibits no desire to repent and change. And a missionary who decides, after much prayer and seeking of wise counsel, to refuse partnership with an unhealthy church must do so with a posture of grace and a resolution to continue praying for their repentance. _MEDITATION:_ *"The local bride of Christ, in all her glory, is God’s plan A for reaching the unreached."* *#Sophie_Spencer* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_DECEMBER* ❤ *#GuestMessage* Links To Visit: *Register4HTP2022:* https://bit.ly/HTP2022_ACTIVATED *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you.