A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

m was inextricably interwoven with the mission and charac- ter of the local church.10 The commitment to evangelism was at the center of the persecutions endured by the apostolic church- When Peter and John appeared before the Sanhedrin they were commanded "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus," but this was an order they could not obey "for we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:18-20 NIV). Fears of physical abuse and even the threat of death were submerged by their zeal to proclaim salvation to an unsaved world. "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness" (Acts 4:29). The commission of Christ-"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts l:8>outiines the church's basic assignment. 242 MENNONTTE BRETHREN EVANGELISM The church is expected to witness in the area of its location. That is the primary purpose of its existence. The most press- ing obligation is the area at its door. However, if it is truly evangelistic, it will never stop there. The church must always remember the mandate is to reach the ends of the earth. It can do that only when it is strong at home. The loss of an ef- fective witness in the immediate community will be reflected in impotence abroad. Missionary outreach to distant areas may temporarily compensate for failure at home, but in time, spiritual weakness and decline will set in. Not only is the local church structurally vital to the task of evangelism, it is also a divine reservoir of spiritual power. Too often overlooked is the collective strength of those spirit- intoxicated men and women (Acts 2 and 4) who felt that each of them separately and all of them jointly shared in the com- mon witness to the saviorhood and lordship of Jesus Christ. The universal body of Christ, which Paul calls the "whole family in heaven and on earth" (Eph. 3:15), is the habitation of God through the Spirit. The local church, through the en- dowment of the Spirit, is the communicating agency for evan- gelism. The church of today, in many instances wounded and defeated, will find renewal by rediscovering its divine as- signment of evangelism. The Place of Perfection Mennonite Brethren have historically been known for their concern for spiritual perfection, striving toward spiritual maturity and moral excellence. When this concern has ener- gized outreach, the results have been admirable; when it be- came uncoupled from the Great Commission, the results have been di