The church of God which is in Munich (and my Germany blending trip) [October 2018]

In October, I had the joy and privilege of being part of the church in Munich for a few days, when I visited and joined the saints gathered together for the first Lord’s table. Apologies for the long delay in posting this, but here’s a little report for those who weren’t there, and a recap for those who were 🙂

The first Lord’s table in München was such sweet feast to remember the Lord. I really enjoyed all the hymns, prayer, and praising, and I’ve included some of the hymns I enjoyed most here. I sang in English 🙂 but you can also praise the Lord in German!

Wie wunderbar Erlösung ist,
  Mein liebster Herr, in Dir!
Noch nie gesehn, gehört, erkannt,
  Was Du vermacht hast mir!
Bist göttlich und geheimnisvoll,
  Weit mehr als was ich weiß!
Erlösung ist so wunderbar,
  Weit mehr als mein Lobpreis!

How wonderful redemption is,
  My gracious Lord, in Thee!
Not seen, nor heard, nor e’er conceived
  What Thou hast done for me!
Thou art divine, mysterious,
  Beyond my grandest phrase!
Redemption is so marvellous,
  Beyond all pow’r to praise!

Hymns #116, stanza 1

Erlösung ist so wunderbar!

Herr, für Deinen Tisch wir danken,
  Den Du deckst mit Brot und Wein;
Göttlich ist Dein Fest der Liebe,
  Du nimmst unsre Herzen ein.
Haben teil am Brot, dem Zeichen
  Für den Leib, den Du gabst her;
Haben teil am Wein, dem Sinnbild
  Für Dein Blut, das floss, o Herr.

Lord, we thank Thee for the table,
  With the bread and with the wine;
At this table we enjoy Thee
  As the feast of love divine.
We partake the bread, the emblem
  Of Thy body giv’n for us;
And we share the wine, the symbol
  Of Thy blood Thou shedd’st for us.

Hymns #221, stanza 1

After the Lord’s table, some brothers shared from the Word, and the local saints also shared some testimonies. The following is written from my notes taken on the day (hence the present tense), with some additional verse references – feel free to look them up.

A genuine local church

To the church of God which is in [Munich], to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours.

1 Corinthians 1:2

One of the brothers shared six characteristics of a genuine local church as seen in 1 Corinthians 1:2.

1. It is the church of God – a genuine local church is not the church of a particular person or doctrine or condition, but it is the church of God. It is not just possessed by God but has the nature of God Himself. The church in Munich is the church of God!
2. “Which is in Corinth” – a genuine local church is the church which is in a city, a locality. The church of God as the Body of Christ is universal, and the church of God also needs to be locally expressed in a definite place. There is the testimony of oneness in the whole Body, and this same testimony of oneness must be testified in each locality. Today, we are one in His Body and we are also one in the church in Munich. There is the testimony of oneness in Munich, and all believers are welcomed to stand together in oneness.
3. Sanctified in Christ – a genuine local church is composed of those who are sanctified in Christ. To be sanctified is to be made holy, separated unto God for the fulfillment of His purpose. The only way we can be holy is for Christ to be dispensed into us. When we believed into Christ, He sanctified us and separated us from all things common.
4. Composed of the called saints – in the genuine local church there are the called ones, those not called to be saints, but called saints. Sometimes we are strong, sometimes we are weak, but we are all called ones, those called from the world and called unto Him. We are not part of the church because we are either strong or weak, but because we are called.
5. With those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – Oh Herr Jesus! To call on the Lord implies to believe into Him (Rom. 10:14). All believers in the Lord should be His callers (Acts 22:16). We are called by God to call on the name of our Lord Jesus. A genuine local church should be filled with those who call upon the name of the Lord.
6. Christ, who is theirs and ours – Christ belongs to all the believers. He is the unique centre of all believers in every place and situation. All believers have been called into the fellowship, the participation, of this Christ. In a genuine local church, Christ must be the focus and content, and this is how the believers are one.

The significance of there being a local church in Munich

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell in unity!
It is like the fine oil upon the head
That ran down upon the beard,
Upon Aaron’s beard,
That ran down upon the hem of his garments;
Like the dew of Hermon
That came down upon the mountains of Zion.
For there Jehovah commanded the blessing:
Life forever.

Psalm 133:1-3

Another brother shared that being the church in Munich means to take the stand that we are the brothers in oneness. The oneness is like the fine oil on Aaron’s beard and like the dew of Hermon in Psalm 133. These signify the fresh and refreshing grace as our rich supply of Christ to be our enjoyment. It is this grace, this all inclusive Spirit, that makes it possible for us to live in oneness, and it is in this oneness that we have the blessing of life.

He also shared from John 17, where the night before the Lord was crucified, He prayed for the oneness. Today is a little more answer to this prayer. How is this prayer answered? It is not in the church of this or that, but in the local church. Every church might be able to claim that Christ is their foundation, but where are you going to put that foundation? It has to be on the proper ground, the ground of the city. The revelation of the New Testament is consistent concerning this, without exception – the ground of the church is the city, so we just practice this. It is when we put aside every decisive or separating thing that we can practically be one.

That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You have sent Me.

John 17:21

Oneness is in the ‘DNA of God’. He is triune, the three-one God, eternally three and also eternally one. It is when the world can see this oneness in the believers, the same oneness of the Triune God, that the world will know that the Father sent the Son. It is when there are brothers dwelling together in oneness that there can be the blessing of life.

This is the church of God in Munich, testifying and upholding the name of the Lord Jesus. May the church in Munich be like the church of Philadelphia – the church of brotherly love, having just a little power, keeping the Lord’s word, and not denying His name.

Continued blending and enjoyment

The day didn’t end there, as after the spiritual feast, we also enjoyed a cherishing physical feast, fully catered by the venue. It was a wonderful time of blending, with saints gathered from all over Germany, Europe, and overseas. What a joy to be with the saints, and also to spend time with many sisters and to explore Munich and the surrounding area over the next few days.

I was also able to join a Bible distribution and the first prayer meeting of the church in Munich, where the saints were already fellowshipping that if the Lord continues to bless the increase, there could soon be the need for districts. Amen Lord, add to the church in Munich, in life and in number!

Those who follow me on Facebook or Instagram will know that after my time in Munich, I continued my Germany blending trip on through Tubingen, Stuttgart, Frankfurt (literally only for Chipotle!), Düsseldorf, Cologne, and ultimately to the International Blending Conference in Baarlo, which was the weekend after the first Lord’s table in Munich. I had missed out on joining the student European blending trip back in 2016 (if you also missed it, you can catch up on the unistudents.eu blog, I recommend it!), so it was nice to visit some of the cities I’d not been the before.

Germany is beautiful, especially at this time of year, I have to say, I think the autumnal trees in Germany are even prettier than the ones in the UK. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip, especially visiting many companions who now live in Germany. Thank You Lord.