When Jesus says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church in Matthew 16, He doesn’t have his head in the clouds.
If you want to see the Church that He’s talking about, go visit the little stucco building in your neighborhood where people meet a few times a week for worship. If you want to see the gates of hell that He’s talking about, consider the laws and policies that prevent people in your neighborhood from flourishing as God intends.
Mt. Salem-New Wave Fellowship Church, led by Patricia Strong-Fargas, is a World Impact partner in Los Angeles. For her and the members of her church, the gates of hell looked like the overwhelming number of hit-and-runs happening in South Central L.A. Following the promise of Matthew 16, they decided to do something about it, demonstrating that the local church is the hope of the world.
Do you want to take the next step in impacting your neighborhood with the Gospel? Check out our five-core programs here.