In October of 1997, Ron, Andy, Dick, Tim—all members of our small church—came with me to Washington, D.C., for the Stand in the Gap event sponsored by PromiseKeepers, a Christian men's ministry.

There 1.4 million Christian men prayed, sang, kneeled, stood, and listened to sermons. I remember Ron, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, reclining on the grass, his face to the sun. He was happy. For the first time in his life Ron glimpsed the vast entity known in the Apostles' Creed as "the communion of saints," the "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1). All Ron had to do was turn his head to see Christians spread across the Washington mall in every direction.

Prior to this, Ron's Christian experience included just himself and a few people around him. Christianity must have seemed a small project. All he had ever known of God was the church of his childhood, where he got screamed at on Sundays—or had the Bible jammed into his chest. Or, later, with our little church, gatherings in odd rented facilities.

We tend to do our faith-thing with Jesus on small terms. We often forget that this is the kingdom of God, and that each of us is a part of that magnificent work of God by which he is reclaiming the world.

What, you thought sanctification was just about you?