A Church Planting Strategy for the 21st Century

A Church Planting Strategy for the 21st Century: Acts 13:1-5

The following message was delivered on the event of our churches recongition of Romeo Gerhardt's call to plant a church in Burnaby.

Introduction:
The book of Acts is sometimes called the book of the Acts of the Apostles; other times it is called the book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit. I believe that both are true. It is the book of the Acts of the Apostles and it is the book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit. So it can be better said to be the book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit (in and) through the Apostles. But something is missing. I think we need to be more specific about what the acts were that the Holy Spirit performed through the Apostles. Now the Apostles performed many acts, including miraculous prison escapes, healings, raising the dead, baptizing tens of thousands of converts etc. But all that was for a particular purpose. That purpose was church planting. So we could call it the Church Planting Acts of the Holy Spirit Through the Apostles.

In Acts 1 the disciples asked Jesus about the restoration of the Kingdom: “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?” (1:6). Jesus’ response at first seems to evade the question, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (v. 8). But was Jesus really trying to avoid answering his disciples’ question about the Kingdom of God or was he answering it? In other words, was Jesus saying that the restoration of the Kingdom will be marked by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for power to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth? I believe that is exactly what he was saying and that ever since then the Kingdom has been advancing according to that pattern from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth like leaven leavening a batch of dough.
Today we are going to look at just one phase in that advance; one crucial increment in the spread of the Kingdom. It occurred on an insignificant day, at an insignificant city and among some otherwise insignificant men; in a prayer meeting. But do not be fooled by the lackluster appearance of this event; for what would come out this little prayer meeting among a few insignificant men in an insignificant city would change the course of history and its impact is felt to this very day. Its consequence has radically changed the life of every person here and is the reason why you call yourself ‘Christian’. Read Acts 13:1-5.

The Home Church:
What we see in the first few verse is a picture of a first century Home church- that is, a church planting church.

First of all, note the multicultural make-up of the church in the first century: they were men of Israel- Jews; Simeon, who may have been African, possible Ethiopian; Lucius who was from Cyrene, perhaps of Greek or Roman decent; and there was Manaen, who had been raised with Herod and may have been an Edomite like Herod.

Notice also that this was a church that served the Lord and the men served according to the gifts. There were prophets and teachers and they ministered to the Lord according to their gifts. In other words it was a servant church that worshipped and sought the will of God for all its direction.

Finally, notice that it was a church that heard and submitted to the will of God. Guess what they did when the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (v. 2). Now this should be no surprise to Saul, because he has known since chapter 9, some 12 years earlier that God had set him apart to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. So far, Paul had done little of that.

But what may have been not a little discomforting for Paul was that God had also promised him that he would have to suffer in order to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. That Suffering was surely about to begin. Now, I don’t know about you, but I think it would be better to suffer and be at the center of the will of God then to be at ease and outside of the will of God.

“Having fasted and prayed, the Home church laid hands on them and sent them away. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went…” Notice that it was not the Home church, but rather the Holy Spirit who sent them in v. 4; but in verse 3 it was the church who sent them away. I think that when a church is in the will of God and doing what God has commanded, its actions are the actions of the Holy Spirit.

The Church Plant:
V. 5, “When they arrived in Salamas, they preached the word of God.” What do you think was Paul and Baranabas’s church planting strategy? Was a catchy inspiring mission statement? How about a list of values that formed the acronym Cyprus (caring, youth oriented, passionate, real, united, sharing)? Maybe they created a recognizable logo and studied the most recent Roman census to help them to identify their target group? Maybe Paul ran a basketball camp and Barnabas offered a course on being an encourager.

No. The text doesn’t say that they did any of that. In fact, all it says that they did was to preach the Word of God. That was Paul’s church planting strategy. Sure he chose strategic cities, sure he studied the philosophies and beliefs of the locals, sure he went to the Synagogues first to find the remnant elect of Isreal and used them to form a core group, and he did many other strategic things to plant church. But all of that would have been meaningless if the foundation of his church planting strategy were not to preach the Word of God.

And when Paul preached, the only seeker he was sensitive to was the Lord who seeks true worshippers. To everyone else he preached an offensive and foolish message. He preached a crucified messiah, to the Jews that was a stumbling block because anyone who dies on a tree is accursed. It was foolishness to the Greeks because Christ was raised in the flesh. But to those who are called, the Gospel of Christ is the power of God (1 Cor 1:21ff).

One of the churches Paul planted was in Corinth a city in Greece, close to Athens. He wrote to them in 1 Corinthians and reminded them of his church planting strategy. He said,
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Cor 2:1-5).

Another time, near the end of his very successful church planting career, Paul would reminded the Ephesians in Acts 20:18 saying,
…You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials…. …how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. …now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God (vv. 18-25).

Application:
So here’s the application. Today the Holy Spirit is sending out Romeo and Margit because the Holy Spirit is leading them to church plant. This is nothing strange, this is nothing novel. Even natures testifies to the organic nature of life and that living things must always be dividing and multiplying. Likewise, the master gardener, the Holy Spirit is at work here today to accomplish his purpose which is the same purpose he has had since the beginning: he has given us power to be witnesses to the ends of the world and so he has asked us to set apart Romeo and Margit to carry out that task.

We therefore commission you Romeo and Margit to go. And we off you these six exhortations:

1. while going, make disciples of all nations by preaching and teaching them the Word of God; never being ashamed of the gospel; and never hesitating to teach the whole counsel of God; leaving behind the elementary things and move on to the hard meat of sound doctrine; always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within; preach in season and out of season.

2. Study always in order to show yourself approved; labouring in the word the way that you would labour to repair a car engine or build a house; rightly divide the word the way that a Jeweler handles his Jewels.

3. Expect and endure persecution and do not think it strange that men revile you when you tell them the truth about their sin and the crucified Christ.

4. Rely on God’s strength and not your own. Throw yourself upon Him by walking in the Spirit and in the power of His strength rather then your own strength. Give Him the glory for all your successes and do not despise Him when you fail knowing that God works all things together for good to them that love Him.

5. Do the work of an evangelist by sowing the good seed of the Word.

6. And finally pray always.