The Sufficiency of Scripture and the Pulpit
If the Scripture is sufficient to convince the sinner, convert the lost, edify the believer and perfectly equip him for all God wants him to be and do, then above all else in church-planting work we must make the Scripture our focus and the ministry of the Word our priority.
The church had not gone far in its development when the apostles recognized that the ministry of the Word needed to occupy the majority of their efforts and that all they did must be bathed in prayer. “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4).
In the church-planting manuals written, under divine inspiration, by Paul to his teammates (see 1 Timothy 3:15), the Holy Spirit tells us again and again to “Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Timothy 4:13). Yet in many churches today biblical preaching seems to have given way to fireside chats, and the teaching of the Word in the classroom has turned into discussions about the latest best-selling book that even remotely relates to the Bible.
Titus was left in charge of the maturing and multiplication phase of the church-planting ministry on Crete as the rest of the team moved on. Paul coaches him that in establishing other churches throughout the island, above all else the pastors must be men who are “Holding fast the faithful word” (Titus 1:9). The rest of the epistle makes it plain that this not only refers to standing firmly on its authority, but also to passionately ministering it in such a clear and practical way that its truth is applied to the everyday life, and that the world which watches sees a clear witness of Jesus Christ (see Philippians 2:15-16). Modern churches seem to be focused more on helping people feel comfortable and “safe” than on faithfully proclaiming God’s truth. One wonders if the pulpit being removed from some church platforms is subtly giving the impression that the preaching of the authoritative Word of God is no longer important. There are many in today’s churches who are entertained but, I fear, too few whose hearts are truly impacted by the Word of God.
In 2 Timothy, right in between that great statement on the source, purpose and power of the Scripture (3:14-17) and a description of the spiritual environment in which God’s servants would minister (4:3-4), comes this pungent command: “Preach the Word; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (4:2). It is precisely because the Scripture is of divine origin that we must preach the Word! Because God’s Word can save the lost, we must preach the Word! Because its purpose is to convict, convince and change lives, we must preach the Word! Because it will perfectly equip believers for life and service, we must preach the Word! Even when people will not endure sound teaching and desire something else, we must preach the Word! Why is it preachers are talking so much about how to have the best life now and so little about how to glorify God forever? When will churches stop seeking to attract the unsaved with nightclub style worship and game show Christianity, when the fact is that God is pleased to use “the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21)?
If we are to be instruments God would use to exalt Christ and establish churches that will effectively fulfill the commission He left us in an ever-changing environment, we must get back to basics and once again put the ministry of the Word on center stage.
The Main Thing
To be successful in church planting, don't focus on building the church! Instead, focus on building people. Focusing on the church may develop an organization, but focusing on people will build a church.
Of all the places in scripture where our Savior's commission to his servants is recorded, the most thorough description is found in Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus says, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." The command in this verse is to "make disciples." That's right! It is not to plant churches, but to help people become followers of Christ. The grammar in the rest of the sentence indicates disciples are made by "going," "baptizing" and "teaching."
Going - If we would make disciples for Christ, we must go after them. We cannot just hang out our sign and expect the people to flock to us - we must find them where they are. People don't normally respond to programs and promotion designed to draw them to church - they do respond to people who will invest time to first build a relationship with them, and then share with them God's Word. If we would obey the Master, we too must be going "to seek and to save that which (is) lost."
Baptizing - We must bring them to Christ. Not only must we give them the good news that there is a Savior, but we must get them into the Scripture where they an truly know that Savior. A superficial profession will not do — there must be a sincere faith in the Son of God and His substitutionary sacrifice so that baptism follows a genuine birth by the Spirit.
Teaching - Helping people to follow Christ means teaching them His truth, showing them what it means to live that truth, and then helping them learn how to put it into practice. Church-planting ministries must be characterized by the practical teaching of the Word of God. In a day when many are peddling their own ideas or teaching from a bestselling book, we must be convinced of the power of the Scriptures and committed to exposing and expounding them clearly and passionately. Discipleship is more than just helping new believers get started in the Christian life, it is the whole task of reaching people wherever they are and taking them to where God wants them to be. To do that, we must:
• Discern their spiritual condition
• Know where they need to go
• Give them what they need to get there
If we truly make disciples, we will be well along the way toward seeing a church established. Want to be a successful church planter? Focus on THE MAIN THING!