The attitude of the believers in Antioch was to start new churches. They sent out some of the finest men of their congregation and commissioned them. They fasted and prayed, they sent them out. The Holy Spirit was with them.
Now, I ask you, what more do we need than the Antioch example? But, how much will it cost? How can we do it without greater resources? The early church planters found their resources in the harvest. Perhaps we should take a similar approach to church planting today.
I fear that many churches are hesitant to start new churches today because they are overwhelmed with the cost and commitment that is involved in a traditional church plant. There will always be a cost. There will always need to be a commitment. But do we need to think in the traditional way? Buy land and build a building? That now seems to be the traiditonal way of doing mission work/church planting. It is time for us to get beyond this and remove these restraints from our thinking.
"Every Church Planting a Church" ought to be our watchword. Our attitude is the Antioch Attitude, a new attitude to start new churches.
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2 comments:
The problem is that too many equate success with buildings and the number of people in attendance. Those things only come with time. In other instances being able to afford a building and land is equated with God's hand being on the project. Where did this mentality come from anyway? When did God say that if He has a job for us to do that he will make a smooth path all the way for it to occur? If God has told you to do something...start a church or ministry, you ought to do it without the financial backing in place. We are so quick to tell others to trust God, but when all is said and done we lack the ability to do it ourselves. "If there is no money, God must not be in it!" No...obey God and He WILL provide for you! Stop letting others stiffle your obedience to God. If the churches won't support your mission endeavor then get a job and work at it part time. I believe sometimes God is just waiting on us to obey before he opens the windows of heaven and does "far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think..." I also think that sometimes our denominations are so stuck on holding onto their traditional way of doing things that they totally and completely miss what God is trying to do all under the guise of keeping the doctrines (which are mostly just tradition and not doctrine at all). But that's for another blog...
I agree that many people are falsly using our doctrinal statement and other Biblical teachings as an excuse. The statement usually goes like this, "People don't want to hear sound doctrine, they just want their ears tickled."
I disagree that alot of our churches aren't being used by the Lord to reach the lost because of Biblical teaching, it is because the churches have ignored Biblical teaching. The Great Commision and the Great Commandments.
I also disagree with throwing the baby out with the bath water. We don't need to blame the doctrianl truths and get rid of them. I find that if you take a recently saved individual, teach them in love, try and keep them away from the "Pharisees" in our work before they are grounded, they accept the truth without a problem. We don't need to change our teaching but just fully follow it. Like the first statement in our doctrinal statement.
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