Every healthy organism reproduces. Every church, regardless of size, should be planting other churches.
Since my Bible college days as a young man preparing for the ministry, I have been incredibly interested in Acts 13 and this matter of sending forth laborers. In particular, we are considering this great mission of Churches Starting Churches, and we see clearly that as they went out soul winning, preaching, and sowing the seed, they started churches.
Somehow along the way we have left this passion of churches starting churches here in America. I know in my mind and in my heart several reasons why that is, but that is not the crux of this article. Praise the Lord, we do not have to sit around and complain about what we are not doing. There can be a revival of church planting here in America! And even if nobody else or very few participate, by the grace of God, may we be found faithful!
We see some necessary ingredients in Acts 13 for churches in the 21st century to be actively involved in church planting. First and foremost, there must be an emphasis on the Holy Spirit in our churches. Unfortunately, we have shied away from emphasizing the Holy Spirit because of the abuse of this doctrine in false religions.
Pastors, here are a few important questions I believe we need to answer in our hearts as to whether we are emphasizing the Holy Spirit in our churches.
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Acts 13:1-3
“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on
them, they sent them away..”
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Do I believe I can be and should be filled with the Spirit daily?
Do I believe God’s sheep in our church can be filled with the Spirit?
Am I teaching on how to be filled with the Spirit to our church?
The sad truth of the matter is that the Holy Spirit is not calling people out because we are not passionate about the Holy Spirit controlling us and controlling the direction of our churches. We know all the plans and methods, but the Bible says, “The Holy Ghost said…” The Holy Spirit will call people to go start churches if we allow the Holy Spirit to do what He desires in our churches.
Quite frankly, we are more worried about losing some of our best families than we are in believing that the very desire of the Holy Spirit is to call out. Some perhaps will hide behind the idea that the church age was in transition here and the work of the Holy Spirit was different, but this same Holy Spirit is the one that speaks to hearts and calls men to go out and start planting churches both here and abroad today.
It will be the prompting of the Holy Spirit that will cause us to share the burden we have for the town next to us that needs a Bible- preaching, Baptist church. It will be the Holy Spirit that prompts us to ask the church to pray for God to call someone FROM WITHIN to go. We have no problem with the Holy Spirit calling someone from someone else’s church, but what about OUR CHURCHES. Think about it—who would know better the culture, the area dynamics, perhaps even some people in that area than someone from our churches. Pastors, another question to ask ourselves is this:
Am I praying for the Holy Spirit to call people from within our church to go and plant churches?
If we are going to fulfill the Great Commission of our great Saviour, we have to be willing to ask ourselves hard questions about our philosophy of ministry and passion of heart for the work of the Holy Spirit in our churches. May the Holy Spirit call people from within our churches again to go all around New England and start churches for the glory of God!