In the modern church system, church planting seems to be viewed as a separate and distinct ministry, done with or without salvation preaching. Today in many evangelical traditions, church planting heavily involves money…buying real estate, establishing a religious corporation with the state, marketing, and doing good deeds for a community. My point is, that this is not what we see in scripture, something spiritual is missing. These modern men are very often attempting to plant something different from what Jesus Christ the apostles planted.
Jesus Christ after his resurrection, explained to his disciples all things in their scriptures (writings of Moses and the prophets) concerning himself. (see Luke 24:27)
Stephen explained to those he was preaching, much of the spiritual explanation of the history of Israel before they stoned him to death. (see Acts 7)
Paul would take several months to preach his gospel which had been given to him in the desert and confirmed with the other apostles, that gospel (referred to in Ephesians, Romans, Corinthians, Colossians) also was as his discipleship, and it was his ministry of church planting.
The early church was reported to have continued in the “apostle teachings.” (Acts 2:42-47)
Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and to teach all nations, baptizing them, and making disciples, all these ministries seem synonymous and are not separate and distinct ministries we can break apart to the neglect of the others. (see Matthew 28:18-20)
All these ministries are referring to the same thing, the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. Making disciples, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and planting churches are synonymous in the New Testament.
They were not intended to be separate ministries. Per the New Testament there is not a separate ministry of the church called “preaching sermons” nor is “listening to sermons.”
If it doesn’t accomplish anything spiritually, it ought not be done in a Christian gathering.
And to do one without the other is not something the Lord is doing. In other words, if a person is gifted to and able to preach the gospel of the kingdom.
Firstly, he will be one who has embraced that gospel in his own private and public life.
Secondly, he will be able to preach and teach that gospel.
Thirdly, he will comprehend all of that gospel and not neglect portions of it for any reason.
Fourthly, the fruit of it will be evident in the formation of groups of Christians who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ (the ecclesia/church), who gather together regularly, and produce the spiritual fruit of the kingdom of heaven.
What I am really trying to get at in this article is that the ecclesia (the church) results from the gospel of the kingdom, not salaries, book sales, social media posts, or endless entertaining Sunday sermons. The things that produce those other things alone are not the gospel referred to in the scriptures, if those things are all we are seeing then it is another gospel entirely we see at work among us.
For more on this, take the time to listen to this audio message from T. Austin Sparks recorded in 1960.
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