The GOSPEL AND CHURCH PLANTING
rOMANS 1:1-15
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Main Idea: The gospel compels us to plant churches among the nations for the sake of Jesus’ name.
I. The Foundation of Church Planting (1:1-5a)
The Gospel of God (1:1; cf. 1:16)
The Word of God (1:2)
The Son of God (1:3-4)
The Grace and Commissioning of God (1:5a)
II. The Aim of Church Planting (1:5b)
“... to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name” (cf. Phil. 2:9-11)
The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is), but rather zeal — burning and passionate zeal — for the glory of Jesus Christ.”
~ John Stott, The Message of Romans
III. The Scope of Church Planting (1:5c)
“... among all the nations.” (cf. 15:8-9, 20-24)
By planting churches, we have the privilege of being in on God's sovereign work in the world. God's redemptive plan has always involved having a people for himself (Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:9-10). When you start a church, you’re doing more than starting an event at a storefront, school, under a tree, in a house, or at some other location You're actually participating in the grand narrative of God having a people for himself (Acts 18:10), a story that culminates in John's glorious vision in Revelation where a people from every tribe and language and nation are giving praise to the Lamb (Rev. 5:1-14). This vision compels us to be faithful in our present generation until the mission is finished.
~ Tony Merida, The Faithful Church Planter
IV. The Results of Church Planting (1:8-15)
The Gospel is Preached (1:15)
The Lost are Saved (1:13-14)
Churches are Strengthened (1:11-12)
God is Glorified
Implications:
We must pray for the work of church planting (cf. Matt. 9:35-38)
We must be generous toward the work of church planting
We must be eager to share the gospel to catalyze the work of church planting
Social networks are the basic mechanism through which conversions take place ... Most conversions are not produced by professional missionaries conveying a new message, but by [church] members who share their faith with their friends and relatives ... Although the very first Christian converts in the West may have been by full-time missionaries, the conversion process soon became self-sustaining as new converts accepted the obligation to spread their faith and did so by missionizing their immediate circle of intimates.
~ Rodney Stark, Cities of God
