Why Church Planting?
This World Is Not Our Home
There is an undeniable focus in the Bible on people groups, on the unreached, on church planting, and on teams, so we plant the church among unreached peoples through teams because that’s what the Bible clearly tells us to do.
But why?
Because Jesus is worthy of glory from all nations. To HIM shall the praises of the peoples be sung (Gen. 49:10; Psalm 57:9; 67:5–7). Because at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess (Phil. 2:10). Because Jesus is the glad hope and great joy of every nation (Matt. 12:21). We plant churches among the unreached through teams because Jesus is worthy of glory.
And we plant churches among the unreached because we want to go home. We want to revel in His presence and glorify Him forever with our brothers and sisters of every race, tribe, tongue, language, and nation (Rev. 5:9).
Matthew 24:14 is perhaps the most succinct explanation for why we obey the missionary mandate of the Bible. This world is not our home. We are strangers and pilgrims longing for the sweet and unmitigated presence of Jesus. We agree with Paul that to be with Christ is far, far better—total gain (Phil. 1:21–23). We despair of this world fixing itself for any lasting good, and we despair of the sin within our own hearts. The Bible simply tells us that the way home is through the nations. The trumpet sounds, the Lord descends, and we are changed in a moment (1 Cor. 15:52) to ever be with the Lord when the gospel of the Kingdom is preached, as a witness, among every people group. That is when the end comes. That is when we get to be with Jesus. That is what we live and die for. That is why we live dead—for the glory and worth of Jesus among all nations.
Why church planting? Because that is what the
Bible clearly tells us to do.
The Bible focuses on people groups.
The “families” of the Old Testament (Gen. 12:3) and the “nations” of both Old and New Testaments (Psalm 2:1, 8; Matt. 28:19–20) refer to the “ethne”—the families of earth that each have their own language, culture, religion, and geography. Revelation 7:9 mentions nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues as the end game. In other words, heaven will be full of diverse people groups.
The Bible focuses on the unreached.
Jesus talked of other sheep (John 10:16) and other cities (Luke 4:43). Jesus rejoiced when Gentile women (Mark 7:29) or men (Matt. 8:10) displayed great faith. His mission extended outside the boundaries of Israel as John 3:16 so definitively and expansively declares regarding the scope of atonement—the world! Paul spoke of preaching where Christ was not named (Rom. 15:20) and the regions beyond (2 Cor. 10:16).
The Bible focuses on church planting.
Jesus promised He would build His church (Matt. 16:18) and Luke toggles back and forth in Acts 14:27–28 between disciples and churches, showing they’re inseparable. Disciples are what we together are to make of all the nations (Matt. 28:19). Disciples are not made in isolation; they are made in community. A church is most simply a collection of disciples doing what disciples do (Acts 2:41–47).
The Bible focuses on teams.
Jesus had a team of twelve (Matt. 10:1–4). Jesus sent his seventy-two disciples out two by two (Luke 10:1). Chords of three strands are not quickly broken (Eccles. 4:12). Paul had a rotating band with different gift sets: Barnabas was an encourager (Acts 4:36–37); Silas was a prophet (Acts 15:32); Timothy was a pastor and multiplier (2 Tim. 2:2); and Romans 15 gives the list of a whole host of Paul’s fellow missionary team.
Every believer is called to go
Whether to your neighbor across the street or to the nations across the world. At Live Dead, we exist to take the good news of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard in the countries that have limited to no access to this good news. We seek to mobilize advocates, both individuals and churches, to pray, speak, give, and go for the sake of unreached people groups. How will you join us in this work?
