Church Planting: A Foretaste of Heaven

Well, good morning, Christ the King Church. How are you guys doing this morning?

Oh, good. You guys are a little awake. That's good to know. Good response.

Well, just in case you haven't heard my name already, my name is Pastor Dan Nelson.

We are planting the Grove Church in Union Grove, Wisconsin later this year.

And I'm just so thankful to be here again with you,

worshiping with you this morning, and being able to bring God's Word.

I'm here with my lovely wife, Heather, and my daughter, Abby, and son, Levi.

And we are just so thankful again to be here.

We know that, or I know, that it's really an important thing

that I'm getting to share Pastor Mike Silvati's pulpit,

and he's sharing the congregation with me.

And so I take that, I don't take that lightly,

but I am very thankful to be here this morning.

Today's sermon is going to be anchored in Revelation 7, 9 through 12.

I've been asked to cover church planting, and I am so thankful to do that.

You'll notice I did say the word anchored,

so we're also going to be preaching from a couple other texts,

which is not my normal mode of apparatus,

but I'm excited to talk to you about church planting this morning.

One of the most frequent questions I receive is,

why are you planting a church?

And so that's one of those questions that we'll answer today.

But before we do that, let's read God's word,

coming from Revelation 7, 9 through 12.

After this I looked, and behold,

a great multitude that no one can number,

from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,

standing before the throne and before the Lamb,

clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands,

and crying out with a loud voice,

salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

And all the angels were standing around the throne

and around the elders and the four living creatures.

And they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God,

saying,

Amen!

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power

and might be to our God forever and ever.

Amen.

Why?

Parents, isn't that your favorite question to receive from kids?

Why?

Anytime your kid asks why,

you have two possible responses.

Either the Lord in that moment has given you enough grace

to say,

Yes, son or daughter,

let me answer that question for you.

Let me give you a little extra piece of knowledge.

Or maybe, just maybe,

you're lacking that grace and you respond,

Because I said so.

Right?

So many of the best questions,

the root of almost all questions,

is why?

And we are often,

even as Christians,

asked,

Why?

Why do you believe in Jesus?

Maybe even a step beyond that.

Why do you go to church?

If a friend asks you that question,

how might you answer that?

You might say,

I love Jesus.

And Jesus loves me.

Maybe you say something like,

I don't know,

they're just really good at throwing these parties called potlucks.

Right?

I hope those aren't your only answers,

but I'll let Pastor Mike work that out in the future.

Another question we receive is,

Why is the church dying?

Oh man.

Have you guys seen the headlines over the last four or five years?

I've got five or so of them here.

The American church is dying.

Decline of Christianity continues at a rapid pace.

Is the American church dying?

The great de-churching.

Oh, and my favorite one that I actually came across this week,

is thousands of churches will likely close down.

What happens to all the real estate?

Now, that probably reveals people's hunger for the church to maybe die,

so they can use these spaces for something different.

One could argue that if the church were dying,

it would be because we have not adhered to preaching the gospel,

making disciples of the gospel,

and multiplying the gospel.

Over the last few years, my favorite question,

my favorite why question has been,

Dan, why plant a church?

My favorite response is, why not?

We've been reminded for years that the American church is in decline.

Our culture is becoming increasingly hostile towards Christianity.

Churches are closing down all around us.

40 million Americans have left the church over the last 25 years.

That's a real stat.

Like no other time in American history,

we are at a point of crisis in the church.

This seems like the perfect time to plant more churches.

Not to mention, church planting is a mandate of the Great Commission

and a foretaste of heaven.

To be clearer,

I am saying that we must plant churches to fulfill the Great Commission

and expand God's kingdom.

Let me say that again.

We must plant churches to fulfill the Great Commission

and expand God's kingdom.

This morning, our sermon is titled,

Church Planting,

A Foretaste of Heaven.

We're going to look at three points

to show the importance of planting churches.

First, we're going to look at the Great Commission.

We're going to look at Paul's example

of bringing out the Great Commission.

And then, of course,

the passage in Revelation 7

that I told Mike that I would originally preach.

So turn with me to Matthew 28, 18 through 20.

I know I am cheating here.

I'm supposed to be in Revelation 7.

I get it.

However, to understand the end result,

we must understand the mission and mode

that gets us to Revelation 7.

Our first point this morning is that

the Great Commission is a mandate to plant churches.

Let me repeat that for our note takers in the room.

The Great Commission is a mandate to plant churches.

Let me read Matthew 28, 18 through 20 for us.

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.

Now Jesus Christ, resurrected after his death,

did ministry and showed himself to many witnesses.

But he had one last thing to say directly to the disciples.

Brothers and sisters,

these words are not just historical instruction to the apostles.

They are a living and breathing mandate for us today.

The Great Commission is our marching order,

our divine directive,

and it drives the essence of what it means to be the church.

Go is an active, intentional movement.

We are not called to sit back and wait for people to come to us.

We are commanded to go out into the world,

to step into the lives and communities of those who do not know Jesus.

Going is the very foundation of church planting.

It requires us to leave our comfort zones,

to reach out to new places, new cultures, new generations,

with a gospel message.

Next, we see that we are to make disciples of all nations.

The scope of the Great Commission is global.

It knows no boundaries, no barriers of race, ethnicity, or nationality.

Church planting embodies this global vision.

By establishing new churches in diverse locations,

we extend the reach of the gospel,

bringing the light of Christ to every corner of the earth.

Every new church plant is a beacon of hope.

A city on the hill, in the words of Jesus.

A place where disciples are made,

nurtured, and sent out to continue the mission.

We're also called in the Great Commission

to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Baptism is the outward sign of an inward transformation.

A public declaration of faith,

an entry into the community of believers.

Through church planting,

we create spaces where new believers can be baptized,

publicly declaring their faith,

and welcoming them into the family of God.

These new churches become the birthplace of a faith,

the starting point of a lifelong journey of discipleship.

Finally, Jesus commands us to teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.

Church planting is not just about gathering converts.

It is about making disciples who live out Jesus' teachings in their daily lives.

New churches provide an environment where believers are taught,

nurtured, and equipped to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

They become centers of teaching,

where the gospel is proclaimed and practiced.

The Great Commission is our divine mandate to plant churches.

It calls us to go,

make disciples,

baptize,

and teach.

It is a call to action,

a call to transformation,

a call to bring the light of Christ

to every nation,

every community,

and every heart.

Whether you live in downtown Kenosha,

Ghana, Africa,

London,

or the small rural village of Union Grove, Wisconsin,

we are called to make disciples

of every nation and people group.

There are people locally,

regionally,

nationally,

and internationally

who do not know Jesus Christ.

It is our mission

to bring the gospel to them

and plant churches

that make disciples

who are rooted in the gospel

and that continue to grow in it.

Then, just as Jesus did,

we send them out

to participate

in the mission

of multiplying disciples

through evangelism

and planting churches.

Planting churches

is not just one way

that we bring the gospel to the lost.

It isn't just one strategy.

It is the way.

It is the strategy.

Let me give you

a practical example of this.

Now, you don't all know me well yet,

and I hope to get to know you more

as we plant the Grove Church together.

But, spoiler alert,

I am a sinner,

and I once was a very lost man.

My faith was shaken

at the age of 20,

and quite honestly,

it really was just revealing

a lack of faith.

I was lost,

and I went to the world

to seek answers.

I found my answers

on the internet

and the meaning of my career.

The internet told me

that God wasn't real,

and the world told me

that my career

would give me purpose

and identity.

During this time,

I got married to Heather.

We were high school sweethearts.

She watched this good man

who was supposedly a Christian

when we met,

when we started dating,

this man transform

into something,

anything but that.

Became angry.

I had an insatiable appetite

for power

and money.

She knew I was lost,

and she begged me

to go to church

with her

for years.

My excuse was that

the church is filled

with pretenders

and phonies.

there's no way

we would be able

to find a good one.

My wife,

early on in my slide

into being even more lost,

got me to attend

one church, actually.

And after we left

that church service,

she looked at me

so excitedly,

and she said,

Dan,

what do you think?

I shrugged.

I said,

the people seemed fake,

and I'm not going

to go to church

where all of your

Trinity friends

are attending.

Now, that last line

is actually much closer

to the truth.

What I was calling

fake was actually

a genuine Christian.

They were genuine Christians

who knew and loved Jesus,

and they were being

sanctified and being made

more righteous.

I know this to be true

because now I know

that church to be faithful

with a genuinely loving

community of Christ followers,

and quite honestly,

they are one of the major

pillars of the community

they serve.

this church

was Crossway

of Bristol, Wisconsin,

your mother church.

But in my blindness,

all I saw were clicks,

phoniness,

and weirdos.

Crossway would have been

about 10 years old

at this point.

It wasn't an institutional

church yet.

I know they just celebrated

25 years.

However, the church

my wife finally got me

to attend

a few years after this,

the church in which

I become saved,

the church in which

I entered into a real

relationship with Jesus Christ,

the church in which

I recognized my sinfulness,

the church in which

I proclaimed,

Christ is the King

and the Lord

over my life.

This was a church plant

that had been recently

gifted their first building

that maybe had 100 or so

people between two services.

Their congregation

was just younger

in their faith

and not as sanctified

or threatening to me.

This church allowed me

to feel comfortable

in my lostness

until I found Jesus.

And then once I found Jesus,

they were willing

to continue to deal with me

as I grew in the gospel.

This church was less

than four years old

when we went there.

I can almost guarantee

that some in this room

have a similar story

or have felt a similar way

about churches.

You walk into a holy place

filled with holy people

as a sinner,

a broken, wretched man

or woman,

and you might not even

know it yet.

And you just bounce

right off of that holiness.

And yet,

you can walk into

Christ the King

when it was three,

five,

eight,

or ten years old

and see a church

that faithfully

preaches God's word

and is filled

with all sorts of

righteous,

sanctified,

intelligent people

and yet somehow,

somehow,

you were able to feel

more at home.

Some of you

to this day

might still be lost

and yet this church,

Christ the King,

I know it to be true,

will continue to love

and accept you

as you are

in hope that one day

you too

will call Christ

the King.

We must embrace

this mandate

with passion

and purpose.

Knowing that

planting churches

will fulfill

Jesus' mission

and advance

his kingdom

here on earth.

Now,

if you're an astute

reader

or listener,

you might be saying,

now Pastor Dan,

Jesus didn't say

plant a church.

You know what?

You're right.

You got me.

That is true.

Now,

I have made

an argument

that church planting

is how we complete

the Great Commission.

So let me defend

and claim,

let me defend

that claim

with irrefutable evidence.

We know

from the disciples'

actions and responses

to the Great Commission

that the church

is how Jesus wants

to build the kingdom

of God.

Our second point

this morning

is that Paul

understands church planting

as the key

to fulfilling

the Great Commission.

Let me repeat that.

Paul understands

church planting

as the key

to fulfilling

the Great Commission.

Paul establishes

a pattern

in his Great Commission

work throughout

the book of Acts.

Paul's first

missionary journey

as recorded

in Acts 13-14

began with the

commissioning

by the Holy Spirit

in the church

of Antioch.

This journey

takes Paul

and Barnabas

to several cities

including Antioch,

Iconium,

Lystra,

and Derbe

where they preached

the gospel

and established

new Christian churches.

Paul faced

significant opposition

in each city

and yet he remained

steadfast

in his mission.

His perseverance

resulted in the formation

of new churches.

Paul's second

missionary journey

detailed it

in Acts 15-18

expanded his church

planting efforts

even further.

He revisits

the churches

he had previously

established

strengthening the

believers

and addressing

any issues

that had arisen

and this journey

also saw the

planting of new churches

in places like

Philippi,

Thessalonica,

Berea,

Corinth,

and Ephesus.

Each city

has unique

cultural

and religious context

and yet

Paul's approach

to acting out

the Great Commission

remains consistent.

He preaches

the gospel,

he gathers

believers

and he establishes

local churches

to nurture

and grow their faith.

Paul preaches

the gospel,

gathers believers,

and establishes

local churches

to nurture

and grow their faith.

We see him

do this

again

and again.

We also see

that this is not

just a method

to be used

by Apostle Paul

because Paul

instructs

others to

participate

in the same work.

Titus 1,

4-5

gives us

this instruction.

It says,

To Titus,

my true child

in a common faith,

grace and peace

from God the Father

and Christ Jesus

our Savior.

This is why

I left you

in Crete

so that you might

put what remained

into order

and appoint elders

in every town

as I directed you.

Now I know

you all know this,

but the role

of an elder

is to know,

lead,

feed,

and protect

the local church,

the local flock

of Christians.

An elder's role

is unique

to the church

and Paul

instructs Titus

to raise elders.

Paul is essentially

telling Titus,

Finish planting

or establishing

those churches

in these towns.

Plant churches.

Not only

does Paul

model

what it looks like

to pursue

the Great Commission

through planting churches,

but he also shows us

that planting churches

is not just

for the apostles.

Church planting

is passed down

through the generations

of the church

as the strategy

for completing

the Great Commission.

Since the time

of Paul,

church planting

has been directly

tied to the growth

of Christianity

in any given region.

You obviously

know that to be true

for the establishment

of the church

during the life

and ministry

of Paul.

But it's also true

in our own

Protestant history

after the Reformation.

For any of our

history nerds,

you're really going

to enjoy

the next little piece

here.

In 1555,

100 church planting

pastors

were sent

from Geneva

to France.

These 100

pastors

planted churches,

made disciples

of the gospel

that grew

in the gospel

and then were

sent out

to plant churches.

Seven years later,

these 100 pastors

had planted

2,000 churches.

50% of the nation

of France

was thought

to be Protestant

Christian

by 1562

because of this

church planting

effort.

100 pastors

went out,

they equipped

disciples,

they made

disciples of Christ,

they equipped

disciples to do

ministry,

and those disciples

went out and

continued to plant

churches.

2,000 churches

in seven years.

How about here

in America?

What's our history

of church planting

tied to Christianity?

Christianity.

In 1820,

there was

one Christian

church

for every

875

U.S.

residents.

From 1860

to 1906,

the Protestants

of America,

that's us,

planted one church

for every

350 people

added to the

nation's population.

At the end

of this movement

to plant churches,

there was one church

for every

430 people

in the nation.

Church double.

At this time,

40% of all

Protestant churches

were under

the age of 25.

To give some

idea of the

growth from this

church planting

movement,

in 1776,

just 17%

of the U.S.

population

was considered

religiously

adherent.

But in 1916,

after this church

planting movement,

this had increased

to 53%.

How about today?

Today,

there is one

Christian church

for every

1,000 people

in America.

If our goal

was to get back

to at least

one church

for every

500 people

in the next

20 years,

we would need

to plant

a minimum

of 15,000

churches a year.

Oh, wait.

4,500 churches

or so close

every year.

So we actually

need to plant

20,000 churches

a year.

How many

are we actually

planting?

In 2019,

through all

the major

Protestant denominations

and evangelical

denominations,

3,000

Protestant churches

were planted

in 2019.

That's it.

We're not even

keeping up

with the amount

of churches

that are closing,

let alone

trying to get back

to a meaningful

number that can

serve the community

well.

If the Great

Commission is to be

executed through

planting of churches,

and we see that

in Paul's model

and teaching,

then we must

take up the mantle

of church planting

and make it our

strategy for spreading

the gospel.

We need to make

disciples who are

rooted in the gospel,

who grow in the gospel,

and who multiply

the gospel through

evangelism and church

planting.

It is clear that we

must plant churches

to fulfill the

Great Commission

and expand God's

kingdom.

Pastor Dan,

all of this is

fine.

There's some nice

stats.

Yep, I agree.

Paul planted churches.

That makes sense.

But does this really

matter for me today?

I mean, I have

Christ the King.

It's a great church.

You know, there's

still room in the pews.

I can invite my

friends here.

Like, it's still okay.

Right?

Now, I'm sure none

of you are actually

angsty enough to be

asking that question.

But let's go ahead

and dive into

Revelation 7.

It's been a minute,

so I'll reread it

for us.

We're in Revelation

7, 9-12.

After this, I looked

and behold,

a great multitude

that no one could

number,

from every nation,

from all tribes

and peoples

and languages,

standing before the

throne and before

the Lamb,

clothed in white

robes with palm

branches in their

hands,

and crying out

with a loud voice,

salvation belongs

to our God who

sits on the throne

and to the Lamb.

And all the angels

were standing around

the throne and

around the elders

and the four living

creatures, and they

fell on their faces

before the throne

and worshipped God,

saying,

Amen!

Blessing and glory

and wisdom

and thanksgiving

and honor

and power

and might be

to our God

forever and ever.

Amen!

To answer this

question first,

the Great Commission

mandates church

planting.

Paul modeled it

and taught it

to be true,

and church planting

ignites God's

kingdom on earth.

Our third point,

church planting

ignites God's

kingdom on earth.

This passage

paints a

breathtaking picture

of the culmination

of God's

redemptive plan.

A vision of

unity,

diversity,

and worship

that inspires

and propels us

forward in our

mission.

What an awe-inspiring

scene!

This passage

gives us a glimpse

of heaven,

where the multitude

from every corner

of the earth

stands united

in worship

before the throne

of God.

It is a vision

of God's kingdom

fully realized,

where barriers

of race,

ethnicity,

and language

are completely

dissolved,

and we are

in the presence

of the Almighty.

But this vision,

brothers and sisters,

is not just

a future hope.

Church planting

is our means

of working

towards this

heavenly vision.

But each

new church plant

is also

a microcosm

of Revelation 7.

It is a tangible

expression

of Christ's

diverse

and unified

body.

Consider the

diversity that is

depicted in this

passage.

A multitude

from every nation,

every tribe,

every people,

every language,

every socioeconomic

situation,

poor,

rich,

whatever.

Republican,

Democrat.

Democrat.

This is all

clear,

this is a clear

call to reach

beyond our own

cultural and

ethnic boundaries,

to reach outside

of our people.

Church planting

enables us to

engage with

diverse communities,

share the gospel

across cultural

lines,

and to build

congregations that

reflect the

beautiful diversity

of God's

creation.

creation.

We begin to

mirror the

heavenly assembly

described in

Revelation through

planting churches in

various contexts and

among different

people.

Secondly, the

image, the unity in

this image in

worship is striking.

Despite their

diverse backgrounds,

the multitude is

united in a single

purpose, to

worship God

and the

Lamb.

Church planting

fosters this

unity.

By establishing

new churches

of faith, we

create spaces

where believers

from different

walks of life

can come

together,

united in their

love for Jesus

and commitment

to his mission.

These new

churches become

beacons of

unity in a

divided world,

showcasing

the power

of the

gospel to

unite people.

Thirdly, the

worship of the

multitude is

central.

They cry out

with a loud

voice, declaring

the salvation of

God and

attributing all

glory, wisdom

and power to

him.

Church planting

is fundamentally

about creating

a worshiping

community.

glory.

It is about

establishing a

place where

God is

glorified, his

salvation is

proclaimed, and

believers are

equipped to live

lives of

worship.

Each new

church plant is a

fresh voice in

the chorus of

praise that will

one day resound in

the throne room of

heaven.

God.

In light of

Revelation 7, 9

through 12, we

see that church

planting is not

merely a strategic

initiative, it's

not merely a

response to

declining attendance,

it is deeply

theological

endeavor that

aligns with God's

ultimate plan for

humanity.

It is our

participation in

the unfolding

story of

redemption, our

contribution to the

diverse, unified,

worshiping body of

Jesus Christ that

will one day all be

gathered in heaven

together.

We must, and I

know I'm saying

that word a lot

today, but we

must renew our

passion and

purpose for this

mission Christ has

given us.

We must commit to

proclaiming the

gospel, making

disciples, and

planting churches.

churches.

Our motivation is

that this is the

mission that God

has given us.

And as we engage in

church planting, we

are not just building

institutions.

We are building the

kingdom of God here

on earth.

We are working

towards the day when

people of every

nation, tribe,

people, and

languages will stand

together before the

throne, united in

worship and declaring

the glory of God.

God, and I can't

think of a more

beautiful purpose to

our lives here on

earth.

I just can't.

We are to live lives

of worship and bring

others into that

worship as well.

The importance of

church planting cannot

be overstated, even if

I did say we must about

a dozen times.

It is a direct

response to the

Great Commission, an

essential part of

living out our faith, and

a powerful means of

advancing God's

kingdom on earth.

By planting churches, we

follow the example of

Paul who demonstrated

through his missionary

journeys that planting

new churches is vital

for the spread of the

gospel.

moreover, church

planting is a foretaste

of the heavenly vision

depicted in Revelation

7, 9 through 12, where

people from every nation,

tribe, and language

worship together before

the throne of God.

Each new church plant we

plant is a step towards

realizing this divine

vision, bringing us

closer to the day when

all creation will join in

unified worship.

church.

We must, I know I've

said it a ton, but we

must embrace the call to

plant churches with a

renewed sense of urgency

and commitment.

There are many challenges

facing the church today,

both here and abroad.

As we step out in faith to

plant new churches, we

address these challenges

and we participate in God's

redemptive work in the

world.

Church planting is not

just about numerical

growth, it is about

transforming lives,

communities, and cultures

with the power of the

gospel.

May we be called by the

Great Commission,

motivated by Paul's

example, and driven by

the vision of Revelation

7, dedicating ourselves

to planting churches and

expanding God's kingdom

here and now.

God, we have a role to

play in this great work.

Some of you may be called

to plant churches, like

myself, planting the Grove

Church at this moment.

Some of you may be called

to that.

If that is you, talk with

your pastors, talk with

your elders, let them work

through that call with you.

Whether that is for you to go

and be sent by Christ the

king to plant another

independent church or to

join a church plant that is

already in process, they can

help you pray through that

and think through that

calling.

They can help guide you with

some next steps.

Lastly, there are, not

lastly, you also might just

be called to pray.

To pray for church planting.

To pray for the in-breaking

of the gospel in new

communities.

To pray for planters such as

myself or my church, the

Grove Church.

And lastly, there are some

of you that might be called

to support church planting

financially.

If you feel called to this,

I would still recommend that

you bring that to your

pastors and elders.

Christ the king may be

called to start a church

planting fund for your

future.

Or they can help direct you

to appropriate plants for

your support.

As members of Christ the

king, I want to make sure

that I say this very

clearly to you.

As members of Christ the

king, you are already

actively participating in

this work.

As a local church, you are

sending the Grove Church to

Union Grove, Wisconsin.

You are planting the Grove

Church.

And we couldn't be more

thankful for your

partnership in this

essential work.

This is not a weight for

you to individually carry the

burden of.

The church is essential to

God's redemptive plan.

And local churches should

do the work of church

planting, just as Christ

the king is doing with me.

And again, I say thank you

for participating in this

work.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you

for the incredible privilege of

being part of your mission on

earth.

God, we ask that you would

empower us with your spirit as

we commit to planting churches

and making disciples.

Give us the courage to go where

you lead, the wisdom to build

strong, Christ-centered churches,

and the passion to reach those

who have yet to hear the good

news of Jesus Christ.

May our efforts bring glory to

your name and draw many into your

kingdom.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.