Church Planting Principles from Acts Supplement to Book

Acts 1: 7 -8 –Spirit Empowerment and guidance • Witness must be Spirit-empowered • We can’t be sidetracked by worries about current events

Acts 2: 1 -41 – Contextual Gospel Preaching • Peter’s audience – Jews from all over the world • Peter’s approach – Jesus fulfilled Jewish prophecy about Messiah • Peter’s message – – The observed event was the Holy Spirit, promised in Scripture Jesus died and rose again, as Scripture promised He is Lord and Messiah You need to repent and believe • Peter’s method – proclaim and persuade (vs. 40 -41) • Principle: preach the gospel

Acts 2: 42 -47 – Community Formation • The church formed around – Home-based sharing, worship, and service – Large group teaching by the apostles • The glue was loyalty to the saving Christ, loyalty to one another in small groups, and hunger to learn more about this new life • The result was continual growth • Principle – Build Biblical Community

Acts 3 – Opportunity Outreach • The triggering event was a miraculous healing • Peter preaches – You rejected Jesus and had him killed – God raised him from the dead – Faith in the risen Messiah healed this man – Repent and turn to God • Principle – look for unexpected opportunities

Acts 4 – Prayer • The response to jail was prayer – For boldness in witness – For more healings and signs and wonders to be done in the name of Jesus • God’s answer – The building shook – They were filled with the Holy Spirit and boldness

Acts 5: 12 -16 – Miracles advanced evangelism • This is an answer to the prayer of Acts 4 • The doers of these signs were the apostles, though not exclusively – Stephen in Acts 6: 8 – Philip in Acts 8: 6 -7 – The key seems to be walking in the fullness of the Spirit and obedience to His guidance • The results were “multitudes” came to faith • Principle: Expect God to show up in power as you pray and minister

Acts 11: 19 -26 – Persecution spreads the church • Antioch church was planted by refugees

Acts 13: 1 -3 – Church Planting Missionaries • They were called out by the Holy Spirit • They were sent out by the Antioch church • Principle: The Holy Spirit calls out workers, but the church sponsors them • Principle: These were men of proven character with a history of effective ministry • Principle: The Holy Spirit called out a team

Acts 15 – A simple gospel message • Jesus plus nothing – contra the judaizers • Jesus fulfilled ALL the law by his life, death, and resurrection – contra Sabbatarian Christians • Principle: preach the gospel stripped of its cultural baggage from your life or any other missionaries heritage

Acts 16: 6 -10 The Holy Spirit directs • The Holy Spirit direct the missionary progress as He chooses • Not just the beginning, but all the way through, you need to be in intimate fellowship with the Spirit. • Always be ready for a re-direct from the Spirit • Principle: Continue to seek and follow the Spirit’s direction

Acts 17: 22 -34 – Know the Target Culture • Paul drew on his classical training to contextualize his evangelistic presentation to the Athenians • Example of a more resistant culture – They were proud and arrogant about their knowledge of philosphy – Yet they were closed to the new idea of “resurrection”

Acts 18 & 19 – Focus on the Receptive • He preached to all god-fearers and Jews until clear opposition arose: sowed the gospel broadly • He refocused on the receptive, once it was clear who they were

Acts 20 – Invest in the planted churches • In Troas he invested in teaching the whole church • In Ephesus (actually Miletus) he invested in the leaders • See also his letters to the churches and instructions to Timothy and Titus

Additional principles • Appoint leaders, first pro-tem, then those who mature into obvious choices to lead • Leadership drives off of proven character • Recruit plants to invest in additional church planting