Church Planting the Kingdom

Do you know what the first commandment in the Bible is? The very first command in the Bible is “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). God from the beginning intended all living things to reproduce, that is, “according to its kind.” For lions that meant “reproduce lions.” For plants that meant “reproduce plants.” For Adam and Eve that meant “have lots of children.”

Throughout the New Testament, we see the church described as a living body. Just as everything that is alive will grow, mature, and reproduce, the same is true for the church. A church does so by starting another church.

This is all a part of God’s Kingdom work. God is passionate that His kingdom will encompass every community, every tribe, and will reach every person.

Fred Herron adds to this thought in his book Expanding God’s Kingdom through Church Planting (pg. 19):

“God intends the church to proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom so that his kingdom will spread to every people group on the earth. The passion in God’s heart for the expansion of his kingdom is a desire for all nations to glorify God the eternal King. He has given the church a kingly commission to go into the entire world and make disciples who are loyal worshippers of the King. The heart of God for kingdom expansion is the foundation for planting new churches.”

With this in mind, church planting becomes more than a novel idea. It is through the planting of new churches that God’s kingdom and God’s reign are extended into communities around the world that are under the reign of darkness.

We fulfill both the first command of Scripture and the Great Commission by multiplying churches. By planting churches we take Jesus into the lives of needy people, we become partners with God’s mission, and we actively expand God’s kingdom. God’s heart beats for church planting and so should ours!