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The Church of Christ was Born: Story Church London
Westminster Chapel, London England
1 Corinthians 3 , Titus 1
Adam Watson | September 22nd, 2024
Story Church London is a Commission Church Plant. Therefore we aim to plant churches. To not just be one church but a church that will plant churches and send missionaries for the glory of Jesus' name. We are a church plant of Commission Global. Within our family of churches you know we are passionate about planting new churches to spread the gospel. When we read the Bible we see that Paul started churches wherever he went, training and raising leaders as he did so. Research shows that new churches often grow faster and are more effective in reaching out to others, and we want to continue to give lots of focus to seeing further churches established like this.
In the 1950s/60s there was a great move of the Holy Spirit in the Restoration Movement or the House Church Movement, where Christian were being baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit and seeking to do Church again, like Christians did in the Book of Acts. There were lots of Charismatic leaders in the UK and different movements founded, believing in tongues and prophecy and healing. What made Terry Virgo different to many of them was his belief in the Reformed doctrines, in particular the belief that God is Sovereign in salvation, choosing us before the creation of the World, calling us into salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit and preserving us in the faith until we see Christ again and are glorified forever in the new heavens and the new earth. We are Reformed Charismatics in New Frontiers and in Commission. Now, from our belief in the continuation of the gifts comes our belief in Commission that the apostolic gift continues.
So Why do we plant churches in 2024?
Jesus is worthy! He is worthy of our lives! He is worthy of worship! This week, the Fourth Lausanne Conference is gathering in Seoul Korea. There are 5700 delegates from around the world gathering together to progress the great commission. Church planting is the fruit of discipleship, the advance of the gospel and the kingdom of collaboration.
3.2 Billion Unreached people on the planet today. Romans 10:14
“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”.
Reason 1: The Biblical Mandate for Church Planting
1 Corinthians 3:3-11
3 “for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 3 is where we get the name “Church Planting” from. Paul describes what he did in Corinth, which Apollos then built upon.
Paul also gives us at least four descriptions of church planters in these verses.
1) Servants of God (verse 5) – Church Planters are those who obey God, obeying the Great Commission as a general command given, but also respond to a personal call from God to go planting.
2) Nothing (verse 7) – Perhaps the most important description. Church planters aren’t anything! It’s God who gives growth.
3) Fellow-Workers in verse 9. Church planting requires hard work. And church planting is definitely a team sport. Church planters are together workers.
4) Foundation-Layers in verse 10. Church planters lay solid foundations to be built upon. The foundation that must be laid is Jesus Christ – faith in Christ, worshiping Christ, the centrality of the cross, preaching a Christ-centered Gospel, laying a foundation of culture which follows Christ’s example etc.
Paul’s point overall in this passage is to criticize the Corinthians for division, jealousy and strife in the Church. So, ultimately what he’s saying is we follow Christ, not Paul, not Apollos. But in doing so he gives us this phrase Church planting, like planting a seed, like building a foundation, starting a new church. Why, though, is Commission and New Frontiers still passionate about planting churches in towns and cities in the UK where churches are still preaching the Gospel? That is a good question.
Why should we specifically be passionate about planting in the UK, if there are already Gospel preaching churches here?
1) There are many places in the UK where the Gospel is not being preached
There is a naivety about the availability of the Gospel in many places in the UK. In most University cities there will be places where people can go to Church and hear the Gospel, but in many villages and towns in the UK there is not a reliable Gospel witness. Even in big cities with good churches, we overestimate the reach of each Church. The Gospel might be available, if someone decides they want to go to a church, but is the Gospel being taken out across a whole city into all the communities, workplaces, streets into the crevices. The answer is no. Even in the biggest churches represented in this room, there will be areas of your city and particular groups of people you are not reaching. And maybe your church can develop something to reach it, but actually maybe God will raise up a church planter to do something new that will reach the Muslim population of your town or the poorest area or the richest area or the people who get anxious about big crowds and would prefer a church of 20-30 people at least at first.
2) New churches best reach new generations, new residents and new people groups
Church plants statistically attract younger church goers at a much higher percentage than established congregations.
Tim Keller writes “new residents are almost always reached better by new congregations. Older congregations may require a tenure of ten years before someone is allowed into places of leadership and influence, but in a new church, new residents tend to have equal power with longtime area residents.”
3) New, New, New churches best reach the unchurched:
New Callings
Reach back
New life in Christ
4) New churches release more gifting in Christians: In big churches many gifts can be overlooked or unused. In church plants, smaller gifts are given an opportunity to flourish. Prayer for gifts is more urgent and God seems to respond to prayer. People are also forced to do things they would not consider their primary gifting and often see God’s help and provision.
5) New churches provide great training ground for leaders: who can lead in bigger contexts
Historically speaking, the most influential leaders in Church History started their ministries in smaller church settings before being given larger churches to lead. Spurgeon, Wesley, Whitefield and Lloyd-Jones all started ministry life in small churches before being called to bigger things in the future.
6) A Kingdom People: As Christians, we should all be passionate about growing Christ’s Kingdom, rather than our own empires. Sometimes the negativity towards church plants is more about selfish ambition than unity. If church plants do reach the lost and new people groups better, then established churches ought to rejoice to see planting work happening around them, even if it means they lose some of their people. If a church plant grows 50% new Christians and 50% transfer growth, then the established churches ought to have a kingdom mindset and rejoice at the new Christians and that some of their members feel better released into their gifts.
REASON 2: A MANDATE FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP
Paul’s letter to Titus is a mandate for Christian leaders, but it is also a model for the Christian life. The letter does not apply just to pastors, it applies to everyone. Because character matters everywhere. Character matters in the church, it matters in the home, it matters in the boardroom, it matters in politics, it matters in our jobs, and it matters in our relationships. Character matters everywhere.
So, what kind of person are you? Are you devoted to godly character?
Again, Paul’s letter to Titus is a mandate for Christian leaders. “For this reason,” Paul writes, “I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you” (Titus 1:5, NAS).
Crete is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, southeast of Greece. It is 160 miles long and 35 miles wide. This beautiful island was a port to many ships traveling throughout the Mediterranean. But this beautiful island with pink sand beaches was also known for indulgence and immorality. It was known for a confusing blend of Greek mythology, Roman emperor worship, Judaism, and Christianity. That’s why Paul wrote to Titus, “They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach” (Titus 1:11, NIV).
So there was an urgent need to “appoint elders” to oversee these young house churches. An urgent need to identify men of godly character and sound doctrine. To paraphrase Paul, “Titus, in light of the Gospel, in light of this message of eternal life with which we have been entrusted, finish the job. Appoint elders to lead and shepherd God’s people. And choose wisely. Choose men of good reputation, who know the word, who love their wives, and who lead their families. Choose men who are wise and humble, and who reflect the character of Christ Himself. Titus, entrust the Gospel and entrust the bride of Christ into the hands of men like this.”
So again, Paul’s letter to Titus is a mandate for Christian leaders, but it is also a model for the Christian life. The letter does not apply just to pastors, it applies to everyone. Because character matters everywhere.
Titus 1:5-9
5 “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— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,[a] and his children are believers[b] and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer,[c] as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound[d] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it."
Paul instructs Titus to bring order to the believers so that the mission goes forward
There is geographic importance regarding the locality of the mission of God
Planting Churches and multiplication requires appointing and recognizing christlike leaders to be empowered to lead
Taking new ground requires men obeying Jesus and living like Jesus
REASON 3: A MISSION FROM CHRIST
So, we have church planting described in Acts, we see Paul tell Titus to raise up Elders to shepherd these believers, but more importantly we have church planting commanded by Jesus.
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:18-20
18 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Great Commission does not happen by individual Christians working alone. Jesus does not say to you individually “You go, you make disciples, you teach them, you baptize them.” He speaks to the apostles together and says “Go and make disciples of all nations”, but then the extra two instructions here explain that making disciples involves baptizing and teaching.
96% percent of the conversions in the book of Acts are in groups, households, and churches. In Acts, the only person who is baptized alone is the Ethiopian Eunuch. There are some households baptized, but pretty much every baptism is a community thing in the Book of Acts. It is an establishment of a group of disciples following Jesus together in a place. In other words, when the Great Commission is given, it assumes that Churches would be planted. And the Great Commission includes teaching as well, so wherever they went the Apostles would preach the Gospel, baptize people and then teach the people what being a Christian meant. There would be assemblies where the people came to hear the Gospel being preached. In other words, they were starting churches wherever they went. So, the Great Commission at the very least assumes churches are being planted. And to say that in a slightly stronger way, Jesus in the Great Commission commands that churches be planted.
Without any hesitation, we can say it is Jesus’ command that churches be planted in places where the Gospel is not being preached. And Commission desires to be a family that plants into unreached areas, be that places in the UK where there is no true Gospel witness or abroad into Europe where the true Gospel message of grace has died in large regions of the continent abroad or into farther places, where perhaps the Gospel has never been before.
Discipleship
2 Timothy 2:1-3
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
Missional Communities
Acts 2:42-47 ESV
42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
This is a collaborative, unifying, God-glorifying way for the church to live in the power of the Spirit.
Preaching the word of God. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes about the priority of the church from Acts 6 in his book Preaching and preachers.
“Surely the business of the Christian Church, and the leaders particularly, is to deal with this crying need: Why go on preaching when people are starving and in need and are suffering? That was the great temptation that came to the Church immediately; but the Apostles under the leading and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the teaching they had already received, and the commission they had had from their Master, saw the danger and they said, ‘It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God, and serve tables’. This is wrong. We shall be failing in our commission if we do this. We are here to preach this Word, this is the first thing, ‘We will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word.’ Now there the priorities are laid down once and for ever. This is the primary task of the Church, the primary task of the leaders of the Church, the people who are set in this position of authority; and we must not allow anything to deflect us from this, however good the cause, however great the need. This is surely the direct answer to much of the false thinking and reasoning concerning these matters at the present time.” Dr. Marytn Lloyd-Jones Preaching and Preachers, 22-23)
50 Missional Community Groups across the city of London. Sending from the nations to the nations.
Timeline
Autumn
Sundays 3-5 PM Agape Center
Thursdays 6-8 PM Agape Center
Grow groups
Monthly Worship Nights
September 2024 CORE TEAM DEVELOPMENT:
In the Autumn of 2024 we will continue to build our core team through missional communities,Commission churches, evangelism and a monthly Sunday evening worship gathering in Central London.
January 2025 GROUP MULTIPLICATION:
We are intentionally not setting a date to launch Sunday gatherings until we multiply our Missional Communities to at least three groups. This will require an intense focus on discipleship and training of future missional community group leaders.
March 2025 SUNDAY GATHERINGS:
Once we have multiplied to at least 3 missional community groups we aim to launch weekly Sunday gatherings at the Agape Arabic Christian Centre, a 10 minute walk of Paddington Station. Our Sunday gatherings will continue to cast a vision for missional living and multiplication as well.
REASON 4: A LOVE FOR THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
The church is glorious, messy, imperfect, and we are imperfect church, since I am an imperfect pastor. I cannot overstate the impact of my early years at Community Bible Church in Washington D.C. The church of Jesus is family. I am wildly optimistic that God is not done with the church, His bride. He looks forward to being with His bride more than we do.
The Story so far…
Obstacles- As we are in the series as a church of Contenders and considering the opposition the early church faced. 1 Corinthians 3:3, Jealousy, Acts passages, Reference to Contenders, opposition, opponents in London.
Provision- PARTNERS IN THE GOSPEL, Commission Global, The London Project and Friendships.
Story Church London. Why Story Church London? What's in a name? Tell the story of the gospel. Part of our story as a family. Part of Jesus story, the story of the Gospel. There are two scriptures that inspired the name specifically.
Psalm 107:1-2 NIV
1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,”
Revelation 12:11
11 “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
We have overcome the enemy by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony. Therefore…To God be the glory, now and forevermore.
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