Church Planting Movements - Part 1

Although I feel a little overloaded with information right now, this last week was a great time of learning. I am discovering more and more of what I will be doing, and how I will be doing it. Of all the sessions we had this week, I think my favorite were the two on Church Planting Movements.

The mission of everything we do is to glorify God. Within that mission, our goal is to be Christ's witnesses to the ends of the earth, as stated in Acts 1:8, that as many as possible would enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ as they are called by the Holy Spirit.

Habakkuk 1:5 says, "Look to the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." God's promises are true, and He is truly doing something amazing in our day. He is drawing lost people to himself and into a relationship with His son, Jesus Christ. The way he appears to be doing this is through Church Planting Movements.

It is so exciting to see God moving, and I seek to be a part of what he is doing. The gospel of Jesus Christ is being spread rapidly throughout the world, and is reaching many places that have never had any access to the truth of salvation. I would like to explain a little bit how this is happening, so that you can more effectively pray for me and the other missionaries who are planting New Testament churches, in obedience to the word of God.

First, I would like to give the definition of a Church Planting Movement, given in the book of the same title, by David Garrison. It is a rapid multiplication of indigenous churches planting churches that sweeps through a people group or population segment. This definition is important. This simply describes what is happening around the world, by the power of God. I will go into more detail in my next post, but I just wanted you to know what I mean when I say Church Planting Movement, or CPM.

Okay, in other news...today is our volleyball tournament. Pray that we would stay injury-free, have fun, and that I would be an Encourager on the court. Also, please pray that my "stomach" would feel better. This morning in tae-kwon-do class, I got an unexpected kick from a middle-schooler to the family jewels. I am still in pain three hours later. I am okay, but still a little sore. Also pray for our trip to Washington, DC on Friday, where we will be doing a lot of cross-cultural sharing of the gospel.

I also have a few praises. My friend Carlos had surgery last week, and has been back at orientation now for a week, and is doing very well. Also, I have had quality time with God every day, and have been intentional about how I prioritize my time. Another praise is that my former youth minister has just become the college/young adult and missions minister at my church. This is a huge answer to several prayer requests I had for my church and for the college group that I left to go onto the mission field. It is awesome to see God work.

Dios les bendiga!

Josh