If we are to do well at church planting, denominations, presbyteries, synods, or networks will be needed for spiritual, prayerful, and financial support. When Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70, God’s plan continued to be revealed. Christians fled Judea. The temple could no longer be the focal point of assembly. The church was decentralized, and this proved to be a blessing. The many small local churches were places of hospitality and refuge for Christians, who were increasingly being persecuted. Local churches became known for their love and good works and for their care for slaves, widows, orphans, and the weak. In time, those churches would grow and would begin to send out missionaries to continue the cycle of life.

There was a time when the Western world seemed to be saturated with churches. The diligence and prayers of former generations had led to skylines filled with steeples. Even small villages were dotted with chapels. Then, some people began to think that bigger was always better. We were impressed by massive crusades and megachurches. It was assumed that we would be best served by the most programmed church with the most articulate preacher in our region. Many people left for seemingly greener pastures, while others fell away entirely. Many faithful churches were shuttered and sold off. Some did not realize that we were retreating. In the midst of it all, we seemed to lose God’s blueprint for His mission.
Regardless of how big or small a church is, what matters is that it is faithful and fruitful. We should rejoice whenever and wherever Christ is preached (Phil. 1:18). The broader trends of the past century, however, should compel us to revisit God’s blueprint for His mission. Iain H. Murray, in his book Evangelicalism Divided, gave a careful analysis of the impact of twentieth-century evangelical missions. He showed that those who were reached by broader missions efforts needed not just to be called to repentance and faith in Christ but also to be personally discipled in the context of faithful local churches. When this did not happen, many left Christianity behind, more confused and jaded than before.
More is required than broad scattering of seeds. Watering, fertilizing, and careful pruning are also vital components of missions. Believers need to worship alongside neighbors who we know love the Lord. Office bearers need to give personalized edification, encouragement, loving rebuke, and tender restoration. There is a need to be salt and light among our neighbors. This means that existing churches need to focus their efforts on planting new local congregations that worship reverently, preach the gospel faithfully, administer the sacraments properly, and discipline their members lovingly. If the church is to regain lost ground, we need to return to God’s blueprint.
When we step back and look at the broad themes of the Bible, we see that God calls His people out again and again. He called Adam and Eve out of hiding. He called Noah to build an ark and escape an evil world. He called Abraham out of the east, away from the worship of other gods (Josh. 24:2). He called Israel out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1). Christ called His disciples to leave everything behind (Mark 10:21). God’s people are called out of “Babylon” (Rev. 18:4). A foundational part of being the church means being called out. God’s people have been summoned to the throne of grace. It means abandoning hope in this world itself and casting ourselves on Christ alone. It also means being called into a visible expression of Christ’s body: a local, faithful church.
Being “called out” means leaving behind sinful attachments to this world and instead being joined to the body of Christ (Eph. 2:19–22). Being the church means that we must leave behind any worldly motives or practices that are rooted in trendiness, pragmatism, or showmanship. It means putting the worship of God above all else. This does not mean, however, abandoning the lost who live around us. To seek them out and call them in brings glory to God (Luke 15:7, 10, 32). The lost need to come under a local ministry where their particular sins and struggles will be addressed. They need neighbors who love them and who will show them the love of Christ. This will mean taking up our cross and making God’s ordinary means for missions central. Being “called out,” for some believers, may also mean being called out of a larger church and into a church plant or smaller local church. It may mean a calling to an area where churches are few. It may mean becoming part of a church that is small or struggling.
Woven through the biblical theme of being called out is another theme: being “gathered in.” The Israelites were called out of their homes and gathered to worship the Lord at His house (Ex. 23:14; Ps. 95). Their calendar was designed to revolve around the routines of feasts and sacrifices. Sadly, they lost this privilege during the exile. Yet even when they were scattered across the world by evil empires, they began to meet in local synagogues to read God’s Word and pray. Usually these gatherings were Sabbath meetings held within walking distance of most of the believers in a region.
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Speaking of the church militant is fitting because it summarizes a significant theme that is woven throughout the Scriptures. The church on this side of heaven is engaged in spiritual conflict whether we like it or not. This has been our reality since the fall, when God said to Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring” (Gen. 3:15). “Enmity” is a strong word. It relates to deep hostility and hatred. We are sworn enemies of sin and Satan. We do not live in a time when we can let our guard down and rest. If the church is not militant, it will be conquered.
It is when we surrender to sin that evils such as literal violence break out. God warned Cain that he should be at war with sin, and his calling was to rule over it (Gen. 4:7). Cain’s subsequent sin of murder grew out of his failure to obey God’s call to be properly militant. This failure to fight sin multiplied into a world filled with lust, violence, and vengeance before the flood (Gen. 4:24; 6:11–12). Humans were losing the battle with Satan, for he had turned them against God and against one another. God cleansed the earth with the flood as a gigantic picture of our need for deliverance in this battle.
We could work through the Old Testament and find many other examples of failures in spiritual warfare that led to hard consequences. Failure to resist temptation led to sin, which led to slavery, war, and exile. Think of the personal defeats that Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David suffered when they let their guard down or wavered. Satan won many Israelites over to idolatry, and dark times of national enslavement to empires such as Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Rome followed. Throughout Bible history, there were also victorious times of reformation. The Psalms, Proverbs, and the Prophets expose and wrestle with Satan’s tactics, giving the church the outline of a battle plan. Men such as Hezekiah, Daniel, and Nehemiah stood boldly against evil. The Old Testament, however, contains quite a few grim tales of defeat. Sometimes only a tiny remnant of the church held its ground. The Old Testament ends with a church that is enslaved, confused, and scattered. The church militant appeared to be the church conquered.
All this history was preparing the battlefield for the coming of Jesus. When ancient Jews heard the Greek name Jesus, they would think of its original Hebrew form Joshua, which means “Yahweh saves.” In the Old Testament, God called Joshua to lead the invasion of Canaan. That invasion was a unique example of a call to literal militancy. Idolatrous, decadent, and depraved nations were driven out of the promised land. Joshua provided a place of rest and righteousness for the people of God (Josh. 24:31). Joshua was the greatest of military conquerors in Bible history, but it was Jesus Christ who would become the greatest of all militants.
The life and ministry of Jesus are the ultimate example of resistance against and victory over Satan. Though Satan tempted Him in the wilderness with a series of shortcuts, Jesus chose the narrow way of suffering as the path to ultimate victory (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). His gospel campaign took Him throughout the entire land, confronting every semblance of sin, evil, sickness, and curse. He taught righteousness and confronted false teachers. He brought the message of the law in all its power (chs. 5–7). He called for repentance and faith. His ministry of reconciliation ushered in a new era of victory for the church.