Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

24 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 1

Theology of the Church

World Impact missionaries come to the inner city to represent Christ and advance His Kingdom. A key element in this process is the cycle of evangelism and church planting that calls people into the Kingdom of God and places them in a context where they are discipled to live out its commands. To fulfill this calling, church planters must be clear about the nature of the church as revealed in Scripture. 5 The Community of the Kingdom Rene Padilla says, “The New Testament presents the church as the community of the Kingdom in which Jesus is acknowledged as Lord of the universe and through which, in anticipation of the end, the Kingdom is concretely manifested in history.” 6 The gospels present the Kingdom of God as God’s rule or reign. It encompasses the places which God has claimed and where God’s will is done (Matthew 4:17; 6:10, 12:38; Mark 4:26-29; Luke 10:9). Those who proclaim “Jesus is Lord” acknowl edge its existence and its claims over them. Thus, the Kingdom of God is evident whenever Christians gather in community for worship, fellowship or witness. In explaining his vision for the church at Colossae, Paul reminded the believers there that God “. . . has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves” (Colossians 1:13). It is interesting to note that the Book of Acts, our primary New Testament source on the history of church planting by early Christians, both begins and ends with the Kingdom of God. Luke’s first words following his introduction are to describe Jesus appearing to his disciples and speaking to them “about the Kingdom of God ” (Acts 1:3). Luke then describes the activities of the Apostles in spreading the news of the Kingdom and concludes with a summary of Paul’s message in its final verse by saying, “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the Kingdom of Go d and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31). The church is the place where God’s kingdom becomes real on earth. It is where the Light breaks through the world’s darkness. “God’s intention is that every congregation of believers in Jesus be a surprising

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5 World Impact-planted churches will be built on the doctrinal foundation of World Impact’s Affirmation of Faith statement.

6 Padilla, pp. 189-190