The Glory of Church Planting

[This article was delivered as a devotional/exhortation at the 2nd Quarter's Member's Meeting at Redeemer Baptist Church] 

I want to write here about the glory of church planting. I want to encourage each one of you that being a part of the adventure of church planting is glorious. First, lets consider that word glory. what do you think of when you think of the word glory? Biblically we would think of other words alongside it like brightness, holiness, majesty, worth, praise, and perfection. Glory is one of those words, however, that evades easy definitions. It's often used as the inverse of shame. We use it commonly to describe human accolades. "The marathon runner won glory for himself by breaking the world record." The Hebrew word for glory, kavod, means heavy or weighty. Paul connects these two words when he refers to the eternal weight of glory that awaits the enduring believer (2 Corinthians 4:17). God Himself is the pinnacle of all glory, and we are to do all things for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). It is His glory that we long to see covering the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). So, glory is a good thing through and through.

And therefore we should want glory, right? Well, yes and no. There is a chasing after glory that is the essence of sin itself. That would be the chasing after the glory of man, the accolades of our fellows. Jesus warned about this in John's gospel. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (John 5:44). And again in John 12: ⁴³ for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. (John 12:43). But even there we see that there is a wrong seeking for glory and a right one.

We see this positive glory in the book of Romans as well. Paul talks about seeking for glory in a positive light in Romans 2, saying: "to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life" (Romans 2:7). Paul speaks of "the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18), "The glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21), and He describes the children of God as "prepared before hand for glory" (Romans 9:23).

Notice in all of this, that the glory we should seek is a glory connected to God's glory. We want the glory that comes from God. We want to glorify Him and in that glory be glorified as well. This is Paul's prayer for the church at Thessalonica:

¹¹ To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

There is a mutual glory described there. And the glory is connected to doing the work of God here on earth. The children of God get glory, in that good sense, when they are doing the work of glorifying God here on earth, doing His will, finishing His mission.

Paul refers to his work in church planting as his glory. Most notably among the Thessalonians. He says: ¹⁹ For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)

What is Paul saying? He is saying that church planting is absolutely glorious. It is a glorious endeavour. The hard work of evangelism, discipleship, establishing a church from nothing, tending to it, protecting it, seeing it grow, seeing it multiply, seeing more churches planted and blessed through the work – all of that is incredibly glorious.

Now, we should note that in all that has been said so far, there comes with it a note of suffering and hardship. Paul said to the Ephesians: ¹³ So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. (Ephesians 3:13). Glory doesn't come easy. Glory isn't won with minimum effort. Nothing glorious ever happens from the reclined comfort of a Lay-Z-Boy. No, glory is hard fought, and blood-bought. Glory comes from blood, sweat, and tears. And so when I speak of the glory of church planting – I'm not thinking of the quiet restfulness, basking in the glory of a job well done. That rarely happens on this side of heaven. I am thinking of the weighty reality of being part of something that is extremely difficult, and yet completely worth it.

And so with all of that as build up, here is my modest exhortation and encouragement for you. Leverage your entire life for that which is most important, that which is most central to God's work here on earth, for that which is most glorious. What is the glorious work that God is doing? He is making disciples of all nations. He is advancing His Kingdom. He is building His Church. What an amazing thing to be a part of.

I say with Paul, what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)

You, the church, planted and thriving here at the ends of the earth. You are my glory. My joy increases with your health. My sense of satisfaction builds as I see God build up His redeemed people more and more. I know, even now, that it is a glorious work that I am a part of. And I want you, member of the church, to know that too. You are part of something incredibly glorious. With every new believer added, with every Saint sanctified, every work of faith accomplished by His enablement – the Lord Jesus is being glorified in you, and you in Him.

Church-planting is a work with eternal consequences, because it involves immortal souls. The church is the one institution on planet earth that will live forever. And the saving of souls, in the final analysis, is the weightiest work on earth. And so I exhort you – leverage your life for this glorious work. Don't turn from it for the sake of comfort and ease. There are easier places to be then on the frontlines of church-planting. But is easy really what you want? Where's the glory in that? No, let us be encouraged to press on. Put your shoulder to the task. Put your hand to the plow. Don't grow weary. Don't be discouraged. Endure suffering. One foot in front of the other. It's a hard road. But it's the road to glory.