From Planting Growing Churches by Aubrey Malphurs
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Pursuit: The church must pursue lost people, not wait for them to come to it.
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Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
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"A church that's not pursuing and reaching lost people isn't a Great Commission church and needs to reconsider its purpose for being here."(357)
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Value: Lost people matter to God. So, they should matter to His church. (357)
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Luke 5:29-32 Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for Him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were guests with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
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Relationship: We should spend time with lost people.
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Luke 15:1-2 All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. 2 And the •Pharisees and •scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!
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Need: The church can meet the needs of lost people.
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2 Corinthians 9:10-12 Now the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God
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Cultural Adaption: The church should adapt its practices, not its faith, to the people it's trying to reach.
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1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Although I am a free man and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. 21 To those who are without that law, like one without the law—not being without God’s law but within Christ’s law—to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so I may become a partner in its benefits.
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"In practicing cultural adaptation, the church must never change or compromise in any way the clear teaching of Scripture."(358)
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Receptivity: "The church should pursue receptive lost people, those who might be interested in spiritual matters."
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Matthew 13:1-9 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3 Then He told them many things in parables, saying: “Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much soil, and they sprang up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered. 7 Others fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. 8 Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop: some 100, some 60, and some 30 times what was sown. 9 Anyone who has ears should listen!”
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Responsiveness: "The church should not only pursue receptive lost people, it must pursue responsive lost people, those who are interested in spiritual truth."
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Matt. 10:11-15 “When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 Greet a household when you enter it, 13 and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it. But if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 •I assure you: It will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.(360)
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Clear Communication & Multiple Hooks: ?The church must be careful to use language that clearly communicates biblical truth to the lost and use as many methods as possible/necessary.(360)
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Specific, Intentional Prayer: The church whould be intentional in their prayers and "ask God specifically to give his people a genuine desire to reach the lost."
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Matthew 9:36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.
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Discipleship: "The Great Commission demands disciples as well as decisions." (361)
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Acts 14:21-22 After they had evangelized that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God.
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"There's a general tendency on the part of people to move to one extreme or the other. Some pursue discipleship or some aspect of discipleship, such as teaching, to the exclusion of evangelism. Others pursue evangelism (decisions) to the exclusion of discipleship. Neither accomplishes the Great Commission, although the latter does get people into the kingdom." (361)
Malphurs Group
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