desperately need revitalization. Where is our hope in planting and revitalization? It is that the Lord is with us, that He is pleased to bless His ordinary means of grace, and that He has many people who have not yet been called to Himself. With all of this in mind–knowing that the Lord has a people, that He is with us, and that no matter what His servants
face here, ultimately none can destroy the souls of His people–what tools are we to take to reach the many people that the Lord has? Well, we have spoken to some degree of the answer already by looking to Paul’s simple teaching of the Word. Indeed, earlier in the book of Acts we also see what the church’s ministry under the leadership of other Apostles was all about. We are told that the church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (from Acts 2:42) They devoted themselves to apostolic “teaching” (the Word), “the breaking of bread” (the sacraments) and “the prayers.” Their “fellowship” was based in and grounded in these things. We learn from a dedication to the simple and ordinary means of grace that God has appointed are what is needed. The sovereignty of God in having a people and blessing ordinary ministry also shapes, informs and encourages our
outreach. Churches are planted because churches are needed. Churches being needed means that there are either 1. Be- lievers who need a church or 2. People who are not yet believers in a place. Almost all of the time, both of these things are true. If God is sovereign and if God is with His ministers, and He has a people who have not yet been effectually called to and that He will lead them to us.
These are perhaps some foundational principles taken from the above Scriptures. What I would like to do at this point is simply suggest some ways of seeking out ways to minister to our communities. These are not the only ways of doing so, but they may prove helpful.
• First and foremost, and essentially, preach the Gospel or be in a church that preaches the Gospel. Being in a congregation that proclaims the Gospel clearly is important for your own soul, but also for the sake of having a place into which to invite others.
• If you are a pastor, consider starting an evening worship service. You would be surprised what encouragement you can receive to keep ministering from simply holding evening services. We have had a regular evening service in addition to our morning service for the last two years, and it has been encouraging to have believers from likeminded churches who don’t have an evening service come to worship with us. It has been a means of minister- ing to the community and strengthening our relationship to these surrounding congregations. It has also been a means by which we have been encouraged to remember that we are not alone on an island, but we have others who are committed to the same Christ and the same mission. This spurs on the zeal for outreach.
• Find local festivals at which your church can set up a tent or a booth. You will have opportunities to pray for people in the community, to speak to them about the Gospel, and to invite them into the life of the church.
• Seek out a university or an assisted living at which your church can start a Bible study, or support and come alongside a ministry already in place. These are vastly underreached places.
• Spend time in the community and among people. Be in coffeeshops and public spaces where you will have the opportunity to interact with others.
Again, there are other means by which you and your church may go about seeking the people the Lord has and minis- tering to your community, but these are a few that come to mind. Ultimately, though, we must remember that while the Lord uses our efforts, it is up to Him to call and to build His
church. What sustained Paul was that the Lord was with Him. It was the Lord who was able, and Paul was simply the vessel. Similarly, whether we are ministers, elders, deacons, or church members engaged in other forms of service, we are simply the means and the vessels that the Lord uses to accomplish His purposes. And this same Lord, the same Christ who was with Paul, who sustained and upheld Paul, is with us. May the Lord strengthen us with the promise He used to strengthen Paul. May we remember that while there may be opposition and hostility to the Gospel, the Lord has a people and is doing more than we could ask or imagine. May we not fear to enter upon the work of ministry in whatever sphere the Lord has called us, and may we not shrink back from church planting and revitalization efforts in the ARP. The gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s church. He has many people across our communities. May we seek to serve Him, to pursue the lost, to encourage
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