Video Transcript: Getting Prepared for Opposition
When you plant a church, there will be naysayers. There will be opposition, and to think, like a church planter and to guide your life as a church planter. You need to be aware and prepared for opposition. Ephesians 6:12, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. So know that this is part of an epic struggle, church planting is part of an epic struggle. Now, according to James Griffith, and William Easum, in their book, The 10, most common mistakes made by church starts, we get insights into where some of this opposition comes. Much of the opposition faced by planters come from within the plant itself. Many new attendees of a church plant are church, people who have reclaimed, relocated to the area and find themselves in need of a church home. They look for one similar to what they left in the former place of residence. This group evaluates the church plant based upon what they left and what they need not on its missional intentions, and certainly not on its DNA. They want the brand of church they just left. And if not there, they often don't just leave, they try to change things to their brand. So one of the areas of opposition comes from people that you reach. Institutional without institutional opposition also comes in the form of churches in an area they feel threatened by the presence of a newly forming faith community. These churches lack Kingdom mindset, and see this new church as the competition now in both of those institution within institution without what do we see friendly fire, people who should be friendly, but they're not friendly for various reasons. So you will face that opposition as a church planter and you can either become reactionary, or you can see it for what it is and utilize your love and people smart skills in not letting that opposition sidetrack your calling. Maybe if it's an affiliated church, located nearby could be an opposition. You and your mentor should make a courtesy call in that would be something even before opposition started. On any affiliated churches, maybe church in the same denomination seems like opposition comes there quicker. Maybe they're already in the area of your new church plant. To speak with the pastor and lay leaders together. Never just the pastor. Introduce yourself, share your heart in call. articulate your vision and style follow with a time of question and answers. The Bible encourages us and Romans 12:18. If it is possible, as far as it depends upon you live at peace with everyone. In some ways, you might be thinking to yourself, wow, to plant a church, I have this kind of a hassle to deal with. You know, don't think of it as a hassle. Think of your vision God's calling, think of sharing the vision who knows maybe that local affiliated church will open up some resources for the new church plant. There'll be cultural opposition. Countless times requests to rent or lease temporary facilities are sidetracked, stonewalled, or just plain turned down much of this as anecdotal according to James and William, but multiple church planters had mentioned, I have comment on the sense of resistance they felt from local Powers, who make it impossible to rent schools, raise church and
state issues, frown on extended leases. So know that you are going to have some opposition, even cultural opposition. But remember, there's also spiritual opposition need to understand if starting new churches is not benign activity. Spiritual resistance is inevitable. We are reminded of Paul's requests to the Colossians pray for us too that God may open a door for our message. So we may proclaim the mystery of Christ. There will be intense spiritual opposition because you are going into enemy territory when someone attempts to plant a church is not primarily about techniques. The planter is ventually venturing into occupied territory, only to be greeted by forces seen unseen conspiring to work against any movement of God. If you think you can march into occupied territory without resistance, you're wrong, there will be a clash. You can't afford to be naive. A battle lies ahead for anyone with a vision for a biblical loving Christ centered community. Church Planting isn't child's play in spiritual warfare is more than just a metaphor for the conflict that occurs emotionally, politically, philosophically, church planting is critical, Frontline, make or break it kind of stuff. And the enemies of the coming Kingdom want nothing more than to see a good sincere, talented, gifted and gracious people, like you, like me get destroyed, wounded, or help of the destruction or wounding of others. Satan is about creating chaos, mucking things up, and know that when you plant a church, you will face this kind of opposition. So, right now again, check your calling. Church planting is not a game, nor a challenging job. Nor an opportunity to excel to experiment with a new form of ministry, starting a church, then leading it to maturity is a calling plain and simple. If you aren't called, if you can't speak in some way to that deep, unspoken inarticulate, but clear as Spring water conviction that God has spoken. God has spoken God's heart to yours and compelled you to do this. You must run don't walk away from it. It's just not worth it at any level. Check your calling. Is God calling you to do it because you will face opposition. So in light of all of what I just said, what's the fix? What do we need? Well, first of all, don't forget you need intercessors to pray for you. These are individuals who possess the spiritual gift of intercession, who are outside of your circle and mission and can hold you and your family up before God in pray for Your guidance, wisdom and the grace to lead. You know we always say to students pray for Christian leaders Institute is so important. I also have recruited people not who are not students who are just prayer warriors, to pray. That's for Christian leaders Institute in the same that happened in church planting. You need to raise up plant intercessors to pray for you. This is real battle. draft an intercessory prayer team. You need to find people who are called to pray. Believers whose primary ministry in their daily Christian life is to find a quiet place to offer themselves to God in prayer and intercession on your behalf. These believers are willing and able to keep praying until they have a sense that they have prevailed. Your intercession team needs believers who have a track record of interceding for others in seeing answers regarding protection
provision, and fruit, draft an intercession team, the intercessor team, your team of intercession needs to be outside your plant so they can pray deeply without an agenda. Being able to do so allows them that sense of objectivity as well as a sense of emotional and spiritual distance from what you and your team are going through, as well as what fires your goals, dreams, struggles and fears. So this intercessory team is crucial and vital. When you face this opposition, I will tell you this, never take it personally. Some of your new neighbors will be threatened and put off put off by your existence. You'll find yourself confronted on every level culturally, spiritually, theologically and politically. Your little experiment will bug the status quo. You'll be confronted with dangers and perils you never imagined. Doors will be slammed into your face and you will discover those closest to your heart, in in plan and plant are working at cross purposes to you, you must resist it all. And above all, never take any of it personally, I've experienced that at Christian leaders Institute I've experienced in every church plant, as Christian leaders Institute has been going forward all over the world to raise up leaders. The spiritual warfare in my life has been so intense in my wife's life, in our children's life, things I never before would imagine that we would be confronted with we had been confronted with. But we don't give up. It's sometimes hard not to take it personally. But we're not called to look at that spiritual warfare, and get defeated by it. But to grow and learn and get so close to our Savior and to see bigger visions of what it takes and what it means. You know what spiritual warfare has done for me, it's really convinced me there really is a God. Now I knew that there really is spiritual warfare, because why as I am called to do anything for God, does the intensity even get worse, like Satan shows himself and when I see what Satan is doing, and I see the power of God, I see the real battle that we're facing, it creates more faith in me, more realization that this is just not what it is on the surface, but there is a deep battle of brewing. Now, if you're a church planter, I really advise that you get mentors, supervisors, people to help you in some you are going to have that but some are not. But I make these comments. For those who have supervisors, supervisors set the spiritual tone for behind the scenes prayer activities. So that's what you want your supervisor to help you with those supervisors who failed to understand that church planting is a struggle is a battle, will be easily misled and failed to support the church planter. And I've seen this as well. Some of you will have supervisors in your church planting, and there'll be a little opposition. And right away, they'll start blaming you and they won't see this is part of the struggle. Far too often the supervisors listen to those complaining about the efforts of the church planter. There's nothing more regrettable your church planter needs to know that you are behind them. 110%. I put this comment in there because maybe you need to play this comment for your supervisor. It's hard to plant churches. And a lot of time supervisors are in the infrastructure of a denomination and they're appointed by the organization to supervise the new
church planter. And they themselves have no idea what they are in store for. Sometimes coaches are appointed for church planters in various denominations. If that's you, the coach must insist that one of the first actions of the church planter takes is to recruit an intercessory prayer team, have the prayer planter tell you each person who each person is in step the means necessary for the planter to communicate prayer request on a regular basis. Maybe someday you're going to be a coach, and you're going to help church planters, this is going to be you someday to help that new church planter. Maybe that's who you are now but help that new church planter to actually set up prayer intercession. You know, there's opposition. That's clear. But as you are called to do this, I want to tell you something else. It is wonderful to plant churches, though our family has been attacked. Most of my family members will say they loved the journey. It brought before them the presence of God. It took us out of sort of the materialism of our age and focused us to what's really important. And when your church planting, you're the one that's blessed, your family is blessed. Now, maybe you can't see that all the time because things happen. But God sees things from an eternal and I believe there's like this test we all go through in life and we're saved by grace, we're not saved by works. So the test does not save us. But I believe that there is the church planting brings a wonderful test to who we really are. It sees what our motivation really is. And to put yourself into that place into Yes, test me, Lord. Let spiritual warfare come to me but I trust the Lord as a powerful place in thinking like a church planter is one who welcomes the good, the bad, sees the opportunities, but always trust our Lord Jesus receives the power of the Holy Spirit and wakes up the next morning, anticipating what God is going to do.