Local Church Discussions - View Single Post

Evangelical · 05-01-2017, 03:16 PM

What many call "church plants" are more correctly "sect plants". Without making this distinction then those who believe in "many churches" in an area, must by default accept LGBT churches as being a genuine church. The word "sect" is more appropriate for a church that caters to a particular "need" or preference. It is an assembly that looks like an arm or a leg rather than the whole body. (Insert Spurgeon quote here)

A genuine church plant is starting a church where no church has existed before. In the Bible the apostles traveled to new areas and established the new believers in churches. And the term church is a group of believers meeting together on the basis of their unity in Christ, not in any other person or thing.

Most of what people call "church plants" are plants of assemblies of a different flavor to the rest. For example Pentecostal churches like to start "church plants". If there are no tongue-speaking churches in a place a pentecostal church will start a "church plant" for those who like to speak in tongues. So there is a different "sect plant" for every type of sect that cater for different people's needs.

However we do not find this situation in the bible at all even though the early church had good reason enough to do so.

If this was how it was meant to be then we would find Paul establishing different churches for the gentiles and churches for the Jews.

Instead, he writes:
Gal 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus"

We could continue Paul's line of thought and say

"There is neither tongue speaker nor non-tongue speaker..." you are all one in Christ.

Of course, Paul is not saying these differences do not exist. Of course we are still in our bodies, male and female, and we are either Jew or Gentile, and some of us like to speak in tongues and others do not like to speak in tongues. He is asking people to forget the differences and "clothe themselves with Christ" Galatians 3:27-29.

If everyone clothes themselves with the same clothing, which is Christ, then they all look the same. Paul also affirms that they are "baptized into Christ".

If every believer is baptized into Christ, then there is really no basis for different "sect plants" catering for different people's "needs", based upon the desire to establish a form of worship service or practice such as tongue speaking.

Regardless of our experience and how we feel, establishment of a sect plant is no more "God's unique move" than the construction of a new LGBT, JW, or Mormon church in a particular location.

05-01-2017, 03:16 PM	#24
Evangelical Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 3,965	Re: The Unique Move of God What many call "church plants" are more correctly "sect plants". Without making this distinction then those who believe in "many churches" in an area, must by default accept LGBT churches as being a genuine church. The word "sect" is more appropriate for a church that caters to a particular "need" or preference. It is an assembly that looks like an arm or a leg rather than the whole body. (Insert Spurgeon quote here) A genuine church plant is starting a church where no church has existed before. In the Bible the apostles traveled to new areas and established the new believers in churches. And the term church is a group of believers meeting together on the basis of their unity in Christ, not in any other person or thing. Most of what people call "church plants" are plants of assemblies of a different flavor to the rest. For example Pentecostal churches like to start "church plants". If there are no tongue-speaking churches in a place a pentecostal church will start a "church plant" for those who like to speak in tongues. So there is a different "sect plant" for every type of sect that cater for different people's needs. However we do not find this situation in the bible at all even though the early church had good reason enough to do so. If this was how it was meant to be then we would find Paul establishing different churches for the gentiles and churches for the Jews. Instead, he writes: Gal 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" We could continue Paul's line of thought and say "There is neither tongue speaker nor non-tongue speaker..." you are all one in Christ. Of course, Paul is not saying these differences do not exist. Of course we are still in our bodies, male and female, and we are either Jew or Gentile, and some of us like to speak in tongues and others do not like to speak in tongues. He is asking people to forget the differences and "clothe themselves with Christ" Galatians 3:27-29. If everyone clothes themselves with the same clothing, which is Christ, then they all look the same. Paul also affirms that they are "baptized into Christ". If every believer is baptized into Christ, then there is really no basis for different "sect plants" catering for different people's "needs", based upon the desire to establish a form of worship service or practice such as tongue speaking. Regardless of our experience and how we feel, establishment of a sect plant is no more "God's unique move" than the construction of a new LGBT, JW, or Mormon church in a particular location.