God’s Commitment to Church Planting

I have been a pastor in Washington, DC, for more than two decades. How many election cycles is that? More than a few generals and journalists, senators and Hill staffers have come and gone since I first arrived.

It is not uncommon for young people to show up with grand visions of the changes they can make. And Christians in politics should fight for good changes. It is one way to love our neighbors. The trouble comes when people try to use the mechanisms of the state—the power of the sword—to bring heaven to earth.

If cynicism more often characterizes the older generations in politics, utopianism is the more common desire among the younger. Aside from the fact that utopianism has been the source of some of history’s greatest atrocities, it fundamentally misunderstands God’s plans for history. Nothing in the New Testament teaches us to expect that Christ’s kingdom shall come, and that his will shall ultimately be done on earth as it is in heaven, thanks to the work of presidents or prime ministers.

But there is one place we should look for the firstfruits of heaven on earth. The local church.

“Jesus loves the church entirely.”

How does Jesus regard the church? And what does Jesus call the church to do and to be? Jesus loves the church entirely. And just as Jesus represents heaven on earth, so he calls the church to do the same. Read More