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NEW CHURCHES
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.--Matthew 28:19-20.
This confirmed Pastor MacWilliams' own personal experiences in South America, where many missionaries were supposed to be working in the Medellin area. One day, he visited a Baptist church in a poor and rough neighborhood. He was given a tour of the facilites which were maintained by donations from the United States. The pastor-missionary noted the nice paintings and desks which had been brought there in the past year. However, not once did he say anything about what efforts--if any--were brought to bring souls to the Savior.
Dr. MacWilliams turned to his business acquaintance who was standing nearby, and asked, "Do you know of any Christian missionaries in this city ?" He pointed across the street to a crowd of people (more like a mob gathered outside a bar). "Are they over there ?" he asked. "Look past the people. See the high wall with glass and barbed wire ? Your missionaries live inside there." When he asked, "Do they try to preach to all those people on the street ?" the businessman replied, "No." "They stay inside the walls in the wealthy section where they hold Bible studies for the rich children once a month." While not all missionaries fit into this mold, it is a certainty that the Western concept of Christian missions leaves much to be desired, and it is not Biblical. Having seen the lack of impact in Africa, Dr. MacWilliams began teaching the churches an approach to the Great Commission which the early Church used.
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Following evangelistic crusades which bring many to Christ, the new converts are given special care. That involves an intense and daily feeding from the Word of God. The fundamentals of the Faith are presented, and practical applications are drawn so that the new Christian will know how to behave as a part of his or her "new birth."
These intense Bible studies are usually conducted by teachers who come from the same church that presented the evangelistic efforts. Once they are convinced of the sincerity of the new Believers, (often in a little as two or three weeks), they offer to them the opportunity to begin a new church. In every case, they have accepted this opportunity/responsibility with joy.
These efforts are spear-headed by the local churches who have been taught by Blueprint For Revival in the Biblical pattern of missions and evangelism. This teaching comes through the seminars, the video seminars, and Bible study materials provided freely by Blueprint For Revival Ministries.
Under the blessings of God's Holy Spirit, and guidance and watchfulness of the originating church, new churches began to appear. Today, there are over 200 new churches which have begun in this way. In each new church, the Lord will either bring to them, or call out from them people who have been called by God and given gifts which the church will need to grow and prosper spiritually.
This more Biblical approach to missions has not only resulted in many new churches, but it has enriched and strengthened the churches which have followed this Biblical plan. Today, many of the churches which are only a year or more old have themselves begun to reach out with the Gospel message to towns and villages, bringing more and more precious souls to the Lord Jesus !
