The 1:8 Factor

To sum up the Spiritual Critical Elements of Church Planting Movements, let me focus on 2 scriptures. I call this the 1:8 Factor because it is based on 2 scriptures: Joshua 1:8 and Acts 1:8. Let's look at them from the NIV.

Joshua 1:8-"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

Acts 1:8-"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

What is really needed spiritually to see a church planting movement? Many things are tools, but 2 absolutely necessary things to begin are the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Of the 4 spiritual elements that we have discussed so far, this kind of sums it up. Prayer accesses the Word and the Spirit. Miracles flow from the Word and the Spirit. Authority resides in the Word and the Spirit. It comes down to the Word and the Spirit. It comes down to the 1:8 Factor.

In both cases, we are told to be filled. We are to be filled with the Word (Joshua 1:8). It is to be in our mouth, our mind, and our actions of obedience. The promise is success.

We are to be filled with the Spirit (Acts 1:8). This brings with it the promise of power for the work of God whether locally or globally. We must pray in the Spirit (mouth), be led by the Spirit (mind), and obey the Spirit (action).

The Word and the Spirit will always agree. The Word is the only source of doctrine and is the primary (but not the only) way that the Spirit speaks to us. Learn the Word, speak the Word, obey the Word and then you will become more attuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit inside.

I believe that the most important key spiritually for cpm is getting to know God experientially through the Word and the Spirit of God.

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