Is Luke 10 a pattern for Today's CPM strategy?
In Church Planting Movements around the world, and especially those with which we have been associated and patterned after, Luke 10 and the Sending of the 70 has been used as a pattern for the work. The finding of persons of peace as a starting point is actually one of the critical elements. Recently, I have heard some questions raised about this. Is Luke 10 really about church planting? Jesus was not sending out church planters, it has been said. Are those of us in the field of cpm studies and practice doing violence to scripture, and doing eisegesis rather than exegesis of this passage?
As I begin to address this question, let me first say that no one in the cpm movement is teaching or suggesting (intentionally) that Luke 10 is about church planting. Clearly it is not....the church did not even exist at that time (I am not splitting theological hairs here from my somewhat dispensational background, and if some covenental theology friend sees it differently, no problem). In Luke 10, Jesus was sending 70 (or 72 depending on translation) disciples ahead to villages where he was to come. This was clearly a 1 time mission during the last phase of Christ's earthly ministry.
Having said that let me go further to say that even cpm (church planting movements) and the Great Commission itself is not about church planting! Both cpm and the Great Commission are about making disciples (Matthew 28:19). Church planting and church planting movements are the natural by products of Biblical disciple making. Basically we make disciples and as we do, Christ builds His church.
With that caveat, let me now give my thesis briefly. Luke 10 is used with much profit as a tactical pattern in the initial stages of church planting movements. It is Biblically appropriate that this be so. Luke 10 (the sending of the 70) was known in the early church and was known by the Apostle Paul. It was referenced to some degree by Paul and the early church in terms of ministry practice. Thus it is one of many appropriate Biblical tactical patterns for the church and for mission today, and current experience shows it to be a critical element of cpm.
Having stated my thesis, let me now move on to sharing some evidence that:
a. The early church used these instructions to some degree as a pattern of its mission strategy; and
b. The Apostle Paul was aware of this teaching and both practiced it and referenced it in his writings.
First of all, here is some evidence that the early church knew these instructions and seemed to follow them to some degree strategically. First of all, it is interesting to me that these instructions to the 70 are only found in Luke. The sending of the 12 is in all the synoptics, but only Luke has this information. Luke was one of the missionary companions of Paul and the author of both Luke and Acts. Clearly one of his purposes in writing centered around the mission of the Kingdom of God. Additionally, in Acts, Luke records the historical detail that the early leaders seemed to go out 2 by 2 (Peter and John, Paul and Barnabus, Paul and Silas, Barnabus and Mark). This is not reported as though it was a legalistic requirement, as sometimes teams consisted of 3 or more, but as a Holy Spirit led pattern. Furthermore, the person of peace model can be discerned from an attentive reading of the book of Acts. It would seem that the Ethiopian, Cornelius, and Lydia (and others) fit the concept very well. Although this analysis may not be completely convincing to some, and certainly deserves more study and research, suffice it to say that at least here is some evidence that the early church practiced a Luke 10 type of strategic pattern in its mission.
To me, however, the most amazing confirmation of this is the evidence that Paul both knew the passage, quoted it in his writings, and clearly used it as a basis for at least 1 of his strategic teachings concerning ministry. I am talking about the fact that he quoted Luke 10:7 in 1 Timothy 5:18. It should be noted that there is a definite possibility that Paul read the manuscript of Luke which may have been written while he was imprisoned in Caesarea for 2 years, and quoted it in 1 Timothy, one of his latter books.
In 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul writes, "For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,"and, "The laborer deserves his wages."" The first quotation about the ox is from Deuteronomy 25:4 and the 2nd about wages is from Luke 10:7. This is interesting in 2 ways....Paul is quoting Luke and calling it Scripture along with Deuteronomy. Not long ago, I mentioned this in a forum and was taken to task. Paul was not quoting Luke, I was told. No...rather Jesus (in Luke) and Paul (in Timothy) were both quoting some lost ancient source. However, I simply cannot agree with that. Is it really asserted that Paul was not calling the Gospel of Luke Scripture, but WAS calling some lost ancient writing Scripture? The fact is that the statement in Luke 10:7 , "the laborer deserves his wages" is found in no other extant writing other than Luke 10 and 1 Timothy. There is absolutely no reason to attribute this to anyone but Jesus and no evidence whatsoever exists that Paul knew it from any source other than the Gospel of Luke. Authorities as diverse as the English Standard Version notes, the commentary on the Pastorals by William Hendricksen, the same by A. T. Hanson, the same by Martin Dibelius and Hans Conzelman, and the same by William Barclay and Donald Guthrie, agree that this is a statement of Jesus himself, not some other ancient source. (That list includes conservative, liberal, and middle of the road scholars!).
Let me again clarify what I am and am not saying here. I am not saying that the Luke 10 pattern is specifically concerning church planting. I am not saying that the Luke 10 pattern is the only Biblical model of strategy for missions or anything else, or that it is the only pattern that God has or will bless. I am saying that it was known by Paul and the early church, that there is some evidence that the early church practiced elements of it (with liberty of application) and that Paul referenced it in his writing, using it as a springboard for some mission policy. And I am asserting that on the basis of these facts, practitioners of cpm are on solid Biblical grounds as well as solid experimental grounds to base a portion of strategy on this passage as we make disciples and see Christ build His church.
As I begin to address this question, let me first say that no one in the cpm movement is teaching or suggesting (intentionally) that Luke 10 is about church planting. Clearly it is not....the church did not even exist at that time (I am not splitting theological hairs here from my somewhat dispensational background, and if some covenental theology friend sees it differently, no problem). In Luke 10, Jesus was sending 70 (or 72 depending on translation) disciples ahead to villages where he was to come. This was clearly a 1 time mission during the last phase of Christ's earthly ministry.
Having said that let me go further to say that even cpm (church planting movements) and the Great Commission itself is not about church planting! Both cpm and the Great Commission are about making disciples (Matthew 28:19). Church planting and church planting movements are the natural by products of Biblical disciple making. Basically we make disciples and as we do, Christ builds His church.
With that caveat, let me now give my thesis briefly. Luke 10 is used with much profit as a tactical pattern in the initial stages of church planting movements. It is Biblically appropriate that this be so. Luke 10 (the sending of the 70) was known in the early church and was known by the Apostle Paul. It was referenced to some degree by Paul and the early church in terms of ministry practice. Thus it is one of many appropriate Biblical tactical patterns for the church and for mission today, and current experience shows it to be a critical element of cpm.
Having stated my thesis, let me now move on to sharing some evidence that:
a. The early church used these instructions to some degree as a pattern of its mission strategy; and
b. The Apostle Paul was aware of this teaching and both practiced it and referenced it in his writings.
First of all, here is some evidence that the early church knew these instructions and seemed to follow them to some degree strategically. First of all, it is interesting to me that these instructions to the 70 are only found in Luke. The sending of the 12 is in all the synoptics, but only Luke has this information. Luke was one of the missionary companions of Paul and the author of both Luke and Acts. Clearly one of his purposes in writing centered around the mission of the Kingdom of God. Additionally, in Acts, Luke records the historical detail that the early leaders seemed to go out 2 by 2 (Peter and John, Paul and Barnabus, Paul and Silas, Barnabus and Mark). This is not reported as though it was a legalistic requirement, as sometimes teams consisted of 3 or more, but as a Holy Spirit led pattern. Furthermore, the person of peace model can be discerned from an attentive reading of the book of Acts. It would seem that the Ethiopian, Cornelius, and Lydia (and others) fit the concept very well. Although this analysis may not be completely convincing to some, and certainly deserves more study and research, suffice it to say that at least here is some evidence that the early church practiced a Luke 10 type of strategic pattern in its mission.
To me, however, the most amazing confirmation of this is the evidence that Paul both knew the passage, quoted it in his writings, and clearly used it as a basis for at least 1 of his strategic teachings concerning ministry. I am talking about the fact that he quoted Luke 10:7 in 1 Timothy 5:18. It should be noted that there is a definite possibility that Paul read the manuscript of Luke which may have been written while he was imprisoned in Caesarea for 2 years, and quoted it in 1 Timothy, one of his latter books.
In 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul writes, "For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,"and, "The laborer deserves his wages."" The first quotation about the ox is from Deuteronomy 25:4 and the 2nd about wages is from Luke 10:7. This is interesting in 2 ways....Paul is quoting Luke and calling it Scripture along with Deuteronomy. Not long ago, I mentioned this in a forum and was taken to task. Paul was not quoting Luke, I was told. No...rather Jesus (in Luke) and Paul (in Timothy) were both quoting some lost ancient source. However, I simply cannot agree with that. Is it really asserted that Paul was not calling the Gospel of Luke Scripture, but WAS calling some lost ancient writing Scripture? The fact is that the statement in Luke 10:7 , "the laborer deserves his wages" is found in no other extant writing other than Luke 10 and 1 Timothy. There is absolutely no reason to attribute this to anyone but Jesus and no evidence whatsoever exists that Paul knew it from any source other than the Gospel of Luke. Authorities as diverse as the English Standard Version notes, the commentary on the Pastorals by William Hendricksen, the same by A. T. Hanson, the same by Martin Dibelius and Hans Conzelman, and the same by William Barclay and Donald Guthrie, agree that this is a statement of Jesus himself, not some other ancient source. (That list includes conservative, liberal, and middle of the road scholars!).
Let me again clarify what I am and am not saying here. I am not saying that the Luke 10 pattern is specifically concerning church planting. I am not saying that the Luke 10 pattern is the only Biblical model of strategy for missions or anything else, or that it is the only pattern that God has or will bless. I am saying that it was known by Paul and the early church, that there is some evidence that the early church practiced elements of it (with liberty of application) and that Paul referenced it in his writing, using it as a springboard for some mission policy. And I am asserting that on the basis of these facts, practitioners of cpm are on solid Biblical grounds as well as solid experimental grounds to base a portion of strategy on this passage as we make disciples and see Christ build His church.
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