The following article was written by TE Al Baker, an evangelist who serves in that capacity with Vanguard Presbyterian Church and with Reformed Evangelistic Fellowship. It encapsulates what I have contended about evangelism in the Scripture, that such evangelism had the endgame or goal of planting New Testament churches. The modern church, in my opinion, has moved away from true Scriptural evangelism and, therefore, tries to start churches on the basis demographic studies or receiving members from existing churches. True evangelism is lost in that process. For over 250 years, the American churches were evangelistic. I remember well as a child how every church in the south would at the very least have an annual series of services aimed at reaching the lost. Things are different in America today. Too often sermons neither convict the lost nor even bother them. Repentance, hell, judgment, the wrath of God and a great host of other words and phrases are never mentioned from most pulpits today. Liberalism and progressivism has shaped the modern church far more than even so-called evangelical ministers realize. I am sending forth this article with the permission of the author because I believe it is timely and all our churches across this country—an in Vanguard Presbyterian Church—need to heed its message.
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“And this took place for two years so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks,” Acts 19:10
Saul of Tarsus was born around 5 A.D. and was converted around 33 A.D., about two years after Jesus’ ascension, while on the road to Damascus where he was persecuting Christians. He was twenty-nine years old at the time. We know that about fourteen years later, after consulting with the leaders in Jerusalem, he and Barnabas began their first missionary journey in 47 A.D. Within ten years the Apostle Paul had produced church planting movements in three Roman provinces (Galatia, Macedonia/Achaia, and Asia Minor, modern day western Turkey). We also know from Romans 15:19 that he preached the gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum (modern day Croatia, a distance of 1400 miles from Jerusalem). Sometime after his first release from prison (2 Tim.4:16) he continued preaching the gospel, probably in Crete (Titus 1:5). On his second missionary journey he wanted to go to western Turkey but the Lord forbid him. He then tried to go to Bithynia near modern day Istanbul but the Lord said “No” on that trip too (Acts 16:6,7). Paul kept moving and received his Macedonian call (Acts 16:9) and spent two years (traveling 1400 miles on foot and 2000 miles by ship) in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. Everywhere Paul went he planted churches.
In His Great Commission Jesus gave the church her marching orders. We are to go into the world, we are to evangelize, and we are to move God’s people to obey everything He says in His word. The endgame of the Great Commission is clearly to plant churches. Practically speaking, the greatest work of evangelistic outreach almost always comes from newly established churches. It seems that the longer a church exists it settles into the status quo of buildings, budgets, and programs, fostering a consumer ethos within the church.
Paul was all about church planting, as I have surveyed thus far. Now I wish to dig a little deeper in Acts 19. At this point Paul is on his third missionary journey, around 55 to 57 A.D. He spent three months evangelizing the Jews but when they rejected the gospel, he turned to his twelve disciples (Acts 19:7) and began teaching them daily in the school of Tyrannus. It appears that Tyrannus was a teacher or philosopher (our word “tyrant” comes from Tyrannus and may have been a nickname students gave to their teacher whom they believed was a hard taskmaster). Due to the heat of the day, men usually began work at 6 a.m. but stopped at 11 a.m. and resumed their work around 4 p.m., working until 7 p.m. This was due to the heat of the day. During these five hours, five or six days a week, the Apostle Paul was training these twelve men, and almost certainly other men who were new converts and promising leaders. He was teaching them the word of God, no doubt including basic Christian doctrine like the attributes of God, the person and work of Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, church government, sacraments, how to preach the gospel and many other things. These men were gaining a thorough theological education, not to puff up their pride or to produce arrogance (1 Cor.8:1) but to give them a holy zeal to fish for souls and plant churches.
We read in Acts 19 of a remarkable manifestation of the Spirit’s presence and power. Ephesus was a major city of around 300,000 people and best known for the Temple of Diana, one of the wonders of the ancient world, located there. Diana, or Artemis, was a false goddess which people traveled from far and wide to give credence to her, usually accompanied by all manner of sexual sin, including prostitution in the temple. The city was also plagued with witchcraft and demonic possession. Paul’s ministry, however, was upsetting the whole city and surrounding areas. People were being healed of disease, simply by receiving an apron or handkerchief which had touched Paul’s body. Paul was also casting out many demons and the exorcists were so impressed they began to say what Paul said when encountering demons. Luke tells us that seven sons of Sceva (probably some kind of priest for Diana) said to a demon possessed man, “I command you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.” The demons within the man spoke, saying, “I recognize Jesus and I know about Paul, but who are you?” The demon possessed man then turned on the seven men and beat them and stripped them naked and the men fled the scene.
Furthermore so many exorcists were becoming Christians that they brought their fetishes and books which taught how to exorcise demons and burned them. Luke tells us that the value of these “Ephesian writings” was 50,000 pieces of silver (50,000 days of labor, about $20 million in today’s dollars). Fear fell upon the people and Jesus was being magnified and the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing (breaking down the false religion of Diana). Demetrius, a silversmith, realized that so many were becoming Christians that the artisans revenue stream from silver trinkets of Diana was severely compromised and the worship of Diana and her temple were in jeopardy of being rendered irrelevant. Therefore he stirred up opposition which resulted in a mass riot in the local sports stadium which lasted for two solid hours. The people were whipped up into a frenzy crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The gospel of Jesus was coming in great power upon this wicked city which utterly transformed it, not unlike what would happen if the true gospel came with massive converting power on Salt Lake City and turned the false religion of Mormonism into a worldwide center for true gospel church planting.
We know the result of Paul’s two and one half years in Ephesus was a total of at least ten church plants. Revelation 2 and 3 give us seven—Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea and the book of Colossians tells us of at least three more churches—Colossae, Hierapolis, and the church which met in Nympha’s house (Col.1:2, 4:13,15).
We in the new denomination called Vanguard Presbyterian Church are committed to planting churches which subscribe fully to the Westminster Confession of Faith and which are New Side (following in the train of Whitefield, Edwards, and the Tennents of the 18th century Great Awakening), committed to what the Apostle Paul did, namely evangelize, train and multiply leaders, and send them out to plant more churches.
I am also seeing this movement in far greater measure in several countries in South Asia and we hope to expand this effort even more to surrounding countries in the next year or so. I am also working with men in the Philippines, South Africa, and hopefully soon in East Africa and Central Asia to start church planting movements.
We must always go back to the Bible in everything we do, and this includes church planting. The apostles and Jesus are our guide. We do not need to make use of psychology or the latest trends the “experts” tell us work. We are to go to the lost, preaching Christ crucified in the power of the Holy Spirit, training men to lead, and sending them out to surrounding communities. God is mightily at work in many places in the world and it is a joy to be a small part of what He is doing.
How shall we go about planting more churches? One practical way is for men, especially evangelists like street preachers and others, to join Bill Adams, Ryan Denton, and myself at our “Church Planting for Evangelists” conference, June 16-19, 2025 at Bryan College, Dayton, Tennessee. Go to <sfoi.org> for more information.
TE Al Baker, Evangelist with Vanguard Presbyterian Church and Reformed Evangelistic Fellowship
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On October 18, 2024, Vanguard Presbytery voted to divide into three presbyteries that would be more regional. Thus far, two of those three presbyteries have met for organizational meetings. The churches in the north chose the name of Westminster Presbytery to acknowledge our denominations unwavering commitment to the Westminster Standards as the best human expression of the teaching of the Scripture. The churches in the southeast chose the name of New Side Presbytery to acknowledge our denomination’s commitment to the evangelistic and revival spirit that characterized the New Side Presbyterians at the time of the Great Awakening. The churches in the southwest will meet in early January of 2025 in the Dallas area to have their initial organizational meeting.
Dividing into three presbyteries is both exciting and challenging. It forces our denomination to streamline our mission so that that evangelism, church planting, pastor training and ministerial credentials will become the chief focuses, as well they should be. One writer said that the greatness of Samuel Davies consisted in the fact that his eye never strayed very far from the great need of sinners to be reconciled with God through Christ. That needs to always be the focus of Vanguard Presbyterian Church as a denomination and all her ministers and churches.
This division into three presbyteries will also be a great challenge monetarily. Some of our presbyteries have more new churches than others and their financial support is more challenging. When our General Assembly meets in August of 2025, we will divide the assets of the denomination. This is also a good time for any supporters of Vanguard to make an end of the year contribution to support the work of this denomination.
Dewey Roberts, Pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church
www.vanguardpresbyterianchurch.com
Please send any contributions to: Vanguard Presbytery, PO Box 1862, Destin, FL 32540