“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Ac 1:8 AV)
I had the privilege and pleasure to participate in a missions conference recently where a preacher said he explained missions as "multiplying Jerusalems." We often focus on missions as a way of fulfilling the Great Commission. We look at the way the Apostles fulfilled the Great Commission and see them planting churches. We connect the dots and see church planting as a way of fulfilling the Great Commission, and that is correct. We often fail to add the next dot in the line which is when the church plant matures and starts planting churches!
As a church seeks to fulfill the Great Commission and plants a church, in a nearby community or half-way around the world, the new church becomes the "Jerusalem" for that new congregation. When that church plant grows and the Lord lays a "Judea, Samaria, or uttermost part of the earth" on their hearts they undertake a church plant in obedience to the Great Commission. A new "Jerusalem" is created.
Whether the churches are planted by a team from a single local church or as a result of a number of churches working together through a missionary the goal is the same; bring an independent local church into being. The ultimate goal is to see churches multiplied "unto the uttermost part of the earth."
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