It Starts with God,
so Abide in God's Heart

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(from Steve Smith, "CPM Essentials on a Napkin")

"You are seeking God’s vision, not your own. Matthew 6:9-10 and 28:18-20 say that His kingdom will come fully to all people and people groups. A vision of this magnitude should result in multitudes of believers and thousands of churches (and/or small groups). Such a vision galvanizes believers to make radical lifestyle choices to bring God's kingdom to their community. ...

"Since this vision is so large, you must break it down into basic relational segments to know how to start. ... Your goal is simple: plant reproducing mustard seed groups (Matthew 13:31-33) with the ability to reach that segment and beyond. ...

"Until we know God's heart, we can't expect Him to show up in miraculous ways to fulfill something that is not on His heart, or less than what is on His heart. ...

"To fulfill the vision, you have to start at the foundation by abiding in Christ (John 15:5, Psalm 78:72, Matthew 11:12, 17:20) Those that bear fruit are those that abide. There is no way around it. Anything less gives temporary and stunted fruit. ... You do not get a CPM by abiding in Christ, but you don't get one if you don't.

"As we humble ourselves by simply abiding in Christ, we must cry out fervently to God in prayer to see His vision fulfilled (Matthew 6:9-10, Luke 10:2, 11:5-13, Acts 1:14). Every [Disciple-Making] Church-Planting Movement begins first as a prayer movement."

David Watson: mission is "loving God until nothing else matters" (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).