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That’s Where The Money Is The story is told of a young boy who had a dream. As far back as he could remember, he had wanted to win a gold medal in track at the Olympics some day. As he thought about it, he realized that he would have to practice rigorously five days a week and he would have to get professional advice and training from an experienced coach. As he grew older and went to school, things began to get in the way of his practicing. His friends would invite him to go to the movies when he had planned to practice running. Then he decided to learn to play the guitar, so he spent many hours practicing his chords. Still, more than anything else, he wanted to be a gold medalist at the Olympics! When he went to college, his girlfriend persuaded him to spend afternoons with her. Soon he realized that although he had dreamed of a trip to the Olympics, he would never achieve his goal because he had let other things interfere. What was wrong with the boy's dream? Over the years, I have met many Christian health professionals who seem to love the Lord and express a sincere longing to make a spiritual impact in our generation. However, year after year they fail to act on their God-given vision because they are repeatedly distracted by other seemingly good things in life. Someone once observed that, in most matters, we move in either of two directions: from words to things, or from things to words. That is to say, if we do not make the transition from theories and ideals to real life situations, then the real-life situations will be lost in a smog of words. Do you have a dream of seeing the Great Commission fulfilled? Are you committed to seeing that dream fulfilled, or are you like the boy who had a dream but never actively pursued it? Christianity today has become, by and large, a spectator sport: eleven athletes on the football field desperately in need of rest, and 11,000 in the stadium badly in need of exercise! The crying need of every generation is for men and women who are wholly and irrevocably committed to God. "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." (II Chron. 16:9) One life totally devoted to God is of more value than a hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit. How do we raise up an ever-expanding company of dedicated men and women who are reaching the world with the Gospel as a result of our ministry? By MAKING REPRODUCING DISCIPLES. This is the heartbeat of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19); it is the priority around which our lives should be ordered. During his earthly ministry, Jesus devoted Himself to a few men, rather than to the masses, in order that the masses might be saved through the process of spiritual multiplication. Experience tells us that it is easy to become caught up in a flurry of expensive and time-consuming programs which, in the final analysis, fall disappointingly short of the mark--to achieve the kind of generational impact that is at the heart of any life-changing ministry. More programs (and fancier bells and hoops) is not the answer. We must make a holy determination to get down to the demanding--but ultimately more significant--task of reproducing disciples and workers for the cause of Christ. Of all the ministry opportunities I've poured my life into since I became a Christian, nothing else has paid more spiritual dividends than the area of disciple-making. Even my own life is a testimony of someone else's willingness to invest qualitatively into the life of another. Toward the end of my sophomore year in college, I met a man named J. Kent Hutcheson who was Director of the Great Commission Training Center in Manila at the time. As Kent poured his life into mine, I developed a passion for the Great Commission, and thus began my own exciting journey of discipling others and then training them to do the same. In the ensuing years I have seen those efforts pay off. At one point several years into this process, I was able to trace at least ten to fifteen spiritual generations of disciples, many of whom have gone on to the mission field as pastors, medical missionaries or full-time staff members with various evangelical para-church organizations. Countless others are making a vital spiritual impact through their professional platforms. Today, there are people in various parts of the world including Africa, China, England, Canada, Vietnam, Philippines, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan, who are sowing and reaping in the harvest field as a result of my willingness to commit myself to the task of making disciples. At the time, my humble efforts at evangelism and discipleship did not seem all that significant to me. But the long-term benefits of following God’s strategy for winning the world have been self-evident. As Sutton pointed out when asked why he decided to rob banks, "Because that’s where the money is!" That’s why the Apostle Paul urged his disciple Timothy, "the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also." (II Tim. 2:2). The world entrust connotes the idea of making a deposit with the expectation that we will receive a multiplied return on the investment. Will you prayerfully consider joining us and others in the exciting process of equipping ourselves for this mission?n |
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