An Opportunity That Obligates

Imagine a scenario in which Paul had not taken time to train Timothy, or Barnabus had not nurtured his homesick nephew Mark back into spiritual health.

Think of how different our lives would be today. There would be no books of Timothy, or Gospel of Mark. As a matter of fact, the New Testament would no doubt be radically different—not doctrinally, but in detail. Most scholars agree that the Gospel of Mark served as a template for the synoptic Gospels; and the book of Timothy is an invaluable pattern of instruction for any young pastor to follow. All of which, of course, illustrates the vital necessity for each of us to follow our Master’ command to:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:19-20)

Yet—now, I have to be honest with you—I am amazed at the number of Christians who have yet to disciple one person, or express their concern to see that others do. The Great Commission does not stop at the word “go”. No, the word “teach” is also there; as a matter of fact, it is there twice: “Go teach all nations . . . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

So, to just send an evangelist out to the mission field to draw big crowds, have a healing service, and take pictures of people responding to a generic altar call is not fulfilling the Great Commission. Building a viable church on the mission field requires much more. Others must be taught, so that they in turn may teach others.

There is no simple solution, either. This requires long diligent preparation, planning and instructions. Training others to train others is not accomplished over night. This takes months, sometimes years. It requires stick-to-itiveness. It require (now for the dirty word) money. Teachers must eat, have a place to live, transportation to get there. We don’t need to be told that, but it does not hurt to remind ourselves from time to time that these things are necessary. And, to complicate matters, they are not always easy to come by.

This is why Jesus asks us to “pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth laborers into the harvest field.” (Matt. 9:38) Accomplishing the task requires prayer and hard work. Both are equally required; neither outweighs the other.

I am no fund raiser. That is a gift that I seemed to have missed out on. But, I can and do pray. So, I am asking you to join with me in sincere prayer that God will bring in the necessary funds for us to travel once again to Sri Lanka to continue training laborers for the harvest in that needy country. As fellow workers, we have no choice—this is not just an opportunity, it is an obligation.

Thanks for your prayers. And, thanks for your support. Both are appreciated and necessary.