Servants : The Legacy of Building For Eternity!
Across the globe, multitudes of people are being engaged in the harvest of hope. On beachheads of ministry across the world, preachers, missionaries, and Christian leaders are sharing Amazing Grace. This semester, in Christian colleges on every continent, capable ministers are being equipped with God?s Word and preparing for a generational impact. The axiom is still true: "Anybody can count the seeds in an apple, Only God can count the apples in a seed."
This week, graduates of Christian colleges are serving as ministers in churches large and small, making a tremendous difference on many fronts. The dedication of well-equipped faculty and faithful staff has produced missionaries committed to sharing the Great Commission in more than 200 nations. Only in Heaven will we fully comprehend the reach in this Harvest of changed lives.
The hinges of history are turning on our watch with more people coming to Christ than at any time since the resurrection. Leaders trained in our Christian colleges will help to compose the "spinal column" of the church, enabling the bride of Christ to stand tall. Denominational walls are crumbling, the hunger for enduring hope is escalating, and opportunities for New Testament Christianity making sense to a lost world have never been brighter. Amidst pockets of tremendous growth in our movement, there is a critical challenge that could cripple our ability to make good on this God-given potential. The verdict is still out as to whether or not our churches and colleges will raise up preachers, missionaries and Christian leaders to meet this critical need. The National Missionary Convention is in the midst of "God's maternity ward of faith" encouraging future "Joshuas and Esthers" for such a time as this equipped for a generational impact.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that The Restoration Movement is planting more churches and multiplying more congregations than any evangelical church in America. Yet, in the midst of this window of awesome opportunity, we are witnessing a decreasing number of ministry candidates enrolling in our Christian colleges. On the horizon America and the world faces the greatest season of spiritual hunger in the history of the world. At the same time, Maranatha Life reports that every year about 4,000 evangelical churches are birthed and about 7,000 will die. Many, without proper leadership, have died in place and are waiting for a funeral. Another national study of ministry leaders announces that 1,800 evangelical ministers are leaving the ministry every month. In recent years, hundreds of ministers and missionaries have either retired or fallen due to moral failure. Some are discouraged and reeling from criticism and church infighting. Others are burned out at the threshold of early resignation. Hundreds of churches are looking for ministers and hundreds of mission fields are in need of fresh leadership. Where do the reinforcements and future leaders come from?
The National Missionary Convention, in concert with key leaders across America, have recently announced the birthing next year of The Restoration Revolution 2010-2020, a decade of collaboration and cooperation to accomplish 4 basic goals emphasizing ACTS :
ALMIGHTY - Ask the Almighty in Prayer. We need a revival of spirit-filled, passionate prayer for future leaders. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 9:37 that the harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few, pray for future leaders.
CHURCHES - planted on every continent. Life-giving fellowships of believers shining a light for a generational impact for the Cause of Christ.
TOOLS - Translations and Technology are tools in the hands of capable leaders will yield a great harvest.
SERVANTS - The solution to dying, dead, and crippled congregations and mission endeavors to be launched is to raise Spirit-filled prayerful, faithful and courageous young men and women ready to make a difference. When this factor is combined with a responsive, loving and dedicated church family in the pews?the future of potential ministry has never shined brighter! Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the imagination of our hearts what God has in store for the future of Restoration Movement.
These critical crossroads will require exciting and contagious faith. "We will never pass this way again." The church needs to get beyond good intentions when it comes to leadership development. As a past-master in leadership development once noted: "Entrust these truths to faithful men who will in turn teach others." ( II Timothy 2:2 ) This will become a reality if the Church remains intentional and focused. In these historic days, the Lord is calling not just leaders, but leaders of leaders to the front lines of the war against spiritual terrorism. I'm grateful for those who have paid a high price for the foundation that has been laid. It's exciting to sense what the Lord is preparing for the harvests yet to come. |
