As I write this letter I have one thought that dominates my mind: what are ministers really supposed to be doing? That is not a question that I do not know the answer; it is a question that must be answered by every minister, but even more importantly, by every believer. In His teachings about the Kingdom of God Jesus taught a lot about the importance of priority: “Seek first the Kingdom… first be reconciled…”
For the last hundred years our country, i.e. government, educational programs, psychiatry, psychology and, to some degree, the Church have become more rooted in iniquity, the rejection of God’s Word as the standard for morals, values and ethics. Humanism has replaced the universal truth and wisdom of God’s truth. The end result is a country full of codependent workers of iniquity (lawlessness).
In its attempt to minister to people much of the Church has very unintentionally begun to offer less of what Jesus told us to seek and more of what appeals to our codependent desires. Back in the 70s I did a meeting with a man who, at the time, was one of the most influential leaders of the Charismatic Movement! I taught a message about responsibility that helped people see they got out of this journey with God to the exact degree they invested themselves in the truth, i.e. with the measure you mete it shall be measured unto you. When we spent time alone he corrected me, “You’ll never get people to respond to your messages by telling them what they need to do.”
As the Church has sought to compete with the world for the hearts of humanity, many have unintentionally departed from the primary job description laid out in the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. As such, many believers are not seeking a church based on following Jesus as Lord, they are looking for the church that will meet their social needs. Personally, I think it’s good to get our special needs met through our church relationships, but not if it replaces the top priorities.
When we had a local congregation I met with a consultant who was the “go to man” for one of the fastest growing churches in America. He laid out what their church had done to grow numerically; I then laid out what we did to develop people in their walk with God and move them along their journey of finding wholeness and following Jesus as a disciple. Then I asked him, “If I put all of this effort into these programs that make the church grow numerically and keep people connected, when will I have time to do the things that actually help people grow in Christ?” Without batting an eye, he replied, “That’s just it; you won’t have time to do anything else.”
I always want to reach more people and see and help churches grow numerically and we should have a passion to reach the masses, but never at the cost of the true purposes of God! I’m presenting this issue so I can help you sort out what’s really important and what’s not important in your search for personal ministry. If we are looking for and expecting from local churches and ministers what they have no right to offer, we, the believers, become the core of the corruption that drives the Church off course from its mission! It is the fact that much of the Church has been off course for so long that it contributes to the poor state of global affairs.
The Great Commission is very plain: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20). Our goal is to make disciples by teaching people what Jesus taught about God’s Word. Then, the Apostle Paul showed us what that would look like in the Church. Ephesians 4:12-16 says, … the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things 16 according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
A disciple is someone who accepts Jesus as Lord, therefore accepts Jesus’ interpretation and application of God’s Word. A disciple is one who is disciplining his life based on Jesus’ teachings. He or she desires to apply truth to their own life and, by the grace of God, transforms to be more and more like Jesus! Paul goes on to explain the benefits that come from making this journey: we come into the experiential knowledge of Christ, our faith becomes stable, we grow into perfected believers who can no longer be deceived by unsound teaching and we minister to others. Or to put it simply: we become whole through the love of God and we minister to others!
I know if you are one who follows my teaching you have already answered these questions. You’re seeking a meaningful walk with God and with others. My message doesn’t attract codependent groupies seeking to have their emotional thrill-seeking tendencies rewarded. My message is only attractive to those who are seeking to live as a disciple, i.e. a follower of Jesus as Lord!
I want you to know that as an equipper everything I teach is designed to equip you to face the challenges of life and overcome! An overcomer doesn’t just endure life, they rise above the obstacles and challenges. Everything I teach you about grace, faith, the love of God and the miraculous is designed to make your life more workable as you follow Jesus and bless the people around you.
We’ve got to remember, not everyone is hearing a message that builds them up in the faith, facilitates falling in love with God or even living in victory! But together we are changing that! Impact CyberChurch ministers to tens of thousands of people every week all over the world. Every day we receive testimonies from people whose lives, families and friends are being transformed. People continue to get healed, saved, delivered and even launched into the ministry because of what we do together!
I honestly don’t know how long we will have the freedoms we have to preach the gospel unhindered in America. It would overwhelm you if I told you all I know about what is going on behind the scenes in Washington to strategically plot against Christianity! But we don’t need to focus on that. We need to focus on and prepare for the return of the Lord Jesus as we continue to invest in our own faith and invest in others with this Gospel of the Kingdom! Through Operation One Billion, the online Bible School, books, DVDs, CDs, blogs, Facebook and an international network that helps us distribute our materials to the world, we are taking this message to the ends of the earth!
I seldom talk to you about finances, but I’m going to today. In the years that remain let’s follow the teaching of our Lord and lay up treasures in Heaven. Let’s be the generation that takes the Great Commission seriously. Today I want you to consider this:
· For $600 we can start a Bible School anywhere in the world.
· For $5000 each we can launch new Books (I have more than 50 in the rough).
· For $1000 per month we can get different networks that will take our broadcast to various
parts of the world.
· For $1,000,000 we can launch a massive world outreach that will take us into the future!
If you’ve been considering increasing your monthly World Changers support now is the time. If you have considered making any special contributions, today is the day. And if you want to do something massive, the time is now. I have a plan that would continuously create finances and multiply our outreach for the next decade. To launch this plan I need $1,000,000. Just imagine multiplying everything we are currently doing to reach the world as well as insure that we will be doing massive outreach for the next decade if Jesus tarries.
I know you will be as generous as your income and your opportunity allows. I also know that together we will continue to change the way the world sees God!
Until we all stand before Him with the souls we have won and the lives we have helped to change!