I’ve had the absolute privilege of training perhaps tens of thousands of believers and disciples over the last 21 years.
To my knowledge a handful of them have literally run with the teaching, and are now bearing much good fruit for the gospel. After training with us, they went on mission trips to the Third World and sent me glowing reports of many being miraculously healed and accepting Jesus. Some have begun to train other disciples just as they themselves were trained by us. One of them is sending workers he trained to plant many house churches in South Asia just as we are doing.
But there are others who started out very well, but after some years of fruitful ministry for some reason they sputtered out. Although they might still be involved in ministry in some form, they are not making disciples and then sending them to preach the gospel to the unreached—for discipling the nations to fulfill the Great Commission. I don’t hear from them anymore.
I’m sure the reasons for this must be varied.
- Change in life circumstances
- Disappointment with other servants of God
- Loss of vision for the Great Commission
- “The thrill is gone”
- Sensing a change in their calling?
Some of you with us now are being prepared for full-time ministry. Among other things, you might feel called to become a Trainer for Special Forces, Kingdom of God. In the beginning, you will see wondrous things taking place in your ministry—just like those who have gone before you. Many people will be gloriously healed in your events and accept Jesus. You will be thrilled to see what the Lord is doing through you.
But after some years of fruitful ministry—for some reason like those above—second thoughts may occur to you. The excitement is gone. You might begin to wonder whether or not it’s time to call it quits and do something else.
I am suspecting that one reason for this is they are not training others to do what years earlier they themselves had been trained to do. Perhaps they’ve gotten used to seeing the miracles and the crowds turning to Jesus in their events, and it’s no longer the thrill that it once was. And they’re not multiplying themselves by training others to do what they were trained to do in the beginning.
What has happened to me personally?
After 21 years, I no longer have the same thrill as I once did seeing the miracles in my evangelistic events and then people turning to Jesus. As we say in the US, “been there and done that”. Now my thrill is to train other servants of God with what the Lord has graciously entrusted to me. No “one-man-show” as it was in the past in the Church. My joy is to see God use them to heal the sick, to preach the gospel, and to make disciples by training them to do the same. That is my calling and what I will do until the very end of the age or until I am called home.
I encourage you—if and when years down the road you go through a pause, a time of disappointment or doubt—to pray and seek the Lord what He wants you to do.
Keep in mind that ultimately, we are called to fulfill the Great Commission. There is a way to do it without having to lose the thrill of serving the Lord.
Matthew 20:19 Therefore go and make disciples [not simply believers] of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Revelation 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”
Luke 19:15 …Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned TEN more.’ 17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of TEN cities.’