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During these Last Days before the Return of the Messiah before which we must complete the Great Commission, the Lord is raising up an army of “nameless, faceless” disciples for that very purpose.
Over several decades very fruitful “superstar” evangelists and preachers have appeared and have done their job very well. In a sense these superstars might be represented by the Twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. (Luke 9:1-2)
We have seen that superstar preachers can minister with great power and authority, resulting in great harvests for the kingdom of God. But the job is still very far from done. Can ordinary disciples like you and me minister with any power and authority and have a part in the harvest during these Last Days?
Almost as if in answer to this question, in the following chapter Jesus appoints seventy-two more disciples who are not apostles—who might represent disciples like you and me.
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. …Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ …The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” (Luke 10:1, 9, 17)
Just as he had sent out the Twelve, Jesus also sent the seventy-two out to proclaim the kingdom of God. And he commanded them to “heal the sick” before preaching the gospel. Therefore it is abundantly clear that he gave to the seventy-two a measure of this power and authority over diseases and demons when he sent them out.
The calling of The Elijah Challenge is to train the vast army of ordinary disciples in the Church represented by the seventy-two in the gospels.
Judging by what they have accomplished over the past several decades we have seen that the superstars by themselves cannot fulfill the Great Commission and get the job done. We must train and send out the “seventy-two” who represent the great army of nameless, faceless committed disciples found in every nation under heaven.
The calling of The Elijah Challenge is to train this army to proclaim the kingdom of God to the nations utilizing the supernatural power and authority over diseases and demons which our Lord Jesus has entrusted to his disciples. By using this power and authority according to Scripture, very difficult-to-reach, gospel-resistant peoples in the Third World can be converted to Christ and then discipled—thus opening the way for the great and terrible Day of the Lord.
We are NOT commanding God