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Make Disciples! BY SCOTT GRISWOLD
It is Jesus' Great Commission, but is it our Great Omission? "Go therefore into all the world and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:19).
I
am disappointed that it is 2014 and we still live on planet earth! There are too many children trapped in slavery and prostitution, too many mothers trying to scrounge supper for six hungry mouths, too many families crying without the hope of resurrection as they push their grandfather’s corpse into the crematorium. I want to see Jesus come. What is He waiting for? We are not waiting for another war, hurricane, or epidemic. We are waiting for one thing. Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). When He said those words, God saw Myanmar with its 142 different ethnic groups and anticipated hearing prayers in each language. He saw Thailand in 2014 with nearly 99% of the country still Buddhist, Muslim, or Animist. He wanted them to know Him and be with Him forever. That passion of Jesus is why my family and I lived in Southeast Asia for sixteen years. That is why national workers spend long hours caring for the poor and witnessing among Buddhists and spiritworshippers. That is why you read this magazine, intercede for these workers, and sacrifice to send them out.
Sometimes when I fly over the millions in Bangkok, Thailand I wonder how God can possibly give them each a chance. My mind is boggled by the report that there are still 7,287 unreached, unique people groups (joshuaproject.net). How can we possibly see the end come? Jesus gave two answers. Pray for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and Go, make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). The Holy Spirit alone can turn this selfish heart of mine and yours, and our sleepy church into a blazing fire that engulfs the world with the love and joy of the third angel’s message. We can seek that power through studying about the Holy Spirit and earnestly praying and believing for His infilling in every corner of our lives. The second part reveals an incredible multiplication plan that God will use to finish the work. If you were to lead two people to God in one year and kept it up for thirty years, you’d baptize 60 people. However, if you really made disciples—leading two people to truly follow Jesus in one year and then helped them to do the same for others the next year, while still discipling two new people yourself, you would set in motion mighty multiplication instead of addition.
FIRST QUARTER 2014
Reaching Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar & Beyond