"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may
strengthen you with power through his Spirit
in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith… that you may be
filled to the measure of all the fullness of
God." (Ephesians 3:16, 19)
I
knew I was on the Lord's mission. I (Norm)
had returned from a two-week trip to three Central
American countries. In the days leading up to
the trip, I was struggling with the fact that
little seemed to be lined up. I didn't even know
where I would stay or the individuals I would
meet there, but I knew I was on the Lord's mission.
The first thing I sensed was that Satan would
try to hinder. That he did. The second thing was
that I prayed that the Lord would manifest His
presence. That He did. When we talk about the
manifest presence of God, we often think of the
miracles that accompany large meetings when obvious
things happen that normally wouldn't. Or we think
of healings and deliverance. These are all a part
of the manifest presence and the fullness of God.
But there is something more.
The
One who holds power beyond our imagination is
with us as we go. It was obvious to me, as
in the past that the Lord was manifesting His
presence and fullness through His provisions,
safety, divine contacts and favor with those I
was meeting. Our purpose is to see thousands of
workers raised up from the Latin American world.
Though previously unannounced, the Lord led me
to some of the most influential Christian leaders
in three countries, gave me wisdom in speaking
and favor with all. This is what we call going
out in the Spirit and power. In the Great Commission
in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gave a great challenge
to go to all nations teaching them all things.
But He also pointed out that all power was given
to Him and that He would be with those He sent
all the time. This is going out in power.
"Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you. And surely
I am with you always, to the very end of the
age." (Matthew 28:19-20)
The
cornerstone scripture of Elijah Company is Matthew
9:35-38. It is a model of a missionary, Jesus
being that model. He went into all the towns and
villages. He proclaimed the good news of the Gospel.
He healed all diseases. He had compassion on all
the people. And He said that the harvest is plentiful
but the workers are few therefore we should earnestly
implore the Lord of the harvest to send workers
(who in reality would be just like Him - going,
preaching, healing and praying). But the most
interesting word in this passage is the Greek
word "ekballo" meaning "send". The
response to earnest prayer for the Lord to send
workers would be His direct and personal intervention
to send in His power. The word "ekballo"
can be described in many ways. It is a spiritual
word that conveys hurricane-like force to drive
along. It is the same word used a few verses later
in Matthew 10 when Jesus told His disciples to
"ekballo" demons, meaning "cast them
out by the finger of God". When one is
sent in this way by the Lord of the harvest, He
goes out in the Spirit and power.
"Jesus
went through all the towns and villages, teaching
in their synagogues, preaching the good news
of the kingdom and healing every disease and
sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion
on them, because they were harassed and helpless,
like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said
to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful
but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the
harvest, therefore, to send out (ekballo) workers
into his harvest field.'" (Matthew 9:35-38)
After
twenty-five years of mission's work, my conclusion
is that missionary work is not difficult. It is
not hard. It is simply impossible. It is
for this reason that nearly 60% of foreign missionaries
do not return to the field. Many try to do in
the flesh what can only be done through the Spirit
and in God's power. So the question remains, "How
does a person go out in the Spirit and power?"
I would never claim to be an ultimate authority
on anything pertaining to God's ways, but there
are some things the Lord is showing us. Just like
I went to Central America and experienced God,
those going on the mission field need to know
what God's ways are in sending people in the Spirit
and power.
How
to Go Out in the Spirit and Power
"And
he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit
and power of Elijah… to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17)
-
Develop a personal spiritual resume
- Develop your spiritual gifts, get involved
in evangelism, exercise your prayer life, and
step out by faith right where you live. Do this
in the shadow of your hometown church. Exercise
your gifts to the maximum right now where you
are.
- Get
a world perspective - Take the Perspectives
on the World Christian Movement Course by the
U. S. Center for World Missions. This course
is the most eye-opening way to see the progression
of what God has done and is presently doing
in missions and how you can hop on board.
-
Attend a Missionary Training Camp with the
Elijah Company - This training is short
and intense. It may not be everything a person
needs but as one trainee put it, "It has
given me the steps to take to get to the field."
It is comparable to going into a dark room and
having someone switch on the lights for a few
seconds. You don't have enough time to study
the room in detail, but you know the general
layout. You know what to avoid and what to pursue.
For information, see www.elijahcompany.org.
If Elijah Company is not an alternative, then
find another with a similar emphasis.
- Get
certified in missions
- What we mean by certified is that you find
out what are some of the essentials a person
needs in order to be a missionary. These are
things like spiritual disciplines such as prayer,
devotions and study, good personal relationships,
cultural adaptability, emotional wholeness and
understanding of spiritual warfare. Make sure
that these essentials are developed before you
go.
- Ask
the leaders in your church to hear from the
Lord on your behalf
- It was the leaders of the church in Antioch
in Acts 13:1-3 who were together ministering
to the Lord, when the Holy Spirit spoke and
said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work I have for them." We must believe
that the Holy Spirit is still speaking and saying,
"Set apart for me ____ for the work I have."
He is the Lord of the harvest. He commands,
controls, inspires and sends. A few chapters
later in another instance the leaders said something
that is equally relevant, "If it seems good
to you and to the Holy Spirit…" When we
sense a call to missions we cannot be independent.
We are interdependent in the body of Christ.
When leaders of a church step away from a prayer
time, having heard from the Lord regarding an
individual, then that person can pursue his
call with vigor and undaunted certainty and
say, "This is the Lord, He is with me."
- Develop
a sending team - Each person going out should
have a team of 10-20 individuals who are intimately
involved with the mission like a flight crew
of a fighter jet. We are told that as many as
50 individuals may be on the flight crew of
one fighter jet. These individuals know everything
about that aircraft, every cable, gage and capacity.
They know its mission, when it goes out and
when it should return. They know the pilot,
how he flies, what he likes, dislikes and his
tendencies. This, ideally, is the kind of sending
base we need. With the sending of many thousands
of missionaries, the church is going to be stretched
to care for and support each one. It is my opinion
that once the leadership has confirmed the call,
the responsibility to support should be delegated
to a sending team.
- Develop
a fervent prayer life - This should actually
be the first step and never stop until the last.
It is praying to the Lord of the harvest. The
Lord does not need anything. He does not need
workers to accomplish His work. He could do
it on His own. He has no needs. The call for
workers is the privilege that we have of cooperating
in His divine plan for all ages. He desires
to have us involved. Pray that He would send.
To receive weekly encouragement and training
in prayer, send a blank e-mail to intercessorsarise-international-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org.
This
may not be the only way to go out in the Spirit
and power, but it may be a good alternative for
some who are contemplating the call to missions.
There may also be some people on the field who
need to retrace their steps and develop some of
the things we mentioned.
"My
message and my preaching were not with wise
and persuasive words, but with a demonstration
of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might
not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."
(I Corinthians 2:4-5)
For
information on Elijah Company, Inc. ministries
and training, contact us at elijah@elijahcompany.org
or call 757-226-3507.
Training
in World Missions
To
learn more about the Elijah Company please read:
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