“This is an AMAZING time to be alive!"
We have been blessed to see innovations and advances in technology, far beyond the scope of what anyone could have imagined fifty years ago.
Technology has made it possible - for once in history - for us to visualize the fulfillment of Jesus' mandate to the Church:
"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; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'' (Matthew 28:19-20)
And still there are MILLIONS who have no relationship to Jesus Christ - in fact, who have never so much as heard the message of the Gospel. And so we carry the challenge of global evangelism before us, into the New Millennium; and the Ministry of Evangelism is compelled to devise innovative strategies for reaching and winning the Lost.
Yes, there are many in the Body of Christ who look at Y2K with apocalyptic expectations - looking for return of our Lord Jesus Christ at some point in the year 2000. While I acknowledge that the year 2000 A. D. has as much potential for prophetic significance as any other year - and while I admit that these are indeed perilous times that we live in - I don't believe we can afford to quit doing Ministry until we actually hear the blast of the trumpet.
If the Lord should tarry - say for another five, or ten, or even fifty years - I believe He will expect us to continue to be diligent about reaching the "Lost" for His Kingdom. It is our singular task - our mandate - to snatch them back out of the fires of Hell, by any means necessary!
This Ministry was established for the purpose of spreading the Gospel, in accordance with the stipulation of the Great Commission - for the purpose of carrying on aggressive warfare against the kingdom of satan right up to the moment that the Lord appears in the sky and summons us to come be with Him. It is also our goal that we should be a Ministry tool - a resource for professional services to other fellow-Ministers, that will enhance their abilities to meet the challenge of global Ministry, in the coming New Millennium.
The Challenge
I believe that Ministry in the 21st Century will present a different set of challenges than any of us could have ever imagined. I believe that it is imperative for those of us who have been called to the work of the Ministry to recognize the tremendous ministry potential in the new technologies that have evolved during the latter half of this century. For many of us that will mean learning to put away "conventional" thinking, and moving beyond the familiar clichés and paradigms that have dictated how we do ministry, since - well - before the end of the last century.
In short, if we are going to be effective - in the 21st century - in reaching the lost for Christ, we must evolve past the19th century ideas about how to do Ministry, that have prevailed up to now.
The Internet has created a gateway that will enable us to do Ministry on a global level; but, the only way we can ever hope to DO Ministry on a global level is if we can BELIEVE that we are capable of doing Ministry at that level. We have to overcome small-mindedness.
While most Christian leaders have learned to adapt to new technologies and modern innovations - in their personal lives - some have found it difficult accommodate new ideas, and methodologies, in anything related to Church Business. In the meantime, the kingdom of satan has exploited every available technology as a tool in its campaign to lure men away from Christ - to the extent that its influence is even felt within the Church.
I believe the Church must be as aggressive as kingdom of satan in exploiting every available resource to turn the eyes of men toward Jesus. It is our task to "snatch them out of the fire;" by any means necessary - but if we are to succeed we must continue to be forward-thinking and contemporary. In short:
The Church cannot expect to be effective in the 21st Century, using 19th Century Ministry strategies.
We must understand that being "contemporary" does NOT mean we are not spiritual. Jesus, Himself, faced controversy from His opponents - not so much because of His theology, but - because He dared to Minister to the people on their level. It might even be argued that He was a "Modernist" - possibly even a "radical." But He preached the Gospel by whatever means necessary.
Now, we have the opportunity to cross the threshold of the Millennium - equipped with unprecedented resources for reaching the Least, the Last and particularly the Lost with the marvelous message of the Gospel.
-- Fall 1999
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