by Tom Adleta
Rev. Tom Adleta, BBA MA, is the founder and executive director of Global Christian Network, Inc., also now Minister-at-Large with Mission to Unreached Peoples, and recently has joined the staff of SVM2. From a diverse foundation of military experience and entrepreneurial business enterprises, Tom and his wife ministered in their local churches and eventually 30 years in missions from Central America, across Asia, now through Africa, Europe and Latin America, as he and his wife homeschooled their 8 children.
God’s eternal plan is for all peoples to be around His Throne worshiping. From the beginning of eternity, God had the end in mind that every tongue, tribe and language on earth will be represented around his throne at the end of the age as we read in Revelation 7: 9, “After this I looked up and there were before me great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe people and language, standing before the throne in the Lamb.” God said, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Each generation must be reached by his own generation. The Student Volunteer Movement 2 must reach their own generation by being radical, Holy Spirit filled disciples. They must go to all the nations and mobilize students and young people from every country to gather those who respond and disciple them in small fellowships at every university, college, or wherever students gather, teaching them how to multiply themselves to the end of the earth.
In order for this to happen, there must be a fellowship (small group) within reach of every person geographically, in their heart language, and incarnate in their culture and society. Message bearers must be mobilized to go to the students and universities to raise up volunteers. Jesus will not return until everyone hears the gospel. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)
The generation is reached as Message Bearers are sent out. In Romans 10:14-15, 17, we read that they can only believe through faith in hearing the word from someone who is sent. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.’” v17 “…..so faith comes from hearing and heard through hearing the word of God.”
The generation is reached as Message Bearers obey His commands. Jesus sent his disciples to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8), to follow and to obey his commands to make disciples. “…and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:20)
You have to be a disciple to make a disciple. His desire is for you to become disciple-makers that would be fruitful and multiply, gathering those who respond, and discipling them in small groups. “For when two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst” (Matt 18: 20) In This is “His church,” small fellowships–not buildings.
The result of working God’s way is evident fruit. The results of everyone going and making disciples were evident in Acts 19:10: “This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” The reason was that every believer was going and sharing the gospel daily. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)
Trying to do God’s Plan our own way, always fails. The Task for all disciples is still there today because we, His Church, have not been doing what Jesus commanded us to do. (Matthew 28:18–20) The earthly church has been trying to do it their own way for over 2000 years and have failed. Each believer has not been going and sharing the good news daily or even at all like the New Testament Church did. However, you can see in Acts 19:10 “And this took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”
Why were the disciples so successful? Because each of the disciples was going daily and making disciple-makers. God has chosen to accomplish His Plan through us as we follow and obey His Word, His commands, knowing Him, His examples, which were not man’s ideas or plans, but God’s Plans. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8) “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.” (Mark 16:20)
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