Billy Graham once said “One of the first verses of Scripture that Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, encouraged me to memorize was ‘The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also’ (2 Timothy 2:2,KJV). This is like a mathematical formula for spreading the gospel and enlarging the church. Paul taught Timothy; Timothy shared what he knew with faithful men; these faithful men would then teach others also. And so the process goes on and on. If every believer followed this pattern, the church could reach the entire world in one generation! Mass crusades, in which I believe and to which I have committed my life will never finish the Great Commission; but a one-to-one ministry will.” (The Holy Spirit, Waco: Word 1978, P.147. Source: Discipleship Library, “Operation Multiplication,” by Dr. Billie Hanks, Jr., http://www.discipleshiplibrary.com/iea_om.php).
More than 56 years ago Dawson Trotman gave the message “Born to Reproduce.” This vision is the heartbeat of every Navigator and of many other dedicated Christians around the globe. If every believer followed the pattern presented in “Born to Reproduce,” the church could reach the entire world in one generation! Why hasn’t the spiritual multiplication that Dawson spoke of led to the completion of the Great Commission?
The key to this vision is the laborer reproducing spiritually throughout his or her entire life. I came around The Navigators in 1970 in Okinawa in my last years in the U.S. Army. I was part of the Vietnam war generation. Later I moved into a Navigator home for training. I was one among thousands that came around the Nav work in those years. However, today as I look around, very few of the thousands that became convinced of this vision of spiritual multiplication are still laboring in any capacity for Christ today.
What happened? For one reason or another most of the people of that generation either stopped following Christ or stopped giving themselves to reproducing the life of Christ in them into the lives of others. The same has happened in subsequent generations. Why?
Most of the people I knew stopped following Christ because there were hidden things that occurred in their past that were never addressed in their process of being discipled and trained. One good friend grew up in a legalistic Christian home. He struggled with never feeling as though he was ‘good enough’ and stopped walking deeply with God after about four years. “God might work through others, but He’ll never be able to use me” was his secret inner thought. Another friend was abused sexually by an uncle and in his discipling process never got the help he needed. He lasted ten years longer than my other friend.
My generation got involved in the basics of discipleship such as building in the practice of having a daily quiet time, memorizing scripture, being in a Bible study, being trained in how to witness, learning how to follow up a new Christian, and the many other incredibly helpful aspects of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. We recognized there were things going on beneath the surface in our day-to-day lives (such as battles with fear, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and anger). But we thought that if we were faithful in these basics long enough, the hidden struggles would somehow be resolved. When those battles didn’t go away, most of my contemporaries simply gave up.
The Need of the Hour: Discipleship From the Inside Out
Looking back today, I can see that there was a missing element in the discipleship I received. I needed help with the areas of my life that were hidden below the surface that were the fruit of growing up in a broken and dysfunctional world. The neglected key to multiplying generations is the emotional health of the laborer!
The following storyboard video contains six real life testimonies that tell the story much better than I can by writing. If a picture in worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million! (Click on the top portion title of the video to go to YouTube. Then click on the rectangle in the bottom right corner of the video to see it full screen in high resolution.)
The following storyboard video contains six real life testimonies that tell the story much better than I can by writing. If a picture in worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million! (Click on the top portion title of the video to go to YouTube. Then click on the rectangle in the bottom right corner of the video to see it full screen in high resolution.)
I’d love to know your response to this video ... drop a comment below. The easiest way to post a comment is to click once on the underlined title #10 THE GREATEST OBSTACLE ... at the top of this post. Then go to the bottom of the post. A white box to "Post a comment" will appear. You can also just send your response to L2G.Forum@gmail.com and I'll post it for you. If you’d prefer to remain anonymous, let me know and I’ll keep your identity a secret.
Wonderful testimonies! Great video, Rusty. May God use this to expand the reach of His kingdom throughout the world!
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A friend recently asked, "WHY aren't all those who have been trained in disciplemaking through Campus Crusade and Navigators making a difference in our churches?" I think perhaps you have hit the nail on the head. We're fortunate here in Colorado Springs to have accesss to PRT's trainings, but what does one do elsewhere??
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