“Gathering Together -Discipleship Team (Part 2)” – Now Think On This by Steve Martin
May 9, 2020 Love For His People in Charlotte, NC USA
(Above photo: Steve Martin and Yeshudas Bavirisetty in Chattishgarh, India)
“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, “Come, follow me.” John 1:43 THE MESSAGE
If you have seen any of my previous messages, you would have seen me write of when the Lord, once again after 17 years, had called me to attempt, and I say attempt, to gather together local churches and ministries in the Charlotte, North Carolina region, for a 2-day event in April 2020. It was to be known as the Gathering Together Event. I even thought it would become an annual event.
Knowing the Father’s heart for unity has never changed, even as Jesus (Yeshua) His Only Begotten Son had prayed and thus had the Holy Spirit eternalize those words in John 17, I knew that His prayer would someday be answered. You know God answers His own prayers, don’t you?
Someday. Somewhere. Hopefully in our region of this United States it will happen.
But the GTE moment never occurred. At least not here. At least not at this time. Nor in the format I had envisioned it would.
I had spent over a year and a half preparing for it. Gathering together a leadership team. Requesting 12 speakers in total to share, who accepted, to communicate whatever was on their heart from the Lord. Having two worship teams and more individuals lined up for the times of praising and lifting up the Name of Jesus, together, in this area, were also on the schedule.
Our ministry, Love For His People, invested the funds needing in getting the venue secured, lining up volunteers, putting the word out, preparing and printing web pages and flyers, all the effort needed to expect a great time together as the plans had been laid. What I had learned was used, after previously administrating 44 conferences with three previous ministry I had served with in 24 years prior.
But when I go back from a 2-week trip to India in February 2020, there were only 11 people registered. I won’t say I was devasted, because we have no business believing that stuff if we are walking with the Lord. But I was truly disappointed.
I had heard the Lord. That I knew. I had obeyed Him. This is what I always try to do. But where was the result that I surely expected He would bring? Not then, as I had also greatly hoped for.
When I was in the weekly Antioch International Church staff meeting on the Tuesday following my India journey return, which by the way was the Lord’s doing, after I had resisted going back to India for a second time after 10 years since 2010, where this time I spent 5 days straight, with my 14 messages, teaching 90 pastors in two gatherings about the importance of Israel and the Jews, I shared my disappointment. I told them, two of which were pastors and planned speakers of the Gathering Together Event, that I had canceled the event the day before.
After the meeting, Elizabeth Enns, co-pastoring Antioch with her husband Jesse, came into my office where I had “retreated” to and said she understood my disappointment. I thanked her for her concern, valiantly trying to hold back the emotions and the beginning of tears that wanted to come.
When you do as you believe He has commanded, and put your heart into it, and then it turns out different than all the expectations you so tremendously wanted to see come about, you can and do get emotional. We are human. The Lord made us in His image, and He shares His emotions with us.
But God! Ever hear that before??!!
When the Holy Spirit spoke to me later in the days that followed, what door that seemingly was shut here, He had opened up for me in India. When I felt discouraged, weary, and needing to get back up in faith from the letdown, He told me that He had opened the door for ministry in India, even as He already had gathered together 90 pastors in those two conferences, to teach and train them about the importance of blessing Israel and His chosen people, the Jews.
And now, less than three months after that “setback”, which really was His test for me to see if I would again obey or not in regards to His desire to gather, He has called me to begin gathering together a discipleship team of young men and women, or at least ones a bit younger than my current 65 years of age, to train, teach, impart, encourage, and send out with greater weapons, as they receive further understanding in and of His ways, using my experiences taught and walked out over my decades of years in training.
Thus, this morning of May 9, 2020, I sent to specific ones I personally know in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and yes even here in the USA, an invite to them to be part of this new development in the ministry of Love For His People.
Do I know where all this is going? Certainly not. Am I confident that what He starts He will finish? Yes, I certainly am! Because what He starts, He finishes.
Mark 1:14-20
“…Yeshua came into the Galil proclaiming the Good News from God: “The time has come, God’s Kingdom is near! Turn to God from your sins and believe the Good News!” As he walked beside Lake Kinneret, he saw Shim‘on and Andrew, Shim‘on’s brother, casting a net into the lake; for they were fishermen. Yeshua said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you into fishers for men!” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little farther, he saw Ya‘akov Ben-Zavdai and Yochanan, his brother, in their boat, repairing their nets. Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zavdai in the boat with the hired men and went after Yeshua.” Mark 1:14-20, Complete Jewish Bible
More to come…
And as a “P.S” before the end of the story. Now I know another reason as to why the Lord had me give notice to both of my accounting positions – one at Antioch International Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina and the other uptown at the Charlotte Center City Partners this past two weeks – of my departure from each. I will need the time for travel and teaching. As He prophesied to me years and years ago. (Obedience pays off in the long run.)
Now think on this.
Ahava and shalom,
Steve Martin, Founder/President Love For His People, Inc.
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Now Think On This #507 – in the year of our Lord 05.09.2020 – “Gathering Together – Disciple Team Part 2” – Saturday, 7:30 am in Charlotte, NC USA
