Faithfully Following of Jesus in the 21st Century: insights from NRB 2025
~ By Ian Millar, Co-Founder Mission 17:11
I have to be honest with you: I’m not typically impressed with celebrities or famous people. However, I can get a little star-struck when I meet someone whom I really admire; and I tend to really admire wise and faithful Christian leaders. Please note however that all of my heroes have flaws, except for Jesus. His only flaws are the scars which He allowed men to put on him. And people will disappoint us. Especially people with public ministries who get exhausted when they are out in public, because so many people flock to them.
I went to the 2025 National Religious Broadcasters convention this past week to promote our ministry, advertise my recently published book, and try to make some connections with ministries willing to collaborate with us. While I was there, I did get the privilege of meeting several major ministry leaders – which was very cool. Now, I only had a basic convention expo pass, and didn’t have access to the neat presentations, forums, and dinners. I was just a small fish in the big fish tank of broadcasters.
So, it may not surprise you at all that several of the big name folks whom I met weren’t terribly interested in giving me much of their time. While I was disappointed about that, it made me more keenly aware of the rest of the people there who are working hard in ministries, laboring in obscurity as just another disciple carrying out the work of the Great Commission.
It seems that one of the biggest problems we have in the 21st Century Christian Church world is that there are so many ‘rock star’ leaders out there today. It’s easy to think they are the ones ‘doing the work’. It’s easy to think that they are completing the Great Commission’s work. But that would be a terrible delusion.
What I sensed the Holy Spirit leading me to do was to seek out and find the amazing work being done every day by very ordinary, faithful followers of Jesus. When I did that, I saw so much happening! I had the opportunity to have well over 100 conversations with other believers who are seeking to faithfully walk out the calling of the Gospel – in one way or another.
I’ll spare you the long list of missions and ministries that I encountered. But I want to highlight a few of them:
GFA World – a ministry sponsoring national missionaries, in places around the world, which grew up from within India, is now headquartered in Texas, and which is building missions work in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Africa, etc. They both sponsor children the way other missions do, but they also train and sponsor local indigenous pastors and evangelists. At the same time, they are training up US based Apprentices. They consider themselves “Evangelical-Orthodox” and are focused on the core of the Gospel – and work in collaboration with existing churches whenever possible. www.gfa.org The husband and wife team that I met were very engaging, wise, scriptural, and very humble.
Lighthouse Arab World – a ministry focused entirely on reaching Muslims in Arab nations. They use radio bible programs, in-person evangelism and discipleship, leadership training, art, and worship programs to reach Muslims in Africa and the Middle-east. The men I met were Arab Christians with a love for the Muslim people, seeking to reach them with the Gospel – despite very difficult challenges as the world of Islam is very aggressive against Christians. www.lighthouseaw.org
Raj and Hema Arockia, with hosannawebtv.com – they use TV, as well as in-person meetings, feeding and clothing the poorest of the poor, in the Chennai, India and surrounding regions. It turns out that I had been to the same city as their associate-elder (who was with them) was from. We shared discussions about India and Central Asia. They were very engaging and interested in our ministry as well. www.hosannawebtv.com
Seed company is a ministry based in Arlington, TX providing Bible translations to unreached people around the world. What impressed me the most about their mission is the way their young representatives are so passionate about their calling. Currently working with indigenous translators to both provide the Bible translated into many languages; but also to train ministry teams in-country. They currently have engaged with thousands of local indigenous languages, and they are endeavoring to make the Bible accessible because they realize that God wants to speak to the heart of each person, and they realize that The Great Commission is for all of us – not just a select group of ‘rock stars’. www.seedcompany.org
So, after visiting about 100 teams during the conference, and seeing how many things God is doing, it was very encouraging. But, it was also eye-opening. We all have to be engaged in getting the Gospel out. The Great Commission is not simply for a select class of people; because Jesus said the calling is to continue “…teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you…”
The task is huge! Too great for a select group of celebrities. Each of us must get engaged, find our place in the process, and do our parts to reach the lost with the life-giving message of Jesus. Every one of us is key to the success of the Great Commission.
What part will you play? Every player counts on this team. Being faithful to Jesus means accepting the role of being just another disciple – who does their part.
#justanotherdisciple
#NRB2025
#followJesus
Just Another Disciple
~ By Ian Millar, Co-Founder Mission 17:11
I have to be honest with you: I’m not typically impressed with celebrities or famous people. However, I can get a little star-struck when I meet someone whom I really admire; and I tend to really admire wise and faithful Christian leaders. Please note however that all of my heroes have flaws, except for Jesus. His only flaws are the scars which He allowed men to put on him. And people will disappoint us. Especially people with public ministries who get exhausted when they are out in public, because so many people flock to them.
I went to the 2025 National Religious Broadcasters convention this past week to promote our ministry, advertise my recently published book, and try to make some connections with ministries willing to collaborate with us. While I was there, I did get the privilege of meeting several major ministry leaders – which was very cool. Now, I only had a basic convention expo pass, and didn’t have access to the neat presentations, forums, and dinners. I was just a small fish in the big fish tank of broadcasters.
So, it may not surprise you at all that several of the big name folks whom I met weren’t terribly interested in giving me much of their time. While I was disappointed about that, it made me more keenly aware of the rest of the people there who are working hard in ministries, laboring in obscurity as just another disciple carrying out the work of the Great Commission.
It seems that one of the biggest problems we have in the 21st Century Christian Church world is that there are so many ‘rock star’ leaders out there today. It’s easy to think they are the ones ‘doing the work’. It’s easy to think that they are completing the Great Commission’s work. But that would be a terrible delusion.
What I sensed the Holy Spirit leading me to do was to seek out and find the amazing work being done every day by very ordinary, faithful followers of Jesus. When I did that, I saw so much happening! I had the opportunity to have well over 100 conversations with other believers who are seeking to faithfully walk out the calling of the Gospel – in one way or another.
I’ll spare you the long list of missions and ministries that I encountered. But I want to highlight a few of them:
GFA World – a ministry sponsoring national missionaries, in places around the world, which grew up from within India, is now headquartered in Texas, and which is building missions work in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Africa, etc. They both sponsor children the way other missions do, but they also train and sponsor local indigenous pastors and evangelists. At the same time, they are training up US based Apprentices. They consider themselves “Evangelical-Orthodox” and are focused on the core of the Gospel – and work in collaboration with existing churches whenever possible. www.gfa.org The husband and wife team that I met were very engaging, wise, scriptural, and very humble.
Lighthouse Arab World – a ministry focused entirely on reaching Muslims in Arab nations. They use radio bible programs, in-person evangelism and discipleship, leadership training, art, and worship programs to reach Muslims in Africa and the Middle-east. The men I met were Arab Christians with a love for the Muslim people, seeking to reach them with the Gospel – despite very difficult challenges as the world of Islam is very aggressive against Christians. www.lighthouseaw.org
Raj and Hema Arockia, with hosannawebtv.com – they use TV, as well as in-person meetings, feeding and clothing the poorest of the poor, in the Chennai, India and surrounding regions. It turns out that I had been to the same city as their associate-elder (who was with them) was from. We shared discussions about India and Central Asia. They were very engaging and interested in our ministry as well. www.hosannawebtv.com
Seed company is a ministry based in Arlington, TX providing Bible translations to unreached people around the world. What impressed me the most about their mission is the way their young representatives are so passionate about their calling. Currently working with indigenous translators to both provide the Bible translated into many languages; but also to train ministry teams in-country. They currently have engaged with thousands of local indigenous languages, and they are endeavoring to make the Bible accessible because they realize that God wants to speak to the heart of each person, and they realize that The Great Commission is for all of us – not just a select group of ‘rock stars’. www.seedcompany.org
So, after visiting about 100 teams during the conference, and seeing how many things God is doing, it was very encouraging. But, it was also eye-opening. We all have to be engaged in getting the Gospel out. The Great Commission is not simply for a select class of people; because Jesus said the calling is to continue “…teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you…”
The task is huge! Too great for a select group of celebrities. Each of us must get engaged, find our place in the process, and do our parts to reach the lost with the life-giving message of Jesus. Every one of us is key to the success of the Great Commission.
What part will you play? Every player counts on this team. Being faithful to Jesus means accepting the role of being just another disciple – who does their part.
#justanotherdisciple
#NRB2025
#followJesus
Published in Commentary, Media, Projects and Resources