I admit a lot of this is just my own personal quirks, but I really feel that the whole subject of navigation is a huge issue in life and in ministry. When pondering the name of this ministry—Gateways Beyond International—I am struck by the implication of direction. I realize that there is nothing static or stationary in that name, but it is active. It is not a locality or personality, but an invitation, a call to discover. It does not tell me where I am, but it challenges me as to where I am going.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” The depth of the power in this verse is profound. This is a life-changing, a life-yielding word. It is a challenge and an invitation. We are invited and commanded to trust and to let Him light our way; after all, He is the Way. He not only invites us to come to Him, but also to follow Him. He wants to take us on a journey. We are so easily tempted to lean on our own understanding, but this is exactly what leads us astray. How often I catch myself trying to "figure things out" rather than listening to the Lord. But when we get down to it, here is the beautiful invitation; "in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." With every step, every breath, every desire in my heart, I get to think on Him. I get to set my gaze on Him, to praise Him, to ask Him his opinion, and listen for His answer. I get to "roll off onto" Him the things that try to weigh me down; decisions, desires, hopes, fears, accusations, everything! I give it all to Him!
It's like we're hiking through a mountain in thick woods, weighed down with a heavy pack full of cares, following a compass of half-conceived dreams and hopes, led off-course by trails blazed by lost wanderers, and following a map that leads to fool’s gold. When all the while we have the option of following a guide who knows the journey (both the short-cuts and the scenic routes), who will personally carry our bag of dead weight in exchange for His lighter and easier pack, and who is leading us—not to fool’s gold—but to a treasure field more vast and beautiful than our wildest dreams. I want to walk in this guide’s ways and follow His steps.
Gateways Beyond is committed to a life of obedience to the call of our Messiah. We are His disciples and He is beckoning us to follow Him. As we do that, He takes us beyond ourselves and our individual abilities; he multiplies us as we commit to one another.
We are now in full-swing of our 12th GTS here on the island of Cyprus, and it is such a privilege to see how the hand of the Lord has been guiding and positioning us through the years. Yeshua took twelve disciples and released them “to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” Now walking with our 12th group of student disciples, we are brimming with excitement at how the Lord is releasing this ministry to go out and be multiplied throughout the earth, making disciples, teaching them to observe all the things that He has commanded us and knowing, deep, deep on the inside, that He indeed is with us always—even to the end of the age.
For that is what we yearn for, to see His return. So, now as we walk through the process of multiplication, we are reminded that our focus is not on any one thing, but on the One. We say, “hineni,” here I am, send me. We will go; we will follow; we will obey—no matter the cost, no matter the price. We believe that He will take us beyond ourselves, beyond our limitations, beyond our imaginations.
