MULTIPLYING DISCIPLES AROUND THE WORLD

Day 13 – Multiplying Disciples

Imagine if one person led just one person to Christ and discipled them each year. Year one: two people. Year two: four. Year three: eight. It doesn’t sound very impressive, does it? But here’s what’s astounding – in just 33 years, you’d have over 8 billion people reached for Christ. That’s more than the current population of the entire world!

Yet despite having 2,000 years of Christianity, we haven’t seen this happen. Why? Because somewhere the multiplication process breaks down. We add people to the church, but we don’t multiply disciples who make disciples.

Here’s the life-transforming truth that will change everything about your approach to discipleship: God’s heart from the very beginning has been spiritual multiplication – filling the earth with people who know and love Him. The Great Commission isn’t just about making disciples; it’s about making disciples who make disciples who make disciples.

The first commandment God ever gave was in Genesis 1:28: “Be fruitful and multiply.” The last commandment Jesus gave before ascending to heaven was Matthew 28:19: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Same heart, same vision, same multiplication strategy.

Jesus used a simple four-stage process that creates spiritual multiplication:

Stage 1: We do, they watch. This is where most discipleship stays – in the watching phase. We teach, preach, and demonstrate, but people remain passive observers. Jesus didn’t just teach His disciples about ministry; He showed them by doing it while they watched.

Stage 2: We do, they help. Jesus began involving the disciples in the ministry. When He fed the 5,000, the disciples helped distribute the food. When He healed people, they were part of the process. This is hands-on learning where they become participants, not just spectators.

Stage 3: They do, we watch. This is the crucial stage most churches miss. Luke 10:1 shows us this: “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him.” Jesus sent them out to do what they had seen Him do, and then they came back to report and receive feedback.

Stage 4: They do, someone else watches. This is where multiplication begins! Now the disciples are doing ministry while training others, just as Jesus trained them. This is spiritual reproduction.

Acts 6:7 describes the result: “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly.” But later, Acts 12:24 says something even more powerful: “But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.” Notice the change – from addition to multiplication.

If this process works so well, why doesn’t the whole world know Christ by now? Because multiplication gets stopped by barriers.

When I went to Romania in 1980 during communist rule, a great revival was taking place in the northwestern region around Oradea. Churches were packed, overflowing with people. But the revival was contained by a mountain range on one side and a political border on the other.

A Romanian brother came to me and said, “Sammy, you have a car. You can cross these mountains. Will you help me get across and spread this revival?” We went across those barriers, and God moved powerfully throughout the entire country.

Zechariah 4:6 reminds us: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” But the same chapter asks, “Who dares despise the day of small things?” (verse 10). The powerful work of the Holy Spirit often starts small – with one person helping another person know and love Jesus.

The barriers we face today are similar: racial barriers, language barriers, economic barriers, geographic barriers, denominational barriers. Whatever the wall is, we must be willing to go through it or around it for the sake of multiplication. But we must conquer it.

This isn’t a new strategy – it’s God’s original plan. When Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” He was echoing what God told Adam and Eve before the fall: “Be fruitful and multiply.” God wanted the earth filled with people who walked with Him, loved Him, and reflected His character.

Second Timothy 2:2 shows us the multiplication process: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others also.” Four generations in one verse: Paul to Timothy to reliable people to others.

First Thessalonians 1:8 describes successful multiplication: “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has become known everywhere.”

This is our final session on discipleship, but it’s really your first step into becoming a multiplier. I want to invite you not just to be a disciple, but to be a disciple-maker who teaches others to grow in Christ and helps them reach the point where they can do the same thing.

Don’t let any barrier stand in your way – whether racial, ethnic, language, geographic, or political. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” and that includes breaking down every wall that prevents multiplication.

The question isn’t whether you’re qualified – the question is whether you’re willing. Are you willing to move from addition to multiplication? Are you willing to stop being satisfied with making disciples and start making disciple-makers?

The world is waiting. God’s heart is for every person on this planet to know and love Him. That happens through you becoming a multiplier who makes disciples who make disciples who make disciples.

Start with one person. Help them know and love Jesus. Then help them do the same with someone else. That’s how we fill the earth with His glory.