The goal of this segment is to present an overall picture of the disciple multiplication process rooted in Scripture. Explain the main steps and show the connection between them.
Imagine that this circle represents the disciple multiplication process from start to finish. Imagine this is a field into which the Master of the harvest wants to send His workers, in order to begin multiplying disciples.
What would you put in the center of circle? What is most important in the disciple multiplication process? What is the heart or the core that moves the whole process?
Believe you have the verses in which these words are used. Matthew, in the introduction to the story of Jesus sending out the disciples, reveals the foundations and the primary reason for this sending. These are supposed to be the foundation of the disciple multiplication process.
What was Christ’s mission? To teach and preach about the Kingdom, to teach God’s Word!
What did Christ see and point as the main need of society? An inadequate amount of spiritual workers who are capable of leading people.
What are the disciples responsible for? To whom should they turn? To God – about workers
In the Gospel of Matthew we can see the three components of God’s motivation: the awareness of man’s need for God’s Word, the need for leaders to transmit it, and that this awareness should compel us to purposeful and unceasing prayer for this.
So, let’s talk at how Jesus taught His disciples to find other disciples!
What is the main point in this passage? For what purpose did Christ call His disciples? For what purpose did He give them authority? For what purpose did He give them instructions? So that his disciples would GO
Discipleship cannot begin with the believer sitting at home, in church, staying within his circle of friends and not leaving his comfort zone. This is why you so often hear the call “GO” in the Gospels and in Acts. Remember the 5 Ley passages of the Great Commission which we studied during the second session. The definition of “go” in the dictionary is “to move, to change location”. In other word, if I want discipleship in my life, I need both in a literal and figurative sense, to move from point A to point B.
When we understand this, the next question arises: Go where? Can you find the answer to this question in the passages we studied above?
The answer is found in Matthew 28:19 – We need to go to ALL nations.
You have to remember that at that time it was very hard for a Jew to “go to other nations.” The other nations were gentiles – they ate unclean food, worshipped idols, etc. In essence, it meant for them to go to a very unfriendly and even dangerous place, “in the middle of the wolves”.
Why go to the nations? – To FIND. After they came to a city or settlement, their main goal was to search for and find a worthy home – hope open to messengers of the Gospel. We will talk about this more in session 1.7.
How do you find a “worthy home” or “house of peace”? – The indicator of a “worthy home” or “house of peace” will be certain “man of peace”, or, as Luke calls him, “son of peace” on whom “peace rests”. The man of peace is a person that opens for us the “worthy home” or “house of peace”. He is like a door into a certain community.
Now that we have found this person, what should we do next?
Read the following passages:
What work did the apostles have to do in the “house of peace?” What do you think was the main goal of this work?
Discover. Clearly in this case, “discover” means not simply to pass on information but to remain in this house and show the power of God by your personal example. Most likely, the idea is to acquire followers of the Kingdom of God using your life.
The “house of peace” is the surrounding of the “man of peace”: his community, people close to him, relatives, friends, anyone he can influence. When we find this house and start teaching, there is no need to move to other house, you can purposefully concentrate on teaching these people. We are talking about having regular gathering to read the Scriptures. Our goal is not only to start reading the Scriptures with one man, but to involve his family, or the people that surround him, in the discipleship process.
Now, lets return once more to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. So far in the diagram, we have part of the Great Commission. We went among the nations and made disciples. Following the Great Commission, we have to baptize them.
Baptism is a very important factor in the disciple multiplication process. It gives a distinct visible reference for both the group of disciples and the disciple maker. During training in Levels 2 and 3 you will devote specific time to the topic of “baptism” and the transition from fellowship with the “man of peace” to a “gathering of disciples” with those that surround him.
What do we call a group of disciples, baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who meet regularly for spiritual growth?
This is a church!
The church of disciples keeps growing, fulfilling the last part of the Great Commission: “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. AMEN.” But this is in no way the end goal of the process. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be called a process. As you can see on the diagram, the new church continues to go and keeps repeatedly sending the people to the nations, and through this, multiplying churches.
In the comment section below, answer the following questions:
- Which stages of the process am I doing?
- Which ones did I not know about?
- What do I need to differently?
- Which stages of the process are not working out for me?
- What changes am I going to make?
