Multiplying Followers of Jesus
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:18–20 NIV)
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark 3:13–15 NIV)
Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people. (John 3:22 NLT)
Multiplication often starts with a small group of people — sometimes in out-of-the-way locations. Jesus spent much of His time with the same dozen people. He not only taught them; He built relationships with them.
“Jesus knew a small number of multiplying disciples carried more kingdom potential than the largest crowd He could teach,” according to Larry Walkemeyer, the Free Methodist Church USA’s co-strategic catalyst for multiplication. “Consequently, roughly 75% of His recorded time was spent discipling and empowering those closest to Him.”
Jesus eventually multiplied the number of His followers whom He sent into the harvest field of future followers.
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Luke 10:1–2 NIV)
Jesus commissioned His followers to multiply disciples throughout their communities and regions and into the entire world.
“ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20 NIV)
We train and resource multipliers who then “teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others” (2 Timothy 2:2 NLT). We apply the first biblical command — “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28 NLT) — to our multiplication efforts,