Beuving Mark - Multiply: disciples making disciples

Contents

Foreword

From the beginning of Christianity, the natural overflow of being a disciple of Jesus has always been to make disciples of Jesus. Follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men (Matt. 4:19). This was a promise: Jesus would take His disciples and turn them into disciple makers. And this was a command: He called each of His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey Him (Matt. 28:1920). From the start, Gods design has been for every single disciple of Jesus to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples until the gospel spreads to all peoples.

Yet we have subtly and tragically taken this costly command of Christ to go, baptize, and teach all nations and mutated it into a comfortable call for Christians to come, be baptized, and listen in one location. If you were to ask individual Christians today what it means to make disciples, you would likely get jumbled thoughts, ambiguous answers, and probably even some blank stares. In all our activity as Christians and with all our resources in the church, we are in danger of practically ignoring the commission of Christ. We view evangelism as a dreaded topic, we reduce discipleship to a canned program, and so many in the church end up sidelined in a spectator mentality that delegates disciple making to pastors and professionals, ministers and missionaries.

But this is not the way its supposed to be. Jesus has invited all of us to be a part of His plan. He has designed all of His people to know His joy as we share His love, spread His Word, and multiply His life among all of the peoples of the earth. This is the grand purpose for which we were created: to enjoy the grace of Christ as we spread the gospel of Christ from wherever we live to the ends of the earth. And this purpose is worth giving our lives to seeing it accomplished. Its worth it for billions of people who do not yet know the mercy and majesty of God in Christ. And its worth it for you and me, because we were made to be disciples who make disciples until the day when we see the face of the One we follow, and together with all nations we experience His satisfaction for all of eternity.

This is the heart behind the material you hold in your hand. When Francis Chan and I first met, our hearts immediately resonated around a shared passion for making disciples. We have a lot to learn, but we eagerly want to make disciples in our lives, and we zealously long to see every member of the church mobilized to make disciples through their lives. This material is part of the product of that passion. Francis and Mark have provided a simple, practical, biblical, helpful, and personal tool for disciples of Jesus who want to make disciples of Jesus. I pray that it will be used in Gods mercy to fuel the multiplication of the love and life of Christ literally all over the world ultimately for the glory of Gods name.

David Platt

How to Use the Material

After Jesus rose from the grave, He left His followers with a simple command: Go into all the world and make disciples (see Matt. 28:19). The church should be known for this. If we are going to call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ, we should be making disciples.

But most Christians today are not known for making disciples. We have developed a culture where a minister ministers and the rest of us sit back and enjoy church from a comfortable distance. This is not what God intends for His church. Every Christian is called by God to minister. You are called to make disciples.

Multiply is designed as a simple resource that you can use to begin making disciples. Our prayer is that it will give you the confidence you need to step out in faith and disciple the people whom God has placed in your life.

Using This Material

The goals of the Multiply material are to help you understand the Scripture and to give you the tools to disciple others in this process. We have a responsibility to grow in our love and service to God and others. This is what it means to be the church. We are not merely responsible for our own spiritual well-being; we are called to minister to the people around us, teaching them to obey all the things that Jesus commands.

For this reason, there are two guidelines we ask you to follow when using this material. Obviously, we cant force you to use this curriculum in a specific way, but its good for you to know the heart behind Multiply .

1.Teach what you learn. This material is not meant to be read, but to be taught. There are plenty of other Bible studies you can do if you just want to absorb more information. The emphasis of Multiply is to get you in the habit of passing on the knowledge you gain.

2.Share life, not just information. The Multiply process is meant to be highly relational. True discipleship involves deep relationships. Jesus didnt simply lead a weekly Bible study. He lived life with His disciples and taught through actions as well as words. While this requires a much deeper commitment, it is the only way to truly make disciples.