Multiply

Francis Chan: The thought of someone rising from the dead and saying: “All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me,” that’s a huge statement. And then saying: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

David Platt: So it starts with Jesus saying: “I will make you fishers of men,” and finishes with him saying, “now go an make disciples of all nations. This is what you were created for.”

Francis Chan: A lot of people have memorised this passage, but are they doing it, is it actually happening? We’re all afraid - have insecurities. Can we work together to get rid of those and pray that God gives us power over those things, and then actually observe, actually go and do what he commanded us to do?

David Platt: So the heart behind multiply is to help us remember and remind each other: “Hey, we’re disciples of Jesus. That means we make disciples of Jesus.” This is not just for the super-gifted, the super-talented.

Francis Chan: I really believe as we’re doing this we’re really going to experience the presence of Christ with us in a much more full way - in a much more real, tangible way. I mean that’s why he gave us the Holy Spirit. He said: “I’m going to give you the Holy Spirit and when he comes you’re going to receive power to be my witnesses.”

David Platt: The heart behind Multiply is saying: “How can we encourage every single follower of Christ to fish for men Every Single disciple of Jesus to make disciples of Jesus and then along the way equip one another, help give one another tools that can help in the process.” So that you and I can together accomplish the greatest mission on the planet: seeing disciples made among every nation among every single people group.

Francis Chan begins by pointing out that the disciples could not have fully understood what they were getting into when they responded to Jesus’ call. But everything about Jesus - his teaching, compassion, wisdom, life, death, and resurrection, power and authority, would shape every aspect of the rest of their lives. The first part of ‘Multiply’ gives simple answers to big questions that we need to get sorted before we start making disciples of others. For one thing, what is a disciple?

The word disciple simply means a student or apprentice. Disciples in Jesus’ time would follow their rabbi (which means teacher) wherever he went, learning from the rabbi’s teaching and being trained to do as the rabbi did. Basically, a disciple is a follower, but only if we take the term follower literally. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is as simple as obeying his call to follow him where he leads.

The first picture Chan gives of the steps in becoming a disciple is based not in the New but in the Old Testament. Moses warned Pharaoh repeatedly about what God would do if he did not repent and let the Israelites go free. And he told his own people if they put the blood of a lamb over their doorposts, they’d avoid the punishment God had in store for their captors. The story shows how people had to trust in the ‘blood of a lamb’ to save them as the only way they could be saved. Disciples of Jesus need to have the same trust, insists Chan.

From here, Chan moves on to introduce the concept of Salvation as all about the grace of God. As there is absolutely nothing that we can do to save ourselves or earn God’s favour, salvation comes through the grace of God by our faith in Jesus Christ. It All Comes Down To Love, he says getting to the point of the first part of Multiply that following Jesus is not about diligently keeping a set of rules or conjuring up the moral fortitude to lead good lives. It’s about loving God and enjoying Him.

These simple truths will be unpacked in far greater detail in Parts III and IV: “Understanding the Old Testament” and “Understanding the New Testament.” The full significance of these truths will be explained then, but the truths themselves are important to understand from the outset.

Each of the 24 sessions includes a number of questions that will challenge the way you to think about the material covered. Chan stresses that in one-to-one disciple making, knowledge isn’t the point. The aim is to start a discussion – the more you can make your discussion practical and applicable to the life of a new follower of Christ, the better.

Jesus Christ handpicked common, uneducated men to build His church (Acts 4:13). Several were fishermen. One was a tax collector. All of them could be labeled 'ordinary.' Yet under their leadership, the church flourished while the world stood amazed.

Today, the church looks to 'trained professionals' to do the work. Lay people who have tremendous potential are made to feel inadequate by the religious elite. Many are paralyzed, believing that they 'don't know enough' to be of much help. So they sit silently in church services and watch the educated minister. This was never God's intention.

Jesus gave his followers a command: "Follow me". And a promise:"I will equip you to find others to follow me." We were made to make disciples.

Designed for used in discipleship relationships and other focused settings, multiply will equip you to carry out Jesus' ministry. Each of the twenty four sessions in the book corresponds to an on-line video (www.multiplymovement.com) where New York Times bestselling author, David Platt, joins Francis Chan in guiding you through each part of Multiply.

On plus one plus one... Every copy of Multiply is deigned to do what Jesus did: make disciples who make disciples who make disciples- until the world knows the truth of Jesus Christ.

Too many Christians are intimidated by the thought of speaking to others about Jesus. Most feel like they don't know enough to lead others. This material is designed to change that.