“Jesus invested deeply in the lives of a few in order to maximize His impact on their lives and train them to do the same for others. In doing so, He was choosing to trust the process of multiplication to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.”
This weeks devotion includes excerpts of Bishop Keith Cowart’s article on Christ Compelled Multiplication. You can read the entire article at the link found in the resources section below.
Just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus spoke these last words to those who had been following Him for three years, “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” (Matthew 28:19–20). Of all the things Jesus might have said on that momentous occasion, He chose to commission His disciples to take the message and life He had given them and give it to others throughout the world.
Have you ever considered the fact that Jesus could have reached the world any way He desired? He could have spent a thousand years personally taking His message to every nation on earth. He could have waited for the digital age in order to get His message out overnight. Instead, He chose to embark on a three-year ministry journey during which He devoted the vast majority of His time and energy to 12 individuals. Jesus invested deeply in the lives of a few in order to maximize His impact on their lives and train them to do the same for others. In doing so, He was choosing to trust the process of multiplication to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
In practical terms, we believe this multiplication principle should impact our movement at every level: “the found seeking the lost, disciples making disciples, leaders developing leaders, churches planting churches, and movements birthing movements.” But we must confess that of all the values in The Free Methodist Way, this one is the most aspirational.
A Call to Repentance
Historians remind us that every true awakening in the church begins with repentance. Of what might we need to repent as a ministry family when it comes to living out our mission to make disciples through multiplication? On one level, we should ask in what ways we have participated in the drift of the church at large in the West:
Have we neglected our missional imperative to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in the world, choosing instead to embrace the notion that the church exists primarily to provide services for the faithful?
Have we been more consumed with preserving Christian culture in our nation than reaching the lost?
Have we lost confidence in the power of the gospel to transform society through transformed lives, choosing instead to put our hope in political influence and power?
On a more personal level, it would be good to ask ourselves as Free Methodists:
Do any vestiges of legalism remain that cause us to be more focused on what we are against than what we are for?
Do we view the world as a dark place to be avoided rather than a mission field to be invaded?
Is there any spiritual pride that leads us to assume that our smallness is somehow an indication of our spiritual superiority?
Has our historical resistance to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit robbed us of our primary means of becoming a movement that transcends human initiative and resources?
It takes courage to ask ourselves such challenging questions, but if we are truly honest in our responses, God can deliver us from the malaise of missional drift, breathe new life into our ministry family, and make us a movement once again that will have significant impact on our nation for the kingdom of God.
For most of my years in the Free Methodist Church, I have heard various leaders declare that we must become a movement again or die a slow death. Such things cannot be orchestrated by mere human will but tend to happen when God’s people reach a point of desperation that compels a return to the essentials of what it means to follow Jesus.
I believe that starts with returning to our first love for Jesus and His kingdom. I say this with great personal conviction, deeply aware of my own need on this point.
I have often wondered what it would look like if we had as much passion for Jesus and His kingdom as we do for our views on the issues that have dominated our world over the past 12 months (COVID restrictions, racial tensions, partisan politics). What would happen in our churches and through our ministry family if we all got on our knees, asked God to forgive us for being distracted by non-essential issues, and totally devoted ourselves to knowing Jesus Christ and making Him known throughout the world? What is keeping us from doing exactly that?
The Jesus Way
Jesus shows us the way in Matthew 9:35–10:1. This is one of those critical moments when Jesus trained His disciples by modeling what He wanted them to do, and then compelled them to do it themselves. It is also one of those things He had in mind when He said to be “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).
Take a moment to reflect on these brief insights from that passage and prayerfully consider how God would have you respond:
He saw. Jesus did not isolate Himself from the world but put Himself in places that allowed Him to see people. How am I intentionally and strategically finding ways to rub shoulders with those who do not yet know Jesus?
He cared. Jesus’ response reveals what He saw when He looked at people. He responded with gut-wrenching compassion because He saw their deepest needs (lost, helpless, harassed) rather than their outward status (sinners, rebels, enemies). When I look at people, do I see them as a Republican or Democrat, a liberal or conservative, a mask-wearer or mask-shunner, a friend or enemy … or do I see persons who desperately need to know Jesus and the life-transforming power of the gospel?
He prayed. Jesus prayed that God would raise up workers for the harvest field. We should note that He immediately followed this prayer by sending out those who were already with Him. When we pray this prayer, we should never assume the answer is that God will raise up someone else. He is praying that more will come to know Him so more can be sent, but He clearly wants us in the harvest field. In what ways have I rationalized my own unwillingness to enter the harvest field?
He gave authority. Both here and in the Great Commission, Jesus very intentionally gave His disciples authority before He sent them out. He understood they would face significant challenges. More importantly, He knew they did not personally have the means to bring life to others. Jesus simply asked them to represent Him, to be agents through which He would do what only He can do. What fears have prevented me from embracing Jesus’ call to represent Him in my own mission field? Do I believe He is with me and will give me everything I need to do it effectively?
Can you imagine how our movement would multiply if every Free Methodist followed Jesus’ example?