Comments on: The Myth of Multiplication, Part 2

By: Sara

Sara — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 12:44:52 +0000

Joe,
I’m loving this series so far, and I feel that it is especially poignant for me, where am I am in my life.

I used to be a firm proponent of the ‘multiplication’ principle, and I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty sure I was the “model second gen”. I went fishing every week, woke up at 4AM for daily bread and prayer, and wrote weekly testimonies, the whole she-bang. But I had no ‘sheep’, no disciples. I thought the problem was that people were not receptive to the word of God. The fields were not ripe for harvest. Never did I question the ‘multiplication myth’.

Fast-forward to the present: I am currently travelling and studying in the Middle East–alone. Travelling alone has taught me many things. But most important are: 1. be open 2. trust God. I’ve been in so many situations where I’ve just had absolutely no idea what to do. I never would’ve gotten out of those situations if I hadn’t been open-minded, trusted God, and taking leaps of faith. Cases in point: impromptu trips to Cairo (12 hours in a van with 2 strange Egyptians and 2 strange Mexicans), and to Hebron (with a girl I had just met at the bus stop). And I believe I’ve touched many more people this summer than I may have in my entire active life in the ministry, simply by being open-minded and trusting God. Those 2 ‘strange Egyptians’ turned out to be struggling Christians, who were amazed that I was not afraid of travelling alone in Egypt. The 2 Mexicans turned out to be seminary students who were scared sh*tless about travelling in the Middle East, and who were headed to Istanbul. I put them in contact with some of my friends in Istanbul, and I believe this made a huge difference in their travels. The girl I met at the bus-stop and went to Hebron with? We had a long conversation over lunch about Truth–much more candid than any conversation I’ve had with any student while ‘fishing’.

I’m not telling these stories to show off. I’m just amazed because whereas it once seemed there was a lack of potential ‘sheep’, now that I have changed MY attitude it seems like there are people EVERYWHERE who are just waiting to be touched by the love and light of Christ.

And it’s not just here. I’ve met more Canadians and more people from Toronto (my home city) who have shown genuine interest in studying the Bible here in Israel than I had back in Toronto! I now find sharing my faith a natural step after simply loving people with the love of Christ. Doors are opening up everywhere, and I feel like all I’m doing is living my life.

My key verse going into this trip was Galatians 5:25, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” People often ask me, “Isn’t Christianity so restrictive? There are so many rules!” And I reply, “Nope, it’s all about freedom.”

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:06:18 +0000

Based on these insights, this is what I would say to anyone engaged in same-culture and cross-culture discipleship: Help disciples to follow Jesus in their own natural environment, rather than trying to pull them out of that environment. Train disciples and help them to find their identity in Christ, but don’t over-train them so much that their previous identity is lost and their family/community ties are severed. Disciples must come out of lifestyles that are truly sinful, but we mustn’t try to change them in ways that are unnecessary and not clearly mandated by the New Testament. Overtraining disciples makes them weird and severely limits their influence in the world, and in the long run it inhibits church growth,

By: Brian Karcher

Brian Karcher — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:17:00 +0000

I too am putting aside the methods I’ve used to study the Bible for 24 years. Not because they are poor, but because my soul demands more nourishment. One example is that I am learning how to study a Bible passage without a question sheet. (Yes I know I am a heretic, but Amen!)

By: Brian Karcher

Brian Karcher — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:11:30 +0000

Gerardo, you probably are asking Joe, but my primary advice to any missionary would be this: Learn the incarnation of Jesus. Learn the reasons why Jesus adamantly demanded his disciples to not tell people he was the Christ, yet clearly answered when asked. Learn the way he engaged the Jewish society by attending a wedding, giving them wine when they needed it.

By: Brian Karcher

Brian Karcher — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:06:16 +0000

Yes, the Letter to Diognetus seems to describe my grandparents! They always seem to be just like everybody else, yet there is something extraordinary about them.

By: GerardoR

GerardoR — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:02:36 +0000

So going off from this article, what practical advice can you give to missionaries?

By: GerardoR

GerardoR — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:57:14 +0000

This is very fascinating. It would make sense with many of the efforts of the new world missionaries who often went straight to the village chiefs to get their permission to live among them. Very pragmatic.

That letter by Diognetus is wonderful. Wonderful window into the work of the the Holy Spirit in the early Church.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:29:11 +0000

Thanks, Brian. I too experienced rebirth when I began to dialogue with intelligent Christians outside of our immediate ministry. Much of that dialogue took place through reading books and articles and discussing them with my wife. I also participated in discussions on various Christian blog sites. I used to think that it was more productive to just spend most of my time reading and studying the Bible on my own. But ironically, when I deliberately put aside my own way of studying the Bible and engaged in lively, intelligent discussion with other believers, my Bible study was greatly refreshed. The Body of Christ is a living organism, and the parts need to connect with one another. No part can survive for very long without receiving and giving nourishment to the rest.

By: Brian Karcher

Brian Karcher — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:20:16 +0000

Joe, I hope this is a many-part series; it is quite good reading. And it is related to something God has been showing me the past 8 years: dialogue and relationships are critical to the church. My walk of faith became stagnant and nearly non-existent here in Detroit, except for a few visits to conferences now and then. I can see a major factor is that I no longer had a dialogue. Other people put up walls; I myself started building walls around my life.

God, however, has been opening many dialogues in the past 4 months. It has been a most exciting time for me. My personal journey of faith has suddenly “turned a corner”, so I can begin to see the abundant riches of God. I see that I must also “dialogue” with the faithful authors and preachers who came before me, through their writings.

I see dialogue as a powerful element of Jesus’ life, conversing with God in personal time away in prayer, conversing with the authorities of the time and with the crowds, disciples and even the outcast people.