5. Multiplying

The discipleship journey does not end with your own growth.

The fifth side of the pentagon is multiplying. Paul wrote to Timothy:

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

Notice the cascade. Paul teaches Timothy. Timothy is told to entrust the same teaching to faithful men. Those faithful men are to teach others. This is multiplication. The gospel is never meant to stop with you. It is meant to flow through you into others.

This is what Jesus commanded in the Great Commission. "Go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). The mission of the church is not converts. The mission is disciples. And disciples are made by other disciples.

Jesus modeled this. He called twelve men and spent years with them. He did not merely preach to crowds. He invested in individuals. This is the pattern. Intensive investment in a few.

Paul carried it on. He had Timothy, his "son in the faith." He had Titus. He had Silas, Luke, Priscilla and Aquila. He lived with these people. He modeled the faith before them. He corrected them. He entrusted them with responsibility. He wrote letters to strengthen them. This is discipleship multiplication.

But who can be a disciple maker?

The answer may surprise you. Not just paid clergy. Not just the exceptionally gifted. Paul tells Timothy to entrust the gospel to "faithful men." Faithful. Trustworthy. These are not genius-level qualifications. They are character qualifications. A person of integrity who loves Christ and wants to grow in Him can invest in others.

You do not have to know everything. You do not have to be perfect. You only have to be a little further along than someone else, willing to walk with them.

Multiplication requires commitment. You cannot make disciples from a distance. Paul was with Timothy. He knew Timothy's struggles. He knew his strengths. He invested time. This is difficult in a busy world. But discipleship multiplication is slow on purpose. It does not scale the way the corporate world wants to scale. You cannot make disciples through a podcast or a YouTube video alone. These tools can teach. Discipleship happens in relationship. It requires presence, vulnerability, time, sacrifice.

There is also humility in multiplication. You must be willing to invest in someone and then release them. Paul invested in Timothy, but Timothy eventually led churches where Paul was not present. Paul was not threatened. He was delighted.

Multiplication means pouring yourself into someone, knowing that they will eventually outgrow you. Knowing that they will make disciples you never meet. Knowing that you will not get credit. You do it for the glory of God and the spread of His kingdom.

A practical question.

Who are the people God has put in your life that you could disciple right now? It does not have to be formal. It does not require a curriculum. It can start with one meal a month, a regular text, a coffee. It can start with reading a book of the Bible together. It can start with asking someone, "How are you actually doing with the Lord this week?"

And who is discipling you? If no one comes to mind, that is the first relationship to seek out. A disciple needs disciplers.

Look around Mayflower. Then ask.