From Multiplying to Glorifying We are commanded by Christ in Mathew 28:19 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” NIV. Christ is saying that we should multiply what we should be namely disciples. A disciple is a dedicated follower of Christ and if we are that he has commanded us and expects us to multiply what we are. This command of our Lord in Mathew 28 is very similar to the command given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28 ” to be fruitful and multiply. Making disciples is being fruitful and multiplying in a spiritual sense.
The command of our Lord to make disciples also incorporates another principle from Genesis 1 that The Elohim God created the creatures on earth including man to reproduce after its own kind. A sign of life is the ability to reproduce. A sign of life for a true disciple is the spiritual ability to reproduce after his or her own kind therefore if we are a disciple we are to reproduce a disciple. Moreover being fruitful is important because it glorifies God John 15:8 ” This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” NIV. Jesus says God the Father is only glorified when we bear much fruit and bearing much fruit is the badge of a true disciple if we follow this principle to its conclusion a false disciple then is an unfruitful non productive disciple. Thus we must first be fruitful (productive, successful and effective) and then we must multiply our fruitfulness. We do this by making a disciple and then teaching that person to make a disciple who teaches another to make a disciple and through this sequence of disciple making multiplication occurs, much fruit is, and God is glorified in the process. It is time for the church to take Mathew 28: seriously what Jesus said is not a suggestion or an option it is a clear directive from our Lord. If obeying Christ and glorifying the father has any real merit to us we will make multiplying disciples an active priority Pastor Clarence Walker
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