Webuye, Kenya is the ground zero of Go Multiply in Africa. Our first discipleship retreat there was in 2015, and what God started in that place has now resulted in the multiplication of over 15,000 churches in over 12 countries across East Africa. When we talk about what a Disciple-Making Movement actually looks like, Webuye is one of the clearest pictures we have.

In 2023, we returned to Webuye for another discipleship retreat, this time held on the farm of Isaac — our top leader in Africa. The team deliberately tried to limit the numbers. They invited 100 people. Instead, 250 showed up.

They rented a truckload of mattresses. People slept everywhere — inside, outside, in hallways, under trees. It was not a polished event. It was not a comfortable event. But God provided everything that was needed, and what happened in that place over those days is still multiplying today.

Among the 250 people who showed up was a woman whose pastor had been personally invited to the training. He was too busy to attend. So he sent her — the senior church lady in his fellowship — with one instruction: learn everything you can and come back and report what you learned.

She was one of the most enthusiastic and participative people in the entire training. She absorbed everything. She asked questions. She practiced. She took it seriously in a way that only someone can when they sense that God has placed something significant in their hands.

And then she went home.

She did exactly what her pastor had asked. She went back and shared everything she had learned with him — the DBS process, the disciple-making principles, the multiplication strategy, all of it.

His response stopped her cold.

"You can't do that here," he told her. "If you do that here, you will break my church."

He wasn't wrong about the breaking part. Jesus Himself said that you cannot put new wine into old wineskins — that if you try, the old wineskin will break and both the wine and the wineskin will be ruined (Mark 2:22). New wine requires a new wineskin. A rapidly multiplying disciple-making movement cannot be contained inside a traditional building-based church system. The structures are simply not built to hold it.

But the pastor's instinct was to protect what he had built rather than release what God was doing. And that decision set in motion a chain of events that neither of them could have predicted.

Eventually the pastor ran out of patience. He removed her from his church.

This did not deter her. It emboldened her.

Instead of quieting down, she rented a house not far from the church building and opened her doors. She invited people to come and receive the same training she had received from Go Multiply. About 100 people came.

She trained them. They went out. And within six months, she and her trainees had started over 500 house churches — in the same region where she had been asked to leave the one.

These are small fellowships — about 20 people each. But do the math.

500 churches x 20 people = 10,000 disciples.

In six months. From one woman. Who was sent to a training because her pastor was too busy to go himself.

What other method produces that kind of multiplication in that kind of timeframe? What program, what event, what strategy comes anywhere close? The answer is none — because this isn't a strategy. This is what happens when ordinary, obedient people receive the pattern Jesus gave and are released to use it.

The building-based model cannot contain this kind of growth. The old wineskin cannot hold this wine. But a woman with a rented house, 100 willing people, and the DBS process? She can start a movement that transforms a region.

This is not an isolated story. This is a pattern. All across East Africa, and in nations around the world, Jesus is multiplying His followers faster than the population grows — because He intends to finish the Great Commission before He returns.

He is not waiting for the right building. He is not waiting for the right budget. He is not waiting for a professional with the right credentials.

He is looking for people like this woman in Webuye — people who hear something true, believe it deeply enough to act on it, and refuse to stop when someone tells them to sit down.

The gates of hell did not prevail against her. The gates of one man's church did not prevail against her either. She kept moving, kept sharing, kept multiplying — and 10,000 people are now gathering in His name because of it.

This is the ekklesia of Jesus doing exactly what Jesus said it would do.

Will you join Him?

What is the church really? When Jesus used the word "church," what did He mean? Would it surprise you to learn that Jesus did not invent the word church? When He used it, He didn't need to define it because it was a common word everyone knew. In Greek, the word was "ekklesia," meaning an official gathering for an official purpose. The word ekklesia had nothing to do with religion.

So, when the Pharisees and Sadducees gathered to discuss how to destroy Jesus, that would be the "how to destroy Jesus" church (or ekklesia). And if the Roman soldiers gathered together to discuss better methods of crucifixion, that would be the "better methods of crucifixion" church (ekklesia). Does that make sense?

Acts 19:32, 39, & 41 are the only places in the Bible where "ekklesia" is properly translated as "assembly." That is because the word ekklesia is used here to describe the people who assembled for a riot in Ephesus.

William Tyndale (who translated the Bible into English) refused to translate the word "ekklesia" as "church" because he felt it conveyed the wrong meaning. He preferred "congregation" to NOT give people the impression that the ekklesia of Jesus had anything to do with a religious gathering in a religious auditorium presided over by religious professionals.

Once, I was in an area in the south of Kenya called the Masai Mara, training people in first-century discipleship. The group I was training was about 75% women, and it didn't take long for me to realize that most of these women could not read or write. Since people who can't read and write are usually very good at memorization, I decided to alter the training. I asked these ladies if they had memorized their favorite Bible stories and passages, and they had.

Then, I taught them the Discovery Bible Study (DBS) process and had them memorize it. This process is used as the seed for church planting in Disciple-Making Movements. I told them to go out and find other women in the Masai area, share their favorite Bible stories with them, and then discuss those stories using the DBS process.

So, these ladies began gathering other women, sharing Bible stories, and encouraging each other to adjust how they lived to align with what God requires. Within just a few weeks, the ladies had started fourteen New Testament churches. Most of us would call them illiterate, yet they could still expand the Kingdom of Jesus by simply sharing the Word of God that they had memorized!

For many years in my own life, I asked the Lord what "church" meant to Him. Then one day, I felt like He answered me right out of the pages of the Bible. I was reading Matthew 16:18, which says,

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (NKJV)

I was blown away! I had read that verse many times but never really saw what it said.

First, Jesus is not saying He will build His ekklesia (church) on Peter because if you read this in the original Greek, Jesus is actually making a play on words here. Peter had just said, "You are the CHRIST (Messiah), the son of the living God." That foundational truth is most likely the "rock" Jesus was referring to in this verse. Because when He calls Peter a rock, He uses the word petros. This word refers to a small stone, like the kind of rock David used in his sling when he killed Goliath. But then, Jesus uses a different Greek word for the rock upon which He will build his church. He uses the word petra, which is the word for a massive rock like a mountain, foundation stone, or bedrock.

Jesus was literally saying that Peter was a small stone (one that Jesus could move wherever and whenever He wanted) but that the rock He was to build HIS fellowship (ekklesia) upon is as solid and immovable as bedrock! And that bedrock is the fact that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God!

The second half of this verse contains a ton of information. Think about those words: "The gates of hell will not prevail against it." Some translations say, "will not overcome it" or "will not withstand it." I find it interesting that Jesus even brings hell into the conversation at all. Maybe Jesus did this because of where He was standing when He spoke about building His ekklesia. Jesus and His disciples had traveled to the city of Caesarea Phillippi, considered by the local pagans to contain the "Gate to Hell" (the underworld).

Caesarea Philippi, which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon, was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship. Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee. But the city's religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns.

In Old Testament times, the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship. In the nearby city of Dan, Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods. Eventually, worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods.

The pagans of Jesus' day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to Earth each spring. They saw water as a symbol of the underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves. They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld, the gates of hell. In order to entice the return of their god, Pan, each year, the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds, including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats.

When Jesus brought his disciples to the area, they must have been shocked. Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there. It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell.

Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi: He didn't want his followers hiding from evil. He wanted them to storm the gates of hell.

Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples "Who do you say that I am?" Peter boldly replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus, the true and living God, and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in "dead" gods.

Jesus continued, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:13-20)

At this moment and in this setting, Jesus chooses to emphasize the conflict between His ekklesia and the defenses of hell. Suddenly His ekklesia (fellowship/church) is at odds with hell. Let me ask, in this passage, who is attacking whom? Who is actually on the attack and who is protecting themselves?

When I ask that question in a training session, people usually tell me that hell is attacking the church. But is that what it says? People tend to say that because they've heard that their whole lives in church or Sunday school, but is that what the passage really says?

Look at it again. It says, "the gates of hell will not withstand it." "It" is the ekklesia of Jesus. "It" is the followers of Jesus. "It" is supposed to be you and me!

How many people use a gate as their weapon of choice to fight a battle? How many militaries worldwide teach their soldiers to fight battles with a gate as their offensive weapon? None do. It's simply not done. And that is because gates are used for defense and protection. They are NEVER used for offense or for attack!

So if the powers of hell were attacking the ekklesia (fellowship) of Jesus, then this verse should say, "the gates of the church will be stronger than the attack of hell." But that's NOT what it says. On the contrary, it says that hell's gates (defenses) will be weaker and fall to the assault of the ekklesia (fellowship, gathering of obedient followers, church) of Jesus.

Therefore, this verse does NOT say that hell is attacking the ekklesia (church) of Jesus! IT ACTUALLY SAYS THE GATHERING OF JESUS' FOLLOWERS IS ATTACKING AND OVERPOWERING THE DEFENSES OF HELL ITSELF! Is that how you view Jesus' church?

As Ray Vander Laan from "That the World May Know" says: "Gates are defensive structures... By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome, Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked. Standing as they were at a literal 'Gate of Hades,' the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus' challenge. They had studied under their rabbi for several years, and now he was commissioning them to a huge task: to attack evil, and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption. Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi: He didn't want his followers hiding from evil: He wanted them to storm the gates of hell."

Did you get that? When Jesus gave this teaching, He was literally standing in a city that contained a cave that the local pagans thought was "the gate to hell." Jesus says that His ekklesia (fellowship, church) will be attacking and overpowering the defenses of hell.

Why would we want to do that? Why would the fellowship of Jesus' followers want to attack the gates of hell?

My guess is that you lock your gate or your doors at night. And why do you do that? To protect yourself and your possessions, right? So, if someone attacks your home and overpowers your gate or locked doors, what is their motivation? They either want to do you harm, or they want to steal your possessions, right?

Therefore, the ekklesia (church) of Jesus is not so much about religious meetings in religious buildings presided over by religious professionals. And it's not about listening to religious speeches for an hour a week. Instead, it IS about operating as a force that attacks and overpowers the defenses of hell to take lost souls from the devil and bring them to eternal life through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

I don't think it's too strong a statement to say that any organization or group of people that claims to be the church of Jesus but is not attacking the gates of hell and taking souls from the devil is NOT Jesus' church, no matter what they say they are.

A few years ago, a couple of our trained disciple makers in East Africa approached a group of about 30 female sex workers to share the gospel with them. These women had about eighteen children among them, so the group was about 48 people in all. They all lived in the same rented room, a large hall that was used as their living space. Our disciple makers tried to share the gospel with them but were turned away. The women said they were learning to practice witchcraft and were not interested in hearing the gospel.

Now, in that part of Africa, customers don't always pay prostitutes for their services. So the motivation for a prostitute to learn witchcraft is to put a curse on clients who don't pay. In this part of Africa, witchcraft is widespread, and almost everyone believes in it. Most people there have seen witchcraft's real and powerful effects firsthand.

Upon being rejected, the disciple makers went away and asked God what to do. They felt like the Lord told them to go back. So they went back and were rejected a second time. They went away and prayed again.

Again, they felt like the Lord told them to go back. So they went a third time and were, you guessed it, rejected again. So they went away and prayed a third time, and felt like the Lord told them to go back a fourth time!

How many of us would go back four times? But, desiring to be obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, they went back, and this time rather than rejecting them, the prostitutes said, "Okay, tell us your message." It was as if they were saying, "If you won't go away without telling us your message, tell us your message and then go away."

So the disciple makers shared the gospel with the prostitutes. And the prostitutes were convicted of their sin and need for salvation through Jesus Christ! They realized that the power offered to them through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was greater than any power they could ever gain through witchcraft. So they discussed it amongst themselves, and as a group, they all surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ on the same day.

That's when the disciple makers messaged me. They were so excited about all these women who had come to Christ, and they wanted to receive some assistance in helping them find new lines of work. I told them that we would work to find new jobs but that they should NOT all quit prostitution on the same day because that would mean 48 people suddenly wouldn't have any income and couldn't pay their rent or buy food. If I'm honest, my faith was too small and I was concerned that these women and children would starve while we were trying to find them new jobs from half a world away.

He did that in a wonderful way!

You see, in Disciple-Making Movements, people are taught to read the word of God and put it into practice in their own lives. So, these new sisters in Christ were still working as prostitutes while also reading the Bible together. They came across the passage that says, "Honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20). They discussed it amongst themselves and decided to trust Jesus. They determined that it was not honoring to God to continue working as prostitutes. So they quit! All 30 of them left prostitution on the same day!

As you can imagine, this was a significant concern for me and the disciple-makers who led them to Christ. But God (I love that phrase), in His wisdom, had arranged all of the details and put the pieces into place long before the women, the disciple-makers, or I even knew what would transpire. God "just so happened" to have provided me with a friend in that very same city who specialized in urban development. The Lord also gathered the body of Christ around this need. Many people gave as they were prompted by the Lord. The women were interviewed to determine their skills and interests. Within just a few weeks, these ladies were working as hairdressers, cooks, selling fruit and vegetables, clothes, etc. They also immediately began discipling the other prostitutes of that area to Christ! Praise the Lord!

Almost every Christian I talk to lately says they believe, "We're living in the last days," but how many are living with a "Last days urgency?" I believe many believers want to make the most of the little time we have left, but they don't know what to do.

You've probably heard one of these sayings: "ignorance is bliss or with knowledge comes responsibility." I'm going to share some things with you that you may not be aware of and once you are aware you will be responsible for what you do with what you know.

If you live in America, you are among the wealthiest people on earth — in what may be the most prosperous nation in human history. Own a home and two vehicles? That puts you in the top 2% of the world's population. So here's the question worth sitting with: are you using the blessings you've been given to increase the population of Heaven? Will you let your temporary wealth make an eternal difference?

It's not about how much money a person has or doesn't have. It's about what we do with what we have. It's about a person's priorities. It's about whether or not we have the same priorities as Jesus.

Imagine what would have happened if one of the first disciples of Jesus chose not to obey a direct command from Jesus. It would not have ended well for that disciple. In fact, it probably would have ended with that disciple no longer being a disciple. You can't disobey your master and remain in right relationship with Him.

But what about you and me today? What are our spiritual priorities? Are they the same as the priorities of Jesus? Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples of all nations. He commanded them to go, preach the gospel, and baptize those who respond to the message. Then teach them to obey everything that Jesus commanded his first followers to do.

Jesus built repetition into the process by giving a command that all future generations of His followers must be taught to obey all of His commands. This means that every follower of Jesus, from the first century to today, is still required to obey every command. This includes the commands to Go, Preach, Baptize, and Teach obedience to His commands to make disciples of everyone on earth.

This process will not end before Jesus comes back! It will continue right up until the return of Christ.

At the time of Christ, a disciple was someone who memorized, agreed with, and obeyed the master's teaching. They also imitated the actions of their rabbi and consistently gathered more disciples to their rabbi.

If we don't make disciples using this definition, we will never make disciples as Jesus intended!

Now let's do a quick self evaluation. Take a moment and ask yourself these questions:

• Am I really a disciple of Jesus? 
• Before today, did I even know what a disciple really was?
• Do I know how to make a disciple?
• Have I ever made a disciple?
• Am I going anywhere with the purpose of sharing the gospel and making disciples? 
• If not, am I willing to go anywhere to make disciples? (across the street - across the globe?) 
• Do I know how to share the gospel with someone? 
• Have I ever baptized anyone? 
• And would I feel comfortable baptizing someone?
• Do I obey all of Jesus' commands?
• Do I even know all of Jesus' commands?

And what about your money? How much of it is being directed toward making disciples of ALL NATIONS and FINISHING the Great Commission?

Think about how we spend without hesitation — a $7 latte on the way to work, a $100 family dinner on a Friday night, thousands on a summer vacation, hundreds a month on streaming, tickets, and eating out. We finance cars worth more than most people on earth will earn in a lifetime and take out mortgages on homes that would seem unimaginable to billions around the world. And yet, most of us give little — if anything — toward reaching the 2 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus. 

Someone once said, "Give me 30 minutes with your bank statement, and I'll tell you what's important to you." What does your bank statement reveal about what's important to you? What does mine reveal about me?

What if you cancelled one subscription you barely use anymore? What if you skipped the drive-thru once a week? Those small decisions — the ones you'd hardly notice — could free up real money to help reach people who have never once heard the name of Jesus. You don't have to overhaul your life. You just have to start somewhere. 

You might be thinking, 'I already give to my local church — isn't that enough?' And that giving absolutely matters. But here's something most people don't know: less than 1/10 of 1% of church offerings actually reach the most unreached people on earth. Your local church is doing important work — but the need beyond its walls is staggering. At Go Multiply our resources are used to reach the most unreached on earth.

If you want your giving to directly impact the unreached, it needs to go to ministries that are actually on the front lines —  where every dollar goes toward training and sending disciple-makers into the hardest, most forgotten corners of the earth, among people who have never heard the name of Jesus."

In all seriousness, what sacrifices are you willing to make in order to see the Great Commission FINISHED in your lifetime? If you are an American, you probably don't know the language, culture, or customs of the remaining unreached people groups on earth. The food and sleeping arrangements may not be acceptable to you. So, how will YOU reach and disciple them?

You can't go to them yourself. But you can send others. You can help train, equip, empower, and deploy local disciples who know the language and culture and who blend in because they look like they belong there.

As I type this, we at Go Multiply have over 10,000 disciple-makers waiting to be trained and sent. These potential trainees live very near to the most unreached people on earth. Will you help us train and send them?

The cost is just $50.00 to train each one and then another $100.00 or so to send them and equip them with bibles for the new believers. How many will you train and send? Just $5.00/day covers 1/month. $50.00/day trains and sends 10/month. Even $1.00/day will train and send 2/year.

In the parable of the talents Jesus wasn't concerned with how much they had been given, He was concerned with WHAT THEY DID with what they had been given. What are you doing with what you've been given?

Many hands make light work. Together we CAN finish the Great Commission in our lifetime!

The apostle Peter said that we should, "look forward to the day (of Jesus' return) and SPEED ITS COMING." (2 Peter 3:12) Ask yourself, what am I doing to speed the return of Christ?

Become a disciple-maker. Research DMM and DBS and then apply what you learn! Find a way to go somewhere to make disciples. Jesus sent them 2x2 so who's your plus 1? Who will you go with? Learn how to share the gospel. Practice baptizing some people (even do a "dry run" before your first real baptism). And get into (or start) a fellowship that is committed to learning and obeying all the commands of Christ (the DBS is the best thing we've found).

Also, find a way to free up some money to help finish the Great Commission. Ask yourself, "what can I start, stop, change, or sell in order to free up resources to finish reaching the world for Christ."

Finishing the Great Commission is an achievable goal. We have people who are ready and willing to go to them. We know where they are. We have the finances and the technology to get it done. We simply need to combine all these resources so the senders can send, the trainers can train, the goers can go, the unreached can be reached, and Jesus can return! Will you step into the role Jesus has for you to play in this great and final harvest of this age?

These 43,000 men, women, and children don't go to hell because they rejected Jesus. They go to hell because they've NEVER even heard of Jesus! They go to hell because no one has cared enough to put in the effort to go to them; share the Gospel with them; and disciple them. May this horrible reality come to an end today.

This is why Go Multiply exists: To FINISH THE GREAT COMMISSION by multiplying disciples in every people group on earth!

 
Fishing for souls with a net is the primary pattern Jesus uses, and it hasn’t changed. He gives a command to fish in an unusual way. The disciple obeys, even when it’s outside of the normal way of doing things. Jesus brings fruit that is clearly beyond anything human effort could accomplish.

There is something easy to miss in that story — Jesus didn't say "fish for a person." He said fish for people (plural). And He told Peter to let down his nets. Plural. A net is not a hook. A hook goes after one. A net goes after many.

This is not just a method of fishing. It is also Jesus’ strategy to disciple the nations.
One by one will never get it done!

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently used one person to reach an entire family, community, or social circle. In Mark 2, when He called Levi, Jesus attended a banquet in Levi's house where many tax collectors and sinners gathered — He was moving through Matthew's relationships and undoubtedly influencing them for His Kingdom. When He met the woman at the well in John 4, one conversation with one woman resulted in most of the town coming to believe in Him (v.39-41). When salvation came to Zacchaeus in Luke 19, it came to his whole household and NOT to just the one person.

Jesus fishes with a net. He reaches households and communities through obedient disciples who go to new relational networks and help the people they reach to follow and obey Jesus right where they are. The goal was never to extract people from their world and bring them into ours. The goal was — and still is — to take territory for the Kingdom by leaving the new disciples where we find them.

If Jesus trained His followers to fish for souls with a net, then our disciple-making has to be simple enough for every ordinary disciple to repeat — and powerful enough to spread through every existing social NET-work.

That requires a shift in how we think about how to accomplish the work.

It means moving from reaching isolated individuals, extracting them from their social network, and bringing them to ours; to reaching entire households and social circles. It means leaving people where we find them rather than pulling them out of their normal lives and into our religious programs. And it means measuring maturity not by how much someone knows, but by how much they obey.

This is where the person of peace concept becomes essential. Jesus sent His disciples out in Luke 10 with a list of specific instructions. Among them was the command to look for “the person (or household) of peace” — someone who is open, relational, and willing to introduce you and your Jesus to everyone in their social network. Movements do not begin or multiply without them. The person of peace is not a target. They are a gateway. Through them, Jesus accesses entire networks of relationships that no program or event could reach on its own.

When you find that person, you don't extract them from their world. You ask them to open their world to Jesus. Ask them to gather their family, friends, coworkers where they already feel comfortable like Cornelius did in Acts 10. Keep it simple and reproducible. Because the goal is not to build something impressive — it is to form groups of obedient disciples who can start more groups of disciples in their own circles and in the circles of the People of Peace that the Lord puts in their path.

The heart of net-fishing disciple-making today is a simple pattern that any believer can follow: read the Bible, do what it says, and share it with someone else.

In every gathering of disciples, a few simple questions make up the core of the meeting: What does this passage say? What does it mean? How will you obey this passage this week? Who will you share this with — and when?

The questions are not complicated. But they are transformative, because they keep God in the position of teacher and obedience and multiplication at the center of every meeting. And, from the very first gathering, the goal is not to produce one good leader. It is to train everyone in the room to obey and share. A disciple-making movement is simply about disciples making disciples — with no passive spectators and no bottleneck at the top.
Model it once. Then coach and mentor from the outside.

That is how the network widens.

Jesus' call to make disciples of everyone on earth is a requirement for all who follow Him. The church will never disciple the world while treating obedience as if it’s optional. The net approach to fishing for souls is not a strategy or a program. It is a return to doing Jesus' work Jesus' way — training people to obey Him and reach households and communities through existing and future relationships.

He still calls ordinary men and women to follow Him. And He still makes them into disciples who primarily fish for people with a net.

The Discovery Bible Study is characterized by its simplicity and reproducibility. It encourages participants to engage directly with the scriptures, allowing them to explore and understand biblical teachings in a group setting. Here are some essential aspects of the DBS method:

• Group Engagement: DBS is typically conducted in small groups of two to 20 people, fostering a supportive environment for discussion. (The global average is 16)
• Scripture Focus: Participants read and discuss specific Bible passages, reflecting on their meanings and implications for their lives.
• Obedience-Oriented: The study emphasizes not just understanding the scriptures but also applying them in daily life, encouraging participants to act on what they learn.
• Outward Focused: Participants are encouraged to share what they are learning so another group can start.

The DBS process generally follows these steps:

1. Real life connections: Participants share their Joys and their struggles and assist one another with real life issues.
2. Welcome and Review: Participants share experiences related to previous studies.
3. Reading the Passage: The group reads a selected Bible passage together more than once.
4. Discussion: Participants discuss what the passage reveals about God and themselves.
5. Application: Each person considers how they can apply the teachings in their lives and share them with others.

The DBS approach has led to the establishment of thousands of new churches, particularly in regions where traditional church models have not been effective. The DBS method has been instrumental in reaching both believers and non-believers, making it a vital tool in modern evangelism and church planting efforts. 

We believe that this will be an essential tool in finishing the Great Commission due to its resulting rapid multiplication of genuine disciples of Jesus!

Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is an interactive and straightforward method for exploring the Bible. The participants engage with the text directly, allowing them to discover its meanings and applications for their lives as revealed by the Holy Spirit. This approach is effective for both believers and those new to the faith.

Structure of a DBS Session 
(Plan on 15 minutes per person if everyone participates)

A typical DBS session follows a simple structure that includes the following steps:

1. Connect: Participants share personal updates, discussing what they are thankful for and any challenges they face.
2. Read: A selected Bible passage is read aloud, often multiple times, to ensure understanding.
3. Retell: One participant retells the passage in their own words, reinforcing comprehension. The group fills in any missing details.
4. Discuss: Guided questions help participants explore the text's meaning:
   • What stood out to you and why?
   • What does this passage reveal about God?
   • What does it say about humanity? Yourself?
5. Act: Participants commit to applying the passage in their lives and share their plans with the group.
6. Share: Participants commit to tell at least one person what they learned so they can identify others who are looking for God so another group can start.
7. Pray: The session concludes with prayer, supporting one another in their commitments.

To facilitate a Discovery Bible Study, begin by gathering a small group in the home of a hungry person. Your own home is fine too because you are the hungry person in your own circle of relationships. Then you ask a series of questions starting with what they are thankful for or any challenges they faced. Then, read a Bible passage together, discuss what it reveals about God and humanity, and encourage participants to apply the lessons learned in their lives and to share with others what they learned. This method emphasizes group participation and personal discovery of Scripture and encourages multiplication.

1. What are you thankful for today?
2. What are you concerned about today and how can we help? 
3. How did your sharing and obedience go? (Week 2 and beyond) 
4. Someone read the passage aloud 2x or more. (Different translations are helpful) 
5. Someone retell this passage in your own words. (Group fill in any missing details) 
6. What stood out to you and why? 
7. What does this passage tell you about God? 
8. What does this passage tell you about people? 
9. How will you obey/apply this passage this week? (“I will…”) (Be specific) 10. Who will you share this passage with this week?  (Name a real person and time) 
11. Who do you know in need and how can we help them? 
12. When and where will we meet again?  

● Only discuss the scripture passage for today (or others weʼve studied together as a group).  
    ○ No added stories or added verses. 
    ○ This keeps a “level playing field”, keeps God as the teacher in the group, and respects          everyone's time.
● If someone introduces anything that is not in the passage simply ask them, “Where do you see that in this passage?”   
    ○ This keeps heresy and false beliefs out of the groups.

Group Participation:
Everyone contributes to the discussion, fostering a sense of community.

Personal Discovery:
Participants explore Scripture for themselves, leading to personal insights learned directly from God.

Simplicity:
The method is straightforward, making it easy for anyone to facilitate.

Focus on Application:
Emphasizes how to live out the teachings in daily life.

Focus on Multiplication:
Participants share what they learn in order to identify others who are interested. Then they start another study among the friends and family of the newly identified interested person.


This approach not only helps participants learn about the Bible but also encourages them to share their discoveries with others, promoting a cycle of learning and multiplication.

Empowerment of Participants

• Leadership Development: Participants are trained to facilitate discussions rather than relying on a single leader. This approach allows anyone to lead a group, regardless of their prior experience. Even the Person of Peace (Luke 10:1-11) can facilitate with zero prior bible knowledge.
• Sharing Knowledge: Each session encourages participants to share insights and experiences from their study, looking for those God has already prepared to meet Him.

Simple and Reproducible DBS Format

Six-Part Session: DBS typically follows a straightforward structure:

1. Share life: Share joys, struggles, and how the group can help with the struggles
2. Connect and Review: Discuss personal experiences and share how participants applied previous lessons and who they shared with.
3. Read and Retell: Read a Bible passage and retell it from memory, enhancing understanding.
4. Discuss: Explore what the Spirit revealed to you and what the passage reveals about God and humanity.
5. Act: Commit to applying the lesson in daily life and sharing it with others.
6. Outward and continuous: seek to meet the needs of those outside the group and make a plan to meet again so the group will continue.

Community Growth

• Natural Expansion: As participants feel empowered, they are encouraged to share with friends and family, co-workers and strangers to launch new groups. This natural sharing leads to the formation of multiple DBS groups within the community.
• Cultural Adaptability: DBS can be adapted to various cultural contexts, making it effective in diverse settings, including among non-Christians.

The multiplication of Discovery Bible Studies is driven by empowering and releasing participants, maintaining a simple and replicable format, and fostering the growth of many DBS groups in the community. This approach not only enhances individual understanding and application of the Bible which makes better disciples but also encourages the formation of new groups, leading to rapid expansion of the citizens of the Kingdom of God.

God is multiplying disciples all over the world today through Disciple Making Movements that utilize the DBS to saturate their communities with genuine New Testament disciples of Jesus Christ. 

He will finish the Great Commission just prior to His return. He will do it with you or without you but better with you. 

Jesus is inviting you to join Him in what He’s doing in these last days. Don’t wait and don’t hesitate. 
Say “YES” to Jesus today and begin the journey of becoming the disciple-maker you were meant to be.

So I said, “Well… that depends.” Then I looked at Amy and asked, “How do you feel about it?”
She said, “Yeah, I’ve never done it, so I guess I should.”
Now, some people don’t like when I say this, but there isn’t actually a specific “sinner’s prayer” in the Bible. There’s no script we’re told to repeat to get saved.
So, to clarify, I shared my own story.
When I came to God, I was at one of the lowest points in my life. I cried out to Him, and He met me there. And when He revealed Himself to me, I knew I needed to give Him everything. My prayer was simple: “You win. I give up.”
We explained to Amy that people look at the outside, but God looks at the heart. It’s not about saying the right words—it’s about truly surrendering your life to Jesus.

We walked through a few key Scriptures.
John 1:12 says that anyone who receives Jesus becomes a child of God. So we asked: what does it really mean to receive Him?
We explained that when someone truly comes to Christ, there’s a real change. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, they become a new creation—the old is gone, the new has come.
We also talked about being born again. Jesus says in John 3:3 that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they’re born again.
It’s actually pretty simple.
You’re born into your physical family without choosing it. But when you realize you’re a sinner and need a Savior, you must choose to receive Jesus—and that’s when you’re born into God’s family.
Amy seemed to get that. She had already been born into her earthly family, and now she was ready and willing to become part of God’s family.

We also talked about John 3:16. Everyone knows it—but we wanted to be clear about what “believe” means.
It’s not just acknowledging something exists. It means trusting in Jesus, relying on Him, putting your life in His hands.
We also made it clear—Jesus isn’t just our Savior, He's also our Lord.
And we didn’t avoid the hard part. Jesus says in Luke 9 that following Him means denying yourself, taking up your cross daily, and following Him. In Luke 14, He says you have to love Him above everything else and be willing to give up everything to follow Him.

After all of that… Amy still wanted to move forward.
So I said, “Normally this is done ‘repeat after me,’ but if I say anything you don’t agree with, just stop.”
She said, “Okay.”
So we prayed together, slowly:
“Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, and I need You to save me. I can’t save myself. I believe You died for my sins and rose again to give me new life. I receive You as my Savior—and as my Lord, the authority over my whole life. I’m not living for myself anymore. I want to live for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

When we finished, Amy said, “I have tears in my eyes—I feel like I’m going to cry.”
We told her that’s often a sign something real just happened—that it came from her heart. It was not just words.

And when you look at Scripture, the pattern is incredibly consistent. Baptism happens immediately after someone believes:

• In John 3 Jesus was preaching, healing, and baptizing.
• In John 4 He is training His disciples to baptize people
• In Acts 2, people were baptized the same day they believed
• In Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized immediately
• In Acts 10, Cornelius’s household was baptized right away
• In Acts 16, Lydia and her household were baptized immediately
• Also in Acts 16, the Philippian jailer and his household were baptized before the sun came up!

So the pattern is clear: belief comes first, then baptism—and it happens as soon as possible AFTER salvation.
Because of that, baptism shouldn’t happen before someone personally chooses to follow Jesus, and it shouldn’t be delayed for months or years either.

In Scripture, we don’t see hesitation—we see immediate obedience.
If you haven’t received Jesus yet, I’d just ask—why wait?
Without Him, a person is separated from God, headed for eternal death, and trying to figure life out on their own. But with Him, we receive forgiveness of sins, purpose,power, and eternal life—and God Himself walks with us guiding us through life.

After salvation and baptism, it’s about staying connected to God and others.
Spend time with Him daily—talk to Him, read His Word, and obey what He says.
And stay connected to other believers.
One of the best ways to do that is simply gathering in homes—sharing meals, reading Scripture, praying, helping one another live for Him, and worshiping the Lord together.
That’s exactly what the early church did.
So if you aren’t saved and haven’t been born again yet, you can come to Jesus and be born into God's family just like Amy did—with a sincere, surrendered heart. 
Just pray the prayer that Amy prayed. If you mean every word, then you too will cross over from death to life.
Then get baptized as soon as possible. Any baptized, born-again follower of Jesus can baptize you. It does not have to be done by a professional Christian.
And from there, build your life around knowing and following Him—daily, and with others.
Amy—and anyone else who makes that decision—welcome to the family of God.
You’ve made the most important decision of your life.

As Jesus said in John 5:24:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Recently my son Isaac said to me, "Turns out the death rate is 100%." You know, he's not wrong. Since every one of us is guaranteed to die, let's have an honest conversation about life, death, Heaven, and Hell. Okay?

Let's just look at what the Bible has to say about this subject. If you don't believe in the authenticity of the Bible, or are questioning if the Bible is legit, you may want to take the time to read, "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel, or "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell. Or, if you trust me, then let me simply tell you that the Bible is the most historically accurate ancient document on the face of the planet bar none. Nothing else even comes close.

The Bible is a collection of 66 books written in 3 languages on 3 continents by over 30 authors over a span of 1500 years and yet it is completely and totally in agreement with itself from beginning to end. There is no other work of literature like it on earth. So, it is safer to err on the side of trusting the Bible than not trusting it.

Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." This means that every single person who was ever born, or ever will be born, is unable to attain God's standard of perfection. In other words, God is perfect but none of us are perfect. Therefore, we do NOT have access to God on our own!

Psalm 14:3 — "They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." You see, if God is totally good, and totally perfect but not one single human is good, then we will need a mediator between God and us in order to gain access to Him. That mediator is the Man Jesus Christ.

Then Romans 3:10-12 quotes this verse saying it this way: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." So, according to this verse, every single person who ever was or will be born, isn't good and doesn't do good. Therefore, if we aren't good, but God is good, then we need someone to intercede for us in order to get God to look at us as good so we can enter His perfect dwelling place.

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." This verse is crystal clear that our sin will lead to a reward of death. And that is not just a one-time death. It is an eternal, everlasting, never-ending death! And that is a hopeless situation! Yet there is hope of finding eternal life in Christ Jesus alone! He offers eternal life to all who accept HIM as Lord and Savior. NOT because of how good we are, but because of how perfect He is!

The only solution to our sin problem is made perfectly clear in 2 Corinthians 5:21 which says, "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

And Jesus is not "A" way to get to God. HE IS THE ONLY WAY! In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That's a pretty bold statement. He is saying that if a person wants to get to heaven, they must go through Him and if they don't come through Him, they can't get to Heaven! That's as serious as it gets!

Acts 4:12 — "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." Here again we see that, according to the Bible, eternal life in Heaven is gained through Jesus only. There is no other way.

Some people think that after this life they will just cease to exist. They think they will be just a worm feast. But nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible tells us that "what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor. 4:18) That means that there is an unseen world of angels and demons, Heaven and Hell, that is infinitely more permanent than this visible, physical world that we exist in today. To me, that's a sobering thought.

This world and its desires are going to pass away (1 John 2:27) and these dying bodies that we live in are part of this world and are also going to pass away. Bodies that come to an end don't belong in a world that will never end.

After this life, we all will receive an eternal body that cannot die. Then we will enter into our eternal situation. That will either be in a lake of fire or in the Paradise of God. The choice is left up to each one of us.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:42 that we are going to receive an Eternal Body that cannot perish and cannot get sick and cannot grow old. "It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever." Now, an eternal body is given to every single person who dies whether they go to be with God in Heaven or not. That's why people in the lake of fire never die. It's because they've been given a body that cannot die.

John 3:3 — Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." In this passage, Jesus goes on to say, "flesh gives birth to flesh but the spirit gives birth to Spirit." This means that we are all born by means of a human, fleshly birth. But we are NOT all born of the Spirit! To be born of the Spirit, we must be willing to let the life in the flesh die! The natural life of the flesh has to die to make room for the new life that is dominated by the spirit of God to have access and free reign.

John 1:12-13 — "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." Do you see how clear this is? We were all born into a human family. But in order to become a child of God it's essential that a person is "born again" into God's family.

Ephesians 2:8-10 — "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." See no one can earn salvation. It's just a gift from God that we can either accept or reject. Then, after we receive that free gift, God has a specific "to do list" for each of us to accomplish as we follow him as His children.

Romans 5:8 — "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Isn't it great to know that Jesus didn't wait for us to get ourselves all perfect and cleaned up before He saved us. Instead, He saw the hopeless mess we were in and He lovingly chose to provide a way out for us.

Titus 3:5 says, "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." So this salvation and eternal life is available not because people are good but because God is good and He lovingly chose to offer us a lifeline.

John 3:16 says, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." In this verse, the word "believe" means to trust in, rely on and be devoted to. It does not mean to simply believe that He exists. Even demons believe that He exists.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT we read, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" Do you see what this is saying? People who belong to Jesus look the same and sound the same, but they are NOT the same! The person who was born from a woman has to die in order to make way for the new person (born of the Spirit) to live.

Colossians 1:13-14 — "For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." By living a perfect, sinless life and then willingly laying down His life and dying for our sins, He rescued everyone who receives Him from the effects of sin which is eternity in a lake of fire and by rising from the dead, He defeated death and freely offers eternal life to all who will receive Him as their Lord and Saviour.

Matthew 7:21-23 — "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" 

There are no people on earth who call Jesus "Lord," except for Christians! Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, Hindus, and all other religions do NOT call Jesus 'Lord.' So Jesus must be speaking of religious christians who don't really know Him. Does that describe you? Do you call yourself a christian but you don't really know Jesus? If so, please don't wait another minute before you receive Him as your Lord and saviour! All waiting does is to increase your chances of missing heaven and landing in hell! Please don't let this happen to you! Tell Jesus that you repent of your sin and that you receive Him as your Lord and Savior right now! What do you have to gain by putting that off?

Luke 14:33 says, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples."

Jesus claimed to be the ONLY way to get to Heaven and eternal life! He also only had one kind of follower. Those were His disciples! It may surprise you to know that there is no such thing in the Bible as a Christian who is not a disciple! In the New Testament, people are either disciples of Jesus, or they are LOST people! There are no Christians who aren't disciples in the Bible.

So, to summarize all of this, every person is a sinner born with a sin condition that cannot be cured except by receiving Jesus Christ. The first gospel message Jesus preached is found in Mark 1 where Jesus said, "The time has come. The Kingdom of Heaven is near. Repent of your sins and believe the good news."

What will you do with what you've just read? Will you continue on as you are, or will you tell Jesus that you repent of your sin nature and your sins. Will you believe the good news that He is offering you the free gift of eternal life and that He is THE ONLY WAY? If you do that, you will become a child of God "born again" into the family of God today. I hope you will receive Jesus today! I'm looking forward to spending eternity with you. 

God is rapidly multiplying disciples around in the world today! Would you like to get in on the action?

The famous man of faith George Mueller said, "If the Holy Spirit guides us at all, He will do it according to the scriptures, and never contrary to them."

As we consider how to do the work of God in these last days, it is critical that we operate according to the scriptures and never contrary to them. Therefore, at Go Multiply we suggest we all operate according to a spiritual firewall to insure we are not being led off track and operating in ways that do not align with the pattern we see in the scriptures. We believe that the safest route is to keep our practices as close to those of the New Testament Church as possible. Therefore, the firewall question that we recommend you use to evaluate all your spiritual practices is this: Where do you see that practice in the practices of Jesus and/or the New Testament Church?

The New Testament Church was composed of obedient Disciples who consistently made more obedient Disciples of Jesus. They did not have most of the things that we typically think we need in order to have "church."

They didn't have bible schools, religious buildings, or paid professional christians. Over almost two thousand years, we have drifted far from Jesus' original design for the Church.

For example:

Jesus tells us not to put new wine in old wineskins (Mark 2:22) because the new wine will burst the old wineskins and both will be ruined. Is Jesus talking about wine or is He talking about our spiritual operating systems? When He spoke those words there were roughly two hundred synagogues in Jerusalem alone. A synagogue was a religious building with a leader, where they had weekly services with prayers, scripture readings, a message, an offering, some announcements, chanting and a benediction. Does this sound familiar? Our modern day building based church system is almost exactly the same as the synagogue system that was prominent when Jesus spoke these words.

One major difference is that in Jesus' days the message would be given by members of the congregation who were selected by the synagogue ruler on the day of the service. Imagine trying that in a church meeting today.

Is it possible that Jesus was bringing a new spiritual operating system that the old, building based, system cannot contain? Could He be saying that if we try to squeeze His new spiritual operating system into the old wineskin building based model, that we will ruin them both?

Do you know WHY new wine ruins old wine skins? It is because of the expansion that occurs when grape juice is fermented. Old wineskins are rigid, inflexible and unable to handle expansion. In the same way, our building based religious systems are incapable of containing rapid expansion!

Disciple Making Movements are able to handle rapid expansion because they operate in the New Wine Skin which is flexible.

I have seen a congregation of 50 members multiply to over 2500 reproducing disciples in less than a year! I've seen a homeless beggar start 25 home fellowships of believers in a few short months. When one of these groups outgrew the home where they were meeting, they simply moved the gathering under a tree. I've seen a small group of about 50 pastors and bishops launch a movement of over 15,000 churches in 12 countries containing hundreds of thousands of disciples.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that trying to construct religious buildings for all the disciples in these rapidly expanding movements would be an exercise in futility and would stop the expansion. You see, as soon as you construct 4 walls, you limit the potential for growth. In Disciple Making Movements, there is no limit to how fast or how large the movement can become.

Therefore, it is my belief that the New Wine Jesus was referring to is His rapidly reproducing obedient disciples that are discipling the nations. I also believe that the New Wineskin Jesus was talking about is The world! Anywhere 2 or more can gather in His name can be the New Wineskin. We can be the church of Jesus in our homes, in our businesses, in a restaurant or coffee shop, religious building, a cave, a mountain top or even under a tree.

Jesus with the woman at the well. In John 4:7 Jesus starts with one person to gain access to the entire town (John 4:29-30). He stays for just two days (v.39-41) and leaves them where he found them.

Or consider Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus. In Luke 19:5 Jesus capitalizes on the interest of one man to gain access to the entire household. Then in verses 9 & 10 we see that salvation came to the household. Therefore Jesus once again fished with a net (winning the household) and left these new disciples right where he found them.

In Mark 5 we see another great example of this. In 5:2 we see just one man running to Jesus for deliverance from thousands of demons. After the man has been freed from the demons, he asks to accompany Jesus but instead is sent to share about his deliverance (v.18-20) among his own people in the region of the decapolis. Three chapters later Jesus has four thousand people to feed in that same area, quite likely due to hearing the testimony of this one man. Jesus left this man where He found him while "fishing with a net." (reaching the social circle of that person). Then, after feeding the 4,000 He left them right where He found them.

Peter at the home of Cornelius in Acts 10 follows the same pattern. It begins with one person and their family (v.1-2). Then Cornellius gathers his social network in his house (v.24). Peter stays for just a few days. When he left, he left them all right there. Now Peter is following the example of Christ by fishing with a net and leaving them where he found them!

Paul, who received his message and methods directly from Jesus, operates the same way. Look at Acts 16 for example; first he meets Lydia by the river but ends up in her house with her whole household getting baptized. Next he finds the city jailer kneeling in front of him asking how to be saved. What would you do? Seriously, if a person was kneeling down in front of you asking how to be saved, what would you do? Most of us would lead them to Christ. We'd lead them in some version of the sinner's prayer. But that is NOT what Paul and Silas do. They make sure the whole family hears the gospel, comes to Christ, and gets baptized. Then they leave town less than twelve hours after the jailers' family received Christ (once again) leaving them where they found them. Paul and Silas trust the Holy Spirit to teach these new disciples after they leave.

So we see Paul and Silas following Jesus' example and training program by fishing with a net and leaving these new disciples right where they were!

But what about the calling of the disciples? Wasn't that a calling of an individual and a "taking away" from the place where they were found? Maybe...maybe not. I'll let you decide. We don't have details of the calling of all of the disciples but let's look at the ones we do have. Jesus first meets Peter and Andrew in John chapter 1 but they don't leave their nets and follow Him until later. I don't know how much time has passed between the initial meeting and Luke 5, but look at this little encounter in Luke 4. Jesus goes to Simon Peter's house, heals Peter's wife's mother, then the whole town comes out and Jesus heals all their diseases and casts out all the evil spirits. In this way, he reached the entire town of Bethsaida. Then, the next day, He left town and left them all right where He found them.

Every training program consists of four basic steps.

1. Watch me, I'll show you how to do it.
2. I'll watch you to see if you can do it.
3. Try it on your own for a while.
4. Now go do it on your own but call me if you need me.

Jesus' training program was no different. Let's look at all 4 steps in action in the training program of Jesus. These are the same things that Jesus requires His followers to do when He begins sending them.

Step One: Pay attention to what Jesus says and does in Mark 1. He is setting an example for us to follow.

• Tells them to repent and believe because the Kingdom is near (v.15).
• Casts out a demon (v.25-26).
• Heals many people and casts out more demons (v.32-34).
• He gets alone to pray (v.35).
• Heals a man with Leprosy (v.40-42).

Step Two: Next we see him overseeing his disciples while they do the work of ministry.

• In John 4:1-2 Jesus is preaching and his disciples are baptizing those who get saved. Jesus is present to oversee his disciples doing the work of ministry. Notice He is teaching them to baptize very early in the training program.

Step Three: We have two great examples of step 3 in the training program to disciple the nations.

• The first example is the sending of the twelve and is recorded in: Matthew 10, Mark 6, and Luke 9. Here we have no mention of food but they are told to only go to the lost sheep of Israel.
• Then we see the sending of the 72 found in Luke 10:1-12. Twice they're told to eat what they are given so they are probably going among gentiles who eat foods that would be foreign to the Jewish diet.

Step Four: This step of any training process is "Now you've got it; Go do it." We see this clearly in Luke 22:35-36.

• Jesus' words, "But now" indicate a change from training to lifestyle.
• The disciples are graduating from their period of preparation and to a new way of operating. They were to spend the rest of their lives living out what they were trained to do in the training program of Jesus.

This command is found in several places in the Bible and since it's Jesus' last command to us and has not been rescinded, it is still in force and incumbent upon ALL who claim to follow Christ.

One of our workers in Africa recently said, "Jesus' last command is still His highest priority." I couldn't agree more!

This command is found in several places in scripture. Most common are:

1. Matthew 28:18-20 — Here Jesus gives us three of the four steps to make a disciple. They are: 1) Go, 2) Baptize, and 3) Teach obedience to ALL of His commands.
2. Mark 16:15-16 — Mark tells them how they will know who they are to baptize and disciple. He tells them to Preach the good news to all people on earth. Those who believe are to be baptized.
3. Luke 24:47 — Again we see the emphasis on ALL Nations.
4. Acts 1:8 — Tells us about the power we will have to accomplish this work as well as the natural expansion that will take place in the lives of those who are His Holy Spirit empowered witnesses.
   • Disciple all nations in the power of the Holy Spirit.
   • We should each begin in our Jerusalem (begin where you are) and expand from there as the Spirit leads.

Therefore, the entire Great Commission could be summed up like this:

In the power of the Holy Spirit, Go to all the people of the world and be my witnesses (or representatives). Preach the Gospel and tell them they need to repent. Baptize those who believe and repent and teach them to obey everything I've commanded you.

So, the Great Commission is simply a command to go, preach, baptize, and teach obedience to ALL Jesus' commands.

If this is true, then the final commands of Jesus are the beginning of a chain reaction of disciples making disciples that will continue until the end of the age.

In Acts 8:1 we see the entire church at Jerusalem get scattered because of a persecution. Most believe that the church had grown to between 5 and 10 thousand disciples by then. Then Acts 8:4 tells us that all of them preached the word wherever they went. These people were fleeing for their lives so they would have been traveling light. Most people we train come to the conclusion that the necessary ingredients for preaching to happen are; a messenger, a message, and a recipient of that message. Therefore, every follower of Jesus can and should preach the gospel regularly.

In Matthew 18:20 Jesus declares what may be the simplest form of church. So, based on these verses how would you define "church"? Many believe that the simplest form of "church" is simply a gathering of two or more of Jesus' followers gathered in Jesus' name with the official purpose of being about Jesus' business of overpowering the defences of the Devil and rescuing lost souls from the kingdom of darkness and bringing them to the Kingdom of light.

How many times did Jesus use that word? Zero. How many times is it found in the bible? Three, and twice it's used as a negative term by pagans. Once Peter uses it when referring to the fact that the pagans were "calling" them that name and it troubled them. Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16.

Matthew 7:21-23 has something to say about this. What do you think Jesus is saying in these verses? Who is he referring to in the "Many who call Him Lord?" Of all the people on the planet, who refers to Jesus as "Lord?" It is only "Christians" right?

Most of us have been taught that all Christians go to Heaven but the Bible doesn't teach that. In fact, according to Jesus' words in the previous passage, the Bible may teach that Christians who don't "do the will of the Father" actually go to Hell!

If all a person does is to attend religious meetings once a week for an hour or 2 then they are most likely a passive spectator and a religious consumer. Sadly, such people are not on their way to heaven.

The New Testament does not understand a Christianity that is separated from Biblical Discipleship! In other words, there is no such thing, in the bible, as a Christian who isn't also a disciple of Jesus. The Biblical understanding is either you follow Jesus as an obedient disciple, or you aren't really following Him. Either you are a disciple of Jesus, or you are lost! And it's still the same today! Nothing has changed in the biblical requirements for salvation and discipleship. No matter what kind of a "Christian" subculture we have created in between people who are lost and disciples, in the New Testament, it doesn't exist. In the New Testament, there is NO middle class of christians between those who are unsaved and those who are disciples of Jesus.

Accepting the fact that being a Christian who isn't a Biblical Disciple is NOT a Biblical option, let's look at Jesus' requirements of His disciples. Luke 14 contains some of Jesus' most difficult teaching on discipleship.

1. Luke 14:26 — Here we are told that we must hate everyone in our life including yourself if you want to be His disciple. Thankfully the Jews understood that God is loving, so to Jesus and His hearers, this use of the word "hate" simply meant to love significantly less. Consider these passages:
   • Malachi 1:2-3 — Where God himself says that he hated Esau.
   • In Genesis 29:30-31 (regarding Rachel and Leah) God calls "loving significantly less" Hate. So, if we love any person more than we love Jesus, including ourselves, or if another relationship even comes close to competing with our relationship with Jesus, then we don't have the correct priorities to be a disciple of Jesus!

2. Luke 14:27 — Jesus says that if you aren't willing to live each day like you are on your way to your execution then you don't have the proper spiritual makeup to be His follower. Once you understand that it is unbiblical to be a "Christian" who isn't a Disciple of Jesus these things become mandatory for entrance to Heaven.
   
   
3. Then in Luke 14:33 Jesus wraps it all up in a nice, neat package. Doesn't it sound like He is saying, if you have any loyalty, ambition, or agenda that competes with Him, then you are not in the right frame of mind to be His follower?
   • If this seems harsh or strict to us it is because we do not understand the 1st century understanding of a relationship between a Rabbi and a Disciple. You see, the original Greek word for Rabbi can also be translated as Master and the original Greek word for Disciple can also be translated as Bondservant, or Slave. Therefore, to become a disciple of a rabbi was to become a willing bondservant/slave of that rabbi/master. It is counter-intuitive to say you are completely devoted to your master but then to maintain loves, loyalties, and ambitions that compete with the agenda of your master. Everyone in first century Israel knew and understood this relationship.

4. Jesus is also the KING of kings and LORD of lords and as such He will establish His eternal Kingdom upon His imminent return. When a person receives Jesus as Lord, they are declaring their allegiance to Him as King and become a citizen of that Kingdom. It is only logical that citizens of a Kingdom have the agenda of the King as their highest priority and not their own. It's only logical that citizens of a Kingdom would learn and obey the laws of that kingdom.

Now that we know that the Rabbi had mastery over all areas of the life of a disciple we will hone in on the five primary characteristics of a disciple at the time of Christ.

In Jesus' day there were as many as one thousand Rabbis walking around Israel with their groups of disciples following them around. Therefore, Jesus was just one choice among a thousand. And since there were so many rabbis and disciples, every person in the culture knew the requirements of being a disciple. So when Matthew stood up from his tax collectors booth, he knew exactly what he was agreeing to because the culture had taught it to him.

And here are those five characteristics:

1. Obedience without question or hesitation. Compare Luke 5:5 to Matthew 17:27. In the first case Peter is hesitant but ends up obeying simply because Jesus said so, not because he wants to. In the second case, Peter has matured a bit, so even though he is told to do something even more outlandish (catch a fish with money in its mouth), he puts up no resistance at all! What would you do?
2. Memorizing all the teaching of the Rabbi without writing it down. Check out John 15:7. When Jesus says, "My Words," He is referring to ALL of His teaching because in His day, every disciple understood that they were expected to have all their master's teachings committed to memory. When we memorize His teaching we are storing it in our minds. That is the only way we can apply it to our lives.
3. Agreeing with the Rabbi's interpretation of the Old Testament. Much of the teaching of the rabbis consisted of interpreting the Old Testament. Therefore, every disciple was expected to fully agree with their rabbis interpretations. Look at Matthew 5:21-48. Jesus gives his opinion on several OT topics. As His disciples, we have no other option but to agree with Him. If we disagree with any of His interpretations then we jeopardize our relationship as His disciple.
4. Imitating the actions of your Rabbi. Look at Matthew 14:25-32. Peter quickly devises a plan to determine if it is really Jesus walking on the water because Peter knows that the Rabbi is expected to empower his disciples to do everything he can do. Notice that as long as Peter focused on Jesus, he was able to imitate Jesus. Once he took his eyes off Jesus and began looking at his circumstances, he sank down into his circumstances which threatened to destroy him. So, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and He will empower you to imitate Him.
5. Gathering more disciples to your Rabbi. At that time all the people of Israel already knew that to be a disciple meant to gather more disciples to your rabbi, look at John 1:35-46 and count how many disciples Jesus acquired. Also notice how many of them He personally called and how many came to Him through the means of others. A careful read of this passage will reveal that Jesus ended up with 5 disciples but He only personally called on

Most of us have been conditioned to think that we need human teachers and that we won't grow or mature without them. That is actually opposite of what the Bible teaches. While human teachers are good and helpful (I am a human teacher), they are not essential to our spiritual growth. Consider these verses:

1. John 6:45 — Who is the teacher in this verse?
2. Matthew 23:10 — Who is the teacher in this verse?
3. John 14:26 — Who is the teacher in this passage?
4. 2 Timothy 2:7 — Who does Paul expect to give insight to Timothy?
5. 1 John 2:26-27 — Who (or what) keeps you from being led astray and teaches you all things?
6. 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 — Why don't we NEED human teachers?

Now, Ephesians 4:11 does state that Jesus gave some people the gift of teaching. The issue is not whether or not God wants people to teach. Of course He does! Even the bulk of the work of the Great Commission is accomplished through humans "Teaching" obedience to all the commands of Jesus! Therefore, the issue lies in the area of dependency. Who are people dependent upon for their spiritual food?

Because, if people only know how to learn from a human teacher one day a week for a thirty - sixty minute teaching, then they will be spiritually malnourished the rest of the week and their spiritual growth will be stunted. Sadly, that is what we see in the majority of the churches in this country today. Therefore, it is essential that folks learn how to learn from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, at any day or time. This is the key to rapid spiritual development.

What's the big deal if I do what Jesus says? Isn't it good enough that I just know a little bit of what He says and attend church services once in a while? What does the Bible say?

Let's look at four scriptures that address this issue and draw our conclusions from them.

1. In Matthew 7:24-27 what does Jesus say is the difference between the person who hears His word and does it and the person who hears but does not do what it says?
   • One is wise with a solid foundation while the other is a fool with no foundation for life.

2. What does John 14:23-24 say about the difference between the person who knows and obeys Jesus teaching and the one who knows it but does not obey it?
   • One truly loves God and has the Father and Son come to dwell with them. While the one who doesn't obey Jesus doesn't really love Him no matter what they might say.

3. James 1:22-25 says it another way and in even stronger language. What is the difference between the hearer of the word and the doer?
   • I want to make an observation about this verse. It says that the person who hears the word but does not do it has deceived themselves! No one did it to them. They did it to themselves. And what is that deception they have perpetrated upon themselves? It is nothing less than fooling themselves into thinking they are in a right relationship with God when they are not! They think this because they listen to His word. When in reality, they are still lost because they do not put into practice the word that they hear. This situation is epidemic in our traditional church culture today.
   • One has deceived themselves and the other is blessed by God in what they do.

4. Then in 1 John 2:3-5 we read some of the strongest language on obedience in the entire New Testament. What do these verses say about the difference between a person who obeys the commands of Jesus and the person who knows them but disobeys them?
   • The one who obeys has assurance of salvation and God's love is made complete in them. While the one who does not obey is a liar without the truth or assurance of salvation. Wow! Which one do you want to be?
   • Notice also, in this verse, that two of the characteristics of being a disciple, obedience, and imitation, are clearly tied to assurance of salvation. Two times it says, "we know (we are really saved) if…(We obey Him and do what He did)."

So what conclusion do you come to when you look at all of these verses together?

1. If I obey Jesus I will become a wise, blessed person who loves God and loves others. I will have an immovable foundation for my life and the Father and the Son will come into my life to live with me. I know that I am saved and that I truly know God. On the other hand…
   
   
2. The person who knows the commands of Jesus but doesn't obey them is a lying, unloving, self-deceived, fool with no foundation for life and no assurance of salvation.
   
   

Which one would you rather be: The one who obeys, or the one who disobeys?

In a disciple-making movement, we simply multiply (duplicate, reproduce) small fellowships of obedient, self-replicating, disciples of Jesus Christ. It is critical that these groups are populated by people who fit the description of a true disciple with a heart and a desire to disciple the world. If not, you will end up with nice Bible studies instead of a movement that will transform society.

The best tool that we've found to do that is the DBS (Discovery Bible Study). If a group will consistently follow this study and actually apply the passages to their life and share them with someone else, the groups will begin to multiply and Disciple Making Movements will result. The entire process should be bathed in prayer and fasting until the Lord gives the breakthrough.

The DBS process and suggested Scripture tracks are available to download on our Resources page at GoMultiply.org/resources.

On my first trip to Africa, I conducted three trainings, the second of which was the smallest with about 20 students. Those twenty were mostly women. They were very excited to learn how to be part of the mission of Jesus Christ. They were excited to learn the powerful simplicity of the early church and the way Jesus equipped His disciples to disciple nations. They were eager to learn disciples can be women and that all disciples, regardless of gender, should live out the Great Commission.

The Great Commission, simply stated, is to go somewhere to share the gospel with someone, to baptize those who respond to the gospel and receive Jesus, and then teach them to obey all His commands. It’s not complicated, and it is the work that every person who claims to be a disciple should be doing somehow. When I left that impromptu training in Mbale, Uganda, I traveled on to Kampala, Uganda, to do another training, and then I traveled home.

When my plane landed in the U.S., and I turned my phone on, I had messages from the leader of the first small group I had trained. He said, “Brother, we have a problem.
Those ladies you trained have led 70 people to Christ and baptized them.”
“That’s awesome! So what’s the problem?”

He said, “Well, the local professional clergymen are upset because they say that women are not allowed to baptize people. What should we do?”

I said, “Ask the local clergymen to show you all of the scripture passages that declare a woman is not allowed to baptize people, and until they show you those verses, you tell those sisters to keep up the good work.”

Of course, no scripture was ever found that says that women are not allowed to baptize, and those ladies have continued to multiply and have now baptized more than 1,500 people the last I heard. Glory to God!

If you want to learn how to be a disciple who knows how to go, share the gospel, baptize those who believe in Christ, and teach them to obey all of His commands, then reach out to us via phone or e-mail. Let’s set up a time to get you trained. We are looking forward to hearing from you. God bless you.

The first time I went to Africa I did three training sessions. In the first one, I trained about 50 or 60 pastors, elders, and bishops in something called disciple-making movements (DMM). I was invited to a city called Webuye in northwest Kenya.

The man who was the translator, turning my English into the local Swahili dialect of that region, was named Samuel. At the time, Samuel was not part of the group that had invited me. He was just a local pastor and seminary teacher who had very good English skills.  Samuel stood next to me for three days and translated this training for eight hours a day. Then, after the training was over, I lost track of Samuel and didn’t know if I’d ever see him again.

You see, Samuel was tired. He tells people that before he learned about DMM he felt like Peter after working hard all night and catching nothing. Samuel felt this way because he had been a pastor of a local congregation for 35 years. He had been preaching his heart out week, after week, after week for decades. And after those 35 years he only had 50 people in his church and the only thing they did to grow their church was to invite people to attend their meetings. And that was not working.

After the training Samuel realized that he had not been doing Jesus’ work Jesus’ way and therefore was not experiencing Jesus results. He went and met with his elders and he shared with them what he had learned. He showed them the scriptures and everything he had learned over that weekend. His elders saw what he was showing them and miraculously, all of his elders decided to join him in making a change.
 
Then they did something that I find utterly amazing. Samuel and his elders went before the congregation and they repented. They told the congregation they had been doing Jesus’ work according to the traditions of men, not according to the ways of Jesus or according to the pattern that we see in the New Testament church. Samuel and the elders told the congregation  that they wanted to train them to be disciples who make disciples. They could no longer be satisfied making passive spectator Christian church members. And, amazingly, the congregation was also receptive to this message. They were receptive to the idea of becoming what Jesus requires them to become and not being satisfied at a lower level than the level of Jesus.

Now, I knew nothing about what was happening. But ten months later I was back in Africa in the neighboring country of Uganda and Samuel traveled over about 8 hours to spend some time with me. And I have to be honest, when I saw Samuel he seemed like he was ten years younger. He was a man who had a new lease on life and he was very excited. He said, “brother, I have to tell you what happened. I replied and said, “I didn’t know you were doing anything with what you learned. Tell me, what has the lord done.” He shared with me the story that I just shared with you and then he said this.  “Brother, we have gone from 50 church members in one location to more than 2500 obedient multiplying disciples in more than 100 locations across northwest Kenya in less than a year! I don’t just pastor at church anymore, now I oversee a movement.” Glory to God!

Today, Samuel is one of the leaders in our network of disciples that is multiplying in East Africa and around the world. And if you feel that the Lord would like you to help support Samuel in his work just click on this link and it will take you to the place where you can support him. Believe it or not, Samuel only needs $500 a month to be fully supported. That covers his food, clothing, housing and his transportation to go and conduct other discipleship trainings in Africa and beyond.Samuel is committed to making disciples and to expanding the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth until the return of Christ! So please prayerfully consider supporting him.

And if you want to go through this DMM training and learn what Samuel learned that changed his whole life and turned his ministry upside down, reach out to Go Multiply and set up a training so that we can see obedient disciples of Jesus multiply in your location as we’re seeing them multiply around the world!

God Bless you.

When I first went to Africa I was invited by a group who called themselves simple house churches that multiply. They had been using the building-based church system but realized that it wasn’t actually making disciples. For the most part, people remained “infants” and didn’t become what Jesus commanded, which is obedient, reproducing disciples. They noticed from the New Testament that people met in their homes, so they stopped working and meeting in religious buildings and started meeting in homes. But it was still a struggle and they weren’t growing. It was a struggle because they were trying to recreate the “big” church gathering in smaller environments. They had changed the location, but they hadn’t changed the format or the emphasis.

Then they invited us there to conduct the Disciple-Making Movement (DMM) training and they learned what a disciple and the purpose of the church really is. They clearly understood the training program of Jesus to make disciples that make more disciples until all nations are discipled.
 
One of the house fellowships they had started had about 20 people attending weekly before the training. They were still doing the same things they had been taught to do in the larger venue of the church building—invite people to church. They were doing that even though that practice isn’t found anywhere in the New Testament. No one ever invited another person to church in the Bible. But that’s what they were doing and they were stuck at about 20 people.

After the training they took a risk. They told their entire group of 20 not to come to church the following week. Instead, they said, “go out into the streets. Go out and talk to people about God.” They told them to come back the following week and report on how it went. So people did that. The following Sunday they did not attend their church gathering in a home but instead went out to the markets, into the streets, and talked to people about Jesus. Then, on the Sunday after that, they came together again, but instead of 20 people coming to the meeting, the 20 came back and 20 more came with them! All-in-all 40 people came together for the church meeting that day! Isn’t that amazing? If nothing else, it shows us that people are intrigued when the followers of God are willing to take a risk for God.
Can you imagine doing the same thing at your church? What if your pastor told everybody, don’t come to church next week but instead, go out and share the gospel with someone? Then come back the following week and report on how it went.

That network has now fully embraced the training program of Jesus to equip people to disciple nations. They have multiplied to hundreds of thousands of obedient disciples of Jesus Christ and have established multiplying networks of disciples in more than eight countries in East Africa. Many of these leaders now have invitations to go around the world and train people in DMM so that those people can multiply disciples and see the results that they are seeing in East Africa.

If you want to learn how to make disciples that make disciples according to the training program of Jesus, then reach out to us and we will schedule a time to get you trained!