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“Kingdom Math: The Power of Multiplication” reveals that God’s kingdom expands through multiplication, not mere addition, by equipping individuals to not only become holistic disciples of Jesus but also to teach others to become disciplers themselves. This strategy, though starting small like a penny doubling daily, generates exponential growth over time, leading to transformed communities and the expansion of God’s Kingdom.

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Multiply

Main Idea

Kingdom math is calculated using multiplication, not addition.

Disciple (last week’s recap)

1. Become by learning and emulating Jesus

2. Do by discipling others – teaching them to obey all Christ’s commands.

Multiplication takes this one step further. As you do by discipling others, you ensure they are holistic disciples themselves. A large portion of our investment in another person is to present them fully mature in Christ, which would be their #1 (becoming). But remember, to become and fail to do is to be a half-formed disciple. Multiplication ensures you teach the 2nd half, which is to become a discipler. 

In essence, you teach to teach… or become a leader of other leaders.

If I hired you to do extremely hard work for a month, but gave you the choice to walk away with $85,000 or to receive a penny that doubles every day for 30 days, would you accept the job? If so, which option would you choose?

$85,000 is over $2,800 per day, which ain’t too shabby! But to show you the power and process of multiplication, let’s see how the other payment method works. On day one, you get 1 cent. On day two, you get two cents, and on day three, you get four cents. By day fifteen, you will have earned a whopping $163.84. Doesn’t sound worth it, does it? That’s a lot of work for a little bit of cash flow. However, by the end of the month, would you believe me if I said that I would owe you over $5.3 million? That is the power of multiplication!

My challenge to you today is to understand the biblical model and process of multiplication and your role in it. It starts out almost insignificant, but gradually, it can produce nearly unimaginable fruit. 

Story of Dad’s funeral. I doubt Dad would have known the full extent of the impact he made, but God allowed us to see it, reinforcing what we will learn about today. We may never see the full impact, but we can always trust that it’s happening behind the scenes as we do our daily part for God’s kingdom. 

Today, let’s review three biblical cases that illustrate the process of kingdom multiplication and how it differs from addition.

I – Jethro and Moses

Exodus 18:13–23 CSB

¹³ The next day Moses sat down to judge the people, and they stood around Moses from morning until evening. ¹⁴ When Moses’s father-in-law saw everything he was doing for them he asked, “What is this you’re doing for the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?” ¹⁵ Moses replied to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. ¹⁶ Whenever they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I make a decision between one man and another. I teach them God’s statutes and laws.” ¹⁷ “What you’re doing is not good,” Moses’s father-in-law said to him. ¹⁸ “You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone. ¹⁹ Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to him. ²⁰ Instruct them about the statutes and laws, and teach them the way to live and what they must do. ²¹ But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating dishonest profit. Place them over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²² They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every major case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load, and they will bear it with you. ²³ If you do this, and God so directs you, you will be able to endure, and also all these people will be able to go home satisfied.”

Delegation by addition. Just the simple act of addition changed Moses’ life. Can you imagine an entire nation of displaced people bringing every quarrel and dispute to your doorstep? Every picture of Moses shows him with a full head of hair and a big beard, but I wonder how long he kept that full head of hair before pulling it all out! Maybe Jethro stepped in before he pulled out the first patch. Who knows? What we do know is that the act of delegation is biblical and life-giving. PTL! 

What Moses was doing wasn’t sustainable. His father-in-law saw this, so in his wise judgment, he suggested that Moses find other capable, God-fearing men to delegate smaller cases to. They can oversee groups of people and only bring the big, difficult cases to Moses. That advice must have been a breath of fresh air!

Many Christian leadership programs incorporate this story because delegation is a crucial skill. It takes tasks off your plate, empowers others to use their gifts and talents, helps people get assistance faster, and makes your organization scalable. It’s a win-win for everyone. However, this isn’t a sermon on delegation. What this story shows is the first step in the process. Moses selected a group of men to teach, instruct, and empower. He added people to leadership, and in doing so, he became a more effective leader, others were entrusted with responsibilities to honor God, and God’s justice was maintained. 

This is a powerful first step, but it is only one step, nonetheless.

II – Jesus and the Twelve

Now, let’s move ahead to the ultimate example. Jesus demonstrated the entire process during His earthly ministry:

• seek. Jesus sought out apprentices to influence

• select. Jesus called them to intentionally follow Him

• teach. Jesus taught them through His instructions, parables, and rebukes

• model. Jesus modeled righteous living and how to be a discipler (or fisher) of others by inviting them to live life with Him

• Coach. Jesus sent them out two by two with specific instructions while He was still present with them. Not only did they gain valuable experience, but I imagine this is where they caught the vision Jesus was laying out for them because they saw it all firsthand.

• commission. Eventually, Jesus commissioned them and ascended to the Father, knowing they were prepared to do the work on their own (empowered by the Holy Spirit, of course).

What was the result? Twelve multiplied into millions. Once Pentecost arrived, the disciples went forth and turned the entire known world upside down in a single generation with the gospel of Christ that spread throughout the Roman Empire and the entire known world!

Colossians 1:23 CSB

²³ if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

The rapid spread of the gospel during that period is truly supernatural. But, that is what God can do with passionate hearts and willing hands. 

That is a high-level overview of what multiplication can look like, but you might be thinking that this kind of activity is impossible in your own life. We all want to believe that God can reach thousands through our efforts, but that might seem out of reach to you. With that in mind, let’s look at one final passage of scripture that will help us understand how we can be effective on a smaller scale.

III – Paul and Timothy

One-to-one… one-to-few. This is a model that can be replicated.

2 Timothy 2:1–2 CSB

¹ You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

These two verses take what Moses started and build on it, just as Jesus did… revealing a four-generation model of multiplication that we can reasonably incorporate into our daily lives.

1. Paul (first generation)

2. Timothy (second generation)

3. Reliable people (third generation)

4. Others (fourth generation)

Discipleship by multiplication. In this passage, we see Paul instructing Timothy to not only teach others how to become disciples but also how to become disciplers and teach others to make disciples. When you do this consistently, worlds change… communities transform… and God’s kingdom expands!

Every disciple is both a learner and a leader in the making. Paul understood that the spread of the gospel depended not only on his personal efforts but also on building a multiplication system that would continue long after he was gone.

IV – Modern-day Example

Let’s use the same multiplication example from the 30 days of payment and apply it over a decade of discipling others to both become and do.

Example: You invest in 2 people every year for 10 years.

Addition. If you invest in two people each year, you’ll disciple 20 over a decade, which is impressive and worth the effort. However, taking one more step to teach them how to teach others can make it even more impactful!

Multiplication. If you invest in 2 people each year and teach them to do the same, you’ll have directly discipled 20 people and indirectly discipled over 500. 

V – Barriers to Multiplication

Despite the clear biblical mandate, many individuals and churches today find it challenging to put effective multiplication strategies into practice in their lives and ministries. Generally, several obstacles hinder this process.

1. Consumeristic Christianity: Many believers approach church as consumers rather than contributors, expecting spiritual goods and services rather than equipping for ministry. Consumerism asks the question, “What do I get out of it?” A Contributor asks the question, “What can I put into it?”

2. Professionalization of Ministry: When we delegate disciple-making to paid staff, we inadvertently imply that “ordinary” Christians aren’t capable of this work, and that discipleship is only for the professional Christians. This mindset keeps everyday believers on the sidelines, cheering for the paid staff instead of actively participating. That will hinder the growth of multiplication.

3. Program-Centered vs. People-Centered Approaches: Discipleship programs, while well-meaning, often replace genuine life-on-life relationships with a structured curriculum. We confuse the trellis for the vine. You can’t multiply trellises, but you can multiply the vines growing on them.

4. Lack of Intentionality: Without clear pathways and expectations for multiplication, churches tend to default to addition models. Individuals who don’t value or pursue being a disciple-maker won’t become one. You can’t accomplish what you don’t define or envision.

5. Sprinter’s mindset. This mindset values short-term gains over long-term investment. Multiplication takes time. Remember the penny example. By day 15, you will have made $42,500 if you choose to be paid $85,000 for the month, while you will only have earned a bit over $163 in the multiplication model. This is a method of slow growth over time that can often feel unfruitful. But, after years of investment, there will come a tipping point where it takes off. Remember Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. It is small at first and grows slowly over time… but at the right time, it is incredibly fruitful.

True disciple-making sparks a fire that spreads through people’s hearts and plants seeds that grow slowly over time. When we remove these kinds of barriers, we create space for the Holy Spirit to ignite multiplication movements that grow naturally through intentional relationships.

🔥 Application Points:

In that light, let’s discuss a few ways you can be intentional.

1. Embrace a Personal Disciple-Making Identity

Before you can multiply disciples, you must see yourself as a disciple-maker. This isn’t reserved for pastors or those with special gifting—it’s the calling of every follower of Jesus.

➤ Ask yourself: “Who am I currently investing in spiritually?” If you can’t name specific individuals, that’s your starting point.

2. Focus on a Few

Jesus had crowds of followers, but invested deeply in twelve, with special attention to three (Peter, James, and John). Paul poured into Timothy. Quality trumps quantity in disciple-making.

➤ Start by identifying 1-2 people with whom you can share your life, faith, and ministry skills. Meet regularly for purposeful conversation, Bible study, prayer, and ministry opportunities.

3. Model Reproducible Practices

Commissioning is not an end; it is the beginning of real change. If your discipleship methods require seminary training, years of experience, or special resources, they won’t multiply easily. 

Simple tools like the C.O.M.A. Bible Study method, which requires no expert leadership, paired with simple meeting models like the PT Program and discipleship groups, often spread more effectively than complex approaches.

➤ Ask of every practice: “Could the person I’m discipling easily do this with someone else?”

4. Expect and Plan for Reproduction

From the beginning, communicate that you’re not just helping someone grow spiritually—you’re equipping them to help others grow. Set clear expectations that they will eventually disciple others.

➤  A helpful framework is the “I Do, We Do, You Do, They Do” progression:

– I Do (you observe me making disciples)

– We Do (we make disciples together)

– You Do (you make disciples while I coach)

– They Do (those you’ve discipled begin discipling others)

5. Create Accountability for Multiplication

Regular check-ins that ask not just “How are you growing?” but “Who are you investing in?” create healthy accountability for multiplication.

➤ Challenge: In every coaching conversation, ask yourself if you are strengthening both sides of the discipleship coin: are they growing in the knowledge of the Lord, and are they teaching others to do the same?

Every believer is a vital part of the kingdom’s growth equation. When churches develop systems that track and celebrate multiplication (not just attendance), they emphasize its importance. And when each believer catches the vision of what they can do as disciples and disciplers who invest in teaching others to become disciplers themselves, there will be exponential growth in advancing God’s Kingdom, just like loaves and fish.

FAQs

What is the core difference between “Kingdom Math” and traditional math?

Kingdom Math operates on the principle of multiplication, not addition. While traditional math often focuses on adding individual contributions, Kingdom Math emphasizes exponential growth through reproduction. The idea is to not just add more people or tasks, but to empower individuals to replicate the process, leading to significantly larger outcomes over time, much like a penny doubling daily far surpasses a large fixed sum in the long run.

How is the concept of a “disciple” defined in Kingdom Math, and why is it crucial for multiplication?

In Kingdom Math, a disciple is understood as someone who not only “becomes” by learning and emulating Jesus (personal maturity) but also “does” by discipling others and teaching them to obey Christ’s commands. The crucial element for multiplication is that a holistic disciple also learns to become a discipler themselves, effectively teaching others to teach. Failing to do so results in a “half-formed” disciple, hindering the exponential spread.

How does the story of Jethro and Moses illustrate the initial step of “addition” in leadership, and why isn’t it enough for true Kingdom multiplication?

Jethro’s advice to Moses to delegate judging responsibilities to capable, God-fearing men represents a powerful first step of “addition.” Moses added leaders to his team, making his work more sustainable, empowering others, and ensuring faster assistance for the people. While this improved efficiency and scalability, it’s considered only one step because it primarily distributes existing tasks rather than training individuals to reproduce the leadership function independently, which is the essence of multiplication.

How did Jesus’s ministry exemplify the full process of multiplication, leading to the rapid spread of the gospel?

Jesus demonstrated the complete multiplication process through several stages: He “sought” and “selected” apprentices, “taught” them through instruction and parables, “modeled” righteous living and discipling, “coached” them by sending them out to gain experience, and finally “commissioned” them to continue the work independently. This comprehensive approach, empowering His disciples to become disciplers themselves, resulted in the rapid, supernatural spread of the gospel throughout the known world after Pentecost, turning “twelve multiplied into millions.”

How does the relationship between Paul and Timothy offer a replicable, multi-generational model for everyday multiplication?

Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-2 provides a clear, four-generation model for multiplication that can be incorporated into daily life: Paul (first generation) teaches Timothy (second generation), who then commits what he learned to “faithful men” (third generation) who will be able to “teach others also” (fourth generation). This emphasizes that every disciple should be both a learner and a leader in the making, building a system that continues to spread the gospel long after the initial discipler is gone.

What are some common barriers that prevent individuals and churches from implementing effective multiplication strategies today?

Several obstacles hinder multiplication:

1. Consumeristic Christianity: Believers act as consumers seeking spiritual goods rather than contributors equipped for ministry.
2. Professionalization of Ministry: Delegating disciple-making to paid staff implies that “ordinary” Christians are not capable, sidelining everyday believers.
3. Program-Centered vs. People-Centered Approaches: Over-reliance on structured programs can replace genuine life-on-life relationships, which are essential for multiplication.
4. Lack of Intentionality: Without clear vision and expectations for multiplication, default addition models prevail.
5. Sprinter’s Mindset: Valuing short-term gains over the long-term investment required for multiplication, which often starts slow before reaching a tipping point.

What are practical “Application Points” for individuals to embrace a personal disciple-making identity and foster multiplication?

To foster multiplication, individuals should:

1. Embrace a Personal Disciple-Making Identity: Recognize that disciple-making is a calling for every follower of Jesus, not just pastors.
2. Focus on a Few: Invest deeply in 1-2 individuals, sharing life, faith, and ministry skills, as quality trumps quantity.
3. Model Reproducible Practices: Use simple tools and methods that disciples can easily replicate with others (e.g., C.O.M.A. Bible Study, simple meeting models).
4. Expect and Plan for Reproduction: Clearly communicate from the beginning that the goal is to equip them to disciple others, following the “I Do, We Do, You Do, They Do” progression.
5. Create Accountability for Multiplication: Regularly check in on who they are investing in, not just their personal growth, ensuring both sides of the discipleship coin are strengthened.

Why is patience and a “mustard seed” mindset crucial for effective Kingdom multiplication?

Multiplication, like the penny example, often starts small and feels insignificant in its early stages. It requires a “sprinter’s mindset” to be overcome and instead embrace a long-term “mustard seed” approach. True disciple-making involves slow, gradual growth that can feel unfruitful initially. However, with consistent investment over time, it eventually reaches a “tipping point” where it produces “nearly unimaginable fruit” and leads to exponential growth, just as Jesus’s parable describes the mustard seed growing into a large plant.