Walk This Way - Mark #7: Multiplier Part 2

Intro

Why in the world would we start a church? Especially when we can easily, within 30 seconds pull up great sermons and great music from Famous Preachers and musicians.

Because Jesus’ plan to reach local communities was through local disciple making churches.

A disciple making church is one who is focused on being and building fully trained disciples of Jesus Christ.

It’s really difficult for a preacher 1,000 miles away to make disciples who will make disciples in this community.

The local church is more than just preaching and music.

To do what Jesus has called all of us to do requires: Evangelism, worship, community/fellowship, serving and growing/developing to become a disciple making leader.

In this series, we have learned what exactly Jesus has called us to be and to do.

We have looked at 7 marks of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Mark #1 was “member” - we are a member of the family of God.

Mark #2 was “Magnifier” - we are to put God in the center of our life so that we can worship him and point others to him.

Mark #3 is “Maturity” - growing in our faith so that we become more like Jesus in character and conduct.

Mark #4 is “Minister”- Someone who attends to the spiritual and physical needs of another person.

Mark #5 is Manager- a person who uses their time, money, body and relationships to honor God.

Mark #6 messenger: a disciple who shares the message of the gospel and the hope of salvation we have in Jesus Christ with lost people.

Mark #7 is Multiplier: is a disciple who makes more disciples who will go on to make more disciples.

Last week, we looked at being a multiplier from an individual perspective, following the example of Jesus.

Today we are looking at how we can be a church that is a multiplier.

Tension

If we are going to be a church that is a multiplier, it can’t be about “me”.

Cup Stacking example.

In this picture, the strength of the pyramid is at the bottom. If you remove the top cup, the pyramid is still intact.

But if you flip upside down, all the pressure of this pyramid is on one cup

The example of Mars Hill Church

Here is the problem: No matter how great a leader may be, if a ministry or organization is dependent solely upon one man, it is a weakness.

Every leader has limitations. Limitation of time and abilities.

Main Idea: Developing Leaders and sharing leadership is the key for the multiplication of the church.

This is what I refer to as “The Jethro Principle”.

Truth

Turn to the book of Exodus chapter 18

Quick history of Moses and Israelites

Exodus 18:5-12

5: Moses’s father-in-law, Jethro, along with Moses’s wife and sons, came to him in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God.

6: He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

7: So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and then kissed him. They asked each other how they had been and went into the tent.

8: Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that confronted them on the way, and how the Lord rescued them.

9: Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the Lord had done for Israel when he rescued them from the power of the Egyptians.

10: “Blessed be the Lord,” Jethro exclaimed, “who rescued you from the power of Egypt and from the power of Pharaoh. He has rescued the people from under the power of Egypt!

11: Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because he did wonders when the Egyptians acted arrogantly against Israel.”,

12: Then Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’s father-in-law in God’s presence.

Jethro’s visit begins with praise. God had used Moses to do some amazing things.

You have done great things, God has used you to do great things.

Exodus 18:13-18

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.

This thing you are doing… What thing?

“The thing that you are doing is not good.” Why?

“you will surely wear out, both yourself and these people” - not sustainable

“The task is too heavy for you”

“you cannot do it alone”

What Moses was doing was preventing them from accomplishing their main mission: Enter the Promise Land

No matter how great a leader may be, if the organization is dependent solely upon that one man it is a weakness.

Exodus 18:19-22

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.

Moses was to be an ambassador to God and Teacher of the People. Vs. 19,20

Moses was to select Godly men. Vs. 21a

Moses was to place these Godly men strategically. Vs. 21b

Moses was to share the leadership responsibility to them. Vs. 22a,b

Exodus 18:22b-27

22b: 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.”

24: Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.

25: So Moses chose able men from all Israel and made them leaders over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

26: They judged the people at all times; they would bring the hard cases to Moses, but they would judge every minor case themselves.

27: Moses let his father-in-law go, and he journeyed to his own land.

“So it will be easier for you”

You will be able to focus on what your good at.

“they will bear the burden with you”

They will buy-in and take ownership

“You will endure”

Moses, you will be able to accomplish your mission

“The people will go to their place in peace.”

The people will be happy and there will be unity

The result of the Jethro Principle is a Ministry and Leadership structure.

Within the nation of Israel, God had already provided people capable of leadership. The missing piece was not the people but the process.

If there were 1 million Israelites, under Jethro’s principle,this means they would need 131,000 leaders.

That's one leader for every 7.6 people.

Looks like a pyramid

Show Israel’s Jethro Principle structure

Application

How can we take the Jethro Principle and structure our church so that we can be multipliers?

Through Team based Ministry

Show first step goal of teams

Focus on the Disciple Making Process

Show the funnel