“MULTIPLICATION NOT ADDITION”. 2 Timothy 2:2
FBCF – 1/23/22
Jon Daniels
INTRO - In a commencement speech at Univ of TX, Admiral William McRaven gave this challenge to graduates: “If every one of you changed the lives of just 10 people, and each one of those folks changed the lives of another 10 people—just 10—then in six generations this class will have changed the lives of the entire population of the world, eight billion people.”
What a challenge, not only for college graduates but for me, you, and the church! To change the world – to make disciples of all nations – all the people groups of the world – we need to not only change people but also mobilize those people as change agents. That’s the power of generational multiplication growth that happens when we all take seriously our participation in the work of the Church in evangelism & discipleship.
Look at this chart:
In the left column, you help win and disciple one person to Christ per day for the next sixteen years. In the right column, you win and disciple one person per year but disciple that person so that he or she reproduces himself/herself. This multiplication process then continues for sixteen years. Compare the results of movement math at the year sixteen.
(http://onmovements.com/?p=101)
Today, as we continue “Discipleship 101” series, we are going to consider the power of “Multiplication Not Addition.”
EXPLANATION – 2 Timothy 2:2
Interesting to hear some people’s last words:
- Steve Jobs – “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.”
- Poet Emily Dickinson – “I must go in, for the fog is rising.”
- Princess Di – “My God. What happened?”
- Pistol Pete Maravich – “I feel great.” (Collapsed & died during a pickup basketball game – age 40)
- Michael Landon, “Little House on the Prairie” – “You’re right. It’s time. I love you all.”
- Union Gen. John Sedgwick – “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” (Said this to his troops who were ducking from shots fired by a Confederate sniper)
2 Timothy was Paul’s last letter, his last written words. Important! Insightful! Inspiring! Impactful! Wrote letter to Timothy, his spiritual son, the young pastor of the church at Ephesus. It’s a very personal letter, one that you might expect someone who knows that their death is imminent to write to a close friend & coworker. You can feel the urgency & the passion in Paul’s words as he exhorts Timothy to continue in faithfulness & service to Jesus Christ.
Broad overview of 2 Timothy:
- Keep the fire burning – Ch. 1
- Keep doing what you’re supposed to be doing – Ch. 2
- Keep pressing on the midst of difficult days – Ch. 3
- Keep going & finish well – Ch. 4
2 Timothy 2:2 – Classic NT definition of discipleship. Tells us exactly what we are supposed to be doing in a succinct way. It defines & describes the process of making disciples for us.
Assume that you’ve received Christ & are saved. If not, stop now & call out to Him & be saved!
Then start process of discipleship.
- Receive biblical teaching & grow
- Reach out to others w/ Gospel
- Reproduce yourself through discipleship
- Redo the process for the rest of your life!
APPLICATION – Each of us is called to make disciples who will make more disciples.
This is what we MUST commit ourselves to as the Church. It’s what I preached on this past Sunday from my upstairs bonus room – Evangelism & Discipleship/Discipleship & Evangelism – It’s a total Church thing! It’s what WE do, not what THEY do. Our mindset must change. Our perspective must be radically altered from thinking that it’s someone else’s job to do this to “It’s MY job to do this!” Our attitude must do an about-face from “Let the preachers & ministers do it,” to “Let me do it!”
STOP SEEING EVANGELISM AS NECESSARY, BUT DISCIPLESHIP AS OPTIONAL – So many times, our evangelism efforts focus solely on conversion – on the “born again” moment. Please don’t misunderstand. I want to see more & more people be born again, as I know you do, too. But the “born again” moment is not the end of the disciple’s journey – it’s just the beginning.
At some point in his life, Timothy heard the Gospel & responded in faith. It may have been his grandmother, Lois, that led him to Jesus. Or his mother, Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). Or maybe it was Paul himself. He certainly had been a huge part of Timothy’s life (1:6).
We may not know for sure who it was who shared Gospel w/ Timothy, but we do know for sure: It didn’t end w/ his spiritual birth. Paul made it clear to Timothy that he had to keep passing the baton. David Jeremiah: “Disciples are made when new believers are taught the Word, led by example, & then trained to transfer the faith to others…every Christian’s legacy should include an enduring testimony & commitment to discipleship.” (The Jeremiah Study Bible, p. 1715)
Long before fire engines & modern firefighting equipment, fires would be fought by “bucket brigades.” Every person in the chain is important to get the job done & put the fire out.
- If we want to START a fire for the Gospel, then everyone of us needs to get in line & start making disciples who will make disciples.
START BELIEVING THAT WE CAN TRULY IMPACT OUR WORLD W/ THE GOSPEL – Population of the world – 7.9 billion. When we hear that number, most of us just sort of check out. It’s too big. It’s too overwhelming. No way we can truly impact our world w/ a massive population like that. And if we just focus on addition, we will never get the job done.
But if we do what Paul instructed Timothy to do & focus on multiplying generations, the impact of the
Gospel explodes exponentially.
Remember graph at beginning:
- Win 1 person a day every day of year – 5840 at end of 16 yrs
- Win/disciple 1 person who then reproduces himself/herself – 65,536 at end of 16 yrs
- Disciple 2 people @ a time in a group of 3 who then do the same thing each year – 43,046,721 at end of 16 yrs
We need to start remembering what the Bible says about our God, which leads to next point:
STAND ON THE TRUTH & AUTHORITY OF GOD’S WORD – Know, believe, & live out of the TRUTH of the Word!
- Promises – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture…”
o 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power & of love & of a sound mind” (NKJV).
- Presence – Exodus 33:14-15 – “The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go w/ you.’ Then Moses said, ‘If your Presence does not go w/ us, do not send us up from here.’” (NIV)
o Matthew 28:20 – “I am w/ you always…”
- Power – 1 Corinthians 4:20 – “For the K’dom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” (NLT)
o 1 John 4:4 – “Greater is He who is in us…”
- Potential – Ephesians 3:20-21 – “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to His be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
- Position – “Remember who you are!”
o 2 Corinthians 5:17 – new creation
o 2 Peter 1:4 – a partaker of the God’s nature
o Romans 6:6 – no longer a slave to sin
o I am an uncondemned member of the Body of Christ who possesses a new heart, has new life, who is seated w/ Christ, has been blessed w/ every spiritual blessing, & is more than a conqueror through Christ.
STICK WITH IT UNTIL THE LORD CALLS YOU HOME – Be able to say as Paul said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith…” (2 Timothy 4:7).
CONCLUSION/TAKEAWAYS – John MacArthur ran track in college. 2nd man in mile relay. 1st man fast. MacArthur well. 3rd man got baton, stopped, walk onto infield, sat down. Not injured. “What happened?” “I don’t know. Just didn’t’ feel like running anymore.” Teammates, coaches, fans stunned & disgusted. “How could you do that? Don’t you know you’re not just representing yourself, but your team & your school? Have you forgotten all the time the coaches & your teammates have invested to get to where we are? How could you, in 1 brief moment, destroy all of that?”
DON’T BE THAT PERSON! Don’t drop out! Pass the baton!
