Confrontational Evangelism

Christ Cleansing the Temple

The Lord’s mandate of the Great Commission is urgent and we mustn’t delay.  The Bible should be the standard for our evangelistic approach, and not some other means. Our goal is not to get men to like us but to preach the good news of the kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, call them to repentance, and ask them to turn to God. 

There are more examples in the Bible of Jesus and the apostles confronting people with Truth than of the friendly, indirect, long-range approach. In fact, we are hard-pressed to find any example where they did not confront people boldly and lovingly with the Truth, when they had the opportunity. Keeping silent about the gospel and delaying or neglecting direct evangelism is not taught in Scripture.  In fact, when the apostles were commanded not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, they refused to remain silent, saying that they could not stop speaking about what they had seen and heard (Ac 4:20; 5:40-42).

It was only at Jesus’ trial before Herod that He refused to say anything at all. But He had already previously delivered a message to Herod that was very bold, regarding the Lord carrying out His mission fully without interference from Herod, who wanted to kill Him. (Lk 13:32).

There are those instances recorded in the gospels, in which people came to the Lord without much said to them beforehand on His part (e.g., the thief on the cross, Zachias, etc). But when He did address people with words, He confronted anything in their lives that was not of the Kingdom of God.

God is love and requires us to love our neighbor. Yet Jesus taught us that if a town or village does not welcome or receive us we are to shake the dust off our feet as we leave there, as a testimony against them (Mat. 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5). That is a loving response, since Jesus would never command us to do anything unloving.

We are first disciples of Christ and then business men, not the other way around. That means our obedience to Him, our love for Him, and our commitment to Him take priority over any business transaction or opportunity to make money. Even our businesses must have as a primary goal of reaching the lost with the Gospel. If you have a price at which you can be bought, the enemy will surely pay it.

We should treat a customer or prospective client with love and respect, but we cannot treat them differently than anyone else or show favoritism because they are clients, or because we hope they will become one.

I ask you: Is friendship evangelism an enemy of soul winning, and is it actually friendship with the world?  In many cases, it can be. The Scriptures say, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (Jas 4:4).  Let us be careful that what we call evangelism is not hostility toward God.

For the Lord commanded the prophet Ezekiel to warn people boldly, so that they might turn from sin and be saved. He told Ezekiel that if he failed to warn them, then their blood would be on his hands (Ez 33:1-6).  This is very serious, so we must be careful not to conduct ourselves in such a way as to have men’s blood on our hands (Ac 20:36).

Every Plant the Father Has Not Planted Will Be Uprooted
The Lord Jesus always warned people boldly.  One such instance was when he said that the Pharisees worshiped God in vain, that they worshiped with their lips but their hearts were far from God, and they taught as doctrines the precepts of men.  He said that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles the man but it is what comes out of the mouth that does so.

"Then the disciples came and said to Him, 'Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?'" (Mat 15:12)

Matthew Henry, the seventeenth-century, English holiness preacher and Bible commentator, commented regarding this passage:

“The disciples thought it strange that their Master should say that which He knew would give so much offense; He did not use to do so: surely, they think, if He had considered how provoking it would be, He would not have said it. But He knew what He said, and to whom He said it, and what would be the effect of it; and would teach us, that though in indifferent things we must be tender of giving offence, yet we must not, for fear of that, evade any truth or duty. Truth must be owned, and duty done; and if any be offended, it is his own fault; it is scandal, not given, but taken…if we please men with the concealment of truth, and the indulgence of their errors and corruptions, we are not the servants of Christ… The doom passed upon the Pharisees and their corrupt traditions; which comes in as a reason why Christ cared not though he offended them, and therefore why the disciples should not care; because they were a generation of men that hated to be reformed, and were marked out for destruction.”

But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Mat 15:13-14). The Greek for for "let them alone" is "aphiēmi," meaning "forsake, lay aside, leave, let alone, let be, let go, put away." The Lord instructed his disciples to leave the Pharisees alone, since they were blind guides.

Matthew Henry made the following comments about this response of Christ to His disciples:

“Christ bids his disciples let them alone. ‘Have no converse with them or concern for them; neither court their favour, nor dread their displeasure; care not though they be offended, they will take their course, and let them take the issue of it. They are wedded to their own fancies, and will have every thing their own way; let them alone. Seek not to please a generation of men that please not God (1Th_2:15), and will be pleased with nothing less than absolute dominion over your consciences. They are joined to idols, as Ephraim (Hos_4:17), the idols of their own fancy; let them alone, let them be filthy still,’ Rev_22:11. The case of those sinners is sad indeed, whom Christ orders his ministers to let alone…Christ rejects the wilfully ignorant who care not to be taught…If the Pharisees, who made void the law, be offended, let them be offended…”

I think these are keys for us to remember as we proclaim the truth to people. We must not evade any truth or duty for fear of giving offense to others. We must own the Truth and do our duty and if anyone is offended by it, that that is his own fault; if we please men by hiding the Truth and indulging their errors and corruptions, we are not the servants of Christ. Christ did not care that He offended the Pharisees, because of the doom passed upon them and their corrupt traditions; and therefore we as disciples should not care if we offend others by proclaiming the Truth. For we live in a generation of men that hate to be reformed, and are marked out for destruction.

Confrontational Language of the Gospel
There are many instances in Scripture where Jesus and His followers used confrontational language to address people’s sin. Here are a few such examples:

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mat 4:17b; 3:2)

"Repent and believe in the gospel." (Mar 1:15b)

"...unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luk 13:3b)

"You hypocrites.” (Mat. 15:7; 22:18; 23:13,14,15,23,25,27,29; 24:51; Mark 7:6; Luke 12:56; 13:15)

"You serpents, you brood of vipers…” (Mat. 12:34; 23:33; Luke 3:7;)

"You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (Mat 23:24; cf. Mat. 23:16)

"You blind fools!" (Mt 23:17a)

"You blind men..." (Mt 23:19)

"You are like whitewashed tombs…” (Mat 23:27)

"You are like concealed tombs…” (Luk 11:44)

“Woe to you…” (Mat. 11:21; 23:13,14,15,16,23,25,27,29; Luke 6:24,25,26; 10:13; 11:42,43,44,46,47,52).

“But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.” (Joh 5:42)

"You are of your father the devil…”  (Joh 8:44a)

"...The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit." (Mt 21:43, NIV)

"How will you escape being condemned to hell?" (Mt 23:33b)

“You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?” (Act 13:10)

"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it." (Act 7:51-53)

Here are some more examples of confrontational evangelism in Scripture:

Mt 4:17; 7:21-27; 8:19-22; 9:4-6; 10:7-8,14-20,22-27; 11:21-24; 15:3-13; 16:1-4; 17:15-17; 19:21-22; 21:12-16,23-45; 22:17-46; 23:13-39; Mk 7:6-13; 10:17-23; 11:15-18,28-33; 12:1-40; Lk 4:16-30; 5:21-26; 6:1-11; 7:39-47; 9:2,6,38-43,57-62; 10:10-16,25-37; 11:15-26,29-54; 12:1-12,49-59; 13:1-5,14-17,23-33; 14:1-35; 16:14-31; 18:18-25; 19:39-48; 20:1-19,21-47; Jn 2:18-21; Jn 3:1-21; 4:7-26; 5:16-47; 6:25-59; 7:4-8,15-38; 8:13-59; 9:35-41; 10:1-42; 12:34-36,42-50; 18:4-9,19-23,33-37; 19:10-11; Ac 2:14-41; 3:12-26; 4:1-20; 5:25-33; 7:2-60; 8:4-6; 13:6-12,15-50; 14:1-3; 22:1-22; 23:1-10; 24:10-21,24-26; 26:1-29; 28:23-29.

I encourage you to read through all the Scripture passages cited here, and see for yourself how the Lord and His disciples confronted people with the gospel lovingly. It often resulted in persecution.  It often resulted in people rejecting the gospel. It often resulted in people being insulted, offended (Mt 13:57; 15:12), enraged, cut to the heart, and humiliated (Lk 13:17; Act 7:54). It often resulted in people blaspheming, gnashing their teeth, covering their ears, arguing, and saying things that contradict God’s Word (Ac 6:9; 7:54,57; 13:45).  It also resulted in people becoming hardened and disobedient, even speaking evil of the Way publicly (Mt 26:65; Ac 19:19). But it also resulted in thousands of people, who were appointed to eternal life, putting their faith in Jesus Christ (Ac 2:41; 4:4; 13:48). And it resulted in the Word of the Lord reaching many people groups (Ac 2:9) and spreading throughout entire regions of the world (Ac 13:49; Rom 15:19,23).  That is what the Lord wants, so let us be obedient to Him.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotation taken from the NASB. Christ Cleansing the Temple, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1875

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading Rescue Souls!, Persecuted or Popular?, Give Me Children or I'll Die!, Here I Am, Send Me, Life is Short. Eternity is Not, Compassion for the Lost (poem), Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, The Rise of Antichrists, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Give Me Children or I'll Die!

Today I want to talk to you about the kind of attitude and prayer that touches the heart of God and moves His mighty hand to save.

In the book of Genesis, we find that while Jacob's wife Leah bore him many children, his wife Rachel, whom he loved, bore him no children.  For she was barren. But she was not content with staying that way! "Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or else I die!'" (Gen 30:1)

The Lord spoke to me through Rachel’s prayer, “Give me children or I’ll die!”  He did give her Joseph, who was the most important of all Jacob’s children in that he became a great ruler and saved the whole family in famine.

"Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. So she conceived and bore a son and said, 'God has taken away my reproach.' She named him Joseph, saying, 'May the LORD give me another son.'" (Gen 30:22-24)

Again the Lord answered her prayer and gave her another son, Benjamin, whom she died giving birth to (son of my trouble), yet who was so dear to both Joseph and Jacob (son of my right hand).  Although she only had two children, she gave everything, including her own life, so that they may have life. 

The Lord Jesus Christ
This is what Jesus did.  He said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (Joh 15:13).  And He willingly laid down His life on the cross, taking the punishment in our place, so that you and I could be forgiven, receiving the gift of eternal life with Him in heaven, if we repent and believe in Him.

And the Holy Spirit spoke of Him through the prophet Isaiah saying, “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.” (Isa 53:10).

He did sacrifice Himself as an offering to God for our sins, and now He is able to see and have a personal relationship with His millions of children.

He taught us to live like He did, saying, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Mat 16:25)

The Apostle Paul
The apostle Paul also had the same attitude in that he considered his life worth nothing, so that He might preach the gospel of God’s saving grace.  "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” (Act 20:24).  He said, “But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” (1Co 9:15-16).  And he said, “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” (1Co 9:22)

We know that the Lord used the apostle Paul mightily.  He could say,

"Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.” (Act 20:26)

Paul did not only preach to a few people, he preached to everyone he could.

"Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth" (Colossians 1:4-6).

"If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister" (Colossians 1:23).

The Apostles Peter and John
Likewise, the apostles Peter and John had the same kind of attitude.  They preached the gospel, no matter what the cost, even when they were threatened.

“And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened;” (Act 4:18-21)

Since they continued to preach in Jesus’ Name, they were put in jail, but that did not stop them either.

“They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, ‘Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.’ Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach…” (Act 5:18-21a)

“When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'” (Act 5:27-29)

Not only did the Jews persecute them, but also King Herod, who had James put to death by the sword and wanted to please the Jews by doing the same to Peter.

“When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” (Act 12:4-5)

And the Lord sent His angel to the prison during the night to release Peter, so that he miraculously escaped.  He continued to preach the gospel after that for the rest of his life. 

“But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.” (Act 12:24)

Modern Missionaries
Likewise, many modern missionaries, evangelists, and pastors have been inspired to do the same, laying down their lives for the gospel. A couple of examples are Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, who were killed by the Waodani (or Auca) Indians of Ecuador that they so lovingly went there to reach.  But in the 50 years that have passed since that time, the Lord has used their sacrifice to bring about the reconciliation and transformation of the tribe. 

For example, one of those Indians, who took part in the now infamous 1956 attack on the five missionaries during Operation Auca, is Mincaye Enquedi. He was one of the killers during the attack, and is now a preacher and church elder.  This took place, because Jim Elliot's wife, Elisabeth, and the other missionary wives did not hate those who killed their husbands.  Instead they went back to those same people and evangelized them. (You can see the interview of Mincaye and Steve Saint, son of Nate Saint here).

During Jim Elliot's lifetime he would say, "Only one life, twill soon be past.  Only what's done for Christ will last."  Certainly the work that he and his fellow missionaries did for Christ in Ecuador has made a lasting impact with eternal value.  This story has inspired thousands to serve Christ.

Putting it All Together
Therefore, we have several, great examples from Scripture, as well as modern history, of the kind of attitude about souls that pleases the Lord.  Rachel exemplified that in her desperate plea, “Give me children or I’ll die!”  And she really did die giving birth to her second child.

The first child she had was Joseph, and as a type of Christ, he brought salvation to the Jews.  So while she may not have had many children like her sister Leah, the one son made a huge impact that has been remembered for thousands of years. 

Our Lord Jesus was the greatest example, because nobody had any greater love than He did.  He laid down His life for us on the cross, although He had no sin.  And now He has many children. 

The apostles Peter, John, and Paul followed in Jesus’ steps, by preaching the gospel at all costs, so that they could bring more souls to Jesus.  People who have this attitude pray prayers like, “Give me spiritual children or I’ll die!” and “Give me souls for Christ or I’ll die!”  Is that your heart's cry to God?  Is that your prayer and your desperate attitude?  If so, I know the Lord will be pleased and will answer your prayer. 

As you are faithful to preach to others, whom the Lord puts in your path, even if you don’t lead thousands to Christ, you will know that you have been obedient to God.  And even if only one comes to Christ, he could be a chosen instrument of God like the apostle Paul that could reach untold thousands with the gospel that would otherwise have never heard.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "One Solitary Life" paintings © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading Compassion for the Lost (poem), Be a Star for Jesus, Fishers of Men - the 419 series, International Impact of Pentecost, Life Transformation Groups, Multiplication, and the other posts available through the Home Page of this blog.  If you would like to become a disciple who multiplies disciples, please prayerfully consider enrolling in Doulos Training School, our international, distance education ministry. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Fishers of Men - the 419 series

The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Jacopo Bassano, 1545

For all who are called to follow Jesus and become fishers of men, these are words of encouragement and strength. It’s a series of 4:19 verses from the Bible that I call the 419 series or "FM419" (Fishers of Men 4:19).

People Living in Darkness

The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. (Pro 4:19)

The Lord loves those wicked people living in darkness and does not want them to perish. 

Becoming Fishers of Men

He calls His disciples to follow Him.  And all who obey the call, He will make fishers of men.  And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Mat 4:19)

Unfruitful Hearers

"And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mar 4:18-19)

The fishers of men cast the gospel net to bring men into the kingdom of God.  But they are also sowers who sow seeds.  Yet sometimes those seeds are sown among thorns, and those who hear the Word are unfruitful.  They allow the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word. 

Labor Until Christ is Formed

The fishers of men labor to see Christ formed in those who come to Him.  But often they do not continue to grow in the Lord.  They sometimes fall backward. This is what happened to the Galatians.  After they came to Christ by grace through faith, preachers led them astray.  These preachers told them they would not be justified by God, unless they did the works of the Law.  Paul wrote to the Galatians, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal 4:19).  He felt that he must labor once again for them like little children until Christ was formed in them. 

If you’re a fisher of men and those you care for have gone backwards, don’t give up on them or become discouraged.  Continue to labor to see Christ formed in them. 

The Time of the Lord’s Favor

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." (Luk 4:18-19)

Now is the day of salvation.  Now is the acceptable time to come to Christ.  Later will come the day of vengeance of our God, but now is the time of God’s favor.  The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus and anointed Him to preach the gospel to the poor, release captives, give sight to the blind, and set the oppressed free.  His disciples are to walk as Jesus did, and do even greater things.  We must work while it is yet day, for the night comes when no man can work.

Prophetic Evangelism

When Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, He asked her to go call her husband. When she said she had no husband, He validated her answer and said that she had previously had five husbands. The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. (Joh 4:19)

In sharing the gospel with people, we need the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon us.  We need the gifts of the Spirit in operation, so that we can demonstrate the power of the Spirit, confirming our message.  Just as Jesus told this woman everything she had ever done, the Spirit of Prophecy wants to be powerfully involved in our evangelism.

Obey God Rather Than Men

But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; (Act 4:19)

Peter and John had been preaching, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Act 4:12).  And the religious leaders of their city tried to stop them.  They were told to preach no more in Jesus name. 

The enemy hates it when we preach the message of salvation only in Jesus name.  He will try to stop us, and even use religious leaders to do so.  But we cannot fear men.  We must obey God rather than men, just as the apostles did.

Without Being Weakened in Faith

God had promised Abraham that He would become the father of many nations, and that his descendants would outnumber the sands of the seashore.  Even though Abraham was elderly and his body was as good as dead with respect to having children, his faith was not weakened. 

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb;” (Rom 4:19)

In hope against hope he believed.  With respect to God’s promise to him, he did not waiver in unbelief.  Rather he grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully assured that God was able to perform what He promised.

The fishers of men, who are following Jesus, also desire to have many spiritual children.  And this is the promise of God to them.  They are children of Abraham by faith and the same promise given to him applies to them also.  They are called to do greater works than Jesus Himself (Jn 14:12).

Fishers of men are often met with what seem to be little results.  They sow seeds but do not see the harvest.  Very few accept their message.  Yet they mustn’t waiver in unbelief.  They must not despise the day of small things.  Instead they need to give glory to God with their mouths, as well as their actions, and believe that God is able to perform what He promised.

Power of God

Paul told the Corinthians, “But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.” (1Co 4:19-20).

After Paul had laid a foundation in Corinth, other men came along, who were critical of Paul.  They were polished speakers and criticized Paul.  They won the hearts of people and drew a following among the Corinthians.  But Paul said that he would come and find out what power these arrogant preachers really had.  He knew that the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 

There will be arrogant talkers today who criticize the fishers of men, but have no power to back up their talk.  We mustn’t allow them to discourage us.  The fishers of men today must not simply be talkers, but demonstrate the power of the Spirit.

Divine Provision

Another obstacle to the work of the gospel is provision.  The fishers of men have needs and so do their families.  They need to trust God every day to supply all their needs.  The promise of God to them is this: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phi 4:19)

The Father is rich, and He is able to supply all our needs as we go about spreading the gospel. 

Entrust Your Soul to a Faithful Creator

The work of the gospel is not easy.  There are many trials and hardships.  Peter knew this first hand.  When we suffer for the sake of the gospel, that’s the will of God.  “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” (1Pe 4:19).  Don’t quit, but commit your soul to God and keep fishing for men.  Keep sowing seeds, and making disciples.

Our Reason for Loving

“We love, because He first loved us.” (1Jo 4:19).  Jesus loved us while we were yet sinners.  He laid down His life for us.  And all those who follow Him should love others with that same kind of love.  We love others, including lost sinners, because He first loved us. This is always the heart of why we fish for men.

I hope that this "FM419" series has been an encouragement to you in your labor for the Lord.  Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1Co 15:58)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Photograph of painting in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA by Alexander R. Pruss. The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Jacopo Bassano, 1545

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend Give Me Children or I'll Die!,  Rescue Souls!, and Here I Am, Send Me. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Popularity of the Gospel

Mega church

It’s not unusual today for church leaders to aspire to lead a mega-church with thousands of people.  They expect that they will become more and more popular and attract many people.

However, I’d like to show from Scripture what the trend usually is, so that we do not get our hopes crushed when things do not turn out the way we expected.

The Prophets
First, I’ll simply mention the prophets of old.  This includes all the Old Testament prophets up to and including John the Baptist.  They endured much persecution and were not widely popular with the people they were preaching to. 

Jesus said, “"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mat 5:11-12)

Many of the prophets were put to death. Jesus said to the Jewish lawyers of His day, “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.” (Luk 11:47)

Jesus Christ
The best example is Jesus Christ.  His popularity grew until it reached a peak on the day He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  On that day, the masses were shouting praises to Him, waving palm branches, and making a carpet of palm branches for Him to ride on.  They saw in Him their long-awaited King and Messiah.

John’s gospel states: “On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, ‘Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.’" (Joh 12:12-13).  It appeared to Jesus enemies that the whole world had gone after Jesus (Jn 12:19).  Even the Greeks wanted to see Jesus (Jn 12:21).

But this popularity was short lived.  Within a week, Jesus was arrested (Jn 18:3, 12).  And the next morning the crowds were shouting, “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!” John wrote in his gospel account, “So they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’" (Joh 19:15)

Their next step was to put Him to death on a cross.  After this, Jesus never regained the same kind of widespread popularity He had at that zenith on “Palm Sunday” a week earlier. 

The eleven
All of the original eleven apostles experienced the same thing.  All of them were persecuted with threats, beatings, and imprisonment, and they were all eventually put to death.  The only exception was John, whom it is believed survived being boiled in oil, and was later banished to the isle of Patmos.

The apostle Paul
Each time the apostle Paul preached in a city, his popularity usually followed the same kind of trajectory pattern as that of Jesus. 

In Damascus this happened. “And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, ‘Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” (Act 9:18-22)

Notice how he increased in strength.  But that did not last. When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.” (Act 9:23-25)

And it was like this wherever he traveled.  For example, in Psidian Antioch. Luke wrote of the popularity they enjoyed when Paul first began to preach there: “As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.” (Act 13:42-44).  You know you are popular when the whole city assembles to hear the word of the Lord you are preaching!

But that didn’t last.  Luke wrote: “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.’” (Act 13:45-46)

The same thing happened in Iconium. “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks. But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.” (Act 14:1-2)

In Lystra, after Paul healed the crippled man, the people shouted that the gods had come down to them.  They began to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods!  “When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have become like men and have come down to us.’ And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.” (Act 14:11-13).  Paul and Barnabas had great difficulty restraining the people from offering sacrifices to them.

This as usual was short lived.  “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.” (Act 14:19)

The same thing happened in Thessalonica.  “And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.” (Act 17:2-4)

Their popularity in Thessalonica didn’t last very long. “But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people.” (Act 17:5).  Even though a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women believed in Christ, afterward Paul and Barnabas were forced to leave the city due to the violence.

This pattern was repeated later in Berea: “Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds.” (Act 17:12-13)

Putting it All Together
We could give many more examples, but these will suffice to make the point.  When we look in Scripture at the popularity of Jesus and His apostles, including Paul, we see that it was always short-lived.  If they did see a time of great popularity, it did not last for long.  It was followed by violent persecution.  The apostle Paul taught, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2Ti 3:12)

In fact, Jesus warned, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.” (Luk 6:26)

So when preachers today think that they are going to achieve and sustain widespread popularity, expecting to build a mega-church with a great numbers of disciples, they deceive themselves.  This is not the pattern of Scripture.  Rather, in Scripture, when the Truth is preached, it may be popular at first, but it will always bring intense persecution.

When we see someone today preaching a message that receives and sustains wide popularity, we have to question it.  We should find out what the message is that they are preaching.  It is usually not the true gospel of salvation through repentance from sin and faith in Christ by grace alone.

I watched a televised interview on "60 Minutes" with a pastor of a one of the largest mega-churches in the world.  He said that he does not preach or teach from the Bible.  His teachings and books are more of a self-help gospel. He tells people “how to become a better you.” The reporter asked him why his latest book did not have one mention of God or Jesus Christ.  His response was, “That’s just my message. There is Scripture in there that backs it all up.”  He does not feel it is his gifting to explain the Scriptures.  In a separate television interview with Larry King, when asked how we get to heaven, he side-stepped the question.  Then later when a caller directly challenged him on that, he refused to say that an atheist or any non-believer will perish if they do not put their faith in Christ.  Consequently, he is wildly popular even with non-believers, including Jews. 

However, the true gospel is considered a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks.  And it will always eventually be met with stiff resistance.  But it is still the power of God unto salvation. 

Let me encourage you to preach the true gospel, and not to give people what you think they want to hear, just so you can be popular.  You may not see all the fruit of it in this life, but you will be greatly rewarded in eternity.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy reading Persecuted or Popular? and Obedient to the Heavenly Vision. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Multiplication

What is God looking for in our lives when He says go and make disciples of all nations? What is He looking for when He says to possess the land? In many cases, we limit God and limit what we do, based on an incorrect perception of Him. We need to know and truly understand what God has commanded and empowered us to do, and be assured that He has promised to do it through us.

I want to show you from God's Word what He says about multiplication.

God commands us to multiply

· The living creatures: God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." (Gen 1:22)

· "Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." (Gen 8:17)

· Mankind: God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Gen 1:28)

· Noah and his sons: And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. (Gen 9:1)

· "As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it." (Gen 9:7)

· Jacob: God also said to him, "I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you. (Gen 35:11)

· Israel during exile in Babylon: 'Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. (Jer 29:6)

  
God's child can use the power of multiplication inappropriately to feed carnal desires

· King Solomon multiplied horses: "Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, 'You shall never again return that way.' (Deu 17:16)

· King Solomon multiplied wives: "He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself. (Deu 17:17)

· Israelites multiplied their idols: "You built yourself a high place at the top of every street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry. (Eze 16:25)

God promises to multiply us

· Abram’s descendants: Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count." (Gen 16:10

· Abram: "I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly." (Gen 17:2)

· Abram’s descendants: "As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. (Gen 17:20)

· Abram’s descendants: indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. (Gen 22:17)

· Abram’s descendants: "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; (Gen 26:4)

· Abraham: saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU." (Heb 6:14)

· Abraham, Isaac, and Israel:"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" (Exo 32:13)

· Isaac’s descendants: The LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham." (Gen 26:24)

· Israel: 'So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you. (Lev 26:9)

· Israel: "O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. (Deu 6:3)

· Israel: "He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. (Deu 7:13)

· Israel: "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. (Eze 37:26)

· Israel: 'I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt. (Eze 36:10)

· Israel: "Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. (Jer 23:3)

· Israel during exile in Babylon: 'From them will proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who celebrate; And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished; I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant. (Jer 30:19)

· David’s descendants: 'As the host of heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.'" (Jer 33:22)

 
God will multiply his obedient children

· "All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. (Deu 8:1)

· "The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. (Deu 30:5)

· in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. (Deu 30:16)

· Also He blesses them and they multiply greatly, And He does not let their cattle decrease. (Psa 107:38)

 
God multiplies all that the obedient have

· Herds, flocks, silver, gold, all you have: and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, (Deu 8:13)

· Man and animals: 'I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly and will treat you better than at the first. Thus you will know that I am the LORD. (Eze 36:11)

· Grain: "Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. (Eze 36:29)

· Fruit of the tree and produce of the field: "I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. (Eze 36:30)

· God multiplies the seed we sow, in order that we will have more to sow again: Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; (2Co 9:10)

 
Isaac prayed for Jacob to multiply

"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. (Gen 28:3)

 
The enemy worries about us multiplying

When Pharaoh considered all the Jews living in Egypt and how they had grown in number, he said, "Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land." (Exo 1:10). I think the devil worries the same way when he sees the disciples of Christ multiplying.

 
God multiplies signs and wonders

"But I will harden Pharaoh's heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. (Exo 7:3) 

God multiplies grace and peace 
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (2Pe 1:2) 

God multiplies mercy, peace, and love

May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. (Jud 1:2) 

When God multiplies us, it makes us glad

You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. (Isa 9:3)

 
In the first century, we see the church growing and multiplying

· So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (Act 2:41)

· But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. (Act 4:4)

· And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. (Act 6:7)

· So the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied. (Act 9:31)

· But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. (Act 12:24)

· The word “multiplied” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word plethuno, which means to abound or multiply. Plethuno comes from the Greek word plethos, which means “fullness”, that is, a large number, throng, populace: - bundle, company, multitude. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), this same Greek word is used for “multiply.”

 
God multiplied the widow’s oil through the Word of the Lord that the prophet spoke

· Elijah: "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink." As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die." Then Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. "For thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.'" So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah. (1Ki 17:9-16)

· Elisha: Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil." Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. "And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full." So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not one vessel more." And the oil stopped. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest." (2Ki 4:2-7)

 
Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves
· 5 loaves fed over 5,000 people: They *said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." And He said, "Bring them here to Me." Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children. (Mat 14:17-21)

· 7 loaves fed over 4,000 people: The disciples *said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?" And Jesus *said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. (Mat 15:33-38)

· But Jesus, aware of this, said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? "Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? "Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? (Mat 16:8-10)

 
Jesus said that a seed must fall into the earth and die before it can multiply

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (Joh 12:24)

We will reap the fruit of what we have sown in due time, if we wait: Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. (Gal 6:9)

 
Jesus said believers would do greater works than He did

· "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. (Joh 14:12)

· The word “greater” comes from the Greek word megas, where we get such words as mega-earthquake, referring to a very large one. 

 
Those who hear the word and accept it multiply, bearing fruit, 3000%, 6000%, and 10000% what was sown

"The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word, which has been sown in them. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." (Mar 4:14-20)

 
The amount of fruit we bear will be in proportion to how much seed we have sown

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2Co 9:6)

Putting it All Together

I believe the enemy worries about us multiplying, because it is a threat to him. One thing the enemy can try to do is get God's people to use the power of multiplication inappropriately to feed carnal desires for things like horses, wives and idols. But God warns us about this.

From God's Word we learn that God commands us to multiply. Amazingly, we are not left to try and fulfill His command in our own strength. Instead He promises to multiply us. So it is He who does it through us. When God multiplies us, it makes us glad.

God multiplies all that the obedient have: Man and animals, herds and flocks, silver, gold, fruit of the trees and produce of the field the seed you sow, your money, and all you have.

Everywhere we look, we find God is multiplying. Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves when the disciples gave him what little they had. He broke it, and distributed it. God multiplied a widow’s oil according to His word spoken by a prophet more than once. He multiplies signs and wonders, grace, peace, mercy and love. This is a wonderful aspect about God that defies our human reason.

Jesus said that a grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die beneath the clods of dirt before it can multiply. So if you want to experience this in your life, you first need to die to yourself. Otherwise, you will simply remain alone. But if you die to yourself and live for Christ, you will bear much fruit for the Lord.

Jesus said we would do the works He did and even greater works. He explained that this would only be possible because He would die and go to the Father. He was like the seed that falls into the ground and dies beneath the clods of dirt, then comes up again green, fresh, and flourishing with great increase. His life would bear much fruit after His death, burial, and resurrection.

Jesus taught that those who hear the word and accept it multiply, bearing fruit, 3000%, 6000%, and 10000% what was sown. That should help to increase your faith!

How should we live our lives differently, knowing what we now know about multiplication?

· This should change our perspective, fill us with faith, and move us to action.
· It should change our expectation of God and of ourselves.
· It should change the way we talk and the way we live.

Part II - Multiplication Illustrations

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Part Two of this article, called Multiplication Illustrations. I also recommend Life Transformation Groups, Multiplying Your Talents, Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work, and the other posts available through the Home Page of this blog.  If you would like to become a disciple who multiplies disciples, please prayerfully consider enrolling in Doulos Training School, our international, distance education ministry. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Fullness

I was talking to my friend, Owen, recently and he said that people sometimes ask him, "Do you see the glass as half empty or half full?" His response is, "I don't see it half empty or half full! I see it filled all the way up to the top and overflowing, everywhere I look! Maybe that's not normal, but that's how I see it."

The reason he can say that is not because he is simply an optimistic person, but because of his faith in Jesus Christ and his understanding of fullness in Him. I think that if we could catch a glimpse of the fullness God intends for our lives, we would have a brand new perspective and a renewed faith.

Let's begin with a brief Greek word study.

Greek Word Study
In a related post on the topic of multiplication, I noted that the word “multiplied” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word "plethuno", which means "to abound or multiply." That word "plethuno" has its roots in the Greek word "plethos", which means “fullness”, that is, a large number, throng, populace, bundle, company, or multitude. This is not only used in the New Testament, but even in the Old Testament. There is a Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. In the Septuagint, this same Greek word plethuno is used for “multiply.”

This present study looks at the word "fullness" in the New Testament. It is the word "pleroma". "Pleroma" means "repletion" or "completion." In other words, it can refer subjectively to that which fills (as contents, supplement, copiousness, or multitude). In this sense, it refers to that which is put into something in order to fill it up. It can also refer to the piece that filled up, fulfilling, full, or fullness. On the other hand, it can also refer objectively to that which is filled (as container, performance, or period).

"Pleroma" comes from "pleroo". "Pleroo" means "to make replete," that is, (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc., accomplish, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.

So when we read about "fullness", we should understand it is something that has been crammed, like a vessel leveled off at the top, filled up to the brim, and made full.

Here are the instances in the New Testament where the Greek word "pleroma" appears. The English word for pleroma in each verse is bolded below:

A patch sewn used to repair a tear in a garment is considered fullness (pleroma)
"But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. (Mat 9:16)

The baskets used to collect left overs after Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves were full (pleroma)
"and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish." (Mar 6:43)

"When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they *said to Him, "Seven." (Mar 8:20)

When the Israelites come to faith in Christ, they are considered fulfilled or completed (pleroma)
"This is set in contrast to their transgression and failure: Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!" (Rom 11:12)

When all the Gentiles who are going to be saved have been saved, then that people group will be considered complete or full (pleroma)
"For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." (Rom 11:25)

The relationship between love and the law is that love is the fulfillment or completion (pleroma) of the law:
"Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Rom 13:10)

Paul intended to visit the Romans with the fullness (pleroma) of Christ’s blessing
"I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ." (Rom 15:29)

All that the earth is full of (pleroma) belongs to the Lord
"For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." (1Co 10:26)

When the time comes for certain events in God’s plans to be carried out, the time for those events is considered to be full (pleroma)
"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law." (Gal 4:4)

"with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth." (Eph 1:10)

God Himself has a completeness or fullness (pleroma)
"and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:19)

All of God’s fullness resides in His Son Jesus Christ, and God is pleased to have it that way
"For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him." (Col 1:19)

God’s fullness (pleroma) and all that He is dwells in Christ in bodily form
"For in Him all the fullness (Gr., pleroma) of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete (Gr., pleroo), and He is the head over all rule and authority." (Col 2:9-10)

It is from the fullness (pleroma) of Jesus that we have all received
"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." (Joh 1:16)

The church, the Body of Christ, is the fullness (pleroma) of Jesus Christ
"And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Eph 1:22-23)

Christ has a fullness or completeness (pleroma). Attaining this fullness in our level of maturity is the end state of the body of Christ
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Eph 4:11-13)

Putting it All Together
It's clear from God's Word that a patch sewn into a garment to repair a tear is considered fullness. Just as a patch fills up an entire hole in a garment, this is what it means when there is fullness. The entire need is met, the entire empty place filled up.

The baskets used to collect leftovers after Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves were full. So not only did he fill up and complete the crowd’s need for nourishment, but even the baskets containing the leftovers were brimming full.

When the Israelites come to faith in Christ, they are considered fulfilled or completed. When all the Gentiles who are going to be saved have been saved, then that people group will be considered complete or full.

The relationship between love and the law is that love is the fulfillment or completion of the law.

Paul intended to visit the Romans with the fullness of Christ’s blessing. When the time comes for certain events in God’s plans to be carried out, the time for those events is considered to be full.

God Himself has a completeness or fullness. All of God’s fullness resides in His Son Jesus Christ, and God is pleased to have it that way. It is from the fullness of Jesus that we have all received grace upon grace, because it continues to overflow from Him and fill us.

The church, the Body of Christ, is the fullness of Jesus Christ. God’s intention is that we will all one day attain to the measure of the stature that belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Christ has a fullness or completeness. Attaining this fullness in our level of maturity is the end state of the body of Christ.

The word for “multiplied” in the Bible is the English translation of the Greek word plethuno, which comes from the word pleroma that we have researched in this word study.

Since this word for “fullness” is a root for the word meaning “multiply”, we can better understand what God is doing when He multiplies. He causes everything to abound and increase exponentially until every hole, every need, every ditch, every deficiency, and every area lacking is completely filled up. When He does this, we end up with a large number, a throng, a populace, a bundle, a company, or a multitude.

I hope this study has helped to open up your understanding of fullness. Hopefully you are able to begin seeing the glass completely full to the brim now, instead of just half full. It's only possible through the eyes of faith when you know Christ.

If you already know Jesus Christ personally, but are not experiencing His fullness in your life, then let me encourage you today. Why not take a moment right now to cry out to Him from your emptiness and ask Him to bring about His fullness in your life. Then read the related post in this blog on Multiplication and watch the Lord increase your faith in Him to do that in your life.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.