The Power of Multiplying Disciples

In Christianity, a disciple is a follower of Jesus who has chosen to follow and emulate Him, and to spread His teachings to others. In the New Testament, Jesus calls His first disciples, who are later known as the Twelve Apostles, and charges them with the task of spreading His message and building His Church.

One way in which the number of disciples can grow and multiply is through the work of evangelism, which is the act of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others and inviting them to follow Him. When a person becomes a follower of Jesus and begins to live according to His teachings, they become a part of the community of believers, or the Church. This process of bringing new people into the Church is known as conversion.

Here are a few examples of how the number of disciples can grow and multiply, as described in the Bible:

  • In the book of Acts, we see how the early Church grows rapidly as more and more people hear the message of Jesus and are converted. For example, in Acts 2:41, it says, "So those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."

  • In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples that they will be given the authority to drive out demons and to heal the sick, and that they will be His witnesses throughout the world. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

  • In the book of Luke, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan, who helps a man in need and then tells others about the love and compassion that Jesus has shown him. This story is meant to illustrate the idea that when we share the love of Jesus with others, it has the power to transform their lives and draw them closer to God.

If each person makes one new disciple per month, and each of those disciples also makes one new disciple per month, then the number of disciples would double each month. Here is a table that demonstrates this:

Month
Number of Disciples
1
1
2
2
3
4
4
8
5
16
6
32
7
64
8
128
9
256
10
512
11
1024
12
2048

 

As you can see, the number of disciples grows rapidly as each new disciple goes on to make more disciples. After just one year, the total number of disciples has reached 2048 (2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2).

Prayer:

Dear God, we thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus, and for the opportunity to follow Him and share His love with others. Help us to be faithful disciples, committed to spreading the Good News of salvation to the world. Give us the courage and the wisdom to share your message with those around us, and to make disciples who will, in turn, make more disciples. We pray that your Church will continue to grow and multiply, reaching every corner of the earth with the love of Jesus. Amen.