There is a common issue in many churches today. They are losing members and can’t figure out why or how to stop the losses. It’s all about math. It’s addition vs. multiplication.

It seems that many churches are caught up in church growth (numerical). That is, bringing in new members. We do this with great  music, wonderful children’s programs, dynamic speakers, food and coffee for all members, and a host of other “strategies” to gain and keep new members. This is the world’s view of how it all works. We, as a church, have forgotten the great commission.

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20, King James Version)

We concentrate on bringing in new members and making them feel comfortable or giving them what “they” think they need rather than giving them what God thinks they need. We neglect the more important matter of discipleship, which is helping men and women to spiritually mature. We no longer place an emphasis on teaching these people to be more like Christ in their every thought and deed.

So what does all this have to do with math? It’s simple really, the goal of the church is to make disciples, not to grow numerically. However, if the church were to make disciples then numerical growth will follow naturally. Not quickly, but in greater numbers. If you were to lead one person to Christ every day for 30 years you would end up with approximately 11,000 people who were bound for Heaven because of your efforts. Praise God, that would be amazing but let’s be realistic, how many people have you led to Christ lately? If the average Christian led 30 people in 30 years I would be pretty impressed.

Take this scenario on the other hand. You lead one person to Christ and then disciple that person for the next year. In other words you help him/her to spiritually mature in their walk and teach them to lead others to Christ as well. At the end of one year there would be two of you. Doesn’t sound like much but keep reading.

Now each of you win one person to Christ and take them through the discipleship process. At the end of the next year there would be four of you. Then you all do it again and at the end of the third year there would be sixteen, at the end of  four years there would 256 new disciples and the process goes on and on. Do you get the picture? At the end of that same 30 years the number of disciples would be well over 4,000,000,000. WOW! Is that staggering or what? That’s the difference between addition  and multiplication.

Some of you may be saying that you don’t have what it takes to disciple someone. That’s just not true. From a human perspective you  could be right but from God’s perspective nothing is impossible.

² For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the LORD.

“ But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.
(Isaiah 66:2, New King James Version)

Are you humble? Do you love God’s Word? Then you have what it takes to become a discipler.

As a society we have become comfortably numb. We want to live uninterrupted without pain or effort. This is not how God’s people should live. It would behoove us to remind ourselves of Jeremiah’s questions to the king:

^{levitra pharmacodynamics id=”bg_passage-19173″>22} Is there no balm in Gilead,
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no recovery
For  the health of the daughter of my people?

¹ Oh, that my head were waters,
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!
² Oh, that Prescription buy online I had in the wilderness
A lodging place for travelers;
That I might leave my people,
And go from them!
For they are all adulterers,
An assembly of treacherous men.
(Jeremiah 8:22-9:2, New King James Version)

We must be willing to ask the tough questions as Jeremiah did. We must become the balm of Gilead and the physician to the lost. We must learn to see ourselves as not  just disciples, but as disciplers. We were charged with the great commission and we must live it out.

Think about your life. Think about the life of the people around you. Is anything more important than knowing and walking with God?

Father, give us a heart for the lost, a compassion for the new Christian. Don’t allow us  to let them walk alone, to be influenced by the leaders of this world. Give us the courage and the determination to come along side them and walk with them in your Word until they are able to walk themselves and lead another. Let us see the vision of the multiplication process and build Your kingdom for Your glory. Amen.