What is multiplication discipleship?
God’s story could reach the whole world in 35 years
As Paul instructs Timothy, we, too, are to pass on what we have learned to faithful people who will be able to teach others (2 Tim. 2:1–2). This is the ultimate goal of discipleship. As we look at the mission of discipleship before us, it may seem daunting, overwhelming, even impossible at times. How can we reach this world for Christ? How can we encourage those who do believe in Christ to follow Him in their daily lives as they work, grow families, and in turn reach and teach others for Christ? There are many great tools, methods, and opportunities in our world today.
Discipleship leads to growing in numbers
We understand that the work of becoming followers of Christ is only done through the work of the Holy Spirit, but we have also been given the charge of telling others the good news (Matt. 28:16–20, Rom. 10:14–15) and then coming alongside to help and train them in their walk with the Lord.
When we talk about becoming a follower of Jesus (a disciple), there are many people who only focus on evangelism. Of course, evangelism is extremely important, but this is only half of what Jesus meant when He tells His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20 NIV). These words imply that new believers should also “go and make disciples.” Paul shared a similar idea in the 2 Timothy 2 passage.
Elephant addition vs. rabbit multiplication
Think about discipleship this way: If you received 10,000 yen every week, at the end of one year, you’d have 520,000 yen. That’s elephant-style addition.
Instead, what if you received 1 yen that doubled every week? After 52 weeks, you would have received 4,503,599,627,370,500 yen. That’s rabbit-style multiplication.
So according to this principle of multiplication, if each person were to lead one person to Christ this year and teach them how to grow in faith—and repeated the process each year—in just 35 years, the entire world could be reached by God’s amazing love story!
What discipleship looks like
To encourage more Japanese disciples to make disciples, there are great benefits to building confidence in the new believer’s (disciple’s) life. This can be done through reading scripture and sharing with others what they have learned from the Word of God in a daily quiet time, entrusting them with opportunities to serve, and guiding them through ministry experiences. These experiences help the disciple to find the gifts and talents that God has given them, and it also gives the disciple ownership of their relationship with God. Gradually, Japanese believers can grow in confidence in several areas:
- understanding their purpose and value before God
- serving in their local church
- meeting new people, both fellow Japanese and from around the world
- pursuing unique career opportunities
- facing present challenges and the future
Glimmers of hope in a seemingly dry land
I recently read a Google translation of an article in Christian Today about Japanese views of religion.1 When Japanese were asked about their belief in gods and higher powers, only 3% of Japanese answered, “I believe in a god written in scriptures” (Bible, Koran, etc.), compared to the global average of 40%.
At first, reading this was discouraging—but it’s understandable since Japan is the second largest unreached people group.2 Thirty-eight percent said they “don’t believe in gods, higher powers, or spirits of any kind,” while 34 percent said they didn’t know, and 10 percent said they didn’t want to answer.
My glimmer of hope is for the 34% that said they didn’t know if there was a god or higher power. I wish there had been a follow-up question: “Do you want to know?” In my 23 years with Word of Life Fellowship in Japan and a small Christian school in Nagoya, there have always been people who didn’t know but wanted to know.
The task is great, but God has called us to go and tell, plant and water, be faithful—and He will take care of the rest.
To read more about the discipleship curriculum used at Word of Life Fellowship, see page 24 in the resource section.
1. “In Japan, 3% say they believe in God. That’s the lowest of 26 major countries. Their views on religion are also negative.” 日本、神を信じる人は３％ 主要２６カ国で最低 宗教に対する見方も否定的傾向, Christian Today (Japanese website), https://www.christiantoday.co.jp/articles/32605/20230804/ipsos-global-religion-2023.htm (August 4, 2023).
2. “Unreached People Groups: The Ultimate Guide,” Pray 10/40, https://pray1040.com/unreached-people-groups-the-ultimate-guide/ (accessed October 20, 2023).
Photo submitted by author