Multiply

Paul had learned not to show favoritism based on what people look like, where they come from, or what language they speak.  He understood that all people have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Paul the church planter knew that only Christ could save people and that every person needs to turn from sin and trust Christ

Good News is for sharing.  Jesus entrusted the Good News of salvation to eleven of his followers just before he ascended into heaven.  He commanded them to proclaim the Gospel to all creation and to every person.  What an impossible task!  How were 11 Jewish men from Palestine going to spread the Good News to two or three hundred million people all over the world?

It's great to help people experience the new birth and begin to follow Jesus!  But if we want to spread the Gospel across Africa and around the world, we dare not be content with just this kind of ministry.  We need to move on to empowering disciples to make disciples and churches to plant churches.

Colossians 1:28-29

²⁸ We proclaim Him, warning and instructing everyone in all wisdom [that is, with comprehensive insight into the word and purposes of God],

As church planters the most important goal is, to point people to Jesus, not to others or ourselves but the focus is on the Savior of the World.

We have a saying in English; it goes like this: “It’s lonely at the top.”  We say, “It’s lonely at the top” when we see a leader who is struggling to make hard decisions and take difficult action.  At that point, many times his friends, co-workers, and associates leave the leader at the top alone to struggle to make a decision or confirm a plan.

The Apostle Paul was a top leader, but he found a way to keep things from being lonely at the top.  If you are a leader or love one, be encouraged that leaders need teammates.

Church planters need prayer. Church planter Paul knew how much he needed the prayers of others.  Paul needed prayer so much, he asked people he had never even met to pray for him.

Who is praying for you?  Who knows your hopes and dreams, your hardship and struggles?  Who is praying for you?  If you do not have at least 12 faithful men and women of God who are praying for you, you probably need to stop what you are doing and find them. 

 Colossians 2:2, the Apostle Paul’s message is victory: “That our hearts would be comforted and knit together in love, we are not alone. But knitted, woven together as one, we are knitted together in RELATIONSHIP.

It is not easy being a church planter.  There are many ways church planters suffer.  The church planter we call the Apostle Paul suffered by being beaten, arrested, and imprisoned. He suffered crossing rivers and at the hands of bandits. Both Jews and Gentile mistreated him. 2 Corinthians 11:26 tells us that pretty much everywhere he went, he was in danger.

As a follower of Jesus, you may be asking yourself, “God, if you are with me and if I am doing your will, why am I suffering?” 

Paul believed his suffering had a purpose.

Paul was an apostle and a church planter.  That meant he was a big man among early Christians.  Even so, he understood himself to be a servant of the Gospel and a servant of the church.  Today’s podcast reflects on that challenge.

It is not easy to be a church planter. But it is good

Today’s podcast is about being thankful.  The Apostle Paul was a church planter who suffered a great deal.  He was frequently imprisoned because of his proclamation of the Gospel of Christ.  Even so, he overflowed with exuberant thanksgiving.  He thanked God for his spiritual grandchildren and great grandchildren. He rejoiced over their progress in the faith.

Today’s Podcast begins a new series of words of encouragement that arise from Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae. Here is the first word of encouragement for you based on Paul’s letter to the Colossians: Get in the habit of thanking God for his work in the lives of your disciples. Don’t just thank him occasionally.  Do what Paul did, always thank Him!  As you do, you too will be filled with strength to face the challenges and hardships that come your way.

Are you a teller or an asker?  How do you know?  Did you know there is an alternative to telling?  There is! Instead of always telling what we think and what we know, we can ask questions. In a world full of telling, in a world full of talkers, asking a question and then listening quietly is a gift. 

When you ask a question, you bring refreshment to people who are used to being told what to do and what to think.

Today’s podcast is about telling stories from God’s word and then asking open questions and listening quietly.

When you tell a story from the Bible and then patiently and respectful ask your listeners simple questions, they discover truth about God and truth about themselves that they did not know.