Week 5 – Called to Multiply
Day 1 Time is Running Out
Everyday disciples of Jesus are on mission for Jesus. They are committed to multiplying God’s kingdom by sharing the good news about Jesus. This Plan explores the urgency of our mission and the opportunity we have to reap the harvest that God has planned.
This Plan offers more than a daily reflection on Scripture. It is designed to forge everyday disciples who are aware of God’s presence and hear God’s voice throughout the day. Please try to build into your routine the lunchtime meditations and evening reflections as well as the morning devotions.
MORNING
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-10
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Devotion
Many of the early Christians had a high expectation of Jesus’ imminent return to earth. As persecution of the church increased, it seemed to them that Jesus would fulfil his promises, rescue his people, and hold their rebellious world accountable. But when Peter was writing almost 40 years after Christ’s resurrection, things were getting worse for the church and there was still no sign of Christ’s intervention. Consequently, “scoffers” (3:3) were making fun of the Christians’ belief in God’s power to intervene and judge. Well, here we are almost 2000 years later, and still Jesus has not returned. Perhaps you wonder what God is doing? The seeming delay of his return is not because he doesn’t care or is powerless to do anything. No way. He has intervened before and certainly will do so again. Jesus’ wonderful and catastrophic return and judgment are on the horizon (3:10). But Peter gives us an insight into God’s heart. He just loves those rejecting him so deeply that he wants them all to be saved. That’s why Jesus waits. It’s because God longs for your friends and family and coworkers and neighbours to receive him. This deep desire for lost people to be saved not only drives God’s plan for the world, it becomes the major purpose of everyday disciples of Jesus.
Prayer
Lord, please place your heart for the lost in me. Keep reminding me of why I’m on this earth. I pray that the lost people around me will see your grace in my life and will be drawn to repent of their living without you. I’m not sure when you will say, “Enough is enough,” but, like you, I desperately want those you have put in my life to be with us forever.
Today’s Bible Focus
“Not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to repent.”
LUNCHTIME (or when you can make a moment during the day)
1. Meditate for a short time on today’s Bible Focus. Let it seep into your heart.
2. Look and see what is happening around you from God’s perspective and listen to see whether God is whispering anything to you.
3. Pray for any not-yet Christians God has placed on your heart.
EVENING
1. Remember: Repeat today’s Bible Focus.
2. Reflect: Reflect on the day and thank God for what he has said and done.
3. Repent: Check where you have neglected or disobeyed God during the day and ask for forgiveness and freedom.
4. Release: Name any concerns or fears on your mind and release them to Jesus.
Day 2 Time to Reap
MORNING
Scripture: John 4:35-38
35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labour.”
Devotion
There evidently was a well-known proverb in Jesus’ day that more or less said, “Don’t try to rush the harvest” (4:35). That makes sense. I’m no farmer, but I know that you have to give crops time to ripen well before they are harvested. You have to get your timing right. It was still early in Jesus’ ministry and maybe he was being urged to take His time. There was no rush to build His kingdom. He was only 30 (young for a Rabbi) and seemed to have time on His side. Anyway, they were in Samaritan territory, and you couldn’t expect a kingdom harvest among heretics. None of this was true! It was harvest time. The crops were ready and the reapers had much work to do. This was certainly true for Jesus, but is it true in your context? I suspect that it is, but you probably need to pray that through yourself. However, I can guarantee that there is some crop to be harvested around you. Open your eyes and look. There are not-yet Christians that God and others have sown into and who are now ready to explore and enter belief. I’m sure there is still lots of sowing for you to do, but you wouldn’t want to still be sowing when you should be reaping.
Prayer
I thank you for the opportunities I have to sow Jesus into the lives of people around me by my lifestyle, actions and words. May I be faithful in sowing. But also open my eyes to those who are ready to explore and encounter you. Please give me the courage to be a reaper as well as a sower. May you use me to help someone join your forever kingdom. Grow my boldness as a witness to you.
Today’s Bible Focus
“Look at the fields – they are ripe for harvest!”
LUNCHTIME (or when you can make a moment during the day)
1. Meditate for a short time on today’s Bible Focus. Let it seep into your heart.
2. Look and see what is happening around you from God’s perspective and listen to see whether God is whispering anything to you.
3. Pray for any not-yet Christians God has placed on your heart.
EVENING
1. Remember: Repeat today’s Bible Focus.
2. Reflect: Reflect on the day and thank God for what he has said and done.
3. Repent: Check where you have neglected or disobeyed God during the day and ask for forgiveness and freedom.
4. Release: Name any concerns or fears on your mind and release them to Jesus.
Day 3 The Process of Conversion
MORNING
Scripture: Romans 10:13-15
13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Devotion
In this Scripture, Paul spells out how someone is saved. Let me reverse the order to explain the process. First, someone needs to be sent. That someone is every Christian. We all have been sent to share the good news about Jesus with the people we know. Second, the sent person needs to preach to them. Paul is not talking about preaching a sermon but sharing the truth of the gospel. Someone has to tell them about Jesus. Third, they need to receive the message. The truth of the gospel has to cut through previous beliefs and doubts so that they hear it not just with their ears, but with their heart. Fourth, they have to believe the good news about Jesus. They have to accept that it is true. Fifth, they have to personally cry out to Jesus in repentance and faith. That’s the process. Every one of those steps needs to occur for someone you know to be saved. Sometimes they happen in quick procession, but usually, they take considerable time and the sent ones have to be patient. But it all starts when we recognize that we have been sent to share the gospel and we take our calling seriously. In his grace, God chooses to give us a significant role in his wonderful conversion process. It’s such a beautiful privilege being sent to share the good news (10:15).
Prayer
Forgive me when I see my role as a preacher of the gospel to be an obligation rather than a privilege. I do long to kick off the process of conversion for many by sharing your good news. Please may your grace envelop me so that I live in the wonder of your good news and please place in my heart a passion for the gospel. I want to be someone with “beautiful feet.”
Today’s Bible Focus
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
LUNCHTIME (or when you can make a moment during the day)
1. Meditate for a short time on today’s Bible Focus. Let it seep into your heart.
2. Look and see what is happening around you from God’s perspective and listen to see whether God is whispering anything to you.
3. Pray for any not-yet Christians God has placed on your heart.
EVENING
1. Remember: Repeat today’s Bible Focus.
2. Reflect: Reflect on the day and thank God for what he has said and done.
3. Repent: Check where you have neglected or disobeyed God during the day and ask for forgiveness and freedom.
4. Release: Name any concerns or fears on your mind and release them to Jesus.
Day 4 Doing Your Bit
MORNING
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.
Devotion
I understand what Paul is getting at here. Gardening is one of the areas in which Deb and I have distinct roles. Deb loves to plant (as long as I dig the holes), and I love to nurture the plants by watering, fertilizing and pruning. I suspect that my role is more taxing, but the arrangement works for us, and we each get to do what we enjoy. The Corinthian church was divided over who was their most significant leader. Some idolized Paul who planted the church and others revered Apollos who nurtured the new converts. In this Scripture, Paul uses a gardening analogy to show that such disputes are stupid. Paul and Apollos were just following their callings and using their gifts to serve. Neither of them should be regarded as important. They were being faithful and would be rewarded for this. But it was God who changed lives and grew the church. Similarly, we each have different roles in the conversion process. Some of us are best at sowing the seed, some of us are best at reaping (the evangelists), and some of us are best at encouraging and nurturing new converts. Don’t get hung up on what others can or cannot do. Just be thankful that God gives you a part to play and praise God as He works through you.
Prayer
I thank you that discipleship is a team process. We can all use our gifts to build Your kingdom. I really appreciate the things that I can do to help people believe in and follow you. Please help me to play my part well. I really want to give it my best shot. But when it comes to the crunch, this is Your work and I’m glad just to have a small part.
Today’s Bible Focus
“Only God makes things grow.”
LUNCHTIME (or when you can make a moment during the day)
1. Meditate for a short time on today’s Bible Focus. Let it seep into your heart.
2. Look and see what is happening around you from God’s perspective and listen to see whether God is whispering anything to you.
3. Pray for any not-yet Christians God has placed on your heart.
EVENING
1. Remember: Repeat today’s Bible Focus.
2. Reflect: Reflect on the day and thank God for what he has said and done.
3. Repent: Check where you have neglected or disobeyed God during the day and ask for forgiveness and freedom.
4. Release: Name any concerns or fears on your mind and release them to Jesus.
Day 5 Powerful Witnesses
MORNING
Scripture: Acts 1:6-8
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Devotion
Jesus’ disciples were still attracted by the hope of an earthly Jewish kingdom. They wondered whether the departure of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit would be the catalyst for the establishment of this independent Jewish kingdom in which they could have significant roles. But Jesus had much bigger plans for his kingdom. It was going to engulf all nations “to the ends of the earth.” These Jewish boys who had travelled no further than where they could walk probably had no idea what the ends of the earth meant, but Jesus did. His kingdom would be worldwide – accessed by every people group on earth. This kingdom would not spread through domination or subjugation but through “witnesses” – ordinary people sharing their story about the grace of God revealed in Jesus. This remains Jesus’ method. He is building a kingdom of huge influence both now and forever, and it is spreading through the witness of ordinary people like you and me. Of course, the disciples couldn’t do this by themselves and neither can we. We can’t change the lives of our family and friends, let alone people in other ethnic groups. But with the Spirit, we become incredibly powerful witnesses and kingdom builders.
Prayer
I must admit, I feel pretty ordinary when it comes to sharing my faith. But then, so were your disciples and look how you used them. Please empower my witness Jesus. May the simple things I say about you be enlivened by the Spirit so that they touch the hearts of the people around me. You can work and have worked in great power through everyday witnesses. Please use me.
Today’s Bible Focus
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
LUNCHTIME (or when you can make a moment during the day)
1. Meditate for a short time on today’s Bible Focus. Let it seep into your heart.
2. Look and see what is happening around you from God’s perspective and listen to see whether God is whispering anything to you.
3. Pray for any not-yet Christians God has placed on your heart.
EVENING
1. Remember: Repeat today’s Bible Focus.
2. Reflect: Reflect on the day and thank God for what he has said and done.
3. Repent: Check where you have neglected or disobeyed God during the day and ask for forgiveness and freedom.
4. Release: Name any concerns or fears on your mind and release them to Jesus.
Day 6 Different Reactions to Jesus
MORNING
Scripture: Luke 8:36-39
36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Devotion
The presence and power of Jesus are both attractive and disconcerting. The man whose life had been dominated by demons welcomed the power of Jesus in freeing him and offering him a new start. On the other hand, the locals struggled with events they saw as dangerous and wanted Jesus as far away from them as possible. This is often the case. Some people will welcome the good news about Jesus and others will be threatened by it. Keep praying that people’s eyes will be opened to the love and power of Jesus, but don’t expect that this will always produce a positive response. The reactions of our friends are not under our control. If the Gerasenes rejected Jesus, then it’s likely we will sometimes find the same response when we talk about Jesus. But this shouldn’t stop us. Jesus’ instructions to the delivered man were explicit. Despite the negativity in the region, he was to tell everyone he knew about what Jesus had done for him. The people God has placed around you may not always appreciate God or the church, but they can’t deny your experience of Jesus. You may not be able to answer all their objections, but you can share about how much Jesus has done for you.
Prayer
It would be so good if everyone could know Your love and experience Your grace. But I live in a world that is often suspicious, cynical, and even antagonistic towards You. Please help me not to become defensive but to appreciate what you have done and are doing for me, and to keep gently sharing this good news with those around me no matter how they react.
Today’s Bible Focus
“Go home and tell how much God has done for you.”
LUNCHTIME (or when you can make a moment during the day)
1. Meditate for a short time on today’s Bible Focus. Let it seep into your heart.
2. Look and see what is happening around you from God’s perspective and listen to see whether God is whispering anything to you.
3. Pray for any not-yet Christians God has placed on your heart.
EVENING
1. Remember: Repeat today’s Bible Focus.
2. Reflect: Reflect on the day and thank God for what he has said and done.
3. Repent: Check where you have neglected or disobeyed God during the day and ask for forgiveness and freedom.
4. Release: Name any concerns or fears on your mind and release them to Jesus.