Reading through the New Testament, we may be so enthralled with the wonder of Jesus and His miraculous ways that we miss the very practical nature of His work. If we look at Luke 8, 9, and 10, we see a very interesting sequence.
In the first verse of Luke 8 we read, Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him (Luke 8.1, ESV). What we see here is His modeling of the work. Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God, but He also demonstrates what He wants to do. Notice that the Twelve were with him; they were observing.
Next, chapter 9 begins with, And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (Luke 9.1-2, ESV). Here we see the progression from Jesus modeling the mandate to Jesus sending the Twelve. He showed them how it’s done, and then He empowered them and sent them out to do it.
Go to chapter 10, and in the first verse we read, After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go (Luke 10.1, ESV). This is yet another great leap forward! Where did the seventy-two additional workers come from? They are most likely the people found and led to Jesus by the Twelve in the previous chapter. The workers have multiplied six-fold, and Jesus engages them in the very same work that reach them.
This progression is a vital key that unlocks the power of multiplication in the Kingdom! It begins with one worker (Jesus), then twelve workers, then eighty-four workers (twelve plus seventy-two others)—and it happened very quickly. Such rapid multiplication may seem unreal and unlikely, but this is precisely how the Kingdom works.
To see this happen today demands that we follow Jesus’ example. We must model it, meaning we must take bold initiative to step out in faith—and not on our own, but with our apprentices observing us. Then we need to send them out and entrust the work to them. Can you really trust fledgling believers to do such a great work? That question will make or break a movement. Beyond this, we must expect God to raise up the next generation of believers who will go as well. When those believers carry on the work, you are well on the way toward the kinds of spontaneous movement that our Saviour intended.
