The Multiplication Proclamation

[Anna]

It is difficult to compare the two churches of Acts 2 and Acts 13 as it would be similar to comparing a child’s accomplishments with those of its parents. The Church in Acts 2 is the first church born out of the resurrection of Jesus and the empowerment of the disciples with the the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The excitement is incomparable to anything experienced in history up to that point and possibly since that time. The joy of birth is contagious and people were drawn to that joy and excitement. Now by the time the Acts 13 church comes along, its been quite a few years. People have settled down a little, they have also matured in their faith, gaining new insights and understandings from the the Holy Spirit. They see the necessity of sending out disciple makers/evangelists who will share the love of Jesus with the bigger world. They have grown into different giftings: pastors, teachers, apostles, prophets, evangelists, which the church of Acts chapter 2 had no idea about. Both churches provide models for us to work with as we navigate disciple-making and multiplication.

[Zach]

The church in Antioch is different from the church in Jerusalem in the sense that it seemed as though it had developed an Apostolic thrust to send people out. I am sure that the good qualities of the church in Acts 2 were also present in Acts 13, but this church had grown, had learned to make room for the 5-fold, and birthed in a sense a new type of apostolic ministry when the prophets and teachers got together and were able to function. As a “Gentile” Church, they had a different type of beginning as well, and perhaps represented the ‘sending DNA” that it took to see them established in the first place. I think great churches have all these elements of both Jerusalem and Antioch. I have been been able to help with a few church plants, seeing multiplication, and what seems to really help in getting churches set right is to start right off that bat with helping them realize their job is to multiply, that their success is not just in surviving but in starting other churches. Even if that takes a long time, that vision at the ground floor so to speak helps create a foundational culture for new and re-launched churches that has seen ministries born out of them.

[Jaylen]

I’ve experienced multiplication in my own life through a time I went to Europe for a short term missions trip. We were out doing “Canada Class” presentations which were essentially tools for us to get into the schools and invite all the students out to youth events we were running those nights. Over that week, the youth group grew almost tenfold from students who came out to the church. Furthermore, we heard reports months later that many of those students stuck around at the youth group and were not regular attendees. This is a great example of multiplication and the power of connecting people with current local workers as well.

[Kimberly]

The difference between the two churches would lie in where the priority seems to be. The church in Acts 2 is prioritizing fellowship and building community. The church in Acts 13 is prioritizing discipleship – training people and sending people out.