Advancing the Kingdom Together
Week #1: the Amazing Power of Doubling Groups
Good Question: These lessons have groups talking.
www.joshhunt.com

Big Idea: For people to see the amazing potential of doubling groups.

Matthew 28: 19 - 20; Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 2.2 ⁽¹⁾

OPEN

• Let's do a little quiz. Imagine I gave you a choice. I would either give you a million dollars a day for 40 days, or give you a penny on day number one, two pennies on day number two, four pennies on day number three and so forth. Which one would you choose? How much would you guess you would you give up if you guessed wrong? ⁽²⁾

DIG

1. In Matthew 28:19 - 20 we read the final command of Jesus to this disciples. These were the marching orders that Jesus left with his followers. How would you summarize these verses in two words? ⁽³⁾
2. Two participles (ing words) in this passage remind us how to make disciples. What are they? ⁽⁴⁾
3. Why is baptism important? What is the purpose of baptism?
4. Let me misquote this verse; see if you can catch me: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them ⁽⁵⁾ everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 [NIV]
5. If making disciples is all about teaching to obey (not just teaching), then it stands to reason that becoming a disciple is all about teaching to ____________. ⁽⁶⁾
6. Acts 1.8. What is a witness?
7. How is a witness in court like our role in this verse?
8. What are the four places we are to be witnesses?
9. How do you feel about witnessing? Be honest, now.
10. We used to sing an old hymn growing up, "I love to tell the story." Ever feel like you don't love to tell the story-maybe you wish you did-but you really don't love to tell?
11. Let's do a little pop quiz on this. How many of you witnessed this week in some verbal way?
12. What are some ways Christian have done evangelism? Here are two: crusades and visitation. What are some others? Let's make a long list on the board.
13. 2 Timothy 2.2 outlines a form of evangelism we might call evangelism through small group multiplication. It pictures a group growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing. In weeks to come, we will unpack more specifically how this can work. For now, let's just look at the potential of it. Let's draw a diagram of this verse on the board. Suppose that Paul said this to Timothy and to 3 other people. He says, "in the presence of many witnesses." We don't know how many witnesses, but suppose it is the number we have in this group here today. So, Paul says this to Timothy and three other guys. Four people start new groups and those groups grow to the size we have today. How many would Paul have so far? ⁽⁷⁾
14. Paul says to Timothy, "the things you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be able to teach others." Let's suppose they did it. We don't know how many others, but let's use the number four again. Paul says this to four others, who each reproduce and create four more groups. How many would you have so far? ⁽⁸⁾
15. Paul didn't stop there. He said, "the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be qualified to teach others. Imagine that each one of our four faithful men reproduced and made four more groups. How many groups do we have now? ⁽⁹⁾
16. Let's come back to reality. Let's imagine a group of 10. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Doubling in two years translates into 40% growth or the group going from 10 to 14 in the first year, and 14 to 20 in the second year. Do you think that is within the realm of possibility? Do you think a group of 10 believers could do that if we put our mind to it?
17. Imagine this group grew and divided every two years or less. Starting with the number we have today, how many would we have if we grew and divided every two years or less?



18. We will explain a lot more about this in coming weeks, but one way to do this is to have a party and invite prospects, absentees, recent visitors to the church, and anyone else we can think of to the party. As we get to know them, we believe some of them will naturally want to be a part of our group. I want us to get started on this. What could we do that would be fun in the next two or three weeks?
19. Who would be willing to help organize the party-take care of all the arrangements? ⁽¹¹⁾
20. Who would be willing to help us make some phone calls and invite everyone on the class roll?
21. Who would be willing to call a list of prospects and invite them to the party? Do we have any volunteers to do that?
22. Let's pray for those that we will be inviting. Let's pray for ourselves as we begin this adventure. Let's pray for the advancement of the kingdom and the spread of the gospel through us, this group of Christ's followers. What else shall we remember in prayer? ⁽¹²⁾

1. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 [NIV]

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." Acts 1:8 [NIV]

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Tim. 2:2 [NIV]

2. Taking the penny would put you nearly 11 billion dollars ahead on the 40^th day:

3. Make disciples.

4. Baptizing and teaching.

5. To obey.

6. Obey.

7. If each group is 10, then we have 50 so far.

8. 21 groups.

9. 86 groups.

10. You might select out ten people in the group so everyone can see this.

11. You might get a team of, say, three people.

12. I think it is always a good idea to do prayer requests and prayer at the end, rather than the beginning. Groups will tend to share and talk and discuss and this leads to this and that reminds me of. . . and next thing you know we don't have any time for Bible study...