I was present for the birth of all three of our children. It was an overwhelming experience each time. Not much else compares to seeing a tiny new person born into the world. It’s an awe-inspiring event that fills you with a deep sense of the reality of God and the magnificence of His creation.

The birth and growth of children is a personal reminder that God designed us to participate in His regenerative plan.  Not only is it God’s desire that we reproduce in the physical sense, He’s also commanded and empowered us to make new generations of people that will follow Him. Just as healthy human beings naturally reproduce, the mature child of God should multiply in a spiritual sense (Matthew 28:18-20).

The Timothy Network is a missional effort that envisions the growth and spread of multiplying spiritual generations. Our work is about making disciples of Jesus and equipping them for the work of discipling others. We often use the word “intentional” in our equipping cells. What we mean is that discipling isn’t accidental. Building intentional relationships is an important key.

Jesus’ command that we “Go and make disciples” represents an ongoing trust for each generation of the church. Paul’s instructions (2 Timothy 2:2) also represent a continuing imperative for the church to engage in spiritual reproduction. Multiplying ministry is the way the gospel is passed From one generation to the next. When we pass on our faith to another person, it’s been said that we “help a third generation of disciples to emerge that is central to an intentional disciple making community. Once these people become established, they’ll have the heart, vision, and skill to intentionally disciple others…” (Bennett and Purvis, The Adventure of Discipling Others)

Imagine what it would be like if disciples in the first century could look across the years and see the spiritual children and multiple generations born of their efforts to pass on their faith. Many would see that thousands have come into a relationship with Jesus as a result of their obedience to disciple making. Now think about the people that you have influenced for Christ. Maybe you can only think of one, or it could be that God has used you to invest in several people who have come to know the Lord. Imagine what your spiritual family tree might look like in just a hundred years from now. Think like a multiplier. Don’t bury your talents. Instead, pour your life into other people and equip them to pass their faith on, too. Be a conduit of God’s love to a lost world. God wants to use you. Remember, “The fields are white unto harvest.“