Creating a Multiplying Culture: 5 Lessons from Acts

You can’t force multiplication to happen, but you can cultivate an environment where multiplication can happen. As a leader, you can create a culture where sending people is expected, celebrated, and shared by the entire community. There are five important principles from the story of the Church in Antioch and the sending of Paul and Barnabas in Acts. Their story is not merely a pattern to follow but the essence of a multiplying culture. In this chapter, we will unpack these crucial characteristics of communities that send leaders and multiply. 

#1: Start With Thriving Communities That Make Disciples

The sending out of Paul and Barnabas from the church of Antioch doesn’t begin with the prayer meeting in Acts 13 but from the church’s inception. The story of the church of Antioch’s birth is found in Acts 11:19-26.

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. 

Antioch begins as a church formed out of the ashes of persecution and the proclamation of the gospel from a few faithful people. They proclaimed that Jesus was Lord and many came to believe. They relied on the Holy Spirit, they were generous, and they welcomed help for the formation of this church.

Paul and Barnabas were first sent to Antioch because it was the frontier of mission and the newest church. They were sent to lay a foundation of the gospel, to bless this church, and to encourage them to remain faithful and to walk in obedience to the teachings of Jesus. Many people believed the gospel and became disciples of Jesus. As the church became rooted and thriving in the Holy Spirit, they morphed from being the outskirts to being the launchpad.

This story is not written as a bizarre one-off tale, it’s actually describing the ordinary movement of the gospel. The gospel that forms you is the same gospel that will propel you to send. This story in Acts describes the reality that people in your own community will eventually leave to start a new work in another part of the city, another city altogether, or even another country and culture entirely. Sending is a function of gospel growth and maturity. Multiplication happens when disciples are being made, the gospel is being proclaimed, and people are growing in faith.

The foundational assumption of this book is: when you disciple leaders, the effects reverberate through our cities as the gospel is believed, shared, and demonstrated through thoughtful engagement in making and redeeming culture. People following Jesus lead others to follow Jesus, which leads to the sending of others to start communities. Multiplication begins with planting thriving missional communities that are centered on the gospel and faithful to pursue obedience. The church in Antioch was first and foremost an outpost of the kingdom of God and a gospel centered people. If you want to see multiplication happen, invest in laying the foundation. Begin with healthy missional communities. 

#2: Expect to Participate and Send Globally

The church of Antioch expected the Holy Spirit to advance the good news of Jesus beyond them and to use them. In fact, they had already given of themselves for people beyond themselves in chapter 11. 

Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. 

Before they considered sending a team of people to share the gospel, they had already given their wages, property, storehouses, and food for the well being of people they did not know. They saw themselves as participants in a global kingdom and church, not an isolated one within their own neighborhood. They observed need and determined, as a whole, to send relief for that need. They were a sending church before they sent Barnabas and Paul. 

Your community becomes a sending community long before it multiplies. A community that is aware of the hardships of other communities and takes initiative to serve them is preparing itself to send people. A community that is connected to others and not consumed by its own needs is fertile soil for multiplication.

Tips:

  • Spend time praying for other missional communities.

  • Ask other missional communities if they have any needs and relieve those needs as you have ability.

  • Engage in a church overseas, learning their obstacles, praying for them, and giving financially as a whole community.

  • Volunteer to help with childcare of one community as a blessing.

  • Write encouraging notes and prayers to other communities.

#3: Praying, Worshiping, and Fasting is the Fuel for Sending

We often think we must talk sending up and discuss it often to make it happen. We believe we can speak multiplication into reality. But, only God speaks anything into reality. God sends while we pray, worship, and fast. God sends while we respond to what he has spoken. Worship is the “vision cast" of mission. You aren’t called to spread “vision”; you are called to worship, pray, and fast in light of God’s vision for the world. This is an inescapable reality in the book of Acts: Mission occurs in the midst of worship. Mission happens because of worship. Mission results in worship. The elders of Antioch demonstrate this reality well in Acts 13 when Paul and Barnabas are sent in the midst of worship and fasting:

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:1-4 ESV)

The Holy Spirit sent them while they worshiped Jesus as Lord. A community that sends will be one that is regularly praying and worshiping God. Furthermore, that community will be listening to the voice of God with a dependence on him, knowing the Spirit will send. 

Worship dependent mission reproduces enjoyment of the gospel. Worship fueled mission reproduces humility and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Worship inspired sending beckons everyone to listen to the Holy Spirit for what they are being called to. It is through gospel enjoyment that we plant the seeds of multiplication and create a culture that sends. We are turning our hearts and minds to Jesus, the king of his kingdom, the author and actor of the gospel. In this posture, we come to multiplication with humility, awe, trust, and joy. The scope of the gospel is on display and the scope of mission becomes clear. We cannot cast a vision better than a God who sent himself to love others and make the world whole. Worship dependent mission creates the expectation that God will send us to the whole world.

Tips: 

  • Regularly participate in a worship gathering! Worship is song, prayer, learning, giving, and communion with other saints. Communities that don’t make this a regular rhythm almost never multiply.

  • Spend time as a community intentionally fasting and praying for the gospel to bear fruit in your lives and beyond your local mission.

  • Set aside seasons of prayer and fasting for direction; listening to the Spirit and what he is calling the community to do. This can be an annual rhythm leading up to a new missional commitment. (See appendix)

  • Have regular times of gospel enjoyment within your community to learn how to pray, listen, confess, repent, and worship.

#4: PREPARE AND PLAN TO SEND YOUR BEST

In Acts 13, we can see the church and its leaders expecting to send not only their possessions but also their people. They even, you might suppose, expected to send some of the most influential people within the church. Paul and Barnabas spent a year investing in this church and were truly gifted in discipleship, pastoring, and preaching the gospel. We understand from the context of this passage that any of the strong and diverse leaders from Antioch were on the table for the expansion of the mission. They prayed, fasted, and worshipped, and it became evident that Paul and Barnabas were to be sent. But the church was willing to send any or all of their leaders.

Paul and Barnabas had been prepared for a long time. Barnabas was an initial disciple in the church of Jerusalem. He helped establish the church in Antioch and was a spokesman proclaiming what God was doing outside of Jerusalem. His name is actually a nickname, “Son of Encouragement.” Every mentioning of Barnabas to this point in Acts has been in connection with serving the church, loving the church, and going outward. It isn’t surprising God sends Barnabas, in fact it seems obvious. Paul, on the other hand, seemed destined to go to the western borders of the Empire. Upon conversion, he knew he was saved to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He knew he would stand before rulers. Everyone knew he would. Despite a few nervous moments in the beginning, the church as a whole had committed to discipling, training, and nurturing Paul in his calling.

The two of them had been prepared by God for this moment through the circumstances of their lives, their churches, and their experience of serving others. They had been taught the gospel, and they had taught the gospel. They had been cared for by the church, and they had cared for the church. The church of Antioch had welcomed them, learned from them, and loved them. Paul and Barnabas grew in Antioch, and they also helped others grow. Though Barnabas arrived at a young church without leaders, he left with increased leadership and maturity. 

Leaders are called, developed, and trained within community and by the Spirit. As you establish a missional community, you will prepare and plan to send your best. Instead of keeping the more mature, bought in, equipped, and enjoyable people off limits, prepare them to start new communities. Spend intentional time getting them ready to lead a community. We see this evident throughout the New Testament, as communities freely give great leaders to the mission instead of hoarding them. 

Missional communities are simultaneously environments for discipleship and training leaders how to make disciples. This is the chaos and brilliance of communities making disciples. As you go, you prepare others to send. We ought to be constantly looking for the next leaders to develop. Multiplication might happen by sending out first-time leaders, or it may be veteran leaders leaving to start a new community. Regardless, we always develop leaders. 

Tips:

  • As leaders, pray for who God might send. Pray for opportunities and pray for clarity.

  • Look for apprentice leaders you can give opportunities to and make personal development plans with them. (See appendix)

  • Help people understand their gifts and affirm one another in their gifts. How do they strengthen the community? How do they help the community on mission?

  • Foster growth by having trainings or having other leaders visit to develop everyone.

#5: The Community Gives Itself. It is Never the Same

Lastly, we see the principle of sacrifice in multiplication. Through prayer, grief, and anticipation that God will advance the gospel, the community sends people. To send, God works in the heart of a community to trust in him. To trust that he will give your community everything it needs. The people God gives you are the people God wants you to have. You must trust God’s goodness, grace, and ability to orchestrate his mission better than you can.

Multiplication is a sacrifice because the community will never be the same. You cannot replicate what was because the personalities, gifts, and perspectives of the community have changed. As people are sent, what remains is not an old community and new one but two new communities. One is sent out discovering how to be a community of disciples in a new mission or with a new group of people. The other remains and is rediscovering how to be a community that is on mission in the same place and with some of the same people.

This is multiplication. In the last loving act of being a community, it choses to give itself up and never be the same again. For the sake of obedience. For the sake of gospel growth. For the love they have for others who will enjoy a new endeavor of faithfulness. But, also, they multiply for themselves as they experience the new thing God has called them to in their current place and within their current mission. Multiplication is final communal discipline. In Acts 13, this is expressed by praying for them as they go. It’s a touching moment of a new reality for both groups of people.

Tips

  • When a plan of multiplication begins to take shape, invite the group to a time of prayer and reflection on what that would mean.

  • Give potential leaders clarity on what leadership means and challenge them to step into a process of preparation.

  • Celebrate the reality and group dynamics of a community in the present so you can embrace the change when it happens.

Working It Out In Your Own Context

  • What can you do today to be the kind of community that multiplies?

  • How do you care for communities, neighborhoods, or cities outside your own?

  • How do you worship, pray, and enjoy the gospel in such a way as pointing to God’s grand global mission?

  • How do you develop leaders who listen to the voice of God to send?