Frank Laubach (1884-1970), an American missionary to the Philippines, developed a literacy training program that has been used around the world for seventy years now to teach people – including adults – how to read and write. Kennedy states that, “Laubach was a ‘literacy pioneer,’ whose slogan was ‘Each One Teach One’ and who established Laubach Literacy International. It’s estimated that more than 100 million people have been taught to read by the Laubach method in at least 200 nations, including many illiterates in this country.”[i]
Frank Laubach’s theory was simple, each one teach one. Each person teaching another person, who taught another person and so on. What happen if each follower of Christ was intentional about reaching another person with the message of the Gospel? The key is being intentional. Very rarely is something of significance accomplished without intentionality.
Sociologists estimate that even the most introverted person will influence at least 10,000 people during their lifetime. How much more will someone who’s attempting to advance God’s kingdom purposely through building life-on-life relationships with others? Suppose each person, following the Great Commission to go and make disciples, simply discipled twelve people throughout their life. Then, each of these twelve would in return disciple twelve people throughout the course of their lifetime. How many people would be discipled in five short generations?
Consider the following diagram to give you an idea.
Frank Laubach’s theory was simple, each one teach one. Each person teaching another person, who taught another person and so on. What happen if each follower of Christ was intentional about reaching another person with the message of the Gospel? The key is being intentional. Very rarely is something of significance accomplished without intentionality.
Sociologists estimate that even the most introverted person will influence at least 10,000 people during their lifetime. How much more will someone who’s attempting to advance God’s kingdom purposely through building life-on-life relationships with others? Suppose each person, following the Great Commission to go and make disciples, simply discipled twelve people throughout their life. Then, each of these twelve would in return disciple twelve people throughout the course of their lifetime. How many people would be discipled in five short generations?
Consider the following diagram to give you an idea.
You disciple 12, who disciple 12, equals 144!
Who disciple 12, equals 1,728!
Who disciple 12, equals 20,736!
Who disciple 12, equals 248,832!
Who disciple 12, equals 2, 985, 984!
Meditate on the following…
“Many people mistake our work for our vocation.
Our vocation is the love of Jesus.”
(Mother Teresa)
“God wants to have a relationship with all his children in all his nations.
We must introduce them to Him.”
(Dan Ayres)
[i] James Kennedy, What if Jesus had Never Been Born?, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 1994), 56.
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