Pray Thanking God to Meet Your Needs

 

   Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis, and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.  

Sometimes I am disappointed when I read about Jesus’ disciples in the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. So often they are looking out for their own interests, fighting over petty concerns and forgetting to do the right thing. Perhaps the shortcomings of Jesus’ disciples are best illustrated by their failure to remain awake and pray for him just before he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36 – 45). 

Even so, the disciples demonstrated wisdom from time to time. One of the smartest things they ever did was to ask Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1- 13). They had seen the power and peace, the joy and the courage that came to Jesus as he spent time with his Father in prayer. And the disciples wanted that same power and peace, that same joy and courage that they saw coming to Jesus through prayer.  

So, Jesus taught them the prayer we now call “The Lord’s Prayer,” or the “Our Father.” This is a prayer you too should teach your disciples to pray. It is recorded in Luke 11:2-4.  

One of the key phrases in the prayer Jesus taught is “Give us each day our daily bread.” The people of Palestine grew grain, mostly wheat and barley, and made bread from it. This was the basic, essential food for them, much like rice is the basic, essential  food for the peoples of tropical Africa. The disciples Jesus was teaching ate bread every single day to get energy and stay alive. They depended on bread for their very life. 

But Jesus taught an important truth when he said pray to God your heavenly Father this way, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He was teaching the disciples that they had a Father who would take care of them and provide what they needed. There are two kinds of people in this world: those who think they are on their own and must provide for themselves everything they need through their own intelligence, strength, and work and those who know that they have a heavenly Father who cares for them. Both kinds of people work hard, but those who trust their heavenly Father have peace as they work. They know he will meet their needs. 

Because we trust our Father in heaven, we pray “Father in heaven, give us this day our daily bread.” We ask God to meet our needs. All of our needs. Not just our need for food, but also our need for clean water, for good health, and for shelter and safety. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is a good, good Father. He knows our needs and delights to give us what we need. But, he invites us to ask him to meet our needs. When we do, we are blessed. 

So, teach your disciples to pray the Lord’s prayer. Remind them again and again to trust God to meet their needs and the needs of their family. Give thanks with them as God provides for their needs. As they pray, God will give them their daily bread. What’s more, through prayer, your disciples will find power and peace, joy and courage in the presence of the Father, just as Jesus did when he walked with his disciples in Palestine 2,000 years ago. 

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #DailyBread

Pray for God’s Kingdom to Come

 

  This is Multiply, a podcast for church planters, pastors & Christian leaders, and I am the host, Daneille Snowden. Today we are reading from a part of our Lord’s Prayer that says,  “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matt 6:10   

Let us make our focus always on the eternal instead of the temporary, by laying up treasures in heaven. Doing this by focusing on both the future kingdom of God & also the present spiritual kingdom of God.  Ps. 103:19 says, “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”    

 Christ’s reign as the King of Kings is for here and for now plus, forever more.   As Christians, we are part of the Kingdom of God as Christ rules in us.   When we live in the flesh, we tend to promote our own Kingdom. But when Jesus rules as our Lord and King, we will promote His Kingdom.  We read in 1 Chronicles 29:11, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.”   

As I mention again in this passage of  Matthew 6, this is part of the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus is teaching a prayer that He even prays.  By praying this, we are developing a prayerful desire to see God’s Kingdom increase as it is established throughout the world, for the present and the future.   We want the Lord’s Kingdom to be dominant in our own lives and then spread to the entire world.   As God’s Kingdom comes, in all lives we shall witness His nature, His power, and His saving love.   Let us pray with our Lord, “…Thy Kingdom come…” today.   

This has been Multiply; please share this podcast with others! And God bless!

Pray Daily with Thanksgiving

 

     Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.  

We make disciples by teaching people to obey the commands of Christ. This sounds like a difficult if not unpleasant, responsibility. But Jesus, with great kindness and humility, says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Yes, obeying Jesus is a burden. But it is a light burden because our Lord is both gentle and humble in heart. When he walks beside us, obedience is not heavy. Instead of growing weary, we find rest for our souls. 

One of the seven basic commands of Jesus is to pray and feed on God’s word daily. But how should we pray? What times during the day should we pray? With whom should we pray? What should we say? What should we refrain from saying in our prayers? When it comes to prayer, new followers of Jesus have hearts full of these questions and more.  They may not ask all of them, but they are thinking about them. As a church planting disciple maker, you do not need to answer all of their questions at once. But you should teach them to pray just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray and Paul taught his. 

New disciples have many requests they want to ask of God. Some are bold and make their requests without reservation.  Some new disciples are timid and are afraid to ask God for anything. But both kinds of people can learn to pray with thanksgiving.  Paul told his disciples in Philippi, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7). 

So, teach new followers of Jesus to pray with thanksgiving. Before they ask God for anything, they can learn to thank him for every provision he has made.  His provisions are general, like the rain that falls on everyone’s fields and specific like the guidance he gives his children as we walk different paths.  

Teach your disciples to thank God for everything because every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). As they recall what God has done for them, their faith will grow. As they thank the Lord for his goodness, their joy will increase. As their heart fills with gratitude, their requests will line up more and more closely with the will of God for them in Christ Jesus. So, let gratitude overflow. Let thanksgiving be expressed in the morning, at noon and in the evening.   

As Psalm 100 says,  

Enter his gates with thanksgiving 

    and his courts with praise; 

    give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; 

    his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis, asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #ThankTheLord

Leadership Development - Jesus Taught the Crowds & Instructed the Apostles

 

  This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders. 

Our topic for 2026 is Leadership Development. In my previous podcast, we looked at the way Jesus spent time with His apostles, and how this impacted their leadership development. Today, we want to explore this in greater detail. 

Jesus taught the masses, and He provided greater explanation and instruction to the apostles. One such instance is the Parable of the Sower found in Mark 4, where we read in verses 1 and 2 that “the crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables …”

Later in the chapter, we see in verse 10, “When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.” Jesus then took the next 10 verses to explain the parable and to instruct the Twelve. Later in Mark 4, Jesus shares the parable of the Mustard Seed, and the account concludes in verses 33 and 34. ”With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.” [emphasis added]

Elsewhere in Matthew 13, Jesus taught using the Parable of the Weeds.  In verse 36, we read, “Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 

As we apply Jesus’ method to our approach to leadership development, the principle that I want to draw out is that while Jesus taught the crowds broadly, he explained his parables to his closest circle. Often it is the same with church and VCP leaders today. Information can, and should, be shared broadly, but the explanation about the thought process and all the considerations that went into that decision are frequently reserved for insiders. 

This also applies as we assist emerging leaders in their development. As we make decisions that impact them, it is often very helpful to have a conversation with them, explaining our thought process. This can help them sharpen their own analytical thinking and decision-making skills and prepare them for greater responsibility in the future.      

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Partake in the Lord’s Supper Regularly

 

      Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis, and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.  

Village Church Planters teach villagers to obey the seven basic commands of Christ. You remember those commands, Repent and believe the Good News, Love God and Neighbor, Baptize, Pray and Feed on God’s word daily, Participate in the Lord’s Supper, Give, and Make Disciples. I suspect one of the most misunderstood commands of Jesus was spoken on the night that he was betrayed, the night when he took the bread, broke it and said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19). 

“Do this in remembrance of me.” It seems like a simple enough command. Break bread, receive the cup of wine or red juice, remember Jesus. Remember the new covenant. Remember his body broken for us. Remember his love poured out for our forgiveness. And on the surface, it is a very simple command to obey. But its meaning is profound. 

You see, participation in the Lord’s Supper allows us to remember all that is good about the Gospel. In the Lord’s Supper we remember that our sin was so bad, God took desperate measure to purchase our forgiveness by sending his only Son to die for us. In the Lord’s Supper we recognize that we can live in right relationship with God because Jesus poured out his blood for us. In the Lord’s Supper we experience Jesus’ forgiving grace. And in the Lord’s Supper we find strength from God to face the challenges before us, just as Jesus faced the challenge of the cross. As children of God, we need all of these things. We need to be reminded of the very great love the Father has for each one of us. We need to be reminded of the huge sacrifice Jesus made to purchase our salvation. We need to be reminded that we can come to Him for forgiveness and strength. These reminders give us strength and build our faith. We understand that Jesus paid it all. Jesus defeated Satan by shedding his blood for us. 

Jesus knew we needed all this grace and more. That is why he said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” When we receive the cup and the bread remembering Jesus’ commitment to us, we are blessed and transformed. That’s why serving the Lord’s Supper regularly is a vital service of every church. And that’s why receiving the bread and the cup is a life-giving act of obedience to Christ. 

So dear church planter, as you plant your church, make sure your people can receive the Lord’s Supper regularly. Don’t forget about it or minimize it. Make provision for the Lord’s Supper to be served in your church at least four times per year. You need the blessing that comes from obeying Christ in this way and so do your people. When the Lord’s Supper is served with reverence and a clear telling of the story of Jesus’ sacrificial death, when your people renew their faith in Christ and feel again his great love, your church will be strengthened. 

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #PartakeOfTheLord’sSupper

What Is The Lord's Supper?

       

     Hello, this is Multiply, a podcast to encourage village church planters and leaders. I am Brad Snowden, and today I want to look at the Lord’s Supper. It is my prayer that we are touched by Jesus’s heart and the powerful time we can have as we share this with all followers of Jesus Christ.  

Luke 22:15  And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Jesus desired to spend time with them in the intimacy and closeness of sharing His heart with them.

The Lord’s Supper, or communion, in the dictionary means intimate fellowship, a close relationship with someone  

This is the heart of communion. 

Communion is vital for our relationship with the Lord. It’s time to focus on what is not in our hands but what is in our hearts. We have time to examine our hearts and minds and lives, allowing God to work in them. Our time to commune with Him is so important to allow the Lord to search our hearts to make sure no sin would separate us from him. It is a time of intimacy with God to allow him to speak with us 

 The Lord’s Supper is our time to commune with the God of creation and to allow ourselves time for him to work upon our relationship with him. This is a special time in which we can be changed if we allow it to happen. When we are leaders, we can see lives changed, and God can use this time during the Lord’s Supper to work. We must be diligently devoted to this service of allowing our people this privilege of this special time. We have a blessing to be able to focus on the sacrifice Jesus gave to us.

Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Remembering the sacrifice of Jesus’s life for our sins makes life possible. We have this time to thank Him for His sacrifice for us. This act of thanksgiving draws us even closer to the Lord, and that is His heart: Communion with us.

Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

We have a time of remembrance again and rejoicing in the fact that Jesus was willing to allow His blood to be shed for the forgiveness of our sins. The power in His blood is given to all of us, freeing us from the weight of death because of sin. He gave his blood knowing that freedom came through it. We rejoice because today His blood is still powerful to set the captive free. This simple time of communion is vital for us and our spiritual life. This has been a word of encouragement for village church planters. Who will you share this with today?

Love Your Neighbor

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis, and this is “Multiply,” the podcast

that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

Jesus’ command teaching us to love our neighbors as ourselves may seem

pretty ordinary if, like me, you grew up going to church attending children’s

classes and youth group. But, like so much of what Jesus taught, the command

to love our neighbor as ourselves is pretty radical. To see just how challenging

this command is, remember the story Jesus told to help a self-righteous

listener understand what it means to love our neighbors.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by

robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him

half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he

saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came

to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he

traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on

him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then

he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of

him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper.

‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra

expense you may have.’

This story teaches us that our neighbors are not just the people who live nearby

and who know us well. We are to love strangers, just like the Samaritan did.

Jesus’ story teaches us that loving our neighbors will interrupt our plans. And

loving our neighbors is costly. If we are to love others, we must be generous.

Finally, we learn from Jesus story that loving our neighbors means loving people

who are not from our ethnic group or nation, just as the Samaritan loved the

Judean man who was beaten.

The love Jesus commands is not a romantic or emotional love. Neither is it a

self-serving love that Jesus calls us to. It is not easy to obey Jesus' command to

love our neighbors as ourselves. The love Jesus expects us to show to our

neighbors does not arise from our sense of duty as family members or as

members of a tribe. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors with a sacrificial love.

This may come as a shock to new believers, especially if they came to Christ

looking for him to solve their problems. Jesus, of course, does solve many of our

problems in this world and all of our problems in the world to come. But he

 also expects us to reflect his character, his mercy and his grace. He expects us

to love our neighbors sacrificially. Even so, it’s not easy to obey all of Jesus’

commands. We need his strength, his presence, his very love at work within

us.

So, teach your disciples well about the great, immense, sacrificial love of

Christ. Teach them that he will never leave them or forsake them. But be sure

to teach them to trust in him for power to love their neighbors as themselves.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #LoveYourNeighbor