Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.
One of the most beautiful blessings that God our heavenly Father has given his children is the power to multiply. Genesis 1:27 and 28 tell us, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
This is amazing! Our Creator did not pre-set the world’s population. Nor did he limit the number of people who could live on the earth. Instead He gave people the power to multiply humanity and rule all of the living things on the planet. The book of Genesis calls that power a blessing, “God blessed them and said “Be fruitful and multiply…”
Right from the beginning, God wanted us to embrace the power of multiplication. And it seems that, in general, people have done so! The earth’s population that started with just two people is now over 8 billion people. And it’s still growing.
I am expecting a grandchild to be born in about seven weeks. My little grandchild will be just one in eight billion, but she will be a blessing to her parents, to her extended family and to her people. Multiplication is a blessing. God’s word tells us so, and so does our own experience.
But there is another kind of multiplication that God is concerned about. He wants us to multiply disciples. Disciples are followers of Jesus who do three things:
1. Disciples hear the Word of God,
2. Disciples understand the word of God. And,
3. Disciples bear fruit by obeying the word of God.
In the Great Commission, Jesus set forth a chain of multiplication of disciples. He said, Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
If you teach your disciples to obey all that Jesus commanded, they too will multiply disciples because Jesus commands disciple making. Let me say that another way: If you teach your disciples to obey each of Jesus commandments, including the Great Commission, your disciples will also make disciples because Jesus commands disciple making! When disciples make disciples, we have multiplication. Now if multiplying people across the face of the earth brings blessing, how much more does the multiplication of disciples bring even greater blessing.
Multiplication is a necessary part of God’s plan to bless all peoples. So, here is my word of encouragement to you today: Be fruitful and multiply, not just natural children, but spiritual children as well, disciples of Jesus who in turn will live an abundant, fruitful life that brings blessing to many.
This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?
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