255. Multiply the Church
Jeremiah 33:22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
God had promised Abraham that his seed would number as many as the stars of heaven and the sands of the sea. Here God promises that He will multiply the seed of David. The promise of seed to Abraham comes through the seed of David: both promises are the same promise: the seed is Jesus the Messiah; and all believers in Christ. The promise for NT believers is that the seed of the Seed, the faithful believers in Jesus, will grow numerous and multiply. The faith of Abraham and the faith of David is faith in the Messiah, who is the promise of God come true. NT believers, you and I, have this same faith and the same promise.
The implanted seed is faith. Faith comes into us as a seed, and then it grows. Jesus uses the “seed” metaphor several times in His parables: mustard seed, good soil, growing secretly, wheat harvested, etc. The faith planted in us at Baptism is watered and nourished, and it grows. Faith comes by hearing, and faith grows by hearing, that is, hearing the word of Christ, or the Gospel. The more we hear the gospel the more faith (the seed) will grow and multiply. Faith grows like a seed into beautiful shrubs, trees, flowers and fruit. It multiplies. The more one hears the gospel, the more the seed of faith multiplies. For this reason attending church and Bible study is so important.
The seed is also promised to multiply as far as the number of believers in Christ. This is shown by the refrain in the Book of Acts: “and the word of the grew.” The Christian Gospel has spread throughout the world making believers everywhere. And God is still multiplying the seed. He promises to multiply both the seed of faith in each believer and also the number of believers to the ends of the earth.