310. Multiplied, Inhabited, Built
Ezekiel 36:10 And I will multiply men upon you, all he house of Israel, even all of it, and the cities shall be inhabited, and wastes shall be builded.
God’s promise for the New Testament Church is that it will multiply with people. This came true in the Book of Acts where it says several times: “And the word of the Lord grew.” It is still coming true in our day when the Church is still multiplying throughout the world, even to the ends of the earth. The “house of Israel” is the Church of believers in Christ, and it will continually multiply people. At certain times and places we may become discouraged with the lack of growth and strength of the Church, but we have this promise that it will multiply people.
Then God says that the cities will be inhabited. Real human beings will live in the NT Church. Although we see empty church buildings around the world, we also see places where believers inhabit in abundance. Real people of God will be filling the empty places and locations throughout the world where the gospel is preached for forgiveness and salvation.
And finally, the wastes will be builded. There are many empty and wasted areas on the earth that are being built up into churches and groups of believers. And when that happens positive influences happen to build up wasted areas. “Wastes” include geographical waste places, philosophical wastes, psychological, social, familial, political, economic and institutional waste places. The solid truth of God’s Word makes something useful out of what Sin and Satan has wasted. This building also happens within each individual Christian where Sin has wasted portions of the soul: the Spirit is in the process of recovering and restoring and building up what has been lost, stolen and wasted. Trust God for His promise in Christ to build you up and restore what the devourer has wasted inside you. He will do it.