- God will Multiply
Genesis 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee; and will multiply thee exceedingly.
God will multiply Abraham. That’s a promise for us since we are included in Abraham’s seed and Abraham’s promise and Abraham’s faith. God will multiply us exceedingly. The Church of believers in Christ, the Promise of God, will grow and increase greatly. This came about when God entered the world in the flesh, and many disciples believed in Him and gathered around Him to see what He was doing and hear what He was saying. Through the generations the seed continued to multiply and grow exceedingly until the Faith has grown to cover the earth.
We take heart and grow strong through this promise. The seed of faith has multiplied through the ages until Christians are everywhere. It sometimes appears to us that we Christians are outnumbered and losing ground, but we don’t always see the growth of the Kingdom. It “grows secretly” like the seed in the soil, and it will grow until the final harvest of souls. We are a part of a large movement, something bigger than us alone. When we see godlessness and evil increasing around us in the world we need to look to the promise of God. The influence of believers in the world makes a difference to the people around us.
The seed of faith grows. This is true globally as the Church covers the earth. But it is also true in each individual believer. We can take this promise personally: the faith within grows and multiplies in greater ways than we even know. Faith begins inside our spirit as a seed, but it always grows until it bears fruit and produces new seeds. Jesus promises that the seed of faith grows until it becomes a large bush, or tree, or vine. The seed needs good soil. This is an honest and good heart that receives the gospel message gladly. The seed needs nutrients and watering: this is the nourishment and life-giving gospel that we hear and receive regularly. The seed needs sunshine and cultivation: this is the work of the Spirit to root out weeds that would choke out the growing seed. We need to believe the promise of multiplying because sometimes we wonder if it is worth the time and effort to go to church and spend time alone with God. The promise says, “It is.” It makes a difference.