BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY 

  • Purpose of lesson: Is to build our faith for multiplication and fruitfulness. We will never have a fruitful life, ministry, or business without a fruitful and multiplying mindset. The truth is, either we are fruitful or not. The truth is we will look at our future with excitement and anticipation of the future growth or we will look at it with apprehension and hopelessness but not both. Let’s not be an excuse-making, complaining and blaming others, tree but let’s be a healthy, fruitful, and multiplying one.   

    • 3 BIBLICAL TRUTHS ABOUT BEING FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLYING  

    truth #1

    IT IS GOD’S WILL FOR US TO BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY.

    • God wants us to fill the earth with His Good News message and disciples.

    Genesis 1:28 (NLT) Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.…

    Genesis 1:28 (NIV) God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it… 

    • A. GOD HAS BLESSED AND EMPOWERED US TO BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY. 
    • God blessed mankind to be fruitful, and to not just bare fruit.  
    • Blessed (Barak): to declare and empower to prosper, to kneel down and bow (the end result of being submitted God is a blessed and fruitful life.) to congratulate (at the end of every season or life there should be a massive Celebration of the harvest.
    • Fruitful: (parah) branch off, grow and increase. Show fruit.  
  • Multiply: (Rabah) become many, to make large, increase greatly, abundance.
    • B. BEING FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLYING INCREASES OUR INFLUENCE AND AUTHORITY IN BOTH THE SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL REALM.
    • The more we are fruitful and multiply the more influence we will have. It is impossible to ignore the thousands of lives that have been transformed by the power of Jesus Christ in partnership with His church. 
    • Growth and authority go hand in hand. 
    • Govern: (Kabas/kaw-bash) subdue, dominate, to conquer, keep under feet. (Rada) have dominion, rule, prevail against, reign, make gain. 
    • Growth Insight: One of the most effective ways to change our family, church, and city is by multiplying D.G’s. God wants our church to grow so large that it impacts the entire City.

    truth #2

    BEING FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLYING IS A COMMAND. 

  • Since it is a command from God- we should expect to be fruitful and multiply. 
  • God never commands us to do something that He does not empower us to do. Since being fruitful and multiplying is a command we should train and command our disciples to also be fruitful and multiply.  
    •  A. THE COMMAND TO BE FRUITFUL WAS NOT JUST GIVEN TO ADAM BUT TO NOAH AND HIS SONS AS WELL. 
    • This command is given after the flood, to Noah and his family.

    Genesis 9:1 (KJV) "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."… 7 "And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein."

    • B. THE EXPECTATION AND COMMAND TO BE FRUITFUL WAS ALSO TAUGHT BY JESUS. 
    • Every branch that doesn’t produce fruit is cut off and those that are fruitful are pruned so that they will produce even more. 
    • God always expects and empowers us to do more. 
    • If God expects us to do more we should also expect for us and our disciples to do more.

    John 15:2 (NLT) He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 

    • Growth Insight: From the first chapter in the Bible all the way into the New Testament teachings of Jesus we we read about God’s vision for multiplication.  
    •  C. JESUS DEFINED A TRUE DISCIPLE AS ONE WHO OBEYS HIS COMMAND TO BE FRUITFUL. 
    • Jesus doesn’t want us to just bear fruit but much fruit, abundant fruit, multiplied fruit. 
    • Jesus did not command us to bear little fruit but much fruit.

    John 15:8 (NLT) When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. 

    •  D. JESUS HAS COMMANDED EVERY BELIEVER TO SPIRITUALLY MULTIPLY THROUGH THE MISSION OF MAKING DISCIPLES. (Jesus has given us a worldwide vision of Growth and multiplication.)  

    Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

    truth #3

     WE ARE UNDER A COVENANT OF MULTIPLICATION.  

    Genesis 17:2 (CSB) I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”

    Genesis 17:2 (CJB) 2 I will make my covenant between me and you, and I will increase your numbers greatly.”

    • A. OUR GOD IS EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN MULTIPLICATION BECAUSE HE IS THE GOD OF MULTIPLICATION.

    • He has created us to be like Him. That is why the first thing He said after He stated that He created us in His image was to be fruitful and multiply.

    Genesis 1:27-28 (NLT) 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply…

    • Growth insight: We can multiply our D.G’s because our God is God of multiplication.

    • B. JESUS KNEW THAT HE WAS UNDER A COVENANT OF MULTIPLICATION AND DISPLAYED IT WHEN HE MULTIPLIED THE FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISH.

    • He thanked The Father for the covenant that He was under.

    Matthew 14:17-20 (NLT) 17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. 18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.

    • C. GOD CONFIRMS THE COVENANT OF MULTIPLICATION BY DEFINING HIMSELF AS THE ONE WHO PROVIDES AND MULTIPLES.

    • God provides and multiplies our seed so that we can multiply, increasing our fruitfulness in ministry.

    • The multiplication stops when we stop sowing what He has given us.

    2 Corinthians 9:10 (AMP) 10 Now He who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing (that is, your resources) and increase the harvest of your righteousness [which shows itself in active goodness, kindness, and love].

    WHAT ARE WE DOING RIGHT NOW AS A CHURCH TO BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY? 

    1) FOLLOWING UP ON EVERYONE THAT CAME THIS PAST WEEK AND HELP THEM TO GET TO NEXT LEVEL OF DISCIPLESHIP.  

    2) BIGGEST BAPTISM SUNDAY EVER. 

    3) THE WHOLE CHURCH STARTS A 30-DAY GROWTH CHALLENGE THIS SUNDAY. 

    4) Fundraise a total of $400,000 for The Way Riverside Campus

    5) Have 1,728 DGs

    6) Have 3,000 Weekly givers

    7) A church building for The Way La

    NEXT WEEK: “HOW TO BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY?”