When we think about church planting, are we thinking too small? Are we thinking of planting a tree or planting a forest?

Let’s think of it this way. The true fruit of another apple tree is not another apple, but another apple tree. No one knows how many apples are in one apple seed, over the years it could be thousands. That's the power of nature. If God is behind and in what we are involved in, where are we seeing multiplication?

I would suggest addition is not going to win Nations for Christ. It’s good, but it’s not the best. May I say God seems to have other plans. Read on…

Multiplication is about, churches planting churches that plant churches. What about the radical thought of movements planting movements.

Recently various mission leaders are starting to talk about movements planting movements. I'm convinced this needs to happen if we are to reach nations for Christ.  We need to think multiplication, that means churches planting churches that plant churches.

It seems from the very beginning God intended this multiplication thing to happen. Look at Gen 1:28 "...be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it..."

In Gen 17:3-8, God is so committed to Abram He changed his name to Abraham. Abram means father of A Nation. Abraham means the Father of many Nations. Multiplication. 

In Gen 22:17 He took Abraham outside his tent and told him to look at the stars. God also told Abraham to look at the sand and said that's how many descendants you will have! Where was Abraham living? In a desert, where sand and stars would be plenty. It seems that God wanted Abraham to really understand this message! Friends we are of the seed of Abraham...Gal 3:16. Multiplication is in our DNA! Didn't Jesus say, "Go and make disciples of the nations..." Matt 28:19. 

Duet 1:10-11. "The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky".  Now I reckon that's very exciting!! But it goes on to say, "May the Lord, increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised".  It's called multiplication! 

It's like God doesn't want to add, He wants to multiply.

When we look at Mark 4:20 "Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the Word, accept it, and produce a crop 30, 60 or even 100 times what was sown."

My life verse Ephesians 3:20  "God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all we ask, think or imagine". What are you asking God for? What are you thinking about? What are you imagining? This versus clearly states that God is able to surpass your wildest dreams.

Perhaps you have heard the story of the inventor of chess, who is given one free wish by the king of India as a reward. As a modest reward he wished just for one grain of rice on the first square of the chessboard, two on the second Square, four on the third, eight on the fourth and so on. Doubling it every time. The King, who had initially smiled, thinking that he would get off lightly, simply could not grant the wish. He would have to produce 2,223,372,036,000,000,000 kernels of rice, or 153 billion tons of rice. That's more than the world harvest for the next 1000 years! 

We desperately need to get our heads and hearts around multiplication, in fact it's in our DNA!

Four empowering questions...

1. God wants you to be fruitful. Where have you been fruitful in the past?

2. Multiplication is in your DNA. What is God saying to you about multiplication? 

3. Where are you seeing multiplication in your life? 

4. Where are you encouraged to increase and multiply? Try to think of all the spheres of your life.