UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WAY OF MULTIPLICATION 2
10 THE LORD YOUR GOD HAS MULTIPLIED YOU, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.
11 MAY THE LORD GOD OF YOUR FATHERS MAKE YOU A THOUSAND TIMES MORE NUMEROUS THAN YOU ARE, AND BLESS YOU AS HE HAS PROMISED YOU!"
Deuteronomy 1:10-11 (NKJV)
A thousand times multiplication being talked about in our text, the passage of Deuteronomy, is when God's presence; relationship and communion, is sustained. If the communion is no longer there, the light needed for the increase and progress would not be there; and where there is no light or direction for continuity in the work, there cannot be any increase and sustainable development.
Light does a number of things:
a. It dispels darkness.
b. It gives direction.
c. It gives speed in the journey of life.
A car travelling in the night cannot speed or run the fastest without light of its own—if it does not have its light. It will become a liability to other vehicles on the road. Such a car can only move at the pace of the vehicle in its front, because It could only move or travel by the light of the vehicle in the front.
This means, If you had no light received from God, as per where you are going, the direction and pattern, you become a liability to others. You begin to spy and try to copy others in whatever they are doing. And a vision or plan or pattern that is not primarily or originally given to you might not prosper or blossom or produce maximally in your hand—it would not bless your work or assignment or ministry. A borrowed light will slow you down, you would not be able to run or speed at the rate you do want or desire. Thus, Increase or multiplication is a product of good communion with God through which light, understanding and direction are received.
In addition to that, you would have to follow the principles given you by God for your increase and multiplication to be evident or be seen by all:
I. If your increase is about material increase or multiplication, there are guiding principles specified in the Bible for it. One of the major things being repeatedly emphasized on the pages of the Scripture is Giving of your substance, money or material things, for God to increase or multiply you, whatever you have or whatever you are doing (Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6).
II. If the increase in your own life, assignment or ministry, is about growth in number or size—numerical increase—light would be needed to know the geographical location where you are assigned, where your assignment or ministry should be run or operated. When your vision or ministry is being run in a wrong place, your message would not be received and you would attract a wrong set of people, recalcitrant and rebellious, who would not be supportive of the vision or the assignment given to you.
Note: If you are in a wrong locality, city or nation, your words would not be received—it would not be understandable or comprehensible to the people there, those who come to hear you. Thus,they would not be responsive and supportive:
17 “NOW IT HAPPENED, WHEN I [Paul] RETURNED TO JERUSALEM AND WAS PRAYING IN THE TEMPLE, THAT I WAS IN A TRANCE 18 "AND SAW HIM [Jesus] SAYING TO ME, ‘MAKE HASTE AND GET OUT OF JERUSALEM QUICKLY, FOR THEY WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR TESTIMONY CONCERNING ME [Jesus].’ 21 THEN HE SAID TO ME, ‘DEPART, FOR I WILL SEND YOU FAR FROM HERE TO THE GENTILES’ ” (Acts 22:17,18,21 NKJV).
The passage of the Scripture above is a buttress to the point being shared here. Paul wanted to start his ministry in Jerusalem, thinking the people there would accept him, since they knew his history; perceiving that they would be able to concur or attest or identify with whatever testimony he is sharing about his Christian faith. But Jesus appeared to him and told him, it would not be as he had thought (Acts 22:17,18,21). And truly, If it could be noticed or carefully considered, the eventual problem which he, Paul, had at the tail end of his ministry work and life started or came up and was sparked when he went to Jerusalem which he had been warned severally through visions from different brethren not to go (Acts 20:21-23). Paul had a passion for the salvation of the Jews but he was not sent to them (Romans 9:1-4; 10:1), Jesus knew they would not accept his ministry there, that was why He appeared to him and told him clearly that he was not sent to the Jews, they would not accept his testimony about Him, Christ Jesus (Acts 22:18).
Where you are not sent, you would not be accepted there. If you disobediently went there, you might have a dirge or mournful song to sing.
Peace.