10/30/11 - The Pinciple of Multiplication - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues "The Blessed Life" series with, "The Principle of Multiplication" in this Sunday morning celebration.

The Principle of Multiplication
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, October 30, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com


Sermon Notes:


The Principle of Multiplication

There is a Biblical principle, built into creation itself by God, called Multiplication.  The 1st blessing God spoke over human beings was “be fruitful and multiply”.  We struggle thinking in multiplication terms.  When God told Abram, who became Abraham, that he would become the father of nations, Abram couldn’t think past “a son”.  God took him outside and showed him the stars, painted a picture for him of multiplication, and basically said, “Quit thinking addition, start thinking multiplication.”  Today, the Bible says that Abraham is the father of our faith.  If you are a Christian, Abraham is your natural father—that is multiplication!  It requires supernatural intervention.  It requires God’s involvement in our actions. 

We see it in creation.  Plant an apple seed and you don’t get an apple, you get a tree full of apples—Multiplication.  Supernatural intervention.  “Anybody can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the apples in a seed.” Tom Paterson.

Jesus taught that when we give for the good of the Kingdom, expecting nothing in return, then the multiplication principle will kick in and we will see 30, 60, 100 fold return on our giving.  As we have learned all month, when we become a conduit for God’s resources, when we give because we are grateful, when generosity is our goal and not getting, then we will live the Blessed Life.  

Today, we will come and bring what we have, our Thanksgiving Offering.  We will give because we “have a heart for the house”.  When we do that, seeking nothing but the blessing of God’s Kingdom, we activate the multiplication principle.  Over the coming weeks, months and years, you will see the power of multiplication as God multiplies the time, talent and resources you invest into His Kingdom.  People’s lives will be changed forever, including our own, as a result of our worship in giving today. 

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (NLT) “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”  (AMP) “…God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, "prompt to do it") giver [whose heart is in his giving]…”
Multiplication Principle:  Give from gratefulness, give with your heart engaged with God, as an act of worship, full of joy because of the opportunity to honor the God who set you free, and you activate the multiplication principle—like the farmer who plants the apple seed.

Luke 9:12-17 (MESSAGE) 12As the day declined, the Twelve said, "Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat. We're out in the middle of nowhere."  13-14"You feed them," Jesus said.  They said, "We couldn't scrape up more than five loaves of bread and a couple of fish—unless, of course, you want us to go to town ourselves and buy food for everybody." (There were more than five thousand people in the crowd.)  14-17But he went ahead and directed his disciples, "Sit them down in groups of about fifty." They did what he said, and soon had everyone seated. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the crowd. After the people had all eaten their fill, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered up.

1.    “You feed them” We are His representatives here, we are the way He meets needs on this planet.  “Bring Me what you have” is His request. 

2.   “Sit them down in groups of fifty” Each of us has a circle of influence.  As a church, we have a circle of influence.  He expects us to use our resources to increase the Kingdom’s influence in that circle.

3.   “He took the loaves and fishes, looked toward Heaven, blessed them and broke them” If we are going to influence our circle with our resources, we must look to Heaven for supernatural intervention.  Hebrews 7:8 (NKJV) “Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he (Jesus) receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.”  We give here, but our giving is received in Heaven by Jesus Himself.  He blesses it.  Touch Heaven, Change Earth.

4.   “He gave the bread to the disciples to hand out” He takes what we give Him, blesses it, and puts it in our hands to reach those in our circle of influence. The miracle of multiplication happened in the disciples’ hands.  They brought what they had (5 loaves and 2 fish), gave it to Jesus with a willing heart (note their “cheerful giver” response—“We’ll go into town and buy enough to feed this crowd is you want us to.”), He blessed it and broke it calling on Heaven to touch it, and as they used it to meet the needs in each circle it multiplied in their hands!

5.   “twelve baskets of leftovers” Note the completion of the Multiplication Principle:  you give with a heart for the Kingdom, a heart for His house.  Heaven touches your giving and you use it for the good of others, and your house is blessed—note 2 Corinthians 9:8 “Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”  Big difference in the Multiplication Principle and the “Giving to Get” thinking—Multiplication is activated when we give in response to His goodness (a grateful heart) and for the good of His Kingdom and the good of others (a generous heart).