The Miracle of Church Planting is the Miracle of Multiplication

In my recent travels, I had the opportunity to speak at the first anniversary of a church that was planted 40 minutes away from their mother church in Orlando, Florida. It was a time of great rejoicing! Their mother church began as a church plant too. But after being established for more than a decade, they multiplied to reach another part of the city. As I traveled to Japan, a church in the small fi shing town of Nanki had also multiplied into two more churches to reach extended areas of their prefecture in recent years. Both churches did not multiply out of abundance. They multiplied so that more lighthouses of God’s Kingdom could be planted in new areas. They were planted so that spiritual food could be fed to new communities.

The miracle of multiplication is the responsibility of the saints.

In Matthew 14:16 Jesus says, “They do not need to go away, you give them something to eat!” They were in a remote place. It was getting late. Feeding the great crowd would cost more than half a year’s wages. The disciples had also been conducting ministry the whole day. It’s not like they were not doing Kingdom work. They probably had their hands full. And now, what stood before them were the hungry multitudes. The easiest way to feed the crowds was ‘every man for themselves’—send them away to buy food for themselves.

But Jesus had an important lesson for the disciples to learn that day—feeding the multitudes was the responsibility of the disciples. It’s not enough to recognize it’s getting late. It’s not enough to recognize that we are living in end times. It’s not enough to recognize people are in remote places with no
access to a church. It’s crucial that we, the church, assume responsibility to feed the multitudes!

When we assume the responsibility to feed the multitudes, the miraculous provision of God’s grace and mercy will be manifested. The miracle of multiplication happened when they accepted the Lord’s instruction to give them something to eat. The miraculous provision of the little boy’s lunchbox unfolded as they responded in obedience to search for something when they felt they had absolutely nothing. ‘Nothing’ is God’s favorite place to begin something miraculous. But it first begins with our willingness to obey, to step out of convenience and practicality, and to step into the miraculous.

The miracle of multiplication begins with giving Jesus what is precious to you.

“We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish,” said the disciples. What the disciples thought would mean nothing was everything to the little boy. Imagine with me: It was the end of the day. That little boy has been out for an entire day. I don’t know why only he had his lunchbox uneaten yet, but he clearly saved it for the end of the day. It was precious to the little boy. Let’s call him “Timmy”. Many of us save for a rainy day. Many of us save the best for last. That lunchbox was very precious to little Timmy. That day, that little boy gave what was precious to him for Jesus to work a miracle.

Some of us have our five loaves and two fish that we think won’t amount to much when we compare it to the multitudes. Some of us save our five loaves and two fish for a rainy day. But will you offer to Jesus your five loaves and two fish, that which is precious to you to Jesus to work the miracle of multiplication

In each of the churches above that were planted—the mother church gave their best leaders and people as seed for the new church plant to start off strong. They didn’t give out of an abundance of leaders. They gave the resources they had—finances as well as manpower.

The miracle of multiplication begins with your five loaves and two fish in the hands of Jesus.

The miracle of multiplication is for all to be fed and satisfied.

It’s amazing what five loaves and two fish can amount to. That day, it wasn’t just the feeding of 5,000. It was the feeding of 5,000 men plus women and children. Theologians estimate it to be the feeding of at least 20,000 people. And it’s very possible if every man had brought his wife and two children.
The bible records for us that “all ate and were filled”. The miracle of multiplication will never fail to feed and satisfy those who are hungry for the Lord.

If we leave the multitudes to find spiritual food for themselves, what food would they find? Today, the church has five loaves and two fish to offer to the Lord for the miracle of multiplication to happen. The miracle of church planting is the miracle of multiplication. It’s allowing remote places to become places where people will be fed and satisfied in the Lord. It’s getting late—what will you do? Will you ‘give them something to eat’ or will you absolve responsibility and say ‘send them away and let them buy food for themselves’?

My prayer for us is that we will be like little Timmy—offering our five loaves and two fish to seed the miracle of multiplication—to see the planting of churches for the extension of the Kingdom of God.

教会植堂的奇迹是倍增的奇迹
最近，我有机会在奥兰多一间距离母堂40分钟路 程的教会的一周年庆典上发言。那是欢欣鼓舞的时刻！他们的母堂也始于植堂。建堂十多年后，他们为了接触城市另一个区域的人群而倍增植堂。我在日本也发现南紀小渔村的一间教会近年来也倍增一间教会，以触及州内更多的地区。这两间教会都不是因为人数众多而倍增。他们倍增以便在新地区建立更多国度的灯塔。他们植堂是为了给新社区提供灵粮。

倍增的奇迹是信徒的责任。
在马太福音 14:16 中，耶稣说: “不用他们去，你们给他们吃罢！”他们当时身处远地。天色已晚。为一大群人提供食物将花费半年以上的工资。门徒并不是没有为国度出力，他们已经服事了一天，或许忙得不可开交。现在，他们面对饥饿的人群，最简单的方法是‘各自为政’，请他们自己去买食物。

但是那天耶稣给门徒上了一课：给人群吃饱是门徒的责任。仅仅认识到天色已晚是不够的；仅仅认识到我们生活在末世是不够的；仅仅认识到人们身处偏远之地无法接触到教会也是不够的。教会喂饱人群的责任至关重要！

当我们承担起给人群吃饱的责任时，神便彰显祂奇妙的恩典和怜悯。当他们听从主的指示给人群食物吃的
时候，增倍的奇迹就发生了。虽然觉得一无所有，但是他们顺服地开始寻找食物。这时，他们奇妙地发现
了小男孩的午餐盒。神喜欢在我们‘一无所有’的处境下行神迹。然而，一切必须取决于我们是否愿意顺服，摆脱便利和实用主义，走向奇迹。

倍增的奇迹始于将你珍视的东西交给耶稣。

门徒说:“我们这里只有五个饼，两条鱼。” 门徒认为无足轻重的东西对小男孩来说却是一切。试想一下，天色已晚，小男孩已经外出一整天了。我不知道为什么只有他午餐盒的食物还没吃，但他显然是留到了晚上吃。它对小男孩来说是非常珍贵的。我们许多人都会未雨绸缪，许多人把最好的留到最后。那个午餐盒对小男孩来说非常珍贵。那一天，小男孩将他珍视的东西交给耶稣，让他创造奇迹。

我们有些人也有五饼二鱼，而认为它与好多人所有的相比，其实微不足道。有些人将我们的五饼二鱼好，以备不时之需。但你愿意将你的五饼二鱼，也就是对你珍视的东西奉献给耶稣，让他创造倍增的奇迹吗?

在上述的每间教会中，母堂差遣了最好的领袖和会友参与植堂，作为新教会开端的种子。他们不是派出多余的领袖。他们献出他们所拥有的资源，包括财务和人力。

倍增的奇迹始于将你的五饼二鱼交在耶稣手中。

倍增的奇迹是为了让所有人吃饱和满足。

五饼二鱼能倍增出多少饼和鱼真是奇妙。那天，他们要喂饱的不只是5000人。除了5000个男人，还有妇人和孩子需要食物。神学家估计他们至少需要为20,000人提供食物。如果每个男人都带了妻子和两个孩子，这也是很有可能的。圣经记载：“他们都吃，并且吃饱了。”倍增的奇迹将永远不会喂不饱或不满足那些渴望主的人。

如果我们让众人自己寻找属灵食物，他们会找到什么食物呢？今天，教会有五饼二鱼献给主，让祂行倍增的奇迹。教会植堂的奇迹是倍增的奇迹。这意味着偏远的地方也能成为让人们在主里得到饱足的地方。时间不早了，你会怎么做？你会“给他们吃”，还是会推卸责任说“请叫众人散开，他们好往村子里去，自己买吃的”？

我祷告，愿我们能像那个小男孩一样，奉献我们的五饼二鱼，为倍增的奇迹播种，看到教会的植堂，扩展神的国度。