Be Fruitful and Multiply
Adam and Eve were commanded to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). However, the serpent came with a spirit of division to deceive them and lure their minds away from God’s instructions to them. After the flood, Noah and his family were commanded to be fruitful and multiply after they exited the ark (Genesis 9:1). Jesus told the disciples that He had chosen them to “go and bear fruit that should remain” (John 15:16).
To be fruitful is to multiply or reproduce. This can refer to human reproduction such as when children are conceived or the processes by which families and people groups are enlarged. It also includes the reproduction and multiplication of believers that come into relationship with Jesus Christ through witnessing, teaching, evangelism, and discipleship that occurs through the sharing of the Gospel.
Multiplication is the opposite operation of division. Multiplication produces increase, enlargement, growth, and more of something. Division usually results in something becoming fractured, separated, dismantled, or smaller or less than what it previously was as a whole. Multiplication results in a product. Division yields a quotient. The point we want to emphasize here is that God has commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. He has made every provision for us, through Jesus Christ, to be fruitful and to multiply, and to bear the kind of fruit that remains – but the spirit of division will hinder or even abort our ability to do so.
Multiplication results in a product. When computing 9 to the eighth power or with an exponent of 8, it is shown as 9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9 which equals 43,046,721. Exponents are quantities representing the power to which a given number is to be raised or multiplied – not divided. Multiplication leads to something becoming more than what it originally was. It leads to more – not less.
Division can be used to accomplish God’s purposes and for good reasons. According to Genesis1:4, God divided the light from the darkness. Noah was directed to build the ark with divisions for three large compartments inside of the boat (Genesis 6:16). There was a supernatural division of water that took place when the Red Sea was parted for the Israelites. Joshua 13:7 indicates that Joshua was commanded to the divide land among the Israelites. King David divided the Levites according to specific duties (1 Chronicles 23). Ezekiel was told to shave his hair and his beard and then carefully weigh and divide the shaven hair (Ezekiel 5:1). King Solomon gave a command to cut an infant in half to settle a dispute between two women who both claimed to be the mother of the infant (I Kings 3:25). He must have known that the real mother of the infant would identify herself by being the one who would quickly agree to give up rights to the infant so that the infant would not be harmed – and this is exactly what happened. It was not God’s will for the child to be divided and the king knew that the real mother would identify herself by expressing the same.
Many things need to be divided, can easily be divided, or are expected to be divided. Such is the case with pizza, the sections of an orange, land, money, roads or highways, hair, pages in newspaper or book, or tasks that a team must complete to implement a project. There is a time to rightly divide but also a time to not permit the spirit of division to hinder the process of being fruitful.
The spirit of division works against enlargement and contributes to reduction of the whole. Consider this mathematical example. 72 divided by 9 equals 8. Likewise, 9 multiplied by 8 equals 72. When standing alone as a single number, 72 is larger when compared to the numbers 9 or 8. When divided by some other number (except for the number 1), the original number of 72 decreases and the result is less than 72. Now divide 9 by 8 or divide 8 by 9. What do you notice?
The spirit of division is in operation everywhere. It is even prevalent in the body of Christ. It can parade within and among denominations, married couples who have recited godly vows, church officials and leadership, and auxiliary workers. Division can operate between church leadership and congregation worshippers, between leadership and family members, and among worshippers themselves. Division most certainly can exist in non-church settings such as governmental or community groups, neighbors, employers and employees, parents and children, medical caregivers and patients, or among family members and friends. Division is not new. Before the creation of man, division occurred with Lucifer. From the beginning of time until now, division has continued to occur everywhere that people have existed. Division operated in the presence of Jesus Christ through Judas Iscariot.
The spirit of division wreaks havoc wherever it is and among whomsoever will permit it to do so. Once the damage is done in one situation, division moves on to find its next vicinity and victims. Many times, division operates quietly and it can go unnoticed if not spiritually discerned. In these situations, division can silently erect itself into a damaging stronghold before individuals involved in the situation realize what is happening. The spirit of division can always be detected by its negative impacts. When left alone and not dealt with, it can spread quickly and yield catastrophic effects with devastating consequences. The spirit of division can cause hearts to be broken. It can cause an explosion of chaos, confusion, or unrest. It can fracture or rip apart an organization. It can cause a city, country, or nation to cease to exist (see Matthew 12:25). It can cause individuals to lose their lives. When division is allowed to exist, it causes people to become dull of hearing to the command to be fruitful and multiply.
Division will cause a vision or a mission to be unfulfilled. It will cause people to abandon purpose. In a marriage, in a church, in a business, in a nation, in a kingdom, or on a team – division that is not dealt with ultimately leads to downfall. The more you cut or divide something, the smaller its parts get and the less it is able to stand. In other words, the more parts that you divide something into, the smaller your quotient will be.
In order to divide or allocate, separation must be done with wisdom and under divine supervision. If not – problems, errors, losses can be noticed when it is time to check outcomes or calculate results. There is definitely a time to divide and at time not to divide. With the spirit of division, finding opportunities for increase can be frustrating and the ability to experience fruitful outcomes can be severely delayed or impossible. The spirit of division breaks or separates what God intends to be a single, unified, effectively functioning, indomitable whole into smaller cliques or schisms that are characterized by a divided focus, self-promoting interests, and that can be easily overcome by adversaries. When division occurs, the resulting divided parts are known as “contentions, wranglings, and factions” (1 Corinthians 1:11 AMPC).
It is not only imperative that the spirit of division is recognized but that God’s wisdom is used to manage it. It is important to know how and when to rightly divide – and when division is operating for destructive purposes. Jesus Christ has chosen and appointed us to be fruit bearers for the kingdom and to make disciples of all nations. To bear fruit and ensure that it remains, we must not allow division to exist among us.