Genesis 9:1
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
After the flood, God made it clear to Noah that it was his responsibility to replenish the earth. It has always been God’s plan from Creation to the New Testament church to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish. So, if we are to replenish, what does replenish mean? Replenish means to fill up again. In other words, what was once filled is no longer filled, so God wants you to replenish what once used to be filled.
The replenish mindset is a great key to building a church. You will never build a church if you are okay with empty seats. My purpose of writing this devotional is not to condemn anyone who has not filled what they have, but to motivate all people to get a replenish mindset towards their church. In other words, I want the Sunday school teacher to have a replenish mindset towards their class. I want the bus worker to have a replenish mindset towards their bus route. I want the Pastor as well as the church member to have a replenish mindset toward their church. Let me share what it takes to have a replenish mindset.
First, empty seats must bother you. When I took over the Maranatha Baptist Church, our pews were red. Every empty seat seemed to scream at me that it needed to be filled. It bothered me greatly that there were so many empty seats. You will never fill your church if it does not bother you greatly that you have empty seats in your auditorium. Nobody will endeavor to replenish their church if they are okay with empty seats. If you are not bothered that your Sunday school class has empty seats, you will never fill your class. If you are not bothered to bring your bus back with empty seats, you will never fill your bus. If every church member is not bothered by empty seats in the auditorium, you will never fill your church. God’s desire is that His house is filled; therefore, it must bother you when you see empty seats. The answer is not to remove seats but to fill every seat with a person.
Second, you must do what it takes to be fruitful. Personal responsibility is the key to being fruitful. You will never replenish your church if you don't take it personally to fill your church. God told Noah to be fruitful, and throughout the Scriptures God shows His desire for His children to be fruitful; therefore, it is every believer's responsibility to be fruitful. You will not be fruitful if you don't go soul winning. The reason Christ’s last command to the apostles was to be a soul winner is because He knew that nobody can be fruitful without being a soul winner. You must be a soul winner to please God, and you must be a soul winner to be fruitful. Not only should it bother you to have empty seats, but it should also bother you when you don't bring forth fruit.
Third, you must multiply, which means you must get others involved to help you to be fruitful. A one-man show will never replenish the church; it takes everyone involved to replenish the church. If it does not bother you that you are not getting others involved with you, you will never replenish the church. My friend, every church member must be involved in trying to replenish the church. Every believer must be involved in soul winning and bringing forth fruit. We will never please God until we fill the buses, rooms and buildings that God has given us. The key is to let empty seats, not enough fruit, and others not helping to bother you. When you are bothered by these, you will do something about it so you can replenish what you have.
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