God Will Bring the Increase - Biltmore Baptist Church

Introduction

We are putting together a grant request for the Dover Association to help us out
Part of the preparation we are doing is to document the growth of our clothes closet
I went through every sign-in sheet for every Saturday since we opened in 2017
When I plugged in all the numbers, I was truly astounded
I have always felt like the growth has been strong; and I tend to exaggerate sometimes
But even I didn’t realize how off the chain this thing is – let me show you – next slide
The chart shows two lines: a blue one and a red one
The blue line is steeper because it uses the average rate of growth year over year since it was opened, 73%, to predict the next three years
The red line is less steep because it uses the most recent rate of growth, 44% (2021-2022)
By 2025, we will average as low as 333 families each time we are open or as high as 571
The average number of families visiting each time we are open has grown:
We were open 7 times the first year and served a total of 67 familes (avg 10)
2^nd year open 24 times; served 337 families and averaged 14/visit
3^rd year open 24 times; served 803 families averaging 33/visit
4^th year, 2020, open 24 times; served 1002 families averaging 42/visit
5^th year, last year, open only 22 times; served 1696 families averaging 77/visit
So far this year, open only 18 times so far; served 2003 families avging 111/visit
Can you imagine if the blue line is right? Can you picture 571 people on a Saturday?
From a handful of people in the beginning, to a point where we do as much on a Saturday as we used to do in an entire year!!
So how did we get here? And where are we going?:

It all began with the seed of an idea
We provided the water
God brought the increase

1. It all began with the seed of an idea

Paul said “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.”
I tell you my brothers and sisters, you are no longer infants in Christ
You have set aside the call of the world on this church and have turned to the Spirit
You are obedient to the call that God has placed on you
The seed that He has planted here has grown roots and is a healthy vine
We know how precarious it can be for a seed to take root. Jesus said in Matt 13:1-9

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

God has found good, fertile soil here and we have been very fruitful!!
It hasn’t always been the case here – we have been like when Paul says:

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready

The seed God planted here started out as just an idea: it was a school assignment
Andy Johnson was taking a class and needed to write up a church missions project
Andy thought “why just write about it? Why not DO it?”
So Andy convinced the church to re-purpose the derelict youth recreation building
With help from his dad, he cleaned the place up, built racks for clothes and worked with a small team to collect and hang up clothes
This distinction between talking about an idea and just doing it is what has come to define this church – we are a kinetic church that DOES things LOTS of things
What a small seed that God planted with Andy …
And what a difference it made that it fell on such fertile soil
Andy just aerated and seeded and fertilized my yard, so I’m hoping that I have fertile soil
This church was ready for a change and willing to listen to God’s will
You have heard the call to reach this neighborhood and you have been obedient
Paul doesn’t want us to get tangled up with quarrels and jealousy
The Corinthian church was so messed up at the time of this first letter
Churches can get so messed up can’t they? Because we are just people after all
Churches go through cycles where things start going really well and they ignore God
Then God holds back His blessings on the church and it starts to spin down
When the church wakes up to their mistakes, and turns to God, things spin up
Hopefully, the church wakes up before it is too late. Sadly, that isn’t the case sometimes
God knows that the key to accomplishing His plan for Biltmore is to showcase action
The things we do for our neighbors are what will grow this church and this ministry
And it all started with the tiny seed of an idea

2. We provided the water

God planted the seed with Andy, but it has taken Norma’s team years of hard work to water it and grow it so dramatically
Paul said in verses 8-9:

The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Andy did his part and served his purpose
Norma’s team has done its part and served its purpose
Could we have done this without either party? NO
Paul tells us about laying a foundation for the future in verse 10:

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.

It’s important to realize that we are building something here at Biltmore
I am showing you real evidence; FACTS of great success in our clothes closet
But hear me when I say to you that this is only the beginning.
This is just the foundation that will lead to much greater things that God has planned
Why are churches all over America failing? What will it take to turn things around?
My friends, I believe God is modeling the answer right here with us
We have the platform; we have the foundation; where could it go? What could we build?
How about we figure out a way to bridge the language gap that we have with so many?
How could we expand the clothes closet ministry?
How could we feed more people in more ways?
What about counseling and advocacy and training and rehabilitation?
We are struggling with finding ways to help homeless in our neighborhood
What could we do to help with homeless?
Whatever seeds God wants to plant here, they will fall on fertile soil and we are ready, willing and able to provide the watering

3. God brought the increase

Paul said: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
If we keep our foundation solidly in Jesus Christ, then we can’t miss and God will provide the increase
The secret to our success here is that we stopped listening to the world and turned to God
Paul said: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”
Does anybody in this room think that we could have pulled this off on our own? NO
Do you ever stop to think that we are doing the impossible? I DO
I see my role here as encourager and cheerleader, but this is bigger than even I can dream
This is truly a God thing and He is proving it to us over and over
The truth is I do a little bit more than encourage; I do bring a valid and inspired message
I believe that what I tell you is what God wants me to tell you; I’m just the messenger
How can you believe this is all for real? Just look around; the proof is all around us
Others around us are seeing it; we are a beacon to an ever-growing group of people
God is giving us increase because we are doing what He wants us to do: no more-no less
I wish I could take credit for anything, but all the credit belongs to the Lord
All the praise and glory that we can possibly lift up belongs to Him
We plant the seeds as we are led
We provide the water and the hard work to nurture the seeds
And it is God who provides the growth
It is God who provides the INCREASE