Prelude
What is the future of the Church? Should we worry about it? Who is responsible for church growth? Purpose: Let’s understand the unstoppable growth of God’s kingdom. Plan: We will look at Mark 4:26-34 and why optimism over the church’s future is valid, why the church will continue to grow as a hidden kingdom and why even the world’s greatest control freaks cannot control what is in God’s hands.
Planting Seed
Mark 4:26 “And He was saying, ‘The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil’”. This spiritual kingdom is where God’s authority is accepted. It is not a democracy, but we do get to vote or choose Him. We reveal our enthusiasm for Him by how we spread the news, the seed of the kingdom. We scatter it on the ground. It could be rocky soil, hard ground, thorny ground or good soil, but we do scatter. Other parables show that God is happy with indiscriminate scattering of that seed. The important point is that it is scattered and not left in the seed bag.
Sleeping
Mark 4:27 “and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.” This parable is only found in Mark. If we did what we could, if we spread the good news to anyone who would listen, then the rest is up to God. Let’s not worry about our church. The seed grows all by itself without human effort, night and day, while we are asleep or awake. If we have spread the seed, then God will bless our efforts while we sleep. We don’t need gimmicks. Now we just wait for it to grow and bear fruit.
Automatic Growth
Mark 4:28-29 “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Sometimes plow perfectly good church programs under, like last year’s growth. We scatter seed, rest while God makes the seed grow. Of course we water, then participate in the harvest. Our job is not to worry about kingdom growth. The Greek word for “of itself” means automatically. A watered plant will automatically grow. An unwatered plant will not. Paul said (1 Corinthians 3:6-7) he planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
Mustard Seed
Mark 4:30-31 “And He said, ‘How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil’” The mustard seed pictures something tiny. Kingdom work is never in vain. Growth is often not seen for a time, but it is promised to be incredible. It has grown from one man, Jesus, to billions today. The phrase “smallest of all the seeds” is hyperbolic. The meaning of the riddle is faith to see the future of even the smallest of kingdom efforts.
Mustard Plant
Mark 4:32 “yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” A mustard plant is a shrub or even considered to be a weed by some. It can grow to 10 feet (3 meters) tall. Though religious leaders sometimes try to lord it over the faith of believers, that is not what Jesus wants (Matthew 20:25-28). The weed still grows everywhere in Israel today. Though control freaks try to dictate, maybe God has other ideas. What some call weeds can be valuable herbs with healing properties.
Parables
Mark 4:33-34 “With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.” Jesus’ parables are riddles about the kingdom of God. Those who are not ready and willing to hear may not understand. Those who are comfortable in this world may see the kingdom of God as a threat and dismiss it. Those who are ready to hear will delight in exploring the possibilities that parables open up. A parable is a teaching story, inviting us to use our minds.
Postlude
The future of the Church is growth. We don’t need to worry about it. Jesus said, "I will build my Church," so He is responsible for church growth. No one can stop the uncontrollable growth of God’s kingdom in us and in the world around us. Let’s make sure that we are a part of it.
Mark 4:26-34; Matthew 20:25-28; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
All Scripture: New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
