The Paradox Of God's Kingdom Series

So here we find the fourth paradox. EVEN THOUGH GOD’S KINGDOM STARTS SMALL, IT WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME A WORLDWIDE REIGN.

What starts out as small, insignificant, almost unseen becomes something huge in both size and scope. It’s tempting for us to look at the size of the worldwide Christian community today and equate that with the mustard plant. It’s temping for us to look at how in the first century Church started in ancient Israel with just 120 people, but today 33% of the world’s six billion people consider themselves to be Christians. Look at how the mustard seed has grown, we say. It’s tempting for us to look at the size of our megachurches and universities, the size of our buildings and budgets, and to think that this is the mustard plant.

But the mustard plant in this story isn’t the size of our Christianity, it’s the consummation of God’s kingdom in our world. It’s that time when evil is judged and tears are wiped away. It’s that time when there’s a multitude gathered around the throne of God from every nation, every language, every people, and together in once voice they lift up their praise to God. And even though the Christian faith is big in some places, the mustard plant still hasn’t grow to full maturity.

This paradox teaches us to beware of being too impressed with bigness. We tend to be overly impressed with bigness, especially we who live in the United States. We study huge churches to find the secret to their success; we don’t study small churches. We want thousands to come forward at an outreach event, not just hundreds.

This paradox reminds us to not despise small beginnings. Often it’s the small where God is working the most powerfully.

Helmut Thielicke was a German theologian when Hitler came to power before World War 2. Because Thielicke was outspoken in his criticism of Hitler, he was removed from his university post and sent to a small town with instructions to stay in that town. So Thielicke began pastoring a small church in that town, and throughout the war he pastored that church. He says that when he became a pastor, he decided to have his first midweek Bible study (The Waiting Father pp. 62-63). He held high hopes for making an impact in the church, but only three people came to his Bible study: Two elderly ladies and an elderly man. He says as he sat looking at these three elderly people, outside the church he could hear the marching of the battalions of Hitler youth who’d swore their allegiance the Third Reich. In that moment he wondered at the future of the Christian faith, as it seemed that the faith was dying while the Hitler war machine was growing stronger and stronger every day. Was it really true that the kingdoms of this world will one day become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah? Then Pastor Thielicke thought of this story, the mustard seed that grew into a plant. That gave him encouragement and hope, and of course when the dust settled, it was Hitler’s kingdom that fell, not God’s kingdom.

Don’t despise the little things my friends. It’s often in the little things where God is working the most in hidden and mysterious ways.