{"id":6835,"date":"2017-02-20T10:41:39","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T15:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?p=6835"},"modified":"2017-02-20T10:41:39","modified_gmt":"2017-02-20T15:41:39","slug":"the-kingdom-starts-as-a-seed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/the-kingdom-starts-as-a-seed\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kingdom Starts as a Seed"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love the passion that followers of Christ show when they are focused on Kingdom work, especially in the beginning stages of new ministry. We become excited to begin serving, loving, teaching, counseling, and building relationships because we desire to see the expansion the Kingdom of God. We want to see people come to know Christ and obtain life, but we want to see it now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we run into obstacles, are rejected, or our message seems to fall on deaf ears, we become frustrated and discouraged. This is often what leads people to back out of serving or quit ministry, but more importantly this response shows an improper view of Kingdom work. When we become frustrated and discouraged, we show that our expectation of our labors are different than God\u2019s. We want something different than what God wants. Whether it is faster sanctification, more folks in the church house, a more receptive counselee, or better responses in small group discussion, we should not become disheartened by a lack of response. God has a perfect plan in how He is growing the Kingdom, and we are called to simply be faithful and patient.<\/strong> We never want to be behind God\u2019s timing or ahead of it.<\/p>\n

Here is how Jesus describes the Kingdom of God: Matthew 13:31-32 says, \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like\u00a0a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.\u00a032\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed\u2026 A seed<\/em>\u2026 It doesn\u2019t start out like a full-grown plant. When we expand the Kingdom of God into an unchurched area, we start with a small seed. This is completely counter-cultural to the way we work today. We don\u2019t prefer to buy seeds. Instead, we purchase potted plants which are grown by someone else. Contrary to this, sometimes when we do work for the Kingdom of God, we are given a small, tender seed to care for.<\/strong> We are called to sow<\/em> the seed, to water<\/em> it, and to trust<\/em> God for the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).<\/p>\n

Growing a strong tree takes a lot of work over a long period of time, and, in order for us to be a part of the growing process, we must be patient and faithful. Change won\u2019t likely happen overnight, but, after years of work, we can see transformation.<\/strong> We know this to be true because of the promise in verse 32. \u201c\u2026when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and has become a tree\u2026\u201d The Kingdom of God is not a lost<\/em> cause. It is the best<\/em><\/strong> cause. The Kingdom of God is the best investment because, according to Christ, when the seed is fully grown, it is larger than all other plants.<\/p>\n

So, on the days that you don\u2019t see growth in ministry\u2026On the days you feel faint from your work\u2026 On the days you have a desire to quit\u2026 Confess your weakness to God and remember that the Kingdom of God is a seed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love the passion that followers of Christ show when they are focused on Kingdom work, especially in the beginning stages of new ministry. We become excited to begin serving, loving, teaching, counseling, and building relationships because we desire to see the expansion the Kingdom of God. We want to see people come to know… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":6857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Kingdom Starts as a Seed - Faith Church Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/the-kingdom-starts-as-a-seed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Kingdom Starts as a Seed - Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I love the passion that followers of Christ show when they are focused on Kingdom work, especially in the beginning stages of new ministry. 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