ICS Daily Devotions
Growing the Tree
Mark 4:26-29 (NKJV) And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The local church is part of the universal church which Jesus planted after His death and res-urrection. Jesus declared that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church of the living God. The local church will never fail, as long as the local believers hold onto their calling and live out their calling intentionally for the Lord. However, it must be remembered that every-thing takes time to grow. The Lord said, “first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head”.
The power of the seed! Take a look at the world around you. Observe and appreciate God’s creation! People can plant trees, but they also pollinate naturally, and more prolifically. The most wonderful thing to observe is the plants that grew in the most adverse environments. They had to break out of the hard ground first, before they reached out the sunlight. There is an unseen work under the soil where the seed begins to germinate and grow. The earth yields crops by itself.
Similarly, our ministry is to continue to sow the word of God, which is the gospel, into the lives of the people whom God has put within our sphere of influence. But it is the work of the Holy Spirit that will develop the seedling in their souls and prompt it to grow.
Once there was a couple studying in Sweden for Bible school, and they had the opportunity to minister to many people. On one occasion, they were invited to the house of a scientist for dinner. He was an atheist. He had a very good meal prepared for his guests, and eventually the topic swung towards the Christian faith. The couple took the opportunity to share the gospel with him. Though he listened intently to the presentation, the scientist did not decide to receive Christ. His intellect was a hindrance to finding faith. But the couple did not force him nor make him feel obliged to accept the word they had given. They did not attempt to make him feel guilty or scared, but instead they trusted in God, that His word itself has power after it has been sown. About a week later, the husband of the Christian couple received a phone call from this scientist. The scientist said that he had been struggling after hearing the good news. He wanted to end the struggle by accepting Christ. Praise the Lord! God works, and it is our privilege to be a part of that work.
We will not see immediate results in many things, especially in ministry, where we work with people who are free moral agents. We must trust God that He is working in the lives of his people. Impatience can be a lifelong struggle, but while we sow love with urgency, we must wait patiently for the harvest.
Sowing love is the most powerful thing you can do. The largest church in South Korea got to be that way largely because of the women’s ministry. YoiDo Full Gospel church trained their people to be evangelistically minded. Every woman in the church intentionally befriends and helps their neighbors by simple acts of kindness. These simple acts of kindness open oppor-tunities for friendships to develop. Women all over began to respond to the gospel as these ladies continued to minister to them, resulting in the women’s ministry become the most powerful one in the church. And it all started with simple acts of kindness and love in the community.
Every man can take the opportunity to befriend their male colleagues over lunch, being sen-sitive to the Holy Spirit and praying for their colleagues when the need arises. They can re-member what their colleagues have shared, especially if a child or spouse is unwell. Care and concern for those you work with does not go unnoticed. Sow love. Invite someone for lunch. Befriend the newcomers. Follow up. Invest time.
The church is made up of the individuals. The physical building is incidental. Whether a church thrives is very much dependent on the individuals that make up the corporate body of believers. How do these individuals, how does this body respond to the word of God? That is was determines how strong a church will be. When the people respond well to the word, they will grow in their spiritual walk. And then, they will be good witnesses to the community. They will lead cell groups and disciple others. They will not allow new believers to wander away due to a lack of follow up. They will become strong, steady, and mature Christians, because their foundation on Jesus Christ will be strong. They will always be growing themselves, as they foster the growth of those less rooted in the faith.
Sermon Series: Church Anniversary Celebration
