Planting Those Seeds

Matthew 13:31–32 “He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.””

PRAY

11 years ago, a seed was planted. A seed with hopes of it growing into a huge tree one day.

A lot of love, passion, prayer, hope, and faith went into this seed.

This seed has grown and has seen it’s great days and not so great days.

Today, we celebrate and look back at this one-time small seed to see what it has become and the lives it has touched.

Planting the Seed

Matthew 13:3–8 “And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”

Every crop or plant begins with a seed. It’s amazing to see something so small and hard turn into something great and strong.

This church started off with a few seeds itself. Seeds of hope, a vision, faith, prayer, sacrifice, and obediance.

We are blessed enough to see the seeds we planted grow into what they are now. It still isn’t the biggest tree, but it has seen a lot of growth throughout the years.

What seeds are you called to plant today? What are you willing to do to make them grow?

God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible—What a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves. -A.W. Tozer

Myself, family and the ones who came before embraced the impossibe. When others saw a closed down, broken church, we saw it filled with people. We saw the potential. We saw a congregation that glorifies God!

We trust in God, not our own selves.

Nurturing the Plant

1 Peter 2:2 “and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,”

Even after the seeds begins to grow, it still needs attention and care to reach its full potential.

Planting is just the beginning. Now it’s time to nurture.

For us, that has meant and still means discipleship, teaching, singing, preaching, and building a strong foundation to everyone here!

A young Christian and a young Church needs vital resources in order to grow. As a Christian, this is the Word of God. We read it, apply it, and live by it so we can grow into the person God wants us to be.

The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of the love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

How are you listening to others? How are you discipling to new members that come into the church?

What kind of example are you setting to those that visit our little church?

Now that we are past the seed phase, we need to nurture what we have so it will have a strong start and produce good fruit.

Weathering the Storms

James 1:2–4 “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

All plants will face hard times. Extreme heat, floods, freezes, insects, and more.

The Church is the same way. All Churches face these extreme conditions. Yes. Even pests. Bugs that infiltrate the harvest and destroy from within.

This church has seen it’s share of storms as well. Ministry isn’t easy. Just ask, I will let you know!

We’ve seen ups and downs. Tests and trials, and bugs that try to take us out.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. -Corrie ten Boom

How have we responded to these storms? Although it was tough, we kept moving forward. Through Faith and Prayer, we have weathered these storms.

God has made us stronger because of these hardships.

Bearing Fruit

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

The whole point of planting something is to bear fruit and grow even more plants/trees

For the church, this fruit saves lives, heals, strengthens, comforts, uplifts, and more.

We just need to remember that Jesus is the vine from which we grow.

The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement...but it is a life of fruit-bearing. -Billy Graham

What fruit are you bearing for the church? Are you doing your part to bear good fruit and help the church grow and flourish?

Or are you bearing bad fruit? Causing disfunction, lies, division?

Replanting for the Future

Philippians 3:13–14 “Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

A healthy plant produces seeds that can be grown.

This ensures that plant will go on.

The church is the same way. The youth are those seeds. It’s our job to produce them and nurture them so they can continue to grow this church!

What new seeds is God calling us to do for the Kingdom? What does the next 11 years of Pleasant Grove look like?

Let’s not get stuck in the past. Let’s keep our eyes on the future and make it happen!

2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;”

As we look back, lets give thanks to God for all the blessings He has given this church. We have seen some wonderful things from this small church. We have weathered some storms. We have nutrured the young seeds for the next crop. We have given and sacrificed for the betterment of the Church.

God has given us this Church. He has been here for the good times and rough times. It’s our job to remain faithful to Him and grown this Church. Let’s all be soul winners for Jesus for the next 11 years and beyond.

INVITATION