Kingdom Growth

 In the 1940s, a Russian farmer was ecstatic. "Comrade Stalin, our potato crop is the biggest ever. All heaped up, it'd reach all the way to God." Stalin retorted, "But God doesn't exist!" "Exactly!" said the farmer. "Neither do the potatoes." At times, our growth as Christians seems just as imaginary. But in today's verses Jesus says Kingdom growth isn't imaginary. No more than God is imaginary. It's real. It's as sure as God is. No matter how imaginary or slow our growth may seem. Let's look at Mark 4:26-34. Last week, Jesus said those who obey Him are His family. Afterwards, He taught at Lake Galilee. 1st was the parable of the sower & the rocky soil, thorny soil, & good soil. Jesus sows KoG seed in our hearts. The soil of our hearts determines how well it grows. What does Jesus expect? A good crop. Next was the parable of the lamp on a stand. Our light? The KoG seed He plants? Don't hide it. Our verses are next. 26a"This is what the kingdom of God is like." 26b"A man scatters seed on the ground." Who scatters seed? In the parable of the sower, it's Jesus. Here, it's Jesus and His followers. We all witness. We all scatter seed. Our seed is our witness. We think we're supposed to witness with words. At some point, that's true. Only words can point directly to Jesus. But even our silence witnesses. We witness how we live. Others are always watching us. Dwight L. Moody said, "Where one man reads the Bible, 100 read you & me." In every moment, we're scattering seed. Each day. All day. And each seed? 27a"Night & day, whether the sower sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts & grows." We do nothing. It just grows. 27b"We don't know how." We may have scientific explanations. But no one truly understands the mystery of life. How can a 4,000-year-old seed from a sarcophagus sprout as soon as it's planted? No one knows. But it does! Kingdom growth is just as mysterious. 28a"All by itself the soil produces grain." God does it. The process always works. 28b"1st the stalk." A tender shoot breaks through the ground to find the sun. It grows into a stalk. 28c"Then the head starts to develop." 28d"Then comes the full kernel in the head." God established the process. With good soil, water, & sun, seeds grow every time, even if we can't say how. 29a"As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it." We all scatter seed. But only Jesus harvests the grain. To make wine, grapes must be crushed. Just so, to make bread grain has to be reaped as soon as it's ripe & then ground to make bread. When Jesus sees that we're ripe, 29b"The harvest has come." And Jesus will reap our pleasing life: our godly character, our good works, & our witness. That's the grain He'll harvest. In theory a farmer scatters good seed. But Yogi Berra spoke the truth. "In theory there's no difference between theory & practice. But in practice, there is." Every field with weeds proves that practice is different than theory. So, here's the question. What kind of seed do we scatter? Whose kingdom are we growing? We scatter seeds all the time. Our words. Our works. Our character. How we live. If they can't see it in our lives, others assume Christ doesn't make any difference. Once we scatter a seed, we can't un-scatter it. It'll produce something, grain or weed. We're always scattering seed. This means every our every though, word, & deed is good for something, even if it's being a bad example. So, again, what kind of seed do we scatter? How can we ensure the seeds we scatter will grow God's Kingdom? (Not the other one.) OK, we get it. Work hard to scatter only good seed. Many times, we do! Why can't we see the growth we expect? What does Kingdom growth look like? 30a"What shall we say the kingdom of God is like? Jesus will help us. 30bWhat parable shall we use to describe it? In public, Jesus always spoke in parables. In Mt 13:11-13 (& parallels Lk 8:9-10), He explains why. For those who listen, parables open the door to the KoG. For those who won't, the KoG remains closed. And Kingdom growth? 31It's like a mustard seed, the smallest seed you plant in the ground. It isn't really the smallest seed. But it's the smallest anyone plants in a garden. It starts tiny. Unimpressive. Compared to other seeds it looks weak. At its start, so did the KoG. A pauper founded it. He was executed as a criminal. He was survived by just 12 apostles & 160-ish who were faithful. But He planted a seed. 32aWhen planted, it grows & becomes the largest of all garden plants. Tiny start. Amazing growth! How? No one knows. But, just as with grain, God makes it grow! For the KoG, growth is guaranteed. On earth, the church is God's provisional Kingdom. Look how big it is, now, compared to its start! God's Kingdom grows 32bsuch big branches that birds can perch in its shade." Are these the birds that snatched away good seed in the parable of the sower? Is Jesus saying that while the kingdom is growing, Satan is also at work inside it? It's true. One of the 12 apostles, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. In the early church (Acts 5:1-3), Ananias & Sapphira lied about giving all of a property sale to the church. Later (Acts 8:9-24), there was Simon Magus in the Samaritan church. Some birds are Satan's work. Or, could these birds be the nations? Gentiles & non-believers the Lord wants to reach? This too is true. Who brings food, sustainable clean water & agricultural techniques to 3rd world nations? Who goes into disaster areas to help with recovery? In every age, it's been the church. With these two parables, Jesus taught that God will grow the Kingdom. Within each of us he grows the kingdom fruit of Christlike character. In the world, He grows the KoG as we help Him scatter seeds. But whoever scatters the seeds, it's God who makes it grow. Growth isn't immediate. We can't expect immediate results. In us, or in the world. It takes time to transform just 1 person. The rest of a life. It also takes time to transform the world. The rest of time. But the growth process is sure. God does it. With us, in spite of us, or instead of us, God grows the seeds. And the KoG grows. In this way, Jesus has taught us how to witness for KoG growth. But that isn't all He teaches. 33aWith many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them. Jesus makes the KoG available to anyone with ears. Anyone who will hear & obey. Jesus had only 3 years to teach His disciples. Each time, He taught 33bas much as they could understand. Next time, He'd give a little more. Just so, He gave our 1st parable. After they'd digested it, He gave the 2nd. Each time, Jesus waits patiently for His followers to understand what He's taught. 34aHe didn't say anything to them without using a parable. Did you notice that each parable is simple. It uses familiar images. The earthly meaning of each is easy to grasp? Jesus could've wowed even the deepest, most educated Scribe. But He didn't. He chose instead to put things simply. Even the children can understand. Even children can enter the KoG. Child or adult, all it takes is ears to hear & a willing heart. 34bWhen He was alone with His disciples, He explained everything. As much as they could understand. Then He'd explain a little more. He's teaching us how to teach! Jesus told us about Kingdom growth. We scatter seeds with Him. With our words, with our character, & with our lives. He also taught us how to use our words when we witness. Don't expect non-Christians to come to our level. Make our teaching accessible to them. Start at their level. Start simple: Jesus is Lord. Because humanity fell, all people start out trapped under sin's weight. To have our sin erased & get free, we need a Savior. Christ. Accept Him, trade our sin for His holiness, & receive the Holy Spirit. He'll help us get free of our chains. Best of all, the Holy Spirit is our down payment guaranteeing eternal life in heaven. Keep it simple. Only as much as they can understand. As seeds grow, it'll take time. But as surely as God grants growth, a full harvest will come. That's Kingdom growth & how to teach it. Praise God! Kingdom Growth - Mark 4:26-34 Page 1 of 1