Good Morning Friends,
"Jesus asked, 'What is the kingdom of God
like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took
and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air
perched in its branches.' Again he asked, 'What shall I compare the kingdom of
God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of
flour until it worked all through the dough.'" (Luke 13:18-21)
A mustard seed starts small and grows into a
large plant, like a tree. God's kingdom is like that. The kingdom of God
started with a handful of people and during Jesus' life it did not grow large.
The biggest group that saw Jesus resurrected was only 500 people. After His
ascension, there were only 120 gathered in the upper room. That's not a large
group, the kingdom started small. It also started small in its geographical
scope. The area in which Jesus lived and preached is not much bigger than the
Willamette Valley of Oregon -- 90 miles or so north to south and 40 miles or so
east to west. And it is an obscure area, tucked into a small corner of the
world. The kingdom didn't start in Rome or Egypt or some other powerful and
visible place, it started in a corner. But the kingdom has spread across the
world. There is no place in the world that has not been touched with the
Gospel. And the kingdom numbers into hundreds of millions. What started small
has grown huge. What started tucked into a corner has spread around the world.
The kingdom of God is like yeast. Yeast makes
up a very small part of the ingredients that are mixed to make bread. Yet, a
small amount of yeast affects the whole batch of dough and causes it to change.
So does the kingdom. It started a small amount, but it has impacted the whole
world.
There are times when people think the church is
so small and weak compared to the powerful forces of the secular world. Those
people don't understand!
The church is everywhere and its influence is
huge. It started very small, but now the world can't even contain it!
His, by Grace, Steve
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