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THIS WEEK,,, I’D LIKE TO DIRECT OUR ATTENTION TO THE SECOND PARABLE OF JESUS,,, REGARDING:
FAITH,,, THE SIZE OF A MUSTARD SEED?
BROTHERS AND SISTERS,,, IN THIS MODERN WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN,,, SOMETIMES,,, THINGS AREN’T AS THEY APPEAR!
I’M FREQUENTLY ASTONISHED ABOUT HOW CLOSE TO NATURE PEOPLE WERE,,, DURING BIBLE TIMES. MANY OF THIER IMAGES WERE DRAWN FROM THE NATURAL WORLD.
IN OUR PRESENT DAY,,, IN THE NATURAL WORLD,,, WE TEND TO SETTLE INSIDE OUR HOMES,,, IN THE COMFORT OF OUR OVERSTUFFED RECLINERS,,, OR OUR COMFORTABLE OFFICE CHAIRS,,, WHERE WE CAN BETTER CONTROL OUR CLIMATE,,, ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE NEVADA DESERT,,, WHERE IT GETS HOT!
TODAYS PARABLE,,, USES ONE OF THOSE NATURAL WORLD IMAGES,,, TO MAKE A POINT. IT USES THE MUSTARD SEED,,, WHICH HAS OFTEN BEEN USED,,, TO DEFINE THE AMOUNT OF FAITH THAT ONE WOULD NEED,,, TO BE USED BY GOD.
TODAY’S STORY,,, IS SO MUCH MORE,,, THAN A STORY!
ALLOW ME TO SHARE THIE STORY WITH YOU ALL:
A MAN WENT TO A HOSPITAL,,, TO HAVE A SERIOUS SURGERY. THE DOCTOR TOLD THE MAN,,, OF THE POSSIBILITY,,, THAT THIS SURGERY,,, MIGHT BE UNSUCCESSFUL.
SO,,, THE MAN KNEW,,, IT COULD BE TOUCH AND GO!
WELL,,, THE MAN DECIDED TO HAVE THE SURGERY ANYWAY,,, AND AFTER THE SURGERY,,, HE WAS PLACED IN A HOSPITAL RECOVERY ROOM.
AS HE BEGAN TO WAKE UP,,, HE NOTICED THAT THE CURTAINS TO HIS ROOM WERE CLOSED AND HIS SHEET WAS PULLED UP TO HIS HEAD,,, MAKING THE ROOM VERY DARK! SCARED,,, HE YELLED OUT FOR THE NURSE TO ASK ABOUT HIS SITUATION. THE NURSE EXPLAINED,,, THAT SHE HAD DECIDED TO CLOSE THE CURTAINS BECAUSE THERE WAS A LARGE FIRE JUST ACROSS THE STREET,,, AND,,, THAT SHE KNEW THAT HE WAS VERY,,, FEARFUL ABOUT HIS SURGERY AND SHE DIDN’T WANT HIM TO WAKE UP,,, AND THINK THAT HIS SURGERY WAS UNSUCCESSFUL,,, AND THAT HE HAD DIED! YOU SEE,,, THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS,,, AS THEY APPEAR!
IN OUR DAY OF LARGER IS BETTER,,, WE’RE LED TO BELIEVE THAT SMALL CHURCHES LIKE ST. BARNABAS AS A SMALLER COMMUNITY CHURCH,,, ARE INSIGNIFICANT,,, OR,,, THAT THEY DON’T HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN ADVANCING GOD’S KINGDOM.
WELL,,, IF THAT’S SO,,, THEN,,, WE’RE IN GOOD COMPANY,,, BECAUSE YOU SEE,,, THE MOVEMENT THAT JESUS INITIATED ALSO SEEMED INSIGNIFICANT TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS ON THE OUTSIDE.
AT THE TIME,,, THERE WAS NOTHING MAGNIFICANT ABOUT THE KINGDOM THAT JESUS AND HIS LITTLE BAND OF 12 DISCIPLES REPRESENTED.
CHRISTIANITY MOST CERTAINLY DID HAVE A RATHER SMALL AND OBSCURE BEGINNING!
EVEN THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS,,, SEEMED TO BE DOOMED FROM THE START! WHO EVER HEARD OF: “LOVE YOUR ENEMIES?” / “TURN THE OTHER CHEEK?”
JESUS’ TEACHINGS WERE AS REVOLUTIONARY BACK THEN,,, AS THEY ARE TODAY.
BUT,,, LET’S TAKE A MINUTE,,, SO WE DON’T MISS THE POINT HERE. THIS PARABLE,,, IS; COMPARING THE SMALLNESSOF THE MUSTARD SEED TO THE GREATNESSOF THE RESULTS.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS,,, THERE IS A HUGE POTENTIAL,,, FOR BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD,,, EVEN FROM SUCH SMALL BEGINNINGS,,, LIKE IT WAS,,, HERE AT ST. BARNABAS! SHOCKING RESULTS,,, CAME FROM SUCH A SMALL SEED,,, WHICH ACTUALLY,,, WAS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE NOTHING AT ALL!
JESUS SAID,,, THAT THE MUSTARD SEEDPRODUCED A PLANT THAT BECAME GREATER THAN ALL HERBS.
BUT WHY DID JESUS USE THE MUSTARD SEED AS HIS EXAMPLE?
IN (MATTHEW 13:31-32) SCRIPTURE SAYS; “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE TO A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED, WHICH A MAN TOOK, AND SOWED IN HIS FIELD. WHICH INDEED IS THE LEAST OF ALL SEEDS; BUT WHEN IT IS GROWN, IT IS THE GREATEST AMONG HERBS, AND BECAME A TREE, SO THAT THE BIRDS COME AND LODGE IN ITS BRANCHES.
THE MUSTARD SEED,,, LIKE THE ONE HERE ON MY RIGHT SIDE,,, IS ONLY ABOUT 1 TO 2 MILLIMETERS IN DIAMETER. BUT AFTER PLANTING,,, IN JUST 80 TO 95 DAYS, THE MUSTARD PLANT CAN GROW FROM 5 ½’ TO 6’ FEET IN HEIGHT, AND A MUSTARD TREE CAN GROW TO 20 FEET TALL. WITH EACH POD DROPING BETWEEN 8 TO 20 SEEDS. NOW,,, THAT’S GROWTH,,, ISN’T IT? THAT’S WHAT MATTHEW WAS TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO US. NO MATTER HOW SMALL THE “SEED,, OR THE CHURCH” IS,,, IT CAN BECOME HUGE AND SIGNIFICANT IN GROWING THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
ALLOW ME TO GIVE YOU A PRINCIPLE FOR THE GROWTH OF GOD’S KINGDOM.
BECAUSE THE MUSTARD SEEDHAD SUCH A SMALL BEGINNING. JUST ONE MAN (JESUS) AND JUST 12 OTHERS,,, (HIS DISCIPLES),,, BECAME; (GREATER THAN ALL HERBS).
THE ONE MAN- WAS JESUS THE 12 OTHERS– WERE THE DISCIPLES THE 72 – WERE THE DISCIPLES,,, SENT IN PAIRS TO SPREAD JESUS’WORD TO THE ENTIRE WORLD AS FOUND IN; (LUKE 10: 1 – 23).
THE 500 – WERE THE WITNESSES TO JESUS’ RESURRECTION,,, AS FOUND IN; (1 CORINTHIANS 15: 3-8)AND THEN,,,
THE 3000 – WERE THE PEOPLE WHO ENBRACED JESUS’ MESSAGE,,, AND WHO WERE BAPTIZED,,, AS FOUND IN; (ACTS 2:41).
BROTHERS AND SISTERS,,, WE SHOULD NEVER THINK OF OURSELVES,,, AS BEING TOO SMALL,,, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE,,, IN HELPING TO GROW THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
NOW,,, IT MIGHT SEEM AT FIRST,,, THAT WITH ONLY “ONE SEED AT A TIME”,,, WE MIGHT HAVE,,, LITTLE OR NO EFFECT AT ALL. BUT,,, IF WE CONTINUE TO SOW THE SMALLEST OF SEEDS,,, JUST “ONE AT A TIME”,,, AND REPEAT THAT PROCESS,,, OVER AND OVER AGAIN,,, THROUGH OUR PERSISTANCE IN FAITH,,, WE’LL BEGIN TO SEE THE EFFECTS OF OUR SMALL BEGINNINGS,,, AS THE RESULTS BECOME LARGER AND LARGER.
DO YOU KNOW WHY THIS WORKS? IT’S BECAUSE; “LIFE COMES FROM LIFE”! THE DIVINE STRENGTH AND GROWTH OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH,,, COMES FROM SHARING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS,,, ONE PERSON AT A TIME,,, AND SUBMITTING TO THE INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT SHOULD STIR WITHIN US,,, WHEN WE COME TO CHRIST,,, WOULD BE; OUR DESIRE TO SEE OTHERS TO COME TO CHRIST! WHEN WE DO THAT,,, THE RESULT IS,,, THAT EACH OF US WILL BECOME A SELF- GENERATING MUSTARD SEED.
MY BELOVED,,, AS THAT SMALL EXAMPLE,,, FOR THE GROWTH OF GOD’S KINGDOM WAS EXPLAINED A FEW MINUTES AGO,,, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND,,, THAT THE CHURCH,,, IS THE FAMILY OF GOD,,, AND THAT OUR CHURCH BEGAN,,, IN THE SMALLEST OF WAYS,,, WITH ONLY JESUS AND HIS 12 DISCIPLES. IT SHOULDN’T HAVE SURVIVED! IT WAS SIMPLY TOO SMALL TO GROW,,, OR,,, TO SURVIVE!
BUT,,, IT DID SURVIVE,,, AND THROUGH THE INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN EACH AND EVERYONE OF US,,, THE KINGDOM OF GOD,,, WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AND GROW,,, AS WE OURSELVES CONTINUE TO MATURE IN OUR OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR LORD AND SAVIOR,,, JESUS CHRIST!
SO,,, I ASK YOU,,, DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS? IF YOU DO,,, THAT’S WONDERFUL!
IF NOT,,, OR,,, IF YOU’RE NOT QUITE SURE,,, BUT YOU DO HAVE A DESIRE TO KNOW JESUS,,, THEN,,, I INVITE YOU TO ASK JESUS TO COME INTO YOUR HEART TODAY.
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU’VE BEEN.,,, OR WHAT YOU’VE DONE,,, BECAUSE; JESUS IS ONLY CONCERNED WITH WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND WHAT YOU WILL DO FROM NOW ON!
TODAY IS A NEW DAY! IT CAN BE,,, THE FIRST NEW DAY OF YOUR LIFE,,, IN CHRIST\
SO,,, LET THE SMALL BEGINNINGS,,, OF TAKING A SMALL STEP TOWARDS OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST,,, TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE,,, IN A LARGEWAY.
ALLOW THE LORD TO ENTER INTO YOUR LIFE,,, SO HE CAN DO HIS WORK,,, IN PREPARING YOU,,, LIKE HE DID THE DISCIPLES,,, TO SOW YOUR MUSTARD SEEDSINTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS,,, GOD HAS PREPARED THE KINGDOM FOR YOU,,, AND THROUGH THE WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,,, HE HAS SET IN PROCESS,,, THE MEANS,,, THE LOVE,,, THE MERCY AND THE GRACE,,, TO ALLOW YOU,,, TO GROW THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON & THE HOLY SPIRIT +++ AMEN+++ ( 1,315) WDS,,, 5 PGS