See yesterday's post for a reminder of the purpose of the parables.
BACKGROUND AND LINKS
Jesus tells the parable of the . . .
79. Growing seed: Mark 4:26-29
Even though the sower scattered the seed, he does nothing and is not anxious about its growth. It just grows "by itself" or "without cause or human agency" The Greek word for this phrase is automatē. It is where we get our English word "automatic" (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Mark 4:27-28). God causes the growth, not man (1 Corinthians 3:6). We just need to sow in good soil and be patient (Galatians 6:9).
80. Weeds: Matthew 13:24-30
83. Jesus explains: Matthew 13:36-43
True believers and false believers will exist together until the harvest at the end of the Age when Jesus comes again.
81. Mustard seed: Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-34.
Mustard seeds are not the smallest seeds in the world, but they were probably the smallest that the Jews would have sown at that time. From a small seed, the mustard plant grows to 12-15 feet! Believers in the kingdom would be small in the beginning but grow rapidly. Jesus began with 12 well-trained (but imperfect) disciples and later there were 500 believers (1 Corinthians 15:6). Then there were 3,000 at Pentecost (Acts 2). Read Acts to read about spontaneous growth. Read Revelation 5:9 for where it is going.
82. Yeast: Matthew 13:33-35
In other Bible passages, yeast is a symbol of evil and uncleanness, but here it is a symbol of the amazing, multiplying growth of the kingdom.
84. Hidden treasure: Matthew 13:44
The kingdom is more valuable than anything, and we must be willing to give up everything to obtain it.
85. Pearl merchant: Matthew 13:45-4
This has the same meaning as the hidden treasure parable.
86. Fishing net: Matthew 13:47-52
This is similar to the wheat and weeds parable. Angels will separate the wicked from the righteous when Christ returns.
REFLECTION (written in 2010)
The Little Seed That Could
We had a speaker come to our living room last Saturday who basically debunked all the theoretical research that says we can determine the factors that cause "Church Planting Movements" (CPM) and even went so far as to say that there was no such thing! Needless to say, the majority of our group did not like to hear that because they loved the book we had just read that gave them the faith to believe that God could draw millions to new life in Christ, and they could be a part of that!
As usual, I could see both sides of it. On the one hand, this skeptical speaker knows what he is talking about because he has been "in the trenches" among an unreached people group for 20+ years with no CPM. In addition, he has gathered much data of his own from practitioners on the field (450 of them), presenting the empirical data with no inferences other than the hard facts. The author of Church Planting Movements has never been "on the ground" doing that kind of work in hard-to-reach places, and his data is more anecdotal observation rather than hard-core empirical data. (Can you see my science background coming out? I am also married to a statistician. What can I say?)
We "unpacked" our feelings as a group last night, and I woke up at 3:30 this morning somewhat troubled by the controversy this wonderful man stirred. I hate to see others "throw the baby out with the bath water" just because of his one controversial statement.
Leave it to God to lead me right to the "Parable of the Automatic Seed." The man just threw the seed out there on good soil and by the next morning, it had sprouted and grown, and he did not know how!
I loved reading about the growth of CPMs throughout the world, and I want to believe God for them too! I also think the book has some good points about a way to go about it. All that said, I have to admit reading about the "Ten Elements That Accomplish Them" (see link below) put a little too much emphasis on man's efforts and little on God's power. It also left me feeling sorry for the many workers throughout the world who have labored and not seen a CPM in their lifetime. Were they doing it "all wrong" and being judged? I know plenty of people who have practiced those initial steps of prayer and abundant gospel sowing and have never seen fruit. Where do they fit in the theory?
Jesus' parable indicates that the coming of God's kingdom is mysterious and based on the sovereign work of God not on man's specific efforts. The man sowed and probably watered, but God caused the miraculous growth (see also 1 Corinthians 3:6)! Ultimately, we can do nothing to manipulate God's hand or make people hunger and thirst for Him. We just need to be faithful with the initial steps and leave the rest up to God.
So, I will keep on sowing and wait for the harvest!
APPLICATION
I also suggest reading Miraculous Movements. It will encourage you, and I guarantee you will not be able to put it down! (Some of the stories are about the work of one of my friends!)
PRAYER
Lord, help us to be faithful as we scatter Your seed in the world and to be patient as You cause the seed to sprout and grow. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Jesus tells the parable of the . . .
79. Growing seed: Mark 4:26-29
Even though the sower scattered the seed, he does nothing and is not anxious about its growth. It just grows "by itself" or "without cause or human agency" The Greek word for this phrase is automatē. It is where we get our English word "automatic" (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Mark 4:27-28). God causes the growth, not man (1 Corinthians 3:6). We just need to sow in good soil and be patient (Galatians 6:9).
80. Weeds: Matthew 13:24-30
83. Jesus explains: Matthew 13:36-43
True believers and false believers will exist together until the harvest at the end of the Age when Jesus comes again.
81. Mustard seed: Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-34.
Mustard seeds are not the smallest seeds in the world, but they were probably the smallest that the Jews would have sown at that time. From a small seed, the mustard plant grows to 12-15 feet! Believers in the kingdom would be small in the beginning but grow rapidly. Jesus began with 12 well-trained (but imperfect) disciples and later there were 500 believers (1 Corinthians 15:6). Then there were 3,000 at Pentecost (Acts 2). Read Acts to read about spontaneous growth. Read Revelation 5:9 for where it is going.
In other Bible passages, yeast is a symbol of evil and uncleanness, but here it is a symbol of the amazing, multiplying growth of the kingdom.
84. Hidden treasure: Matthew 13:44
The kingdom is more valuable than anything, and we must be willing to give up everything to obtain it.
85. Pearl merchant: Matthew 13:45-4
This has the same meaning as the hidden treasure parable.
86. Fishing net: Matthew 13:47-52
This is similar to the wheat and weeds parable. Angels will separate the wicked from the righteous when Christ returns.
REFLECTION (written in 2010)
The Little Seed That Could
We had a speaker come to our living room last Saturday who basically debunked all the theoretical research that says we can determine the factors that cause "Church Planting Movements" (CPM) and even went so far as to say that there was no such thing! Needless to say, the majority of our group did not like to hear that because they loved the book we had just read that gave them the faith to believe that God could draw millions to new life in Christ, and they could be a part of that!
As usual, I could see both sides of it. On the one hand, this skeptical speaker knows what he is talking about because he has been "in the trenches" among an unreached people group for 20+ years with no CPM. In addition, he has gathered much data of his own from practitioners on the field (450 of them), presenting the empirical data with no inferences other than the hard facts. The author of Church Planting Movements has never been "on the ground" doing that kind of work in hard-to-reach places, and his data is more anecdotal observation rather than hard-core empirical data. (Can you see my science background coming out? I am also married to a statistician. What can I say?)
We "unpacked" our feelings as a group last night, and I woke up at 3:30 this morning somewhat troubled by the controversy this wonderful man stirred. I hate to see others "throw the baby out with the bath water" just because of his one controversial statement.
Leave it to God to lead me right to the "Parable of the Automatic Seed." The man just threw the seed out there on good soil and by the next morning, it had sprouted and grown, and he did not know how!
I loved reading about the growth of CPMs throughout the world, and I want to believe God for them too! I also think the book has some good points about a way to go about it. All that said, I have to admit reading about the "Ten Elements That Accomplish Them" (see link below) put a little too much emphasis on man's efforts and little on God's power. It also left me feeling sorry for the many workers throughout the world who have labored and not seen a CPM in their lifetime. Were they doing it "all wrong" and being judged? I know plenty of people who have practiced those initial steps of prayer and abundant gospel sowing and have never seen fruit. Where do they fit in the theory?
Jesus' parable indicates that the coming of God's kingdom is mysterious and based on the sovereign work of God not on man's specific efforts. The man sowed and probably watered, but God caused the miraculous growth (see also 1 Corinthians 3:6)! Ultimately, we can do nothing to manipulate God's hand or make people hunger and thirst for Him. We just need to be faithful with the initial steps and leave the rest up to God.
So, I will keep on sowing and wait for the harvest!
APPLICATION
Here is a download of the booklet called Church Planting Movements
The 10 Elements are on p. 35, but I will put them in the post:
- Prayer
- Abundant gospel sowing
- Intentional church planting
- Spiritual authority (translation of the Scriptures)
- Local leadership
- Lay leadership
- Cell or house churches
- Churches planting churches
- Rapid reproduction
- Healthy churches
2023 Update: Now, all the rage is Disciplemaking Movements (DMM). The principles are similar, but it is still God who causes the growth. I love John 15:5 in The Passion paraphrase:
Fruit is the natural byproduct of a life in union with Jesus. Period.
I also suggest reading Miraculous Movements. It will encourage you, and I guarantee you will not be able to put it down! (Some of the stories are about the work of one of my friends!)
PRAYER
Lord, help us to be faithful as we scatter Your seed in the world and to be patient as You cause the seed to sprout and grow. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
I always love to read the story of the man who came to our group. He caused such a stir (but now that I know him a bit better, I realize he causes a stir everywhere he goes).
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