My Dear Shepherds,
Right from the beginning Jesus’ disciples have been unclear about how God’s kingdom grows. It’s just so counterintuitive. Jesus said,
This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come. (Mark 4:26-29)
Jesus gave us that little parable (recorded only by Mark) lest we be confused or disheartened by the slow starts, heartbreaking obstacles, and tiring demands of the fieldwork God called us to do.
That unsettling farming phrase, “though he does not know how,” might be an interesting theme for a church growth conference. We may be able to find ways to attract more people to church but, at best, that only increases our acreage, not our yield. Kingdom growth, whether global, local, or personal, will always be a sacred mystery.
The very word kingdom seems out of synch with the slow, organic growth of a field. A kingdom suggests majesty, authority, and submission. A field seems, well, so passive, and it certainly can’t be hurried. But make no mistake, God’s reign does grow, insistently pushing up small and frail plants. The real growth of a church and in a church is not seen in numbers but, as Jesus put it, “first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.” Little by little, day by day, when you’re awake and when you sleep, till Christ finally sweeps his sickle over the earth (Rev. 14:14-16).
It’s so hard to remember, that when it comes to growth, our church is not an enterprise nor an army. We need to change our tune: Onward Christian farmhands, marching out to hoe. We do have work to do in God’s field, and our work matters. Christians can hardly grow without pastors. It’s just that the actual growth is not up to us, not for a minute.
Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. (1 Cor. 3:7-8)
That’s good to know when you serve a church as tough as the one in Corinth. I have a friend who grew up in an evangelical church in Corinth, Greece. I asked her once what it’s like to read Paul’s letters to the Corinthians when you’re a Corinthian. She smiled and said, “People haven’t changed much.” We don’t serve in greenhouses. We work in rock-strewn, thorn-threatened fields, yet still they grow.
The grain farmers I grew up among would stand outside church on Sundays and say things like, “If we don’t get some rain the corn’s really going to be in trouble.” Or “A couple more weeks and the oats will be ready.” But no matter how hard they worked, I never once heard them take credit for their crops. No sensible farmer waits at the grain elevator while his harvest is weighed and thinks, “I did an amazing job this year.” What he does is marvel again at the miracle of land and seed and harvest, and give thanks.
Do your job, but remember, it’s God who makes his grain grow.
Be ye glad!
Pastor Lee
