How the Smallest of All Seeds Becomes the Largest

God thinks big, but he does that by thinking small. He knows the potentials of "small." With small, we easily focus on the few details that really matter, uncluttered by nonessentials which often occupy big spaces and dominates the whole screen or stage. Small keeps us accurately faithful to God and his Kingdom. Big tends to overwhelm us with nonessentials. That's how the smallest of all seeds becomes the largest of all garden plants in God's Kingdom.

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Then God grows us big. Remember, real growth in the Kingdom comes only from God, not us or anything we do. Growth manipulated by our hands may get applause in this world but never in God's Kingdom. It's merely vanity. So God wants us to stop thinking of our imagined greatness and just focus on accurate faithfulness. We keep our focus on the few really important things that matter.

How Small Grows

First, it needs to be planted, buried in the ground. In the soil it dies. Jesus said, unless a seed dies it remains a single seed. But when it dies, then it has the potential to increase. In fact, "the largest."

"(God's Kingdom) like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” [Mark 4]

Don't think this is just about numerical growth. It could be, but the real point here is the growth of the Kingdom, and that Kingdom is within you, said Jesus [Luke 17.21]. Jesus added that, often, it's not something seen by the naked eyes, so that you say "Here or there it is." It's spiritual growth. The Kingdom in you grows but physically people may not see it.

A Mustard "Tree"?

I mean, do mustard seeds really grow into big trees? I have planted mustard seeds in my gardening days and I know for a fact they never grow into big trees. But it happens spiritually in the Kingdom, for everything impossible is possible there, and everything weird here is normal there. Real Kingdom growth is like that. It's spiritual. It happens within you. A "growing" church in the Spirit should be seen this way, not through membership size, income, programs or facilities.

In fact, it's an abnormal seed. It's not normal in this world for a mustard seed to become a tree, but it's the norm in the Kingdom. Real Kingdom churches are "smallest" in people's eyes---particularly the eyes of natural men---and it's how the smallest of all seeds becomes the largest of all garden plants in God's Kingdom. The least is the greatest. That's among powerful Kingdom principles in Jesus' unseen Gospel.

That's why often I say, the true church in Christ is abnormal.

Seed Becomes Shade

Then the tree from the small seed becomes a shade or covering. Genuine Kingdom people and churches who maintain Kingdom meekness serve as spiritual covering or protection for people connected to them in the Spirit. They become "big branches" that support people who find them a secure place to perch on, providing ample and protective shade. So people naturally seek refuge in them.

And didn't Jesus, the true Vine, explain how we are branches attached to him? In a sense, Jesus is the Kingdom within us. He was like a tiny, small, minuscule, unimpressive seed---seen like that by big-time religious leaders who thought they were somebody. But Jesus grew to unseemly proportions after dying and rising (or planted), although mortals hardly saw it that way. They still belittled Jesus and mistreated his ragtag church after he left.

But to real Godly men, the Kingdom spread and advanced even if to most people it perished in the persecutions. Later, some men started their own churches which were worlds different from what Jesus had introduced and started, again belittling the smallest of all seeds and preferring large ones. In fact, to this day, many treat that seed outmoded or irrelevant (worse, even persecuted), though given utmost importance and kept in glass frames in magnificent museums called "church buildings" where God's things are kept sacred (but unused).

Small is Big to God

Definitely, God wants all men to be saved [1 Tim.2.4], and wants us to "compel" folks from the outskirts of town to attend and eat his banquet "so that my house will be full," [Luke 14], but he nonetheless wants us to keep small---because small is big to him. Small though big. Big though small. (I love these Kingdom reversals!). Have you seen a big-time rich guy acting like a small-time, low-profile, simple, common folk? In fact, like a poor Nazarene carpenter? That's the idea. And that's how the smallest of all seeds becomes the largest of all garden plants in God's Kingdom.

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” [Zechariah 4.10]

The Work has small beginnings, and it grows enormously inside while appearing small. And it's not the physical size that matters but the "plumb line" held in "Zerubbabel's hand." That plum line ensures accuracy in the Work, making sure everything is according to God's Kingdom patterns alone. Zerubbabel (symbolic of God's servants in his temple, which is our bodies) should focus on this alone, not on physical size, income, programs, or what-have-you. These are merely added when we focus on the smallest of seeds.

[Continued]

UNSEEN GOSPEL: 

And even if our gospel is unseen, it is unseen to those who are perishing. [2 Corinthians 4.3]

How Moses Brings You Closer to Jesus

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If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say? [Jn.5]

I find it odd that a lot of young Christians today barely understand what Jesus says in the Gospel. All they get from reading the Gospel are historic accounts of what happened to the historic Jesus, not real-time fresh and powerful Word from God for the present---the spoken Word of God that demolishes the strongholds of Satan. Jesus gave us a hint why---most Christians today don't take the Old Testament seriously. So, much of the Gospel remain Unseen Gospel to them.

Honestly, I haven't met any young Christian today who seriously studies the Old Testament, even those very active in their churches. And what the majority of them know in the Gospel is that God loves them, in John 3:16.  Yes, that passage is important and powerful, but it's a different thing if all you know about the New Testament is John 3:16 and other basics like it.

We have to meditate the Word day and night. That's God's will. And Paul told the Ephesians not to be foolish but know what God's will is. That means taking the whole bible seriously, not just John 3:16. 

And Jesus gives us a powerful hint in John 5---if we don't take the Old Testament seriously, we will never understand what the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to do. Taking Moses seriously means we also take Jesus seriously. Moses wrote about Jesus. I mean, yeah, Moses wrote about their 40-year journey in the wilderness, their experience at Mt. Sinai and about the Tabernacle, but it was really all about Jesus. If you don't see Jesus in what Moses wrote, you will have serious problems trying to know Jesus in the Gospel.

Much of the Gospel will be unseen to you.

A lot of church people never take the Old Testament seriously. It's because they don't believe it's important. They think living by faith, not by works of the law, means you can ignore the Old Testament altogether. But listen to Jesus tell it himself---not believing that what Moses wrote is important means not believing that what Jesus says in the Gospel is important.

It is impossible to believe wholeheartedly what Jesus is saying if we ignore the Old Testament. 

The details of the Tabernacle, for instance, and how it was to be constructed are all reflective of the works of Jesus. The animal sacrifices at the altar, the altar of incense in the Holy of Holies, the division between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, the lampstand, the shew bread, the table, the incense smoke, the ark, etc. all point to Jesus and his ministry.

When the curtain between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was torn when Jesus died, for instance, it marked the beginning of direct access to the Throne. Hence, Paul said we should approach the Throne of Grace with confidence. Back in the Old Testament, this curtain was important because it kept the priests from seeing God's glory directly and dying. 

But that curtain was torn when Jesus died. Meaning, we can now go directly to God, see his glory and still be alive.

Yet, so many believers today remain in fear, not daring to approach God right at his Throne as sons and daughters and talk to him directly. This fear is expressed through the formal worship programs and rituals they do in church and the way everything is done with extreme religiosity that you cannot appear before God anymore as your free, happy, true self. I don't know why every face has to look serious and sad and formal. Even the way they speak is so formal, like how people in funerals would speak. And their voices have to be modulated.

They still do it as the priests and Levites did it in the Old Testament---one mistake and you're dead.

Of course, there should be reverence and awe in the way we freely approach God because he is God and holy and majestic. He is Almighty God. But that doesn't mean we have to look sad and formal and very religious. Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but we should not remain in the beginning. Higher level of faith says, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. 

The Israelites dealt with God in fear so they didn't want to get close to God. But Moses was different. He approached God freely and just as he was, without the pretensions of religion. He talked with God as he would a friend. There was no formality or program or ritual. No modulated voice. No serious religious talk. And yet his respect and reverence for God was highly acceptable to the Lord. This was a harbinger of what Jesus would introduce to true worshipers who worship in spirit and in truth. 

Everything inside the Tabernacle and the Temple was of gold, but outside were of bronze---the bronze sea, altar, basins, and utensils. Bronze is a likeness of gold. You only see gold during worship if you are able to confidently access the Throne of Grace. If you remain outside, all you see is bronze---a copy or likeness of what is in God's very awesome presence. 

Today, church worship enjoys only a copy or pattern of what is in heaven. The way church is today---immature, carnal, divided, self-centered and earthly---church people might take God's gold and sell it for their denominations' sake if they are allowed inside. So all they are permitted to see is the bronze outside, for now. And they think that bronze is the highest worship already. They don't think there's anything higher. Most of them don't believe there's still a place deeper where everything is God's gold.

Christ is the end of the law. Meditate the Old Testament---it is very much a part of God's Word. Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament makes us see clearly the Unseen Gospel in the New Testament.

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UNSEEN GOSPEL: And even if our gospel is unseen, it is unseen to those who are perishing. [2 Corinthians 4.3]

When GOD Increases Something

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How do you know an increase is directly from God? A lot of  increases or promotions are results of human effort. Yes, God permits them, but they aren't purely his action or will. It's mere permissive will. Always go for God's direct action, like an increase purely from him.

Remember when Saul became king? It was human effort and human will. The prophet Samuel knew it wasn't right, but God allowed it anyway, to teach the Israelites a lesson about choosing man's will over God's will. At first, Israel was blessed with King Saul. The rest is history.

Jesus fed 5,000 men. If we include the women and children, it probably numbered 10,000. Imagine feeding that many. The available resources were just few small loaves and few fish. He needed an increase. So what did he do? He didn't use human effort, wisdom, talent or skill. He just looked up to heaven and thanked the Father.

You see that? Few people have the spiritual eyes to see that. It's unseen gospel to many. Here was a situation needing huge urgent increase. From meager resources, Jesus' ministry needed exponential increase. We find ourselves faced with situations like that in ministry. We have little resources but are faced with gargantuan tasks. What do we do? Often, we solicit money. We beg. Church is so comfortable with that.

Or, we do a concert and sell tickets. Just like what the world does, especially show business. Some churches even go to politicians and ask for money, especially during election season. And these things work. They're effective. I know a church that built a huge building structure via solicitations. See how effective?

But Jesus NEVER did any of that.

When he needed an urgent increase, he simply looked up to heaven and thanked the Father. And somewhere, he said, "Anyone who has faith in me will do the same things I am doing." Well, so far, no church has ever done that. They all beg money or solicit when they need a huge increase. It only means one thing---they do not have faith in Christ. They serve him but do it with their own effort.

How do churches increase membership?

They usually exert desperate efforts to grab as many people as possible into their membership. I know churches that give dole outs and later collect back from their recipients. They give but later require people to attend their churches. Some offer "free" services but later collect the names and addresses of recipients for "follow up" later. These are all effective. They do increase membership. But problem is, Jesus and his apostles never did them.

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And we should take a hint from Jesus. To get God's increase, he merely looked up to heaven and thanked the Father. Ministry is designed by God to be simple, all by faith. Jesus proved it. Do you see it? Or is this an unseen gospel to you?

UNSEEN GOSPEL: And even if our gospel is unseen, it is unseen to those who are perishing. [2 Corinthians 4.3]

When Jesus Asks Us a Question

Don't we sometimes have questions in our minds? Or more aptly at times, don't we "hear" questions in our minds? Unknowingly (and if we're really born again), we hear God ask us questions in our minds and often we think it's our subconscious speaking to us.

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Well, sometimes it's our subconscious, sometimes it's God himself. But even if it's the subconscious, it's still the Holy Spirit talking to us through our subconscious. It's the Spirit bearing witness with our spirits.

God does talk a lot. It's among unnoticed truths in the unseen gospel.

Why does God ask us questions? Isn't he all-knowing? Doesn't he know everything? One time, 5,000 men (not counting the women and kids) followed Jesus to a remote place after they saw how he miraculously healed the sick. It was getting late and the crowd was hungry. Jesus wanted to feed them and he already knew how. Yet, he asked Philip, his disciple: "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"

He did this to test Philip. Or more precisely, he gave him opportunity to practice his faith or activate miraculous powers. Would he rely on God's supernatural powers or on man's effort? Sadly, Philip used his human wisdom and relied on human effort---what man could do.

Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

There's the problem with human effort---it always comes short of solving impossible problems designed for supernatural solutions. Human effort always relies on what's available and visible at hand---the resources, abilities and skills of man. These things can do some remedy but never completely. That's why churches today are half-baked, lukewarm (neither hot or cold), because what they accomplish, (though grand) is always incomplete.

Only God's power makes everything complete.

Andrew almost got it right, pointing to the small boy with some loaves of bread and fish. The boy and bread and fish were God's intended instruments to perform an awesome miracle that late afternoon, but later Andrew missed it. He changed his mind and doubted whether the boy, bread and fish were solutions. Again, it was a case of reliance on what available material was at hand instead of God's power.

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Hadn't they seen Jesus perform powerful miracles out of nothing? Didn't they understand? Well, most times we also don't. Jesus would whisper a question in our minds and we disappoint him by relying on what the material world can provide, or what man can do, instead of what God can give. Sometimes, we have a headache and we hear a question in our minds saying, "What shall you do?" And the first thing we do is reach out for an analgesic or paracetamol.

Umm, how about oil? Why not anoint yourself with oil and pray and see how God would miraculously get rid of the headache? Nope, we see paracetamol and analgesic more powerful than oil and prayer, which seem weak. We forget that God's power is made perfect in weakness. God provided the disciples with a small boy, few small loaves of bread and fish, but they looked weak and useless to them. They'd rather send the people to the villages to buy something to eat [Matt.14.15]. That's typical of human solutions. 

But Jesus proved them wrong. With only a few, he fed about 10,000 people if we include the women and children. 

Often, Jesus would ask us questions to test us. I often hear him ask me in my mind, and I'd recognize it's his voice because the questions sound familiar---I've read them somewhere in the bible. The questions give us opportunity to put our faith to practice. As we practice our faith and strengthen it, we soon learn Kingdom principles on how to activate miracles in various situations. Faith is strengthened by obeying the Word, especially when using it for supernatural remedies.

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The next time you hear a question in your mind, make sure your reply is spiritual. Put bible truths to work and activate God's supernatural powers.

When Real Kingdom Authority and Power Comes This is What Happens

Broken Believers

How do you know when genuine Kingdom authority and power had come on you? Kingdom standard says you'd know it when true meekness reigns. Have you seen in the Gospel how it happened to Jesus? It says Jesus "knew" that authority and power had come from the Father and that he knew who he really was.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [John 13]

Just imagine---the Father had put "all things" in his power. All things in the universe and on earth. And yet, how did he look? Did he look anything like it, like how the world understands power and authority? He looked weak and powerless, like a jobless street bam roaming the streets of Jerusalem and remote places in the wilds. 

Real Power and Authority

Pondering on this, you'd understand how real power and authority from the Kingdom looks like. It's power and authority made perfect in weakness. It is radically meek. In John 13, we see more aspects of it. When Jesus was to stress Kingdom power and authority to his disciples, he did this under these circumstances---he washed their feet while the devil had prompted Judas  to betray him. After this, he even announced how "one of you is going to betray me.”

Not a conducive scenario to show your power and authority. Washing their feet and announcing betrayal in his ministry is power and authority?

If we were to impress people with our power and authority today, we'd do it differently, even in church (or especially in church). We'd show off our capabilities, achievements, awards, titles, degrees, intellect and talents. Why? Because we need to prove who we are to people to get their respect.

Not Jesus.

He didn't need to prove who he was. He knew "he had come from God and was returning to God." Deep inside him, he was confident of this. "He knew." That was all that mattered. It didn't bother him what other people may think of him. If you have to keep telling people about your capabilities, credentials and accomplishments, it means you need their approval so much. And it means your power and authority emanates from such approval. Your power and authority are nothing but earthly.

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In fact, genuine Kingdom persons really don't need to prove themselves. And because Jesus knew about these things, he had no trouble humbling himself to perform a menial task for the disciples---washing their feet. 

Well, of course today it's so easy to "wash one another's feet." They have even made it a spectacular and glamorous Sunday church ritual and have people watching how humble they are, washing someone else's feet. It's mostly nothing but a publicity stunt. 

NO Power Tripping

It was different when Jesus did it. There was no audience or cameras (it's amazing how cameras can make people do a lot of silly things these days). And Jesus had proven to the disciples through unmistakable signs and wonders and powerful miracles that he really was the Messiah, God's own Son. Imagine the very Son of God, the King of Kings, bowing in front of you to wash your feet! Even John the baptizer didn't feel worthy to untie Jesus' sandals. What more have the Master wash your feet? Can you see this?

The message was clear---wash one another's feet. Be humble with one another and serve one another. God's Kingdom is not about positions and titles and showing off authority but about meek servitude. Jesus didn't really become their servant or household help in such a way that he obeyed their commands and every whim or cleaned their houses, did their laundry, washed their plates and cooked for them. But he took their place at the cross, dying for them instead of they themselves being nailed to it.

Here's the lesson here---the moment you really realize and have full knowledge of your position in Christ and your place in the Kingdom, that's the same time you begin to know your low position and humble yourself and become meek. If power and authority makes you arrogant and proud and self-centered, it's not from the Kingdom. It's worldly and devilish. 

Ministry Problem

Jesus' display of the nature of his power and authority was also the same time Judas, his own handpicked disciple, decided to betray him. How could this happen? Wasn't this a sign that Jesus had poor leadership? How could he be sure he had power and authority when he could not even control or rebuke someone like Judas?

Remember that Jesus knew about it all---Judas' real heart and what he was up to---and yet never confronted him about it. We would have confronted him if we were Jesus because we don't want ministry bad image wrecking our show of power and authority. But again, this only confirms the insecurity we hide in us, like the way we parade out titles and degrees and position to people to get their respect.

Jesus showed that genuine Kingdom power and authority is not control but faith and trust in God. If you really believe all is in God's hands, you need not control or fix problems yourself. You only have to pray and believe. What more if God was your Father?

I've always pondered on this---why didn't Jesus do anything to discipline Judas? Even while knowing how Judas stole money from the ministry money bag, Jesus still assigned him the task of keeping it. There's a powerful Kingdom principle behind this we should see. 

There were times Jesus rebuked and disciplined the disciples, like when he told Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan!" But why didn't he do it to Judas who seemed guilty of a worse sin?

Genuine Authority and Power that Comes from God

Here's what I see---the more you hold real Kingdom power and authority, the more you are gracious to worse sinners and the more you allow God leeway to move in your ministry, especially where disciplining rebels and offenders is concerned.

I have seen leaders who became cruel the more they were given authority. You wouldn't believe it how formerly simple people like Hazael [2 Kings 8.11-12] can become a tyrant the moment they get just even a taste of power. I note how they also tend to shame people publicly and seem to enjoy it. There is a strong tendency for mere men to abuse power and flaunt it around. 

Jesus here demonstrated what true Kingdom leadership is. It is not harsh, strict, exacting or cruel. Yet, it is never compromising, especially to men's wishes. It is gracious especially to the worst offenders, And yet, what's scary is how it leaves judgment and punishment in the hands of God. Just see how Judas, in the end (after given so many chances) was unable to repent from his sin though he was so sorry about what he did. Losing the grace for repentance is scary. And see how Paul can simply hand over to Satan an unrepentant offender [1 Corinthians 5.5]. See how Peter left Sapphira's and Ananias' fate to God.

This is the kind of power and authority the church needs today---not arrogant and showing off but gracious, yet deadly in the end. And this can only come if you understand the Kingdom standard of meekness and knowing who you really are in Christ.