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Doing Our Part or Partly Doing? Tim Smelser
In Luke 13, Jesus spoke about the subject of church growth. H used the illustration of a mustard seed within the context of talking about God’s spiritual kingdom. “Unto what is the kingdom of God like, and unto what shall I liken it? It is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the heavens lodged in its branches” (Luke 13:18-19). One of the lessons we can learn from this parable is the importance of little things. We live in a world where faster, stronger, bigger and better are emphasized. (Just consider super size value meals and our fascination with big SUV’s.) But Jesus taught that something as great as the kingdom of God began with a small start – just like the mustard seed. When we actually stop to consider the things that we would call great, we realize that they all began with little things. For example, bricks, notes and letters are of little value by themselves. But you put those bricks together with other materials and you have a great building. Arrange the notes in a certain way and you create harmony. Put words into sentences and form those sentences into speech and we can communicate. No matter how small or insignificant each part may seem, it is vital to the completion of the project. Consider how large the kingdom of God is today and then think back to the Day of Pentecost where its beginning started with just twelve men teaching the truth to three-thousand receptive souls. From that small beginning the gospel spread throughout the world because each part, or member, was doing its job. Often we become discouraged because our individual efforts do not yield the fruit we had hoped. We consider our contribution to the cause as unimportant and dispensable. But when everyone does his or her part then there is going to be congregational success. Like the small mustard seed there will be no stopping us. We simply need to put forth the effort and put our trust in God. Paul spoke of his planting the seed, Apollos watering the seed and God giving the seed growth, or increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). When we do our part God will bless our efforts and in turn He will be glorified. Paul also said “those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary” (1 Corinthians 12:22). All of this is said to remind us that, as individuals, we are important. Our efforts do count and I do have something to contribute. The kingdom of God began with twelve men doing their part and it grew in great numbers! That kingdom will continue to grow today if we will all just do what we can, as we can, no matter how small a role it may seem. Through our efforts, enthusiasm and determination we can grow just like the mustard seed. We can grow just like the church in the first century. God is willing to bless our efforts and give the increase, but He needs willing workers who will plant that seed!
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