Friday, January 31, 2014
Mustard Seed
Bible Questions Answered:
“What does the story of the mustard
seed say to us?”
Laurence/ Cardiff, England (United
Kingdom)
Bible Answer:
Bible Text:
Luke 13:18,19 NLT (Parable of
the Mustard Seed. See also Matthew 13:31,32/ Mark 4:30-32.)
18 Then Jesus said, “What is the
Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it?
19 It is like a tiny mustard seed
that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the
birds make nests in its branches.”
The Kingdom of God:
The Word of God in the heart of the
believer.
Evangelism with the life saving Word of
God.
Believers added to the church.
Jesus was using an example to
illustrate the growth of the kingdom of God.
The black mustard tree (most believe
this is the plant The Lord was referring to), can grow to 9 feet or
more. It's seed is very small, yet the tree can be tall and full, so
much so that the birds of the air, come and nest in its branches.
Zechariah 4:10 KJV
For who hath despised the day of
small things?..."
Small seeds, have a
way of growing.
Jesus began with a
small group of 12 men.
At the upper room
some 120 followers of Jesus met.
Acts 1:15 KJV
During this time, when about 120
believers were together in one place..."
120 disciples grew
to over 3,000 believers in one day.
Acts 2:41 NLT
Those who believed what Peter said
were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
This number grew to
5,000.
Acts 4:4 NLT
But many of the people who heard
their message believed it, so the number of believers now totaled
about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.
Jerusalem's
believers multiplied.
Acts 6:7 NLT
So God’s message continued to
spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and
many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.
Gatherings of
believers in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria grew.
Acts 9:31 NLT
The church then had peace throughout
Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers
lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy
Spirit, it also grew in numbers.
Jerusalem,
believers grew to thousands.
Acts 21:20 NLT
After hearing this, they praised
God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many
thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of
Moses very seriously.
Today there are
estimates of between 2-3 billion Christians in the world.
In the parable,
Jesus is the sower, and His seed of believers, are growing into a great harvest.
Our Lord has told
us that our success will be measured by our faith. Nothing may stand
in the way of the growth of the kingdom of God, if we have faith!
Matthew 17:20
KJV
And Jesus said unto them...verily I
say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall
say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall
remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Luke 17:6 KJV
And The Lord said, If ye had faith
as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be
thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it
should obey you.
Matthew 28:18-20
NLT (Believers Great Commission.)
18 Jesus came and told His
disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
19 Therefore, go and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
The Father and The Son and The Holy
Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey
all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you
always, even to the end of the age.”
Revelation
5:11-14 NLT
11 Then I looked again, and I heard
the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and
of the living beings and the elders.
12 And they sang in a mighty chorus:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and
riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And then I heard every creature
in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting
on the throne
and to The Lamb forever and ever.”
14 And the four living beings said,
“Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped The
Lamb.