John 18:33-37. Jesus is a great King (v. 37), but his kingdom is not of this world (v. 36, twice). Rather, it is from “above,” from God (cf. John 3:3, 5; 8:23). This means God is ultimately the one who establishes and extends the kingship of Christ (Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 2:44; Mark 4:26-29). Remarkably, however,Continue reading “Growing the Kingdom of Christ”
Tag Archives: growth
Sowing and Reaping–7
The Sum. The phrase “sowing and reaping” refers to the agricultural matter of planting seed and producing a harvest of crop, something very familiar to the people in the Bible. It is also used figuratively in the Bible to describe various spiritual activities, including the matter of people coming to “believe and be saved” orContinue reading “Sowing and Reaping–7”
Sowing and Reaping—5
Growth. So far in this series of posts we have considered agriculture in the ancient world, noted the basic truth that sowing leads to reaping, identified the seed as the word of the kingdom, and explored the different types or soils or hearts that receive the word. Our consideration of the soils led us toContinue reading “Sowing and Reaping—5”
Sowing and Reaping—4
The Soils. The best place to consider how the soil affects sowing and reaping is the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Mark 4:1-9, 13-20; Luke 8:4-8, 11-15). Several aspects of ancient farming, which we explored in the first post in this series, are reflected in this important parable. For example, we noted thatContinue reading “Sowing and Reaping—4”
Parables of the Kingdom 3
The Mustard Seed. I have to confess that I often get discouraged about the health of the church. Though there are indeed many fine congregations and some are doing very well, it seems that the church as a whole often gets off track. Problems abound, and sometimes it seems there is very little difference betweenContinue reading “Parables of the Kingdom 3”
Parables of the Kingdom 2
Seed Growing Secretly. The parable of the Growing Seed or the Seed Growing Secretly has an important lesson to teach us. Mark alone records this wonderful story (Mark 4:26-29). In it, Jesus specifically says what seems to be true of all the parables, namely, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.” God’s reignContinue reading “Parables of the Kingdom 2”
A Great Number of People Will Believe and Turn to the Lord When …
Acts 11:19-21. God wants great numbers of people to believe and turn to Him, and most Christians have some concern about this as well. A lot of people today focus on positioning the church and presenting the message in ways that will connect with and be relevant to people. I believe some of this isContinue reading “A Great Number of People Will Believe and Turn to the Lord When …”
Empowering Subjects 