From Jeff
“The Kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows – but he doesn’t know why.”
Mark 4: 26 - 27
What does Spiritual growth look like in a typical church? Usually it means a lot of time, energy, thought, preparation, and even money in trying to help people grow. We know what Christians “ought to” be doing, so we try and design programs to get them to do it.
So, we invest a lot in trying to grow people. Just look around at any Christian bookstore and you’ll see countless books aimed at helping us grow. It’s assumed that if a person goes through the program or reads the book then they will come out better equipped and even motivated to do what they “ought to.” But, what often happens is that people go through the program or read the books and only end up gaining more information, not actually changing.
I believe the average Sunday School attender who has been going for more than a year probably has more Bible training that many third world pastors leading churches. We take so much for granted. We have access to so much information. Yet, for all we know, we’re not that different. We don’t find ourselves changing. We don’t share our faith more. We don’t love Jesus any more for having gone to church every week. And, those that do, can’t necessarily attribute this to any Christian program or book they’ve read.
So, I’ve begun asking, what would growth look like in the kingdom of God? Jesus said it’s like a man who planted a seed, went to bed, and woke up to a great harvest. Growth is a mystery. It’s spontaneous. It’s a work of God. My growth, your growth, is a result of seed planted in the right soil.
Environment determines what will grow. Good seed planted in bad soil won’t grow. But, seeds of the kingdom planted in good soil grow naturally. The growth is not forced. It is not programmed. Growth is inherent in the nature of the seed in the right soil.
Over the years I’ve heard about 1,200 sermons and attended as many Bible studies. I remember a handful of each. Our problem isn’t that we need more seed. The problem is the seeds that have been planted aren’t growing.
Change will happen in us, real growth will come to DBC, when the right seeds are planted in the right soil. We can’t change anyone. That’s God’s work. Our job is to plant seeds. We tell and show people the amazing life in God’s kingdom. And, when those seeds fall onto the right soil, we need only stand back and see what God does.
I’m not sure what all this means for how I teach, lead, or plan in ministry. Perhaps one thing it might mean is that we invest more in breaking up soil and reaping the harvest rather than trying to manage the growth.
-Jeff
NOTE: Anyone can comment; you don't have to have a blogger account. Just click "comment" below, type your comment and then select anonymous. MAKE SURE TO SIGN YOUR NAME if you want us to know who you are.
I believe the average Sunday School attender who has been going for more than a year probably has more Bible training that many third world pastors leading churches. We take so much for granted. We have access to so much information. Yet, for all we know, we’re not that different. We don’t find ourselves changing. We don’t share our faith more. We don’t love Jesus any more for having gone to church every week. And, those that do, can’t necessarily attribute this to any Christian program or book they’ve read.
3 comments:
I’ve been a Christian for a long time. Most of that time, I’ve been excited about my faith. Still, I often find my zeal pent up inside of me. How does one express his faith? What is a Christian? What does he do?
Over the past year, I’ve been reading a great deal about monastic spirituality. I even considered becoming an acolyte. What attracted (and still attracts) me to this lifestyle is that it is a way of life. There is both being and doing. I later found that, what I had most appreciated in the monastic lifestyle was a way of living framed in prayer and the disciplines.
I have tried many things to change: self motivation, manipulation, personal growth books. Nothing really worked. Much of the day, I feel like a building held together with chewing gum. In the end, I came to realize that I can not will myself to be what I need to be. I may not even fully know what I need to be.
Over the past year, I’ve investigated and included some disciplines in my life that have been helpful. The purpose of these is not to change me. It is not a matter of working hard. It is a way that I (being) can express my faith in a tangible way (doing) which Christ may then use to create more growth in me.
In the end, growth only comes through God. But he may use a complex web of experiences and influences to create that change. By working out my faith in the disciplines, I am placing myself in the presence of God. I am saying, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”
R.L. Gillert
Great comments Rick. I appreciated how you talked about the goal of these is not "change" but to express your faith and position yourself for God to work in you. That's important. It would seem that we have reduced everything to a formula.
Thank you for commenting and reading the blog.
What particular discipline have you practiced lately that God seems to have honored the most? In what way has it helped?
There are some disciplines that I have always incorporated into my life. Study would be one of them. Solitude is also important to me because I am an introvert and need time alone to focus on God. This past year, I tried adding some that would help me in my weak spots. Prayer has always been difficult for me. I have a rather short attention span. As a result, I looked for types of prayer that would help me focus. I pray the daily office, which uses liturgical prayers to guide me in daily worship services. I also use beads, which not only use the voice to pray, but also give me something tactile to help me focus. I am still working on being silent more often. I find myself more frequently, before making a comment, asking “is this thought edifying to everyone, or is it just intended for my own understanding?” Silence is hard because God has given me a gift that involves speaking, one that at times I have abused. Also I am trying to exercise more moderation in my eating and lifestyle. These two have, perhaps, been the most difficult, because they go against every advertisement that I see. They are also the most counter-cultural in America. To help me keep track of everything, I’ve drawn up a personal rule, which I see as more of an organizational tool. I will probably rewrite it next year based on how I’ve grown this past year. Here are a couple of books that helped me out: TRADITIONS OF THE ANCIENTS: VINTAGE FAITH PRACTIICES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY, by Marcia Ford (ISBN 978-0-8054-4076-8) and A PLACE APART: MONASTIC PRAYER AND PRACTICE FOR EVERYONE, by Basil Pennington (ISBN 0-7648-0258-5).
R.L. Gillert
Post a Comment