The Mystery of Kingdom Growth (Mark 4:26-29)

“And he said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.’”

We have developed a whole industry out of doing God’s work. By that I do not mean our portion in ministry—what God would have us do—but rather trying to do what only God can do. We have systems and methods, books and guides, we pay people to try to work in us the things that only God can do. It isn’t that we shouldn’t do our part; we just need to stop trying to do His.

We can tell our story. We can tell Jesus’s story.

We cannot convince someone to believe. We cannot change hearts.

We can help each other out on the road to being who God wants us to be. We can hold each other up and pray for one another.

We cannot make someone grow in faith. We cannot ensure that they will stay true to that to which they have committed.

We can gather disciples together. We can organize communities of faith.

We cannot fabricate the Body of Christ. We cannot create a movement.

However, we will be better prepared to experience God working in and amongst us when we stick to doing our part and quit trying to do His.