ONEFAMILY OutreachBrief OverviewONEFamily Outreach exists to "Connect Kids to Community and Communities to Kids." Have you considered having a mission week for your church? This is one of my favorite "in-depth" ways of reaching out with the Great News of Jesus Christ. Activities can include:
ONEFamily Outreach is primarily supported by trainings, workshops, retreats and concerts (God has blessed me with five popular music awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers). Please consider bringing ONEFamily Outreach to your community and support our endeavors. Programs and Seminar Topics | Comments on Jerry's Newest Book | References “The Kingdom of God is Like…”Mark 4:26-34Proper 6b June 18, 2006 Mark 04 26-34Parable of the Seed[Mk 4:26 NASB] And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; [27] and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. [28] “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. [29] “But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” [30] And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? [31] “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, [32] yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.” [33] With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; [34] and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. Mark 04 26-27[Mk 4:26 NASB] And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; [27] and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.” “The kingdom of God is like...”The words of Jesus confused political leaders (like Pontius Pilate and Herod), religious leaders (like Nicodemus and the Sanhedrin), and even—at times—his own apostles (when the principles of Christ’s Kingdom did not jive with their desires to be political or religious authorities). However, his simple stories—while confounding the wise—enamored children, the ostracized, and the downtrodden. Where do I fit in that picture? Do I have a hard time “comprehending Jesus” because his message conflicts with my intentions for personal comfort or gain? Do I try to fit Jesus into my box like Nicodemus did when he tried to ask Jesus to “become one of us?” Am I like the woman at Jacob’s Well flirting with the eternal? Do I, like Peter, want Jesus to stay comfortably at my house in Capernaum and not make the self-sacrificing journey of salvation to Jerusalem? The sin of Satan is so evident in the three temptations: “I’ll help you achieve your ends, Jesus, if you use my means.” We won’t get the simplest statements of Jesus if we can’t sacrifice our very selves to him. Matthew 16:24-26[24] Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. [25] “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. [26] “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” “The kingdom of God is like...” something I will never be able to understand through my head or my wallet. It is like, Jesus says; “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—how, he himself does not know.” How can an earthly being ever understand how the broken seed of self-sacrifice will become the fruit of total unity in God’s upside-down kingdom? How can we possibly comprehend that only humility, gratitude, service, and simplicity, can lead to eternal joy when the world tells us to choose pleasure, acceptance, and manipulation? When will we learn that thinking about seeds, preaching about seeds, or hoarding my seeds does not make them grow? Only letting them go, burying them deep, allowing God do the work; only then, will my hard shell break open and abundant life sprout forth. Matthew 4:28-29[28] “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. [29] “But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” “First the Blade, Then the Head”To Jesus, maturity comes from being “in the soil,” in the “dirt” of life. Experiential knowledge comes first; head knowledge last. I cannot understand the head of God until I have buried myself in the heart of God. To apply this type of learning to our education system (public and private) would require complete restructuring. In order to teach like Jesus taught—“first the blade, then the head”—teachers and ministers would have to create opportunities to catch disciples/students in the act of service. That, of course means, that teachers and ministers are primarily models of service seeking always to create opportunities for disciples/students to join them in the field. Like a good beginner’s swim instructor helping trepidations children enter the alien environment of water, they first invite children in, they don’t push them in. Does that sound like my style of teaching? Am I creating opportunities to catch people doing right things “in the field?” Or, do I just stick with preaching and lecturing from the classroom or sanctuary because it is easier? Jesus shows that the greatest teacher models what he/she wants to teach. Model, invite, and send; that is the modality of Jesus. “First the blade, then the head.” “When the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle”Here is the last action a greater teacher takes with his students/disciples; he harvests. The wheat is worthless unless it’s baked into bread and then only when it is blessed and broken. Matthew 26:26[26] While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Do we have a vested interest in Jesus? Are we willing to be first invested and then harvested by Christ; to be blessed and then broken? Not symbolically, not just ritually; but literally. To be broken of selfishness and pride so that we can offer service in humility, gratitude, and simplicity? Are we prepared to be “put to the sickle” laying ourselves down for the good of others? Mark 4:30-32[30] And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? [31] “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, [32] yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.” “It is like a mustard seed...”The mustard was a poor man’s fence. It was used to give privacy to a family, safety to birds, and the birds would in turn warn of intrusion but also bring joy and entertainment to a household. Finally, the mustard plant may have been a source of cheap food as it is part of the cabbage family. What we do know for sure is that the huge shrub started very small when planted and grew very large when given the right conditions. That process is supposed to resemble our faith. Though the seed of Christ seems so miniscule at first, when buried into our hearts and cared for; we then become advocates, confidantes, and joy to others. How close am I to living out kingdom values? Do people turn to me for advocacy, in trust, and to receive joy? Therein is the measurement of the Mustard Seed faith. Mark 4:33-34[33] With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; [34] and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. He was explaining everything privately to His own disciplesDon’t worry so much about understanding the exact word of God as being in relationship with Jesus. To follow Jesus is to know God. We don’t to feign understanding of all his teachings; we just need to follow him where he would go while emulating what he would do. We learn most about Jesus when we love like he would love. The disciples were neither the most intelligent nor the most powerful of Jerusalem, in fact, they were just the opposite. They were the laughingstock of the Jewish elite. However, they hung out with Jesus. When Jesus said, “What do you seek,” all they wanted was to go with him, to “know where you are staying [Jn 1:38].” What more do we need to ask of Jesus? Do you want to know God? Hang out with Jesus. Go where he would, do what he would do, and Jesus will “explain everything” to us. Copyright NoticeCopyright © 2005 Jerry Goebel. All Rights Reserved. This study may be freely distributed, as long as it bears the following attribution: Source: Jerry Goebel: 2005 © http://onefamilyoutreach.com. “Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988. Used by permission.” |