40 Days Blog - Day 8
Mark 4:1-34 - Life Lessons
I spent several years in ministry connecting with people who had returned to regular church worship or who had come for the first time. I ran membership courses which resulted in almost every one of the attendees becoming church members. They stood in front of a Sunday morning congregation and professed their faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Yet I found myself depressed by the results as time went on. A quick survey of all those who had finished the course – and follow-up meetings – showed that only 25% of them kept coming on a regular basis and showed commitment to the life of the church family. ‘Why, Lord?’
The answer to this question came in reading today’s passage. Although I’d read it many times before, on this occasion it was like a direct answer from Jesus Himself. Just as He’d explained it’s meaning to His baffled disciples, He enlightened my thinking too. My statistical calculations fitted exactly with Jesus’ parable!
We are all called (not just ministers) to share the Good News of Jesus’ love with others. We are not called to be responsible for their response. This famous parable of Jesus illustrates a Kingdom of God principle which works like this. The Father (the sower) has sown the Word (Jesus) onto all kinds of ground (humanity). Most of the ground is resistant to Jesus for various reasons (vv4-7). But those who respond and bear fruit are the ones whose hearts are open to Jesus and choose to follow Him. They allow the Holy Spirit to work in them, so that, ‘
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.’ (
Ezekiel 36:26).
The parable of the lampstand (
vv21-23) illustrates the light that pervades the Kingdom of God, overcoming the darkness of sin and injustice, pain and tears – even death itself. It will not stop until the whole world is lit up with the glory of the Lord under the rule of Jesus: ‘
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.’ (
Revelation 21:23)
The parables of the growing seed (
vv26-29) and the mustard seed (
vv30-32) prove further than nothing will prevent the Kingdom of God from growing – not our resistant sin nor the attempts of powerful world leaders full of their own self-importance and pride. Ultimately God is in control.
Of course, it doesn’t always feel like that – but thankfully the Kingdom is never dependent on our feelings. It is all down to God Himself. So, if watching the news or social media leaves you with the impression that everything is out of control, remember this fact. A fact which the media rarely, if ever, reports:
Today, there are approximately 2.38 billion Christians in the world – one third of the entire human population, far larger than any other faith.
Now – doesn’t that lift your spirits?
A Prayer
Father, help us to trust You even when we cannot see the way ahead. Help us to keep our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus, upon whom our faith depends from beginning to end. Then His love will continue to work in our hearts, reaching out to others. But help us to remember, that it is not we who change peoples’ lives, but Jesus Himself. Use us as You will.
Amen.
Listen to today's reading and blog post below...