Mark 4: 21-34
How Does God’s Kingdom Grow?

Scripture Reading 

Prayer 

Intro: Olympic persecution 

Last Sunday, August 10th, a middle-aged Chinese man, Hua Huiqi, slipped out of his Beijing apartment, mounted a bicycle, met his brother and headed for worship at state sanctioned Kuanjie Church. As the pair cycled through busy streets they were approached by two black cars.  The cars contained National Security Guard officers, 7 or 8 plain clothes policemen who cornered, detained and beat Mr. Huiqi - They told him ‘today you are just not allowed to go to Kuanjie church. If you go, [we] will break your legs.’”  After about 6 hours in custody, Mr. Huiqi seized an opportunity to run while his guards were sleeping and he is now at large.

You see, going to church isn’t always easy (in China). Hua Huiqi is actually the pastor of an unregistered house church in Beijing (and a well-known activist for religious freedom).  It was not the first time pastor Huiqi has been beaten in the past year.  He has been living under close surveillance during the build up to the Beijing Olympics and he was required to attend the state sanctioned Kuanjie protestant church (where he was baptized 10 years ago).  But on Sunday last George and Laura Bush were also attending worship at Kuanjie church. 

According to reports - Most of the people President Bush and the overseas media were due to meet in the church were security people, political workers and people trained by them to pose as believers.  These had been supplied with red procedure slips for identification. An 'old believer' who was baptized at Kuanjie Church nearly 20 years ago complained: “Whether you are a believer or not, no one is allowed to enter the church. When President Bush comes tomorrow, where can we do our Sunday service?” 

One journalist called it the “ ‘Red Worship’ stunt” – it was a carefully staged Christian worship service to ensure security and protect public image.  Apparently President Bush had requested to attend one of the underground house churches in Beijing, but he was denied permission.  On the public surface of this event there were smiles and photos, but hidden on the backstreets were the bumps and bruises of the Kingdom of God.

***The outworking of God’s reign on earth is not often counted as newsworthy.  Helping the weak without reward, working diligently while no one looks, the faithful testimony shared in private, forgiveness sought and granted freely; worship, prayer, and praise rightly rendered to God, and even suffering and persecution for the name of Christ – these things are often hidden, done in secret beyond the purview of the public eye.   God’s glory is on display in nature.  We can see his work in the beauty of the trees, (his power in the light of the sun).  But God’s glory is often hidden in (our fallen) human society.  More than hidden, it is suppressed.  It is seen, but not perceived – heard, but not understood.  The world seeks to control the gospel, to tame the teaching of Jesus, and to limit the expansion of his influence – of his Kingdom. 

Bond:  But in the parables we’ve read today Jesus promises that a time of revelation is coming – a time when all mystery will be unveiled, when seeds sown in secret will reach the harvest, and when the smallest of seeds will expand to an unexpected size. 

By this point in Mark’s gospel we have seen that the ministry of Jesus Christ in ancient Palestine was obscure in its own time – veiled to those outside – hidden from those without ears to hear.  His deeds are seen, but not perceived.  His words are heard, but not understood.  And while Satan and the scribes seek to suppress and destroy Jesus, yet his fame spreads like wildfire among the fickle crowds and even his own disciples do not understand him.  Jesus (himself) was hidden in his own time. 

But a lamp is not brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed.  A lamps is placed upon a stand to give light in the darkness. 

And in the expanding Kingdom economy (of God),

Jesus promises that whatever is hidden will one day be exposed.  And… 

Prop:  Because God exposes all things in his time,

We must cooperate with God’s governance of his kingdom.

So the Kingdom expands exponentially, it expands beyond effort, and it expands beyond expectation. 

First...

Because God’s Kingdom expands exponentially among those who hear, we must cooperate with God’s governance of his kingdom. 

Among whom does the kingdom expand? 

SP1: Among those who hear.

Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 

And how does the Kingdom expand? 

SP2: It expands exponentially 

It doesn’t sound fair does it.  A standard definition explains that…

“Exponential growth occurs when the growth rate of a mathematical function is proportional to the function's current value. For any exponentially growing quantity, the larger the quantity gets, the faster it grows.”  It doesn’t sound fair, but it is just the way that many things work in the world – not only in God’s kingdom.  And upon reflection it’s quite common-sensical. 

Illus: 

It you invest money into a business, you expect to gain a return according to what you have put in – not according to what someone else has put in.  And if you have invested more than the next person then you expect to gain a greater percentage of the return – according to your measure of investment.  And the more that you gain the more you can reinvest.  And so you begin to gain an extra return on the profit that you’ve gained – a return on the return that you’ve already gained.  And if someone comes along who has invested nothing in the company he can’t claim a portion of your gain – even though your amount may be growing and growing – it belongs to you and not to him (unless of course you give it away).

It’s similar with knowledge and with skill.  If you have read one book – the better you will understand the next book and the next one.  If you read nothing you will remain (or become) illiterate.  Even with biological generation it works this way.  The more children you have – the more grandchildren you are likely to have and the more great-grand children (like Bill Pelletier).  But if you have no children your generation dies with you. 

For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

App:  Jesus explains this is also the way of his kingdom.  If you have a measure of interest in his Kingdom – if you have ears to hear – then your measure will grow and grow.  More will be added to you – more spiritual perception, more blessing, more power, more renewal, more understanding, more healing, more life.  But if you do not have ears to hear and to perceive, then even what you have heard will be snatched away. 

Luke 8: 18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."

Jesus gives his kingdom freely to those who hear – the ear is the organ of kingdom growth because the ear is the organ of faith – the kingdom is added to us by faith – by what we hear and receive.  Jesus entrusts himself only to those who hear by faith.  And faith does not boast in itself – it boasts in Jesus.  (You see it’s not because you are somehow worthy to receive (Pray that God enables you to hear with faith that your faith may increase all the more.)

Cooperating with this reality – cooperating with God’s governance of the kingdom on this point means accepting God’s way of dealing with those who have and those who do not have.  You do not control the kingdom, and even though it breaks your heart that someone refuses God’s word – you cannot force them to take it in.  For some it will be taken away. 

If you have heard well, on the other hand, this is a call for you to accept the blessings of the kingdom.  As a faithful Christian you may be tempted to be ashamed of the ongoing blessings God bestows upon your life – you may regret your peace that passes understanding when others only know strife, you may feel silly about your freedom to forgive when others only begrudge, you may second guess your own wisdom when your understanding seems to surpass your teachers.  Jesus is not calling you to be proud about these things, but he is explaining that you can accept this as the way of the kingdom.  You need not be ashamed of the blessings of God, but should accept them freely.

to the one who has, more will be given

God’s kingdom expands exponentially among those with ears to hear,

But his kingdom also expands beyond our efforts. 

MP2:  Because God’s Kingdom expands beyond (human) effort,

We must cooperate with God’s governance of his kingdom. 

Illus:  I came across a famous Buddhist prayer this week attributed to Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.  It’s beautiful in its language and sentiment– it reads this way. 

May I become at all times, both now and forever 
A protector for those without protection 
A guide for those who have lost their way 
A ship for those with oceans to cross 
A bridge for those with rivers to cross 
A sanctuary for those in danger 
A lamp for those without light 
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter 
And a servant to all in need.

App: Again, the language and the sentiment are beautiful, but I suggest to you that none of us can fulfill this prayer. We don’t have the capacity – we don’t have the power – to become the ship for those with oceans to cross, to become the lamp for those without light, to become the servant of all in need.  We are limited because we also are in need.  No – these things belong to God.  Jesus is the only man who is a light in the darkness, a ship upon the sea, the servant who gives his live as a ransom for many.  We can participate in the expansion of God’s kingdom so much as we point toward Jesus Christ.  We can proclaim, but God gives the growth.  Don’t make the mistake of making yourself the Messiah.  Cooperate with God’s kingdom, allow him to use you but leave salvation to him, leave growth to him, leave glory to him.  Cooperation with the kingdom means waiting for God.  It means sleeping when it’s time to sleep.  It means not knowing how growth comes and accepting it.  And it means watching for the harvest. 

So God’s kingdom expands exponentially, and beyond our effort, but it also expands beyond expectation.

MP3:  Because God’s Kingdom expands beyond (human) expectation,

We must cooperate with God’s governance of his kingdom. 

Illus: I found this acorn outside under the oak tree off the south end of the front porch.  Right now it’s not very big.  It’s a nice size for squirrels to bite, yes, but you might not even notice if you stepped on it in the woods.  It’s small, but the tree, the oak at the end of the porch is huge.  It would be difficult for two men to reach around the trunk.  It’s height towers above the house maybe 65 – 75 ft.  The acorn is a seed and if we planted that acorn in the right spot, over time it would grow just as huge as that oak by the porch. 

App:  The acorn and the mustard seed teach us that we should not judge significance by what our eyes see now.  Growth belongs to God, and in time God’s growth becomes great.  There is power in the small seed to grow beyond our expectations.  God can see the future, we cannot.  But Jesus’ promise here about kingdom growth should encourage us to sow small seeds freely.  Especially with the benefit of 20 centuries we can look back over time and see that Jesus planted himself in history as an obscure seed – hidden – disregarded and despised.  But after sowing his own life into the soil of human history, Jesus rose up to become a mighty plant, a refuge for many – (a church) larger than all the garden plants. 

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.  (John 12: 24-26) 

Jesus wants us to be willing to give ourselves, to sow our own (small) lives into what may seem small and hidden, but will one day grow large.  This morning I exhort you to give up your notions of personal significance and personal glory, and find significance by sowing yourself into the kingdom of God. 

Conc. 

Did you know ? 

[Missionary Stats]

(2007) 17,000 missionaries abroad from South Korea 

(1995 ) Indian Mission Association (81 organizations) maintained More than 10,000 Indian missionaries abroad - from India working in other countries. (Plus ~200 other missionary orgs not included in the Indian Mission Association). 

(2000) The Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association has over 50 member-agencies with over 3,000 missionaries. 

So the kingdom is happening.  Whether you see it or not, whether you hear it or not, God’s kingdom is moving.  He is an active agent.  The seed is powerful and growing.  Don’t let your story get in the way of his.  Sow small seeds freely and cooperate with the Kingdom of God.