Increasing Size

Written by Jim Stern

Does the fact that the Kingdom is the only topic about which Jesus teaches seven parables mean anything to you?  And then Matthew puts them all together in one chapter (Matthew 13). What does it mean to you or what should it mean? Why would Jesus be this redundant and emphatic?  

The Kingdom must be essential….what is the word…genetic…integral…foundational. Even beyond these seven parables Jesus includes the Kingdom in His MOST famous prayer! (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4).  

Lean into what He reveals about the Kingdom in His third parable from Matthew 13:31-32,  

He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” 

Jesus points to increasing Kingdom size. Look at the development. First the Kingdom is a mustard seed smaller than all other seeds. Then the seed grows. The Kingdom grows. And it does not stop growing. Then the seed, and the Kingdom, become larger than all the other garden plants. Then, the seed has become such a large tree that it now supports life!  

From one small, insignificant seed to the largest life supporting tree. 

Jesus is the mustard seed of the Kingdom. He re-established His Father’s Kingdom on earth by Himself. There was no one else. He was the Kingdom. Compared to the size of Rome and other historical Kingdoms until that day, Jesus was the smallest. “I have a Kingdom of one!”  

But…growth happened. And happened. And still happens as people respond to the Gospel and are added to the Kingdom.  

From one “insignificant” seed – one Person Jesus – to a global population of millions and millions and more to come. Every true church. Every true ministry. Every true convert. The increasing mass of the Kingdom of God would be spectacular to behold!  

Localize the Kingdom to your city for a moment. What would it look like to be able to see the fullness of the Kingdom in your city? I live in Houston and am deeply involved in the church, ministry, and discipleship world. Even what I know of the work our Father is doing to reach, grow, gather, and send people in Houston is a small percentage of the fullness of the Kingdom just in Houston.    

What would Kingdom fullness look like in your city?  

Jesus points to the growing size of the Kingdom as something that is supposed to be meaningful to us. What could be meaningful to you to have clarity about the growth of the Kingdom of God? How does the increasing size of the Kingdom affect you, if at all? 

Maybe one reason is that we can be impressed with size. My fish is bigger than your fish. My paycheck is bigger than your paycheck. My company is bigger than your company. My country is bigger than your country. My military is bigger than your military.  

We can draw strength from knowing that we are a part of something that is big! That we get to be an active part of the growing Kingdom of God can be a very exciting reality. We don’t have to worry about being left out of the next big thing.  

Further, Kingdom size gives us perspective. That our Father’s Kingdom is bigger than the United States government can help us understand the limited role of government in life. We can have perspective about the degree to which we should engage in politics.  

The Kingdom even dwarfs the combined size of the world’s largest corporations! I spent time with a man once who worked for Shell. He said, “Who am I to make a difference in Shell?” He raised one finger representing himself and then spread his arms wide showing the size of Shell. I replied, “But what is Shell compared to the Kingdom of God?”  

Genesis Hope is a ministry in South Africa that I have worked with for a couple years. They are confronted with Somali pirates, tribal issues, and a very difficult political climate. I was amazed by the size and darkness of their enemies. And then I asked them about the Kingdom. They were not actively drawing from or equipping their people to draw from the Kingdom of God. I quickly agreed that pirates and tribes are formidable forces, but what are they compared to the size and scale of our Father’s Kingdom? 

Clarity came. 

Peace came. 

Perspective came. 

And energy in the Holy Spirit to fight was restored.    

The mustard seed to largest tree growth pattern of the Kingdom is Jesus’s response to the intensity and magnitude of all the other persons and forces in the world. 

Lastly, Kingdom size can give us clarity about the purpose of our lives. Jesus says in Luke 4:43, “But He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.’” Actively, intentionally engaging in the Kingdom was Jesus’s mission. He was clear and intentional. His clarity established His priorities and His schedule.  

Through the Kingdom He offers us the same missional clarity. We wake daily, relax into the filling of the Holy Spirit, the faithfulness of our Father, and the authority of Jesus and set about to advance the Kingdom one person at a time. We get to experience wins and losses accordingly. And we get to experience the joy and awe of being an active part in God’s creation plan for life!  

Like Kate shared last week, I was never taught much about the Kingdom in my formative years in the faith. Even through seminary I cannot remember any mention of the Kingdom. Only by the leading of the Holy Spirit have my eyes been opened to the meaning and affect of the Kingdom. I think Satan knows where the real power points are in the faith. And I think he works hard, very hard, to blind Christians to specific truths that he knows will ignite faith. I pray that the Holy Spirit will open you wide to Kingdom truth in such a way that fires everything about who you are and what you do.  

Life in the overflow is LIFE in the Kingdom.