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And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Jesus didn’t stand still, He moved… he spread the word… He saw the people who needed Him, and he realized the harvest was more than ready! Many times, we want to just sit back and see what happens… I can tell you what happens when you just sit back, nothing is what happens. Kingdom ministry takes work, you have to get “out there” in the same way Jesus did. Sure, Sunday morning is the “big deal” each week, but Sunday is the RESULT of ministry, not the “lets just see what happens.” You have to come ready for the harvest, you have to plow the field, remove the weeds, put in the fertilizer, do the work of the evangelist… Go to all the cities and villages.

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She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “ If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

Jesus was busy, really busy. There was a crowd around him but she reached out to Jesus. She didn’t sit back and wait for him to address her, to stop by her home, to give her a call… she knew he was called to minister to many many people, so she made it happen. She made it to him. She didn’t demand a lot of his time or feel like she deserved “equal time” with Jesus… she simply had heard what Jesus could do, and she acted on it. What have you heard? Have you heard what all God is doing through your church? I can tell you this, he’s moving here. He’s changing hearts and drawing people to himself. No place is perfect. She could have complained “well, he never even talked to me until I tried to reach out to him… the Apostle Mark didn’t even remember my name(!)” None of that is the point… she reached out in faith. She believed what Jesus could do, and she acted on it. God can change you, God can fill you, God can make your life an adventure!!!! Reach out to him and go for it!

And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

The outlook for the world looks pretty bleak, doesn’t it? Well, use your Bible glasses… listen to who you are (if you’re a Christian). You are part of a movement that starts small… like really small… only Jesus. That wave swells and will grow like a tiny seed that grows huge (or maybe yuuuge). The church will grow, God’s kingdom will expand, and we are. If you look at the actual percentage of people on the planet who are Christian, that number is going up and has been for the last 2,000 years. The last time I looked at the research, here’s what I found was the ratio of Christians to Non-Christians in the world:

• A.D. 100 1:360
• A.D. 1000 1:220
• A.D. 1500 1:69
• A.D. 1900 1:27
• A.D. 1980 1:11
• A.D. 2005 1:7
• A.D. 2012 1:3

So who’s right? Those who say the Kingdom is in decline, or Jesus? That’s not to say there will always be an increase, but we know the gates of hell will not prevail against us (Matt 16:18), so why do we sometimes act as though we’re losing? We aren’t, we can’t!

And a scribe came up and said to him, “ Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “ Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “ Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “ Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Do you ever hear people say: “I’m not really into organized religion.” Ahhh, I see, you like disorganized religion? I think I know what they are trying to communicate. They don’t like the institution, they don’t like the empty ritual usually associated with many religious traditions, but make no mistake, the New Testament is PRO-RELIGION… in fact, the hero of the New Testament, Jesus (ever hear of him?) started a pretty big one. The answer to “empty-religion” is no “anti-religion,” that’s a major mistake. The answer is TRUE-RELIGION. Religion is simply how you relate to God, and others who relate to God, that’s quite important. There were some 2,000 years ago who thought they could be “spiritual” but not actually do anything. “I’m spiritual… not religious.” Well, that may be, but you’re not Christian either (at least not in a biblical sense). The first scribe wanted stability “Jesus, I’ll follow you, if nothing ever changes at your church… if it does, I’m gonna jump-ship.” The second said “Well, you know, that’s my ‘family time’ Jesus… we have ‘family worship’ I mean… spending time at my kids sporting events, family vacations, working on my kids’ school projects, you know, I only have so much vacation time from work, I have to use my Sundays to get all that in…” oops. Don’t let anything, especially good things, get between you and Jesus. 

No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

This little light of mine… are you gonna let it shine? Pastors, more often than not, spend a good portion of their time convincing Christians to do what they already know they should do… share the gospel, be more consistent, bring people in to the church, make a difference in the world in Jesus’ name. It’s not as though a pastor says “you need to be sharing with your neighbors…” and the folks reply “oh, I never knew that…” We know, as Believers, what we should do… so then, the question becomes, do we really have the light? If we have the light, we won’t cover it up, we’ll let it shine… let your light shine today, not because a pastor is telling you to, but because you know that’s what Jesus wants you to do… it’s what you’re meant to be doing. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!