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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!

“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people ’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.

This quotation by Matthew of Isaiah 6 reveals something about people. Whether they were around 2,700 years ago or present day, we all have the same truth to evaluate. I am convinced that Jesus lived, died for me, and was raised from the dead. I believe He is divine and is the savior of the world. We all see the same evidence, but we do not all see it. We all hear the same affirmations, yet we all do not hear. When you read the Bible, let it read you too. If you will really see, if you will really hear, then you will understand and God will heal you.

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “ Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “ When you pray, say: “ Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.And lead us not into temptation.

Do you have your “certain place” where you pray? The beauty of following Jesus is that we can worship God through him anywhere (see John 4), but that doesn’t mean we don’t still need special places we set aside to pray and worship the Lord. We do this corporately through our churches, but you need a spot at home, a “prayer closet” (whether or not it’s an actual closet). Have somewhere you know you go to “do business” with God. A “War Room.” Jesus had these kind of places, when he was at “a certain place” the disciples knew what he was doing. They saw him and wanted to learn. Acknowledge God, his greatness, his glory. Ask for his will, not ours. Request his provision and forgiveness. Ask him to give you the strength to be better, to put others first. It’s fine to bring our requests to God, but be sure you worship him along with our entreaties, he deserves it.