Today's Reading: Mark 4: 26-34
**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.
Please click this link to read Mark 4: 26-34
Bible Study
Jesus gives two very important parables to explain what the Kingdom of God is like.
N.T. Wright gives us a very good understanding of these two parables:
The first parable is that though Jesus' ministry in Galilee doesn't look like the sort of kingdom-of-God-movement people were expecting, it was in fact the seedtime for God's long-promised and long-awaited harvest. People wouldn't be abld to see how God's promised plant would from this seed; but grow it would, and harvest would come. The story is a warning against looking down on the small beginnings, in Jesus' Galilean ministry, of the great work that God was to do. It can function as a warning, too, against looking down on the small beginning - a moment of vocation, two or three people meeting to pray and plan - that often, today, herald the start of some great new initiative that God has in mind.
The second parable telling us the mustard seed is the smallest at the start, but in the end it grows into a large shrub. That's Jesus' picture of what God's way of working God's way of growing the kingdom, is like...Realize that this small beginning is the start of God's intended kingdom- the kingdom that will eventually offer shade to the whole world.
I do hope N.T. Wright's explanation to Jesus' two parable can inspire you on how God wants you to join him in extending His Kingdom starting from small and micro things and ministries. In God's time, when the seeds can grow because we secure the first and small stage of preparing good soil, it would become macro.
Do you know how to do small things, micro things first?
Have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to God as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"
My Spiritual Journal
What I heard from Jesus today is: Our missing DNA!
Jesus explains very clearly of what God's Kingdom looks like. Jesus used three years to demonstrate the effectiveness of this Kingdom model. He started very small, first gathered four disciples, then through His healing, driving out demons and preaching to raise them up as His disciples. Then His discipleship plan to have more disciples, more healing and driving out demons moving towards the Cross, His dying and rising, and then the coming of the Holy Spirit, the early church, Paul's ministries and the whole world was on fire.
But, we got a missing DNA in this process. There is less than 10% or even 5% of Christians are having a daily intimate personal relationship with Jesus. And, there are almost none of the Christians following Jesus to have 2 to 3 people together building up their relationship with God and raising them up to be disciples of Christ just like how Jesus demonstrated in His model. How can we be able to see what the Kingdom of God looks like?
Our Evangelist123 campaign launching early this month to encourage one Evangelist of Christ to gather two more Evangelists for three months. Encouraging each others to have daily devotion and to pray for one to two non-belivers so that we can have our missing DNA back is your best response to Jesus' call today. Are you going to say YES to Jesus today!!!
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to know that we really have a missing DNA in the process of becoming your disciple and bringing others to become your disciples. Holy Spirit, move our hearts to say "yes" to you that we can be an Evangelist123 to do your Kingdom work so that we are able to see what your Kingdom looks like. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Chinese praise song - 这一生最美的祝福 The Most Wonderful Blessing of My Life
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