Author: missionspaul

The parables are not over. Here comes a final one and it is only one sentence.

“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” (Matthew 13 v 51-52)

They understood his parables (needed some explaining but they got there in a fashion) so they replied ‘Yes’. He didn’t disagree. He then calls them scribes, teachers of the law. This is quite surprising for the teachers of the law were the enemies of Jesus. What is he saying?

Maybe it is this: discipleship involves being able to use Scripture to help others; discipleship is the ability to understand and apply new discoveries as well as drawing out the old ones too; discipleship is making disciples.

The new discovery for the disciples was and still is Jesus. The old was their Jewish history which was not to be discarded.

Jesus seems to be saying:

1. Keep on balancing the old with the new. Don’t let go of the old for there is life still there but do embrace the new.
2. Keep on learning. Keep digging into the storeroom of the Bible, of the Spirit, of your experiences.
3. Keep on sharing. This is not so you can store up for yourself. These discoveries are for telling others in whatever way you can. The whole house was blessed.

Do you ever wonder why it seems that people who are named ‘Christian’ don’t appear so?

I’m not thinking we all should be perfect because none of us are.

But it is just the gnawing feeling that at the heart of an individual all is not what it seems to be.

Here’s the simple thought: leave it alone, in the course of time, all will be revealed.

In imagery so easy for them to understand because it was all around them Jesus continues to teach his disciples with this parable.

Similar to the parable of the weeds where the righteous grow with the wicked but the difference is that the focus is not on growing together but being separated from one another.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13 v 47-50)

All kinds of fish. Fish to be eaten and fish that are inedible. Within the net are the good and the bad but the fishermen are not disturbed by this. The net goes out to whosoever.

If you are caught in a situation today and you wonder where on earth the Judgment of God is, it is coming. Where is the fairness of life? It is coming. How can someone seem to get away with fooling those around them? They haven’t.

In the fullness of time …

Some people seem to have a gift of being able to discard, reject and abuse others.

Behind them lies a trail of broken people.

If you are one of them. Here is a reminder that you are greater than what someone has made you feel. Shake it off, walk tall, Jesus knows who you are.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13 v 45-46)

Don’t ever feel overlooked or unnoticed, Jesus came looking for you and He still is.

Don’t ever feel no one knows who or where you are at, Jesus found you and He will again.

Don’t ever feel of no worth and not wanted, Jesus values you greatly and still does.

Don’t ever feel you will never be good enough, it cost Jesus everything for you, you were worth dying for and you still are.

Having told 4 parables to the crowd Jesus now turns to his disciples for 3 parables just for them. Many have given brilliant interpretations of this parable from 2 main standpoints based on who the man is and who the field represents.

Here is the parable:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. (Matthew 13 v 44)

We all find new discoveries. I’m just asking 5 questions on the most recent discovery?

• What have you discovered that you haven’t told anyone about? ‘treasure’, ‘hid it again’

Often these are discoveries about ourselves, revelatory, directional, prophetic in nature, perhaps too outrageous to be shared.

• Where did you discover it? ‘field’

You didn’t just stumble on this discovery. You have spent time listening to a teaching, reading and contemplating, in discussion with others, in prayer and fasting perhaps and then you discovered.

• How did that discovery make you feel? ‘joy’

Nothing can be compared to the finding of something new. It is like your eyes have opened. You cannot now rest until the application has been implemented.

• Will this discovery cost you and how much? ‘sold all’

Sitting down and to do the sums, to think of the importance of surrender and to do whatever is necessary is the responsibility attached to this discovery. Those who discover pay.

• What change will you need to make because of the discovery? ‘bought the field’

The discovery may lead to change but the greatest change will be to apply that discovery into your life. Others may have to change but you will be the one who will significantly change.

Our days are never always bad nor are they perfect. Accepting the unpleasant alongside the pleasant is our way of life. It is the same with the gospel right across the world.

Jesus told us it would be so:

“Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 13 v 36-43)

How can you explain that there has been a growth in the last 15 years in Burkina Faso of over 1,000 Fulani Churches and this from one network alone and alongside there has been rising Islamist attacks like the one a few days ago when 132 people were killed from one village? The answer is the parable of the weeds.

In the most unlikely of places where suffering abounds and fear of conversion is stark, Christianity continues to grow. Myanmar, Iran, Afghanistan, China, Somalia … the list continues to grow, Christianity is thriving and so does the evil.

What will happen?

Both will intensify. We are going to see evil become more evil, the darkness will become black and we will be shocked if we are not already so at what man will do to man. But the gospel will continue to thrive in even these same places. There will be powerful demonstrations of salvation with miraculous supernatural activity.

Then the harvest will come.

Today all around the world Churches will gather in whatever form to hear a person teach from the Bible. It maybe 10 minutes or an hour, it may contain a slideshow of 3 points, 5 points or no points! But in every language the Bible will be expounded upon. When heaven opens its windows today I wonder how many sermons it hears?!

“Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” (Matthew 13 v 34-35)

Perhaps today you are going to hear from a Bible passage that you think you know well but the Spirit of God has decided that you will hear and see new implications, some nugget of truth which always lay there, it wasn’t invisible, it was you just hadn’t seen it before. It doesn’t happen every time but when it does there isn’t an experience quite like it!

Matthew refers to Psalm 78. Asaph begins his longest Psalm by far with a deep longing for people to hear him, he calls them to listen and to follow his teaching.  Covering the story from Egypt and the Exodus to the present day where David is leading them as a shepherd-leader, there is no doubting Asaph’s passion. But what Asaph does is uncover in detail what has lied there all along that God’s people have treated their God with contempt. Behind the story lies arrogance and pride and Asaph brings that out. He is a great teacher.

Matthew looks at the parables of the teaching of Jesus and sees the connection to Asaph. Psalm 78 reveals a teaching ministry that reveals truths behind the story. Asaph did it. Jesus did it. And by the Spirit of God it will continue even today.

Encourage the preacher/teacher today. Encourage them to keep digging into the Bible text.

What mountain do you face today that seems just too insurmountable?

How small do you feel when you begin to climb that mountain? Tsang Yin Hung, a 45 year old has just this week become the fastest woman to climb Mount Everest (29,031.69 feet). She did it in 25 hours and 50 minutes!.

Maybe you think such big exploits are now for yesteryear? Arthur Muir climbed Everest last Sunday. He is 75yrs!

Perhaps you are thinking that what is against you is too strong? Mr Zhang reached the top of Everest on the 24^th May 2021. He is blind!

Don’t give up today. Too often we might appear small, just like Jesus’ first disciples. Yet look at where the gospel has expanded, across the whole world!

How can this be? It is found in the lessons of the bread-maker.

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Matthew 13 v 33)

1. Have faith in the small. Take the yeast. It’s small but it can actually be hugely significant. A smile. A touch. A word of encouragement. A box of chocolates. Small maybe. But each and every small act of kindness can change a person’s day.
2. Surround yourself with what is larger. Engage it with the larger proponent, the flour. Yeast on its own will do nothing. As Christians we have to be in the world to change our world. Attempt what is bigger than you.
3. Don’t stress about being seen. As opposed to the mustard seed the yeast continues to remain hidden. It never surfaces nor does it grow into something else. It remains as an influence to the whole and it is what surrounds it that changes.
4. Keep going. Don’t give up. Keep mixing until a dough is created. If you remain committed to the cause then you will soon move into a phase of readiness. The dough ready to be baked.

Whatever you are trying to do, it may look really insignificant, but it can grow into something beyond your imagination. Today you may only have an idea. It doesn’t sound much at all.

But this small idea can surpass your wildest dream. So much so that it can impact today the seed-robbers of yesterday (the birds) and the miracle will not be just the growth of the seed but who later benefits from that growth (who sits in the branches).

“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (Matthew 13 v 31-32)

1. Take hold of that idea. Don’t despise the smallness. Don’t neglect it nor be embarrassed by its size. When you take hold of it then you assume ownership, commitment and authority of it. Don’t give it to anyone else. You are responsible.
2. Plant it. This is not burying it though the action looks the same. Both planting and burying are hiding the potential. The difference is that the planting is hiding for a season. Planting involves intent of growth. However initially there is nothing to show for your investment. Patience is plantings friend. Let it sit for a while.
3. Watch it daily. Build expectation. In your own garden you can see the plant grow. What good would it be to plant in someone else’s garden or plant where you will never go each day. Every day the man would wake up and look out at where he had planted. He expected growth.
4. Let it become something it had been created to become. In your hand it didn’t look like a tree. You never become what you already are. You are meant to change. Further ideas will come to that original idea. It will grow. The idea for sharing your faith with a neighbour or some act of kindness can grow into a whole new way of life for you if you watch it daily
5. You will attract into your garden what was previously not there. You planted a seed, it became a tree then you got the birds as a bonus. The power of attraction happens because you kept to the law of sowing. They take the fruit and drop the seeds and life continues.

All from an idea. Go one grab hold of that idea!

Perhaps you face a difficult day. It is filled with good and bad and you wish you could just eradicate the bad, then it would be a good day! Perhaps you are one of those action people and you want to solve everything yesterday. Here are 3 lessons that will help you in life from the owner who knows all there is to know.

“Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” (Matthew 13 v 24 – 30)

LIFE IS NOT PERFECT – The weeds grow with the wheat.

LIFE NEEDS DISCERNMENT – Distinguishing between wheat and weeds is made easier at harvest time when the wheat buds.

LIFE ISNT FOR MAKING SNAP JUDGMENTS – The owner of the field knows he has an enemy, knows the weeds are there but will delay dealing with the matter until the right time.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13 v 18-23)

1. Be happy and love the Message.

But it’s a path! Seed won’t germinate on a path! If that is so obvious then the only reason why we risk seed landing there, is because we love the gospel so much. We love the message of Christ’s love. Just speaking it is a joy in itself.

We are in love with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether preaching, or sharing our stories to adults or children, the gospel is indeed good news! 

• Be extravagant and even wasteful with the Message.

The extravagant Jesus scatters his seed in such a way that seems careless to the many. He doesn’t seem bothered where it lands. There is no limit to the gospel. There is an endless supply of the seed. It can be wasted, no panic, it is okay. Let us enjoy the joy while it lasts. For some it will be short-lived others will make it for the long haul.

I have been astounded often by finding out the ones I thought wouldn’t make it because I thought under the test of life they would fall away. Whereas the ones I would have betted on them lasting the course didn’t last a year in the Church.

• Keep going with the Message.

When the scattered seed fell into the thorny soil it carried within it the life and power to produce a fully grown plant. There was nothing wrong with the seed. Initially it grows but so did other things alongside it. These things are not really bad things, they are at first really small and look harmless enough. Wisdom is not only seeing potential in the seedling but potential in the weed and thorn.

Is the fault with the one scattered the seed? Should Jesus not be sharing the kingdom to the whosoever? Should we first not have some rigorous application to make sure that this is not thorny soil. No, let’s scatter. There will be pain but there are times when we simply cannot tell the quality of the soil, we will find that out later. But for now the whole world needs to hear of Jesus.

• Believe in the power of the Message.

After all that, after seed falling on the path, the rocky ground, the thorny soil, still … it is okay because if you scatter enough seed some will land on good soil.

There is power in the seed, power to multiply a 100 times more than what it was when it was sown. That’s like saying if you scatter the seed and it lands on good soil, just one seed, one presentation of the gospel can be enough to produce a 100 member church which then has the capacity to reap a 100 other 100 member churches resulting in a 10,000 movement. One more time and you have won a city for Jesus!

Now that is worth the waste of the path, the rocky soil and the thorny soil isn’t it?!

So where is the good soil? Where are the noble and good hearts? Of course we don’t know at first glance.