Have you considered how the kingdom of God grows in your communion with Him, in your community, and in your culture? Most ministries, including businesses, attempt to start big and eventually, they grow small. This is an example of pretense, which is the problem. However, the solution is authenticity. Authentic ministries start small and then grow large. This was Jesus’ message in The Parable of the Mustard Seed (see Matthew 13:31-32).

Authentic ministries have mustard seed growth: they start small and grow large (see Matthew 13:31-32). “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 your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches'” (Matthew 13:31-32).

Jesus threw the earthly truth of a mustard seed alongside the spiritual truth of the growth of the kingdom of God: His reign, rule, and order in the hearts and lives of people on this earth now and in the future. He noted the small size of the mustard seed: “Smallest of all your seeds” (Matthew 13:31). It was planted in the ground, almost unseen. Jesus’ kingdom started small. Two thousand years ago, the expectation of the listeners was not unlike ours today. They had expected the Messiah’s kingdom to start big. Jesus turned their expectations upside-down.

Is God prompting you to start a new ministry to advance His kingdom in you, in your community, and in your culture? Start small. Authentic growth is upside-down from the culture’s motto, “Start big.” Proud hearts must be humbled; humble hearts must grow authentically with one another; and the people on the upside must reach those who are down. Communion kingdom growth with God starts small, in your heart (see James 1:21; 1 Peter 1:23; Luke 17:21). Community kingdom growth starts small with authentic relationships (see 1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Culture kingdom growth starts with reaching its downhearted, one at a time (see 2 Corinthians 9:9-10). Would you like to see authentic kingdom growth in your communion, community, and culture? Start small.

Episode 243: Parable of the Mustard Seed and Yeast from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.