31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 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.”
33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 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 13:31-35
In 2017 I led a small team that planted soulcity church in Stockport. When we began someone said to me, ‘start small dream big.’ Those words have stayed with me ever since. What began with a few people, reading the Bible and praying together has grown into a healthy, semi-chaotic, beautiful church. But the best part is that we are still only just getting started: the best is still to come and we believe that God is going to keep growing us and sending out new seeds to start new communities that will bless and serve our town.
Another friend of mine, Dave Ferguson, says that every movement starts with a few friends with a vivid vision. His church began with four university friends and now has around 8,000 members. They have all kinds of ministries, working with the poor, the homeless, broken families, racial reconciliation and more. They are on fire for Jesus, sharing their faith with others and seeing lives transformed. They started small but dream big.
Jesus had 12 friends who he travelled with. He invested deeply into them and after he left, they began a movement that changed the world. This movement did not grow because of political power or strength of arms. It grew because of spiritual power and strength of love. His teachings have spread across the world and today 2.5 billion people consider themselves to be his followers.
I wholeheartedly believe that God wants to do incredible things through you. Perhaps it is a dream planted in your soul. Or it could be simply where he has planted you, in your community. The Kingdom is like a mustard seed, it starts small but becomes a huge tree that nurtures life around it. This is how the kingdom works: start small, dream big. The nature of the life that God has sown into you is that it will grow and serve others.
Reflect
- Do you have a big dream? What is a small step towards it?
- How does your faith already change other people’s experience of life?
- How is God using what he has sown into your life to greater provide for and bless others?
Respond
Pause and pray. Take some time to think about the seeds that God has sown into your life and reflect on their growth in you. Spend some time in gratitude, thanking God for them.
