Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Luke 13:18-21)
Worship in large churches often results in prideful church leaders and ministers. I’ve belonged to many churches where this was the case. Jealousies form. Those who have more money have more clout. Leaders become like the Pharisees. The early churches abided by Jesus’ warning in these verses. They met in people’s homes in small groups, yet they united in larger groups for missions and theology discussions. In this way the kingdom of God maintained the order of God, not the disorder of people.
We know God’s kingdom in heaven is perfect, so Jesus is speaking about God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus says that the kingdom of God on earth depends on how God’s children think and act. The man growing a tree provided a home for birds. He may think birds are predators to his garden and remove their nests or he can nurture and feed the birds.
The woman making bread mixes yeast into the dough. If it’s fresh yeast, it can make sixty pounds of bread rise. If it’s bad yeast, sitting in a pantry for a while, it can make the bread fall. The kingdom of God depends on Christians. One little mistake can cause a church visitor to fall.
House churches have increased in popularity. Not wanting to donate money for church buildings and salaries, not liking church hierarchy, and being afraid to be around large groups of people due to COVID-19 are some of the reasons. Now is a good time to start a house church.
Dearest Heavenly Father, Help me be joyful today so I can affect other people in a positive way. Let me be a bird feeder and fresh yeast to help others grow in Your love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Jody, your website was not working properly yesterday. I tried to post my response and it would just spin and spin and then time out. I also could not get into previous devotions., it did the same thing. Just thought you should know.
I am blessed that I get to sit on a front or back porch and look at the beauty around me. I love to do my devotions and pray being surrounded by nature. I feel one step closer to God. I have asked God to never allow me to take this for granite. I feel happy and content doing my devotions, reading the Bible and praying at home. I don’t believe you have to be in a church to be close to God. Sometimes, churches are filled with obstacles that seem to make the whole purpose of being there void.
Thanks it seems to be working okay today. It might be time for me to delete some of the pictures that take up a lot of space. Yes, churches can be filled with obstacles called people. Unfortunately not all churchgoers, as you know, realize they can have a personal relationship with God through the Holy Spirit and grace, yet they are aware of every rule of being a Christian. Those people in churches need our love, too, and need to know that God isn’t legalistic.