Picture a trumpet fanfare, the rumbling of tympanis, the clashing of cymbals, the pulsing of lights as the grand pronouncement is made that the Kingdom of God is like a…!? Obviously, the next word should be a powerful, big word preferably with many syllables and perhaps only usually spoken in the lofty realms of higher education. Possibly a word like “juggernaut” or “colossus” would be appropriate. It’s a word metaphor for a Kingdom with a capital “K” and it belongs to God with a capital “G” so it’s got to be big, huge, and impressive! What will the word be?  The trumpet, tympanis, cymbals and lights all pause in anticipation of the potent word. Here it is now. The word. Is. “Seed.” Seed? Oh, and not just any seed. The word is “seed” modified by “mustard.” The smallest, least impressive, almost invisible seed.  What is Jesus trying to tell us here?

In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus is revealing a powerful Kingdom principle that has important implications for our entire approach to ministry. Here it is: we are called to plant seeds not build trees. Too often our ministry efforts focus on doing something we can’t even do- build trees. It’s true, we can build something that looks like a tree, but it’s not really a tree unless God makes it. We can also build something that looks like a church, but it’s not really a church unless God builds it. But Jesus said he would build the church. Our job is to plant seeds.  Tiny seeds. Mustard seeds. Seeds of discipleship (Go and make disciples) and leadership development (And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. (NIV)). Seeds of daughter churches. Seeds of small, hidden acts of love and compassion. Seeds of faithful prayer. The problem with seed planting is that it does not look very impressive when it is taking place. The results do not show up immediately. In our “bigger is better” culture, seed planting just doesn’t seem to fit.

And yet, small mustard seeds patiently planted is what the Kingdom of God is like! In his book “Traveling Light” Eugene Peterson writes, “Jesus, it must be remembered, restricted nine tenths of His ministry to twelve Jews, because it was the only way to reach all Americans.” Making a big Kingdom impact in your community and in this world means attending carefully to the mustard seeds God has given you to plant.

The practical application looks like this… We’ve all observed churches that grew and flourished under the leadership of a very strong leader. The focus of the church is building a great church around the vision of the great leader. The church builds buildings and develops great programs and is known throughout the land as doing a great work for God! Yet, when we revisit the church years later, after the exceptional leader has moved on, the pews are empty, the church has forgotten its mission, and all that’s left is a small group of people rattling around in a cavernous building maintaining fond memories of better days. The bills are paid, the heat is on, the hymns are sung, but the church is reduced to going through the motions.

Contrast that scenario with a mustard seed church with a seed planting vision. This church also grows and flourishes under the guidance of a very strong leader. In the early years of seed planting, it does not always appear that a lot is happening. But this leader focuses on planting seeds. Seeds of discipleship where disciples are trained to make disciples who make disciples. Seeds of servant leadership where servant leaders are trained to be servant leaders who develop servant leaders. Seeds of new churches that plant new churches that continually spin off new healthy churches to reach previously untouched cultural “tribes” in their community and around the world.  Within every mustard seed exists the potential for hundreds and thousands of mustard trees that continue to reproduce! Within every “seed planting” church is the potential for hundreds and even thousands of “seed planting” disciples and churches.

In contrast to “man built” churches that measure success in “noses and nickels,” mustard seed churches measure success in numbers of disciples and leaders trained and in churches planted. Mustard seed churches often start out small, but in the long run they always have a larger and more influential impact than “man built” churches. The secret is to trust the Kingdom principle tucked away in the parable of the mustard seed. If your church is numerically small right now, don’t try to make it big. Just focus on planting the right seeds that will inevitably lead to long term effectiveness. If your church is numerically large, don’t be distracted by the multitudes. Put your time and energy into the “mustard seeds” because it’s the only way you can experience an exponential explosion of Kingdom effectiveness. That’s what the Kingdom of God is like. A seed.