The Growth of the Kingdom
By Carlos Aguilar

Our Lord used many parables to describe different aspects of the kingdom, concerning the growth of the Kingdom, He used the parable of the seed growing of itself, found in Mark 4:26-29, and He also used two other parables on the growth of the kingdom. These two, the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven, look at the same subject from different points of view. The Parable of the Mustard Seed is taken from the garden or field; the Parable of the Leaven is taken from the home.

Matt 13:31-32-Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, (32) "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Matt 13:33-Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

In Palestine it was common to speak of the mustard seed as the smallest of all seeds. Strictly speaking it was not, for there are other seeds that are smaller, but the tiny mustard seed was proverbially used to stand for anything minute. Jesus once spoke of faith as a grain of mustard seed. He told the disciples that if they had faith, even a small amount of faith, like a grain of mustard seed, they would be able to do many mighty works (Matt 17:20; Lk 17:6). Both Matthew and Mark emphasize that the small mustard seed becomes the largest of the herbs. The Palestinian mustard plant, because of its size, was not set out in the garden but in the open field. It was not unusual for it to grow as high as ten or twelve feet. It was a giant of the shrubs, so large that its branches spread out like at tree. Such a shrub would attract many birds. This is what happened in the parable. In Jesus' time birds could often be seen in the branches of the mustard plant as they fed on the small black seeds of the mustard pods. Thus the parable presented a familiar scene to the Jews, and yet one calculated by Jesus to teach new lessons on the growth of God's kingdom.

One of the unmistakable lessons of the parable is the importance of little things. How small is the microscopic mustard seed, and yet how valuable. The little mustard grain by itself does not look so important, but man's experience teaches him not to minimize it. So the little things of life should not be discounted. However important little things may be, the parable actually focuses attention on the consequence of little beginnings. It is a fact that generally the world's biggest things have had small beginnings. The greatest works of art begin with a few strokes of the brush. The world's great symphonies and concertos are based on a few notes. In literature, every book, every essay, every poem, come from the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Momentous deeds and earth-circling revolutions can be traced back to a speck like germ of the mustard seed. History's greatest movement had its beginning at a manger in Bethlehem. The proud and busy Roman world did not take notice of the day when Jesus was born. Still less did it care when He died, for he was a carpenter's son, of Nazareth, and apparently no more.

Certainly in outward appearance Jesus looked "less than the least of all seeds." His followers were counted by the dozens and not by the thousands. And yet from only a handful of disciples, and in spite of their leader's death on a cross, there sprang into existence the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should learn well the lesson of the grain of mustard seed. A thing may begin very small, almost without hope, and yet in the end succeed because God is behind it. Did the first-century disciples ever dream of the effect of their faith? Their faith began unnoticed, like a tiny mustard seed, but nevertheless has gone around the world.

One popular conception of the parable is to interpret the branches of the mustard tree as symbolical of modern denominations. Just as the birds come and sit in the branches of the tree, so it is said that people come and enter the different branches or denominations of the church. But there are difficulties attached to this interpretation. First, this view seeks to understand the parable by looking at the Christianity of today instead of the Christianity as found in the first century. Its is easy today to speak of "branches of the church," but keep in the days of Christ and the apostles these divisions were unknown. Did this parable remain without its full meaning until the rise of denominationalism? Second, this interpretation stretches the parable too far.

It is not necessary to make each detail in a parable stand for something. Attempting to do so results in the fallacy of "allegorizing" the parables. It is important to distinguish between a parable and an allegory. An allegory, like a parable, is a story told in order to make a comparison. In an allegory every detail of the story has an inner meaning. But in a parable---each detail is not necessarily significant. The details of a parable are there most often just to add color to the story. The branches of the mustard tree are not in the main focus of Jesus' attention anymore than the man who sowed the mustard seed or the nests that were made in the tree's branches. The point of the parable is simply that the microscopic mustard seed grows into a tree large enough for the birds to come and nest in it. The man who sowed the seed, the field or garden, the nests, the birds themselves, are incidental to the one central truth of the parable---that the kingdom of God even with a small beginning would prosper and prevail over other kingdoms.

This is in keeping with Daniel's interpretation of Nebudcanezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:31-45). The stone not cut by human hands struck the image down and became "a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (vs 35). In the same way God's kingdom was destined to conquer all other kingdoms. Next week ... the parable of the Leaven.

CHURCH HISTORY: A BIBLICAL VIEW
Part VI - No. 37 Compiled and written by Gary Eubanks

Almost since the time of Christ there have been those who have adopted a "unitarian" view of God; that is, that He is one being only. (The opposing view, known as "trinitarianism," is that there are three divine beings the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.) From time to time individuals and groups with unitarian views have become more assertive. Encouraged by rationalism (a philosophy which advocated that reason was the chief source and test of knowledge), unitarian views began to make significant headway in Eighteenth Century England. Most of those who were attracted to unitarian views were found among the Presbyterians and General Baptists. In 1772 the English Parliament refused to receive a petition circulated by Theophilus Lindsey and carrying two hundred and fifty signatures of clergymen which asked that clergymen be relieved of subscription to the Thirty Two Articles to pledge fidelity to the Scriptures. As a result, Lindsey withdrew from the establishment and organized a Unitarian Church in London in 1774. In 1779 Parliament enacted legislation to substitute profession of faith in the Scriptures in place of required acceptance of The Thirty Nine Articles and in 1813 removed all penalties against unitarians. In 1785 the first Unitarian Church in New England was begun. In 1961 Unitarian and Universalist churches in the United States and Canada effected a union known as Unitarian Universalist Association. Many Congregationalists also were attracted to Unitarianism.

Starting with a denial of the Trinity, Unitarians went on to form one of the most doctrinally liberal denominations. Unitarians also denied the divinity of Christ (Jn. 1:1), the divine inspiration of the Bible (II Tim. 3:16,17), and eternal punishment in hell for the wicked (Matt. 25:41,46). It is not unusual for those who deny the separate existence of three divine beings to feel driven to deny that Jesus was divine. Obviously if the Father is the only divine being, then Jesus cannot be divine. (The other alternative is the impossible theory that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are just different facets of the one divine being.) The Bible says that there is one God (Deut. 6:4) but this one God is composed of three divine beings (Gen. 1 :26; 3:22; Jas. 3:9).

By the Eighteenth Century Lutheranism in Germany had become a dry, dogmatically strict, intellectual religion. Emphasis was given to pure doctrine and the sacraments. A vital relationship with Christ and a commensurate purity in life were minimized. Practically the whole religion of the laity was to accept the dogmas regarded by the clergy as pure and to participate in the public worship services. Not surprisingly, there was a reaction to this dry, stale type of religion. It was a movement known as Pietism. Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705) is usually regarded as the founder of Pietism. In 1670, while chief pastor in Frankfort, Germany, he gathered into his house a group of people who wanted more out of religion than the Lutheran Church offered. Their activities centered upon Bible reading, prayer, and discussion of the Sunday sermons. Their aim was a deepening of individual spiritual life. Groups such as those which met in Spener's home became known as collegia pietatis, whence the name "Pietism." Spener advocated that such groups should be constituted in every church, thus having ecclesiola in ecclesia ("churches within churches"). Pietists also sought improved morality, a greater knowledge of the Scriptures, better training for the clergy, moderation in food, drink, and dress and rejection of dances, cards, and the theater. The religion of Christ was more of a way of life than intellectual knowledge. Theological controversy was unprofitable and best avoided. If the heart was right, Spener thought, doctrinal differences were relatively unimportant.

Though Pietists were not physically persecuted, their teachings did arouse a great deal of controversy with those whose emphasis was on "pure doctrine." However, Pietists did find refuge with the Elector of Brandenburg, who eventually made August Hermann Francke (1663-1727), one of Pietism's chief advocates, a professor in the University of Halle. That city therefore became the center of Pietism. Despite a general suppression of intellectual endeavors and an ascetic attitude toward the world (even to the extent of repressing play among children), Pietism did contribute to an improvement in the spiritual training of clergy, laity, and children.

The Moravians (from Moravia in Czechoslovakia) traced their spiritual heritage to the Hussite Unity of Brethren, but because of the Thirty Years' War and severe persecutions they had been much reduced and scattered. The Moravians had stressed purity of morals, apostolic discipline, and true Scriptural teaching. Consequently, they found much in common with Pietism. Some Moravians found refuge on the estate of Count Nicolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf and founded a village known as Herrnhut (1722-1727). Zinzendorf was a man of Pietistic leanings and soon found himself in a position of leadership over the Moravian brethren on his estate. The Herrnhut Moravians strove toward near monastic status. Children were brought up under supervision apart from parents. An attempt was even made at regulation of marriages by the community. Moravians sought a community separate from the world. Zinzendorf wanted the Moravians to be nominally part of the Lutheran Church but maintain themselves as an ecclesiola in ecclesia, thereby fostering a warmer "heart-religion" in the whole. However, most Moravians wanted a separate denomination and finally won the upper hand. Moravians soon became noted for their missionary zeal which led them to plant their religion in such places as America, Greenland, the West Indies, South Africa, Egypt, Surinam, and Guyana. They had a great influence upon John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

IF YOU WERE A VISITOR
suggested by an article by Darwin Hunter

If you were a visitor, how would you feel if…

You were ignored by the church members?

You were not greeted and warmly received?

You had trouble finding a place to sit because of all the cookie crumbs, cereal and toys on the seats?

You saw members acting disinterested and bored?

You observed members not participating in songs of praise?

You noticed many sleepy-eyed members dragging in late?

You saw several who got up and left early?

You saw many sleepers during the preaching, some even stretched out on the pews?

You could hardly concentrate on what was being said because of the members nearby who liked to talk the whole time?

You weren’t sure if you were in church or at the beach party based on the short shorts, tight skirts and other immodest apparel worn by some of the members?

You spent your time wondering what planet the teenager next to you came from based on how they were dressed and adorned?

You kept being disturbed by people getting up and climbing over you to get drinks and go to the restrooms during the service?

If you were the only example of New Testament Christianity a visitor had, would it leave a favorable impression? Would they want to come back? Would they report to their friends that God is indeed among those people (1 Cor 14:25)? Would they believe that they had seen true New Testament Christians for the first time in their lives?