Matthew 13:30-32
30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though 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."
A Modern Day Example of a Great Harvest
Big accomplishments amaze me. Let's use Joel Osteen, as an example at Lakewood Church, Houston Texas. You know everything is bigger and better in Texas!(Comes naturally from my Texas Roots).
There was a three year court battle between the Lakewood church and the "Largest Tax paying Company" in Texas to secure the Compact Center, the former home of the Houston Rockets. There was several legal wranglings that happened, each one that happened was detrimental to the Lakewood Church coming out on the positive end of the battle. Joel and his wife Victoria, never took their eyes off the goal and continued with "uncommon faith" through the whole ordeal. Even when members of the Lakewood team, saw no way they would be successful, and were willing to throw in the towel, Joel and his wife did not listen to the negative.
Joel tells the story that during the ordeal He and his wife Victoria would drive down to the Compact Center at night, walk around the parking lot "hands raised praising God for delivering this Center for the church." Their faith would not be threatened no matter what was being said publicly.
Romans 4:17 calls things that are not as though they were.
What were the results?
After a Three year Court battle and the final vote was made by the City Council, Against Powerful Odds, Lakewood was victorious, the Former Compact Center is now the Home of Lakewood Church.
Lakewood church from a small faith the size of a Mustard seed is a non-denominational Christian megachurch located in Houston, Texas. It is the largest congregation in the United States, averaging more than 43,500 in attendance per week, and that number does not include his TV audience. The 16,800-seat Lakewood Church Central Campus is located at the former Compaq Center.] Joel Osteen is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church with his wife,Victoria, who serves as co-pastor. Lakewood's congregation increased almost five-fold.
Biblical Examples
Read Hebrews 11 The Faith chapter and see the many people listed who demonstrated faith:
Noah building the Ark and it had never rained? Moses leading people out of Egypt and parting the Red Sea on Gods command? Abraham was promised the father of many nations and by all accounts he and his wife were well beyond birthing years and Sarah had baby Isaac at 90, Abraham was 100.
If you have faith the size of a mustard seed and demonstrate that faith,
Look at what can happen!
A Great Harvest!
There is an old sayin' in Texas "Its not the size of the dawg in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dawg!"
God is Great! God is Good!
Like Joel said last week, he played baseball growing up and was an all-star 2nd baseman until high school were he did not make the team because the coach said of his size. After Joel graduated high school he grew another 6 inches in height. Joel always dreamed of playing 2nd base for the N.Y. Yankees,little did he know that some 30 years later he would stand at 2nd base in the new Yankees Stadium and speak to a full house one night. That was God's dream for Joel.
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