Published Thu, Sep 03, 26.
Written by Kristy Klitz.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man planted in his field. 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.” (Matthew 13:31-32)
We have had the joy so far this year to see God using the Gathering Table ministry to plant seeds of the kingdom of God in the hearts of people in our community, specifically through the bi-monthly Pop-Up dinners and the May-September Bee Keeping Apprenticeship.
There is a lot that goes into a seed becoming a tree - water, sunlight, soil, nutrients, etc. The same is true when it comes to the kingdom of God. First, seeds of the kingdom are planted, then they are watered and nourished and cared for as God grows them from seeds to plants, and eventually to full grown trees. And God is the one who makes them grow!
This is both a humbling and an encouraging passage of scripture. First, it reminds us that we cannot do anything without God’s help, provision, love and sustaining power. We are nothing without Him. And second, it is not our job or place to try to make things happen. Instead we simply do the planting and watering of the seeds of the kingdom, with God’s help and guidance, and trust that He will bring the growth of what is planted.
So as a ministry, the Lord has given us lots of opportunities this year to plant seeds of the kingdom. We are learning that planting seeds is not a one time thing. Often people need to hear the gospel many times before the Lord brings them to the place of opening up to receive Jesus. We have one person involved through Gathering Table who is on the brink of coming to the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Another person who God is drawing, I think out of curiosity more than anything else. God is moving.
But we are also learning in this ministry that there is another - the enemy- who also is actively planting seeds, as seen in the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, sowing seeds of distrust, bitterness and doubt. Whenever you step into sowing seeds of the kingdom of God in people’s lives, the enemy will do everything he can to thwart any kind of spiritual growth from happening that is rooted in Christ.
It is a spiritual battle. Sometimes one step forward, two steps back. But our job as God’s children is simply to keep planting the seeds and tending to what is growing, remembering that this is His garden, not ours, and all the glory is due to Him alone.
(We spoke in generalities here about the specific examples of the hearts of people God is moving on through Gathering Table to respect their privacy at the moment. You can partner with what God is doing in their lives by praying that God would bring salvation in Christ to those He is drawing through the Gathering Table ministry, and also that they would find connection and places to belong in the local church body.)