Seeds

Every mighty oak tree was once a little nut!   Every time I see an oak tree with its massive trunk and thick limbs I am amazed how all of this came from a single acorn seed.  Some years ago a farmer told me I could have the four metre long trunk of an oak tree that had been cut down in the middle of his grain field.  It was over two metres in diameter.  Together with a friend we cut up that tree trunk into furniture grade lumber.   My office desk is one of many pieces of furniture that used to be part of that tree!  Even the pen that sits on my desk was made from that oak tree.  And to think that it all started with a nut!  One seed.

The Bible tells us lots about seed.   From the very beginning we are told that God has given us seed-bearing plants for our food. (Gen. 1:11,29)  The homemade granola that I eat every day for breakfast contains at least 10 or more different seeds.  Fruit trees bearing fruit, which is their seed, give us a plethora of delightful things to eat.   We are told to "sow our seed in the morning" (Eccl. 11:6) for every seed planted in the ground holds promise of a harvest. (see Psalm 126:6; Matt. 13:1-23)  Sometimes the seed might be very small and seem insignificant, only the size of a mustard seed, but once planted it can grow and become a very large tree (Matt. 13:31-32)   And every farmer knows that it is her duty to plant the seed and it is God who will cause the seed the sprout and grow. (Mark 4:26-29)  God's Word is described as imperishable seed, the kind of seed that, if planted in the heart of another, will truly produce a harvest as God intends.  (1 Peter 1:23; see also Isaiah 55:10-11) 

Seeds!  The one thing I know about seeds is that if they are not planted in the ground one cannot expect a harvest.   An acorn put on a shelf for display will not produce a mighty oak;  it will simply remain a nut.  It might be a pretty nut, but that is all it is!   Imagine, however, if that nut is planted in the ground.   It might take years but that planted seed will provide shade for many years, and perhaps one day be crafted into all kinds of useful furniture!

As churches we understand the importance of seeds.   As we think about the need to grow disciples and multiply the number of well-trained leaders in and through our churches, we know it begins with some seeds.   In our TRAIN strategy we talk about Classes facilitating seed funding to assist the increase of congregational ministry workers.  If we are to grow disciples or multiply leaders we will need plant some seeds.  But it is not just about funding.   Yes, sometimes we need to put some dollars aside that will help fund apprenticeships, training events, and staffing.  Planting seeds might be parents having a chat with their children about getting involved in serving in some ministry in the local church. Why?  Seeds need to be planted.  Statistics prove that youth who are not involved in the life and ministry of the church by the time they enter their teens most of them will drop out of church altogether.  Moms and dads can encourage their children to consider full-time ministry as a career path.  What if ministers and other church leaders take on younger church members to be apprentices, to model, teach and show what ministry is all about?  Imagine if every church would deploy an additional trainee ministry worker each year.  Check out the TRAIN strategy.  It is all about sowing seeds.  In the home, in the church, among the church leaders.

Personally, I would not be where I am today in ministry if it were not for those who sowed seeds in my life.  I think of my parents, especially my mother, who always encouraged me to get involved in church life.  And not just attending church, Sunday School, and youth events.   But getting really engaged in leadership, in serving, in reaching out to the lost.   I think of Chuck Fenema, our pastor, who one day tapped me on the shoulder in my early teens challenging me to consider full-time ministry.   I think of adult volunteers in the church, whether it was in the boy's club or youth ministry, who gave me opportunity to serve and grow in leadership and ministry skills.  Later in my undergraduate and graduate studies there were men and women who discipled and mentored me.   In churches there were elders and wise saints who passed on knowledge, faith, and ability to do church work.  All in all, throughout my life, there have been numerous men and women who have planted seeds in my life and all of this has contributed to my ongoing engagement in full-time ministry.  From a litte seed, quite insignificant, by God's grace, I am now able to literally "branch out' and sow seeds in others.  Only eternity will tell the extent of the harvest of seeds planted.

Is there someone you are sowing seed into?   If you are a parent, this will begin with your children.  And beyond that, there are young men and women in the church who need to be challenged, encouraged, and resourced for full-time gospel work.  There are church members who ypu need to chat with, begin mentoring, and perhaps train as your apprentice in ministry.   You might wonder, or even doubt, what God will do in and through that child, that young person, or that fellow church member.  But just remember, every mighty oak tree used to be a little nut!