Mustard Seed Movement

Today, we cover ground in what it means to start small. 

 Clay Lassiter

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hey, good morning. Jesus once said something fascinating about the kingdom of God. In Matthew's gospel, he says in Matthew chapter 13, verses 31 through 32 the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Though it is the smallest of seeds, when it grows, it becomes a tree. Small beginning, massive impact. This is City Lights Leadership Podcast. My name is Clay, and I am the host this morning, enjoying my beautiful cup of Elianos coffee, just hot coffee today with a little bit of Splenda in there. Nothing fancy. And I'm excited because as I've been praying over the many weeks leading up to making some decisions for this show, I was reminded of this passage. We are City Life's leadership, but a few uh months back, uh actually several months back, I started something called the mustard seed movement. I wanted to be able to help smaller churches that were in the same boat that I've been in many, many times. How to build biblical communities, how to start a movement within your own church, and quit playing it safe. Quit playing the status quo in ministry, in mission, in life. Faith is not spelled safe. It is R-I-S-K. Faith is to risk. Um in the mustard seed movement, I think about it. It's one seed, one planting, one moment of faith. And then it can grow into something that we never expected. So podcasting and church work kind of work like that sometimes. One microphone, one conversation, one idea at a time. I'm also the pastor of Headland Methodist Church located in Headland, Alabama. And man, I can't even begin to say enough good things about what God has been doing here over the last two and a half, almost going on three years now of ministry here. My story is for the faint of heart. Um it's not hard, but it's following Jesus uh can be hard. And moments happen. And I think next episode I'll kind of explain my own story of following Jesus one seed at a time, one planting at a time, and one moment of faith at a time. So today we're gonna travel. Because one microphone, one conversation, one idea, and suddenly a small seed that travels in cars, kitchens, gyms, and headphones all over the world. What happens in this small room can be encouraging to someone that I might not ever meet. And here's the catch the seeds only matter if we plant that which has life in it. The book of Proverbs reminds us the tongue has power of life and death. So words matter on this show. I want to make sure that we are encouraging one another. We don't want to, we know that words can discourage, they can divide, they can tear down. So uh I'm making a shift in the show. Uh, I don't want to just talk about one aspect or a scripture or I want to talk about leadership and how it matters and how we can build courage, hope, and clarity, how we can point people back towards the truth. Because the truth is when we are planting the seeds of the gospel, man, things just happen. Uh, life happens. Um, so the real question today is we started yesterday with a quick devotional thought uh from Acts chapter two, and we began expanding on how to build a biblical community yesterday. And we started with all scripture should be approached with what stands out in the passage, what does this teach us about God, and what should we do with it? That's kind of where we started. So if you're listening today, whether you're an everyday ordinary person or you are a person who is leading a church, I want to encourage you, let's retrain ourselves to how to read the Bible. How to read the Bible without overcomplicating it. So in the last episode, we talked about the biblical community and why it matters, and faith will grow when it's shared. Today we want to talk about something that many people struggle with. And that is reading the Bible. It's not a not believing it, not loving it, reading it. Reading it. Because if we're honest, when we we open our Bible, we go, where do I start? Or what if I read it wrong? Or why does this feel so complicated? So for me, you know, I I didn't grow up reading the Bible. I I I got saved and then I was handed a Bible after my baptism. But I was so lucky because man, scripture came alive for me because I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I was I was so excited to know the Lord, and I but I didn't know where to start either. Um and so why does it feel so complicated? And before the Bible quietly closes again, let me say something right at the beginning that might surprise you. The Bible was never written only for scholars, it was written for everybody. It's written for everybody, for ordinary people, for farmers, fishermen in the families, farmers, uh, I think I already said farmers, fishermen, uh, hunters, bankers, lawyers. It was written for everybody, people just trying to follow God in the middle of real life. Jesus said, Never said, Blessed are those who understand everything. He said something much simpler. He says, in Matthew's gospel, he says, anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who has built his house on the rock. Now, I always tend to go in a way of I'll notice what he didn't say. Ready? He did not say anyone who masters Greek and Hebrew. He did not say anybody who likes to have theological debates. Should we be exegetical preaching? Or should we read the Bible expositorily? Or are no, he never said any of those things. He said, anyone who can, or he never even said anyone who can explain each verse. He said, anyone who hears it and puts it into practice. The Bible is not meant to impress us, and we aren't meant to impress others with our Bible. It's meant to form us. So, how do we read the Bible without overcomplicating it? I'll give it a simple way. Three questions. That's it. Three questions that can unlock the passage of scripture. We already mentioned it. Number one, what stands out? Reading the word, we should be active, we should be attentive. Now, obviously, if you are driving your car and you are listening and you're like, wait, I listen to scripture like on tape or you know, on an app and it speaks to me. As long as you're listening and hearing it, but ask that question, what stood out? What stands out to me? Make it a word. Maybe it's a phrase, maybe it's something surprising. Often the Holy Spirit often begins speaking to us through what catches our attention. Psalm 119 says, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Notice this. I want you to hear this. A lamp does not show you the entire road. Now, I realize we live in modern times and we have like lamps that have like 10 million candle watt power. But back in those days, it was like an oil lamp and it illuminated just enough to show you just a little bit the next step. So sometimes that's also how scripture works. God shows us the next thing we needed to see, not everything, just the next thing. Question two that we need to ask is, what does this show me about God? So question one is what stands out. Question two is what does this show me about God? I think one of the mistakes that we can make is how do I apply this to myself first? And like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what does it say about God? The Bible, the Bible is not primarily about us, it's about God, his character, his ways, his heart. So ask that question. What does this passage reveal about who God is? How does it show his mercy, his justice, his patience, his faithfulness? Every page of scripture is quietly revealing what and who God is like. And the more clearly we can see and understand God, the more our lives begin to change. So, how do you approach scripture? First question is what stands out. The second question is, what does this show me about God? And the third question is, what should I do with this? There are Bible readings. That is where there's so many Bible readings to stop too early. Information without transformation changes nothing. So let me say this. Um, I've been in many meetings and Bible studies or discipleship groups, and I was like, what are we talking about right now? In fact, I usually the way I shape my own sermons is like, what am I talking about? What is it I want to say? And what is God saying? And what do what do I need to do with it? James chapter one says, Don't merely listen to the words and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. I know that sounds way too easy, but for all my guys in the audience who are the ones that just look at the package and try to put things together, that's not how we do scripture. Um, so ask the simple questions. What is one small step that I can take because of this passage? Maybe it means forgiving somebody. Maybe it means praying, maybe it means trusting God in something you're worried about today. That step will feel small. But small steps taken consistently lead to transformation. Small steps taken consistently lead to heart change. Small steps taken consistently is the key word here. So this is how simple it can be. I want to read from John chapter 5, uh, verse 15, uh, chapter 5. Or sorry, chapter 15, verse 5 today. I want us to ask those three questions of the passage. So he says, I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. So let me ask you the three questions. What stands out for me? It was remain in me. Remain in me. How do I do that, God? Then the next question would be what does this show me about God? Well, that God is the source of life, Jesus is the source of life and strength. Now, last question What should I do with this? Make the next step. Maybe the next step is to slow down, spend a few minutes with God. Know that He is the source, He is the vine, I am the branch. That if I remain in Him and He remains in me, He will bear fruit in me. Not that I bear fruit, that He bears fruit in me. That's it. It's another moment of self-surrender. So that's it. We just read the Bible. We didn't need a seminary degree, you didn't need a commentary shelf, just scripture, just the Holy Spirit and a willing heart. That is how simple this is. So I want to encourage you uh to read a Bible that you know and understand. I want to encourage you. Um, and here's something else the Bible is never meant to be read alone. So I want to encourage you in that as well this morning. Here's something uh the Bible uh is not meant, we're we're we should read it together in homes or on tables and conversations. That's the biblical community that God wants to start in this mustard seed movement. He wants us to go to church, he wants us to be a part of the body of Christ, but he also wants us to maybe step out and be in places and spaces where we can ready be with other people. I I never knew that I was called to be the little mermaid growing up, but I want to be where the people are. Anyway, the word begins, the word moves from the page into life, and when scripture moves into life, people begin to change. So if your practice this week, let's read the scripture, let's ask those three questions. What stands out? What does this show me about God and what can I do with this? And then let's invite somebody else to do this with us. Because remember, we said you can believe alone, but you grow what together. So let me offer a short prayer as we end today's episode. Thank you for being with me for these 15 minutes. Lord, thank you for giving us your word. Help us not to complicate what you intended to be life-giving. Teach us to listen, teach us to see you clearly in Scripture, and give us the courage to live what we read. Amen. All right. Till next time, we'll see you. Plant the seeds.