How Can We Help Grow God’s Kingdom?

The world around us is collapsing in many ways. Though it seems as though it will last forever, we know this world is temporal and the real reality lies in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Yeshua teaches on many aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let’s focus on two parables that each illustrate a different detail but are also connected.

“He presented to them another parable, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. It’s the smallest of all seeds; yet when it’s full grown, it’s greater than the other herbs. It becomes like a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.’” (Matthew 13:31-33)

1. Exponential Growth

The particular characteristic of the kingdom that Yeshua focused on is its growth pattern. It begins as something quite small but expands and grows into something very large. Today we read in the news about the way the coronavirus spreads exponentially. One sick person infects 2-3 people. Each of those infect another 2-3 and so on. From one sick person we can see hundreds and even thousands of sick people in a very short time. This is the type of exponential growth we’re talking about.

1. Growth through Investing in People

Once we understand this characteristic of the kingdom then the logical next question is – how does it expand? This brings us to the second parable – The Parable of the Talents that we find in Matthew 25:14-30. I recommend you read the whole parable.

“[The Kingdom of Heaven] is like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and handed over his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.”

Normally we think about our relationship with God as father and sons and daughters. The focus of that relationship is on God’s love and mercy in our lives. Understanding this aspect is, of course, quite important. But in this parable Yeshua taught about another aspect of the kingdom – the relationship between master and servants. In this parable the master gave talents (silver coins) to three servants and it’s important to note that he did this not for their personal use but rather as an investment of his resources. That means he expected to gain a profit from his investment. We read that he gave a different amount to each one according to their ability.

The next question: if we understand that God invests in us, then what are we supposed to invest in? The answer is simple: invest in people. We see, for example, in politics how people want to have influence and they argue over positions and offices. The titles we achieve will not remain. Our investment in temporal things does not last. The only thing that lasts in God’s creation is people.

If we want to influence the world around us we need to invest in people. As in the parable, let’s draw out abilities God has given those around us. If I invest in 2-3 people and they in turn invest in 2-3 people, and so on, then the kingdom grows exponentially.

We must note that God does not need us. He can work in any way He chooses. The point is that He wants to use us. He has given us abilities, gifts of the Spirit, placed us in certain circumstances in life, etc. He has done so not just as a personal blessing, but rather so that we will take His investment in us and in turn invest in others! We need to understand that God expects and even requires that we use our abilities and gifts in order to invest in others. Let’s participate in God expanding His Kingdom