Pensamientos para hoy (afterthought for today)

God's Field

Spring is just around the corner and it won't be long before we start to see tulips, daffodils, and lilies pushing up their green leaves through the ground. These signs of spring are evidence of life. The long bleak winter is past and new life bursts forth with vitality. Like our yards and gardens that will soon be places of green plants and flowers the church is to be a place of growth. One of the primary purposes of the church is to be a place for spiritual growth.

The Bible describes God's people Israel as a vineyard. The prophet Isaiah wrote:

Let me sing now for my well-beloved, a song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it all around, removed its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and He built a tower in the middle of it and also hewed out a wine vat in it; then He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones (Isaiah 5:1-2).¹

Israel was to be a people who produced spiritual fruit of righteousness, but they were unfaithful and as a result of their unfaithfulness they were unfruitful. Jesus gives a parable that describes Israel as those who are unfaithful workers in his vineyard saying, "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit (Matthew 21:43)." God has taken away the kingdom from Israel and given it to the church. The church of Jesus Christ has been given the responsibility to produce fruit for God. The church is a field where God is planting, watering, and growing his crops, trees, and vineyards. In all the metaphors that describe the church as a place where God grows things the main point is growth. God expects to see life. God expects to see growth. God expects to see fruitfulness. God wants us to be productive. God warned his people Israel to be fruitful. They disobeyed God and received judgment. Yet the same warning that God gave Israel is also given to us. We read in Romans chapter eleven:

If some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off (Romans 11:17-22).

Obviously the way to continue in God's kindness is to remain faithful and as a result of our faithfulness we will also be fruitful. God has given our church a tremendous responsibility. We are to be place of life, vitality, growth, and fruitfulness. One of the main purposes of the church is to be a place of spiritual growth. God wants our church to be a fertile field where people are alive and growing.

May God help us to fulfill his purpose in our church,

Pastor Steve
February 26, 2011

¹ Isaiah 5:1-2, NASB (New American Standard Bible). Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Jesus is the greatest teacher who ever lived. One of Jesus' techniques was to relate spiritual ideas to common everyday life. Pensamientos (afterthought) is an attempt to follow Jesus' method of teaching. Its title is in Spanish because we recognize the importance of multi-culturalism. We hope to translate some of these messages into Spanish soon.

Find more afterthoughts at Pensamientos (afterthoughts).

You can read recent sermons by Pastor Lorenz at Featured Sermon.