Are You Planting Jesus?

This is a message by Neil Cole at one of the Verge Conferences. I just love how he describes the church and how it should function. He says that it is a living system, not an organization. Into the message he shares how when he goes to speak people ask how he wants to be introduced. Mostly he is introduced as a church planter, but he said he has stopped telling people to plant churches, he tells them to plant Jesus.

We, especially those in church leadership and ministry, tend to look at the structures, programs and long term strategies. We measure the tangible results, comparing them with standard benchmarks. We are "in the business" of building churches. We see our job as one that should establish programs, build a "customer base" (congregations) and success is measured in the growth and the rate of growth.

However, I think it is more than that and it is simpler than that. Jesus said that He would build His church. So what would happen if we, the body of Christ, would begin to change how we see church and ministry. What if we began to daily plant Jesus where ever the Holy Spirit gave us opportunity. What if the very act of obedience to plant, sometimes water, and maybe even harvest, was enough for us? What if success was measured more by how many times we obeyed and planted? What if we trust Jesus to do what He said He would do?

This way of doing things is not the most desirable because it doesn't produce and instant measurable return on investment. It does, however, create an environment where exponential growth can occur. But the initial investment seems small and the growth seems to be even small, at first. But I believe that if the church would commit to planting Jesus, Jesus would show up and He would build His church. But we have to see that planting is as important, if not more, than any other activity. We need to be patient and allow the Holy Spirit to work.

We all like to see results. The sooner the better. Along the lines of planting I think this quote from Timothy Gallway is appropriate.

When we plant a rose seed in the earth, we notice it is small, but we do not criticize it as "rootless and stemless." We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed. 

When it first shoots up out of the earth, we don't condemn it as immature and underdeveloped; we do not criticize the buds for not being open when they appear. We stand in wonder at the process taking place, and give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development. 

The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change: Yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.

A flower is not better when it blooms than when it is merely a bud; at each stage it is the same thing... a flower in the process of expressing its potential. 

What a beautiful picture! When we plant Jesus the seed of His Word has its full potential, at all times even though we may not see it all at once. I know I have left a lot of good soil untouched in my time. I pray that God would help me to be more aware of the soil He as prepared for His seed and that I would be obedient to his promptings and plant Jesus whenever the opportunity comes. And that I would never loose the wonder of seeing Him move, work and build His church, no matter what stage I might be observing.

Have you planted Jesus today?

Posted in: Discipleship, Mission