Life's Inanities and Ironies

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. Today I speak especially to those of us who call ourselves conservative Christians—men and women who treasure the unchanging Word of God, who believe in personal responsibility, duty, honor, and building something that lasts for generations. We rightly reject the flakiness of our culture, where commitments are treated like disposable options and loyalty is old-fashioned. Yet, if we’re honest, that same spirit has crept into too many of our churches. How many times have we seen it? Someone steps forward and promises to serve—teaching Sunday school, greeting at the door, helping with the sound system, visiting the shut-ins, or supporting the men’s or women’s ministry. They may say it directly: “I’ll be there.” Or indirectly—through membership vows, standing during a call to service, or simply claiming Christ as Lord while enjoying the fruit of others’ labor. Then, without warning, consistency fades. Texts go unanswered. The slot sits emp...

 “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” — Matthew 13:31–32 (ESV) We live in an age obsessed with size, metrics, and visibility. Mega-churches boast attendance numbers in the tens of thousands. Influencers measure success by followers, likes, and viral clips. Meanwhile, the little country church with cracked pews and thirty faithful souls on a Sunday morning is dismissed as irrelevant, dying, or “not doing enough for the kingdom.” Jesus begs to differ . Three times — in Matthew, Mark, and Luke — the Lord tells the same parable. The Holy Spirit thought it important enough to record it thrice. This is not a cute illustration about “having big faith.” This is a divine prophecy about how God’s kingdom actually advances: through what the world counts ...