Small things. Big impact.

‘One of my first cars was a Corsa, and whilst I’m ashamed to admit this, I’d regularly clip the kerb as I parked it up. The first few times nothing happened, but over time I started having to battle the car as it tried to head towards oncoming traffic. Ultimately it became too dangerous to drive and we had to get rid of it. I’m not sharing that so you judge my driving but because I’ve been struck again by how something small can eventually have a huge impact.

‘In Matthew 13: 31-34, Jesus shares the parable of the mustard seed and the yeast with the crowd. But why a mustard seed? Why yeast? In a world where the large and prestigious were most valued, why did Jesus choose tiny, insignificant things when describing the kingdom of God? It’s not Jesus saying that the kingdom is overlooked – quite the opposite, it’s him flipping the script and saying that, in the upside-down kingdom, the small is what’s important.

‘What both the yeast and the mustard seed have is a fundamental power to transform. Every New Year, I set myself resolutions and end up getting frustrated at my shortcomings because whilst I may have the strength to do a few things, ultimately don’t have power to change myself. But in God, we all find a kingdom that is ‘not a matter of talk but of power’ (1 Corinthians 4:20). A power that can reverse death, heal, redeem, restore and transform lives.

‘Sometimes we can still misunderstand how God’s power works and can fall into one of two traps. We can either find ourselves thinking that he’s so powerful we don’t need to do anything and we just sit and wait for him to come back and sort the world out. Or, on the other end of the scale, we can make ourselves too busy, as if God’s whole plan of salvation depends on the rate at which we work. But neither of these are a position God wants us in.

‘Corrie ten Boom once said, ‘Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.’ Partnership is required. God works through us, in us and with us. It’s not our own strength. Jesus’ power is quiet, persistent, transformative from the inside out. But it takes a mustard seed to grow a tree. It takes some yeast that affects a whole batch of dough to make it rise.

‘But to bring about transformation, a mustard seed needs to be planted in soil and yeast needs to be worked into the dough. It’s only as this happens that their power is released. They have to sacrifice their original state to bring about the change. And I believe the same is true for us – we need to be mixed in with society.

‘At Eden, one of our key verses is 1 John 1:14 ‘The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood’ (MSG). We’re called to proximity, in the way that Jesus modelled it, not just physically but in love. Proximity isn’t just about the right postcode or spending a bit of time with a neighbour; it’s attitude, it’s heart, it’s action, it’s love – something we can’t do from a distance. And as you get close to people, it can be challenging as there can be a cost to this, but we’re not alone. We have the power of God within us.

‘Transformation also takes time. Yes, God can do the miraculous, but in my experience, change happens over a period of time. We need to see God in the small things and not miss or overlook these. As Galatians 6:9 says, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ We’re called to persevere as the kingdom of God will have an impact for eternity.

‘The question God kept drawing me back to is, do I trust him? Do I trust that he wants to work in my life? Will I trust him as I mix into communities where I am to be planted and rooted to have an impact for him?

‘I believe he’s asking you the same questions. What will your response be?’