4.3 Watching Kingdom Growth

Matthew 13:32 …but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree…

In North America, mustard seeds sprout rapidly and grow often as weeds. It takes only five weeks from sprout to bud, and eighty days to fruition. They are annual plants that never grow much larger than a small bush.

In warmer climates, however, the mustard seed grows differently. It grows slowly and continues season after season. In Palestine, the mustard seed doesn’t flower for several years. The plant begins small and grows very slowly.

After a few years, however, it begins to put on significant growth. Historians in Jesus’ day said the mustard tree was large enough to climb, like a fig tree. Some mustard trees in Palestine have been known to grow upwards of 15 feet tall and exhibit a strong woody exterior. Unlike most garden plants, the mustard seed thus becomes very sturdy. That is quite a significant change from the original tiny seed.

Jesus says, the Kingdom of heaven is like this mustard seed.

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• Ask God for the patience to wait for Kingdom growth.
• Ask Him to cause the tiniest things of faith to be ever growing.
• Trust Him to strengthen that which is weak and make it strong.
• Ask Him to continue to cause your community of faith to grow.
• Thank Him for the growth you have experienced.

4.2 Don't Overlook the Small Things

Matthew 13:31 "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds…

Well known to Jesus’ audience, the mustard seed was very small. In fact it was the smallest of the seeds that farmers in that region regularly sowed in the field. It’s about the size of this letter “o”. Not very impressive is it? And yet the Lord Jesus tells us that the Kingdom is like this mustard seed.

It starts from humble beginnings

We like to start things BIG! Stores have Grand Openings, movies have World Premiers, and to be honest, sometimes Christians have fallen into thinking that Bigger is Better.

Don’t overlook the small things. After all, Jesus wasn’t born in Rome, the world’s cultural center, or in Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish world. He was born in the tiny town of Bethlehem. Neither was he born into a palace; rather, He was born in a stable, in a feeding trough for animals. He started life on earth as a tiny baby.

We talked last week about noticing the tiniest signs of growth. But before the growth begins, Kingdom things often start out very small. Almost imperceptible at times.

I’ve encouraged you in this study to pray big prayers and that’s important! But don’t be discouraged when it seems as though you have very little to start with. The farmer doesn’t give up on a mustard seed because of its size. He knows a mustard seed carries within it tremendous potential. Likewise, don’t give up when your faith or resources are tiny. Kingdom things start small.

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• Ask God to help you go ahead and pray Kingdom prayers when your faith or resources seem very small.
• Ask God to increase your faith in His ability to do amazing things with your feeble efforts.
• Ask God to do big eternal things through you, your community of faith, and the greater body of Christ.
• Are there Kingdom works that you have discounted because they are small and weak in your eyes? Pray for these works and pray that God will change your heart toward them.
• Ask God to take your eyes off your circumstances and have complete confidence in His ability.
• Ask God to show you His greatness.
• Give the praise and glory to Him when He accomplishes impossible things in answering your prayers.
• Ask God to bring about a worldwide revival of trust and confidence in Him.

4.1 Come and See!

The Samaritan woman, after an amazing encounter with Jesus, ran home and said, “Come see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done! This couldn’t be the Christ, could it? Come and see!” And the whole town, intrigued by her invitation, followed her to meet Jesus. As this great mass of people approached, the disciples, clueless as usual, bickered about food…

Jesus said to them, “Lift up your eyes and look upon the fields! They are white for harvest!” So the disciples looked toward the fields, expecting to see ripened grain. Jesus wanted them to see the throng of Samaritans coming across the field to meet Him. That’s what He was talking about! He wanted the disciples to know that the Samaritan’s souls were ripe for harvest.

After spending time with Jesus, the Samaritans pleaded with Him to stay longer. He stayed two more days, and many more believed. At the end of two days, they said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

Lift Up Your Eyes and See

The last three weeks we’ve looked at parables about the Kingdom of God. The parables seem to be about seeds, growth and harvest. But don’t miss it. Jesus is telling us about His Kingdom so we’ll know what it looks like when we see it. He’s telling us how to pray. Jesus tells us to pray “Your Kingdom come” and then He tells Kingdom parables and what to look for.

I am so encouraged that in just three weeks time, the character of our prayer together is beginning to change. Last Sunday night as our church gathered in the home of a member to pray, and again on Wednesday night during prayer meeting, I marveled at the prayers. We aimed high. We prayed that the Lord would more fully reign in our hearts, and in the hearts of all His children. And we prayed for people by name who don’t yet know the Lord – and we asked Him to use us to reach them. It’s wonderful! We’re praying Kingdom prayers. We’re praying, “Your Kingdom come.”

From small beginnings…

This week we’ll look at two very simple parables. But just because they’re simple, don’t make the mistake of skipping over them because they’re small.
In fact, these parables point out that though signs of the Kingdom may be almost imperceptible at first, the Kingdom is designed to grow to incredible proportions.

Let’s look at the parables for the week. Matthew 13:31 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES." 33 He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened."

Look for the main ideas…

Just like last week, approach the parable by asking the question, “What is the main point?” Notice that both parables are very similar. That’s important. When God makes a point in His Word, and then makes a similar point (and sometimes even does it a third time) we should ask, “Why did Jesus say it twice – what are the similarities between them?” And also, “What are the differences between the parables?” In answering these questions we can begin to unlock parables and can better understand how to pray them and how to apply them.

Why are the parables so similar?

I think one reason Jesus uses so many similar parables in Matthew chapter 13 is because He wants His disciples to fully understand the Kingdom of God. He really wants us to get it.

By using multiple examples, He gives a vividly clear picture of the Kingdom of God. As a photographer, I know the importance of clarity. I need the right lighting, the right speed, and precision focus in order to clearly highlight the subject. The same is true with these word pictures. The clearer the picture, the better we understand and consequently the more specifically we pray.

I think another reason Jesus uses so many pictures of the Kingdom is to illustrate its importance. As I mentioned on the first day of our study, the Lord’s Prayer is all about the Kingdom of God. Jesus wants us to pray daily that His Kingdom will come. Why? Because His is the Kingdom and the glory and the power forever and ever! Amen.

Also notice the differences.

Both parables this week are similar, but they have distinct differences as well. Pay close attention to the details.

This is something I learned when I first began studying the Bible. To use another photographic analogy, look at the Scripture through various lenses. Use a wide angle lens to see the big picture and understand the main point, but also use a macro lens to get an up-close view to clearly see detail. What’s the point? The mustard seed is very small. So too is leaven. One little seed, one little bit of yeast may easily be overlooked. But look at what it does! The mustard seed grows and becomes a tree. Unlike most garden seeds, the mustard seed not only produces an abundance of seed, but it produces a very strong, sturdy plant. So strong in fact, that the birds find it very desirable as a place to rest. So too, just a bit of leaven causes a lot of dough to rise. A little bit goes a long way. Jesus said, the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to this.

Prayer Bullets

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Listen to Him.
• As a disciple, ask Him to help you understand the parables for this week, and ask Him to help you make specific application in prayer.
• Ask God to show you new things to pray – things to pray as a result of these parables.
• Ask God to lift up your eyes to see the things He wants you to see.
• Ask Him to use you to invite others to “Come and see” Jesus.
• Ask Him to give you a heart for those that don’t know Him.
• Ask Him to show you how to pray for those that don’t yet have the privilege of knowing Him.
• Ask Him to give you a passion to pray with His children about the things of the Kingdom.

3.7 It All Begins with Prayer

I mentioned yesterday that we recently saw a new church of believers begin as a result of a friend inviting several to a Bible study.
But I want to take it back a step and tell you how it really began.
One of the elders in our church, a missionary, began praying several years ago for the Hindu community. He prayed big prayers, that God would turn many to Himself and to embrace Jesus Christ as Lord.
He prayed and prayed and prayed. He never gave up praying that God would work a miracle in the hearts of these people.
I am convinced that this is a direct result of his prayers. Not flashy or fancy. In His utter dependence on God to make a difference, God has heard and brought about a harvest. Will you pray?

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• What Kingdom prayers are you prompted to pray. Review your prayers from this week. Is there something specific God has been laying on your heart this week? Enlist others to pray with you about this.

3.6 Harvest!

Mark 4:29 "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

The farmer patiently waits. And when the time is right, when he sees the crop is ready, he fires up the combine and begins to harvest.

It is an awesome thing to see faith in bud. It is equally amazing to see the maturation. And it is wonderful to see the harvest. At the harvest, the seed has produced fruit which has in turn produced more seed. It is ready to be harvested and used to start new crops.

We sometimes have the privilege of seeing new believers testify of their faith and take ownership of their faith. That’s part of the harvest. Recently, we saw a group of former Hindus go through this process. The seed was planted by a friend. This friend invited them to come to a Bible study. They came. They were hungry to know about Jesus. Week by week the seed was sown. And each week there were more signs of true faith. Eventually more than ten of them said they wanted to follow Jesus only. And six of them were baptized and given new Christian names, saying, “We want to follow Jesus and be known by new names that show we are Christ followers.”

Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to bring about a harvest.
• Ask Him to use you in the harvest – to see people come to saving faith in Jesus.
• Pray for unreached people groups.
• Pray for missionaries to these unreached people groups.
• What are some big Kingdom prayers you can pray as a result?
• Record your insights as comments below:

3.5 Watch it Grow

Mark 4:28 "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.”

Every time I grow seeds in a garden, I’m always amazed to watch plants grow. First a clod of dirt gets pushed out of the way as a small bit of green pushes its way to the surface. That always thrills me to see the little seed pushing through the soil.

And before long, a stem starts to rise up – it grows quickly. Then it puts on leaves. After a while, it begins to put on flowers – at that point I know the fruit will soon begin to form.

I love watching the beans, or tomatoes, or squash get bigger day by day. All this happens seemingly on its own.

Recognize the signs

Be on the lookout for budding faith as it begins to sprout above the surface.
There are certain things only God does in people. Scripture says no one seeks for God. So when I see someone seeking for God, when I see someone under conviction of sin, I realize that God must be at work. That’s an evident seed of faith sprouting above the surface.

Be patient.

It takes time for the plant to grow. And it takes even longer for it to mature. It takes quite a while for it to become ripe enough to harvest. The farmer by nature is patient for the harvest. He can’t do anything to rush it. He has to wait.

So too, we can’t rush the seeds of faith. We can nurture, but realize it takes time for true faith to become mature. So be patient. Be understanding of a fragile new believer who hasn’t gotten the whole of the way of Christ figured out.

Jesus was patient with new believers. He didn’t chastise the woman at the well (see John chapter 4) when she shared her seeds of brand new faith with everyone in her town. Her presentation would have failed most evangelism classes, but it didn’t stop her and it didn’t bother Jesus. As a result, everyone in the town came out to see this Man named Jesus who dramatically changed this woman’s life.

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• Ask God to give you patience with people who are just starting to show signs of growth.
• Ask Him to bring about significant growth.
• Pray Him to change someone who has been completely closed to things of faith. Ask Him to cause them to sprout up with faith.
• Pray to Him about a people group that is closed to the things of the faith.
• Plead with God to bring about real growth in them.
• What other Kingdom prayers does this prompt you to pray?
• Record your insights as comments below.

3.4 No Such Thing as a Green Thumb

Mark 4:27a and the seed sprouts and grows-- how, he himself does not know. 28 "The soil produces crops by itself.

My dad is an amazing gardener. He grows tomatoes the size of Rhode Island. He knows how to fertilize them and water them so they become huge. People say he has a green thumb – that he can make anything grow. But I’ve never agreed that people have green thumbs. Why? Because God provides the growth.

The same thing is true spiritually. Paul made the point that he and Apollos planted and watered spiritually, but God caused the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• Pray that God will cause seeds of faith to sprout and grow.
• Ask Him to do this in your city.
• Ask Him to open peoples’ eyes to His truth.
• Plead with Him to bring about growth as a result of the planting and watering that He’s prompted you to do.
• Give God praise and glory when you see growth – don’t take credit for yourself. Give Him all the glory and praise.
• Thank Him for originally sprouting and growing faith in you!
• Record other prayer prompts and insights in the comment section below:

3.3 Trust God and Anticipate

Mark 4:27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows

Trust God

The man in the parable sows the seed, and then he doesn’t worry about it. He goes to bed, gets up, basically he goes about his business. Why? Because he trusts in the seed. He knows that if he has planted the seed, it will grow.

It is the same with the word. God says His word which departs from Him will not return without accomplishing the purpose for which He sent it.

Trust God that as you sow seeds of faith, God can do something with them. It doesn’t depend on your eloquence. It depends on the life in the seed.

You don’t have to make people believe. God is the only one who can do that. So plead with Him to do that.

and anticipate…

And then anticipate. Watch for the growth to begin. Eagerly watch and wait.

Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to grow seeds of faith that have been planted.
• Trust God to do the things we can’t do.
• Plead with Him to cause the seeds of faith to germinate.
• Plead with Him to open eyes that have previously been closed.
• Plead with Him to use your feeble efforts to bring about real life in those who have heard you.
• Ask Him to do things that only He can do in your church.
• Ask Him to make soil ready and receptive for the seeds of faith that you will share.

3.2 Scatter Seeds

Mark 4:26 And Jesus was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;

The man in the parable is a seed sower. He knows that if he wants to see a crop, he must sow seeds. And so it is with us. We’re called to be seed sowers.

Start by building relationships.

It was twelve years ago that I realized I didn’t have anybody outside of the church with whom I could share Christ.

So I began with prayer. “Lord, I don’t have anybody to share Jesus with. I want to share my faith, but I don’t have any friends who don’t know you. Would You guide me?” This actually is not uncommon among pastors. We’re so busy with the business of the church that we don’t make time for relationships outside of church.

Do something you love.

God answered this prayer when I went to enroll my eight-year-old son in the summer baseball league. I love baseball. So I signed up to be a coach. And for twelve years, I’ve coached a baseball team in the summer. In those years I’ve met literally hundreds of people I would have never known otherwise. Over the years we’ve seen several entire families come to faith in Christ through that initial contact.

For you it might not be baseball. It might be golf, or quilting, or reading, or taking a class at school. It doesn’t matter so much what it is you do, as long as you find something you are passionate about and get among others with a similar passion.

Invest in these relationships.

As I get to know people through my passion, I take a genuine interest in them. And I start scattering seeds.

I start with simple seeds – like, “Is there any way I can pray for you?” And if they give me something to pray for, I do it. And then I follow up on the prayer later.

Always include other believers.

I also ask others in my community of faith to pray for me as I scatter these seeds. As we begin to make this a matter of prayer, we’re all encouraged to see the way God answers the prayers.

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• Do you have people with whom you can scatter the seed?
• Ask God to show you this week someone with whom you can share seeds of faith.
• Ask God to show your church a people with whom you can share seeds of faith.
• Ask Him to show you needs in the community that you or your church can meet, as a means of opening doors to scatter seed.
• Ask the Lord for a desire to scatter your seeds of faith.Ask the Lord to give you a boldness – and a great joy as you scatter seeds of faith.

3.1 Moving from Soils to Seeds

This week’s parable is less well known than several of Jesus’ Kingdom Parables. It is relatively short, but packs a powerfully important lesson. The parable is found in Mark’s gospel in chapter 4, immediately following the parable of the soils.

Mark 4:26 And Jesus was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows-- how, he himself does not know. 28 "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

The mystery of Kingdom growth

A parable is intended to illustrate a major point in Scripture.

Several people have said that interpreting parables begins with determining the main idea of the story. As Charles Spurgeon said, “You need not make a parable walk on all fours.” In other words, you don’t have to assign a spiritual meaning to every single word of the parable. Your job is to hear the parable and ask the Lord to teach you its meaning and application.

In last week’s parable of the soils, Jesus taught His disciples its meaning. He told them that each soil represents a way that people respond to the Word of God when it is sown. For some, it never penetrates the heart. It gets snatched away before they ever understand it. For others, they respond initially, but don’t have a firm root for the Word to take hold. Still others receive the word, but they ultimately have too many other pressing issues in life that keep them from fruitfully applying the Word. The final group hears the Word, applies it, and their lives become fruitful as a result.

This week’s parable comes immediately on the heels of the parable of the soils, but its lesson is entirely different.

Look for the parable’s main idea.

Take a moment to read the parable (on the top of the page) and ask yourself, “What is the main idea?” Don’t try to spiritualize it, simply answer the question, “What is the main point?”

Notice that this parable has a sower as its main character. The sower is similar to most farmers or gardeners that I know. They plant the seed but they don’t really know how it grows. Oh, they may know how to water it and fertilize it, how to weed and how to hoe, but when it comes to the actual day by day growth of the plant, they don’t really know how it happens - and that’s okay.

So while the sower plants the seed and goes about his business, the seed does what it is supposed to do. It sprouts, grows, matures and ripens all on its own.
Once the seed is mature and ripe, the sower knows what to do. He gets his sickle and harvests the crop.

What is the main point? Sow seed, let it grow, and then bring in the harvest.
How then, is this like the Kingdom of God? Let’s begin to unpack it.
The sower in this parable does not represent God. Why? Because the sower does not understand how the seed grows. God created seeds He knows how they work this can’t be referring to Him.

Who then, does the sower represent? I believe it represents God’s children. Whether individually or collectively, we are called to spread God’s good news with others. We who embrace the reign and rule of God in our hearts are to share the seed of God’s word with others.

Once the word is spread, God begins to do a work in the heart of the one who has received it. He causes it to grow. And just like the sower of seed, the sower of God’s good news doesn’t know how the Word germinates in the heart of the receiver of the word – he just knows that it does.

If you are a believer, you may know this to be true in your own life. There may have been a time when God’s message didn’t make any sense to you. But at some point you ‘got it’. And then you began to grow in your understanding of God and of spiritual things. Someone probably initially told you about the Lord, but God Himself is the One who opened your eyes to understand and know Him. Is that your story?

This week’s instructions…

This week we will begin to explore the ramifications of this parable and we will ask God to help us understand how to pray as a result. If we understand this kingdom parable, we’ll better understand how to pray aright.

Don’t just pray through your normal list of prayers this week. Instead, ask God to show you new things to pray – Kingdom things. Ask Him to put on your heart the things that are already on His heart. Ask Him to show you big things to pray, things that you may not fully understand, but things that only He can do.

Pray with other children of God this week. Discuss these truths among yourselves. Together ask God to show you the prayers that He would have you pray. And then pray them. Fervently. Coroporately.

If you have a rich insight, please click on comments at the end of the daily study and type your insight.

Prayer Bullets:

This week, plan to get together with your prayer partner. Talk through the principles of kingdom prayer that you have contemplated since the beginning of this study.

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Listen to Him.
• Ask Him to give you a deeper understanding of Kingdom Prayer.
• As a disciple, ask Him to help you understand these parables.
• Tell God of your desire to have Him fully reign and rule in your heart.
• Ask Him to show you things that are getting in the way of His full reign and rule in your heart.
• Ask God to show you new things to pray – things to pray as a result of this parable.
• Ask Him how to pray for yourself.
• Ask Him how to pray for your family.
• Ask Him how to pray for other believers – in your church and around the world.
• Ask Him how to pray for those that don’t yet have the privilege of knowing Him.
• Ask Him to give you very specific ways to apply these principles.
• Ask Him to help you love Him more, love His family more, and love those who do not know Him more.

2.7 Fruitfulness

Notice, Jesus says that some of the seeds will produce a hundredfold, some will produce sixtyfold, some will produce thirtyfold.


Not every field produces a bumper crop. Some do far better than others. When I lived in Western Kansas, the farmers could make fairly accurate predictions as to how fruitful their harvest would be. Some of the predictions had to do with the quality of seed, some had to do with the quality of the soil, some had to do with the amount of rain they received. Multiple factors played into it, but every year, the ultimate yield was a big discussion among famers.



Bottom line, seed planted in the good soil will produce fruit. Some will show a greater yield than others. I see some Christians, some families, some churches, even some denominations that tend to bear more fruit than others. What are the contributing factors? They are varied, but often I notice that the most fruitful are not the most gifted. I notice the most fruitful are often those that have the greatest dependence on Christ. Not the exalted, but the humble. Not strong, but those that recognize their weakness putting no confidence in the flesh and great confidence in Almighty God.



Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• Some Christians are more fruitful than others. What are some of the contributing factors that cause some Christians to be more fruitful than others?


• What can you do to assure a bumper crop of fruit in your life?


• What can increase the fruitfulness of your church as a whole?


• What are some Kingdom prayers we should be praying for the churches in our nation and around the world? Be specific.


• Record your insights below.

2.6 Seeds in the Good Soil

But some of the seed, lands in good soil.

This, of course is the original intent. The seed is sown in order to produce fruit. The Word is sown in order to produce life change.

A seed has life within it, and when planted in good soil, it germinates, springs up, develops roots, and with no competition from weeds, it produces fruit.

The Word, when planted in a receptive heart germinates, springs up, develops roots, and when valued and trusted above the worries and cares of this world, or the deceitfulness of riches, it bears fruit in the life of a believer.

God has purposed His Word to be planted securely in the hearts of His children, and to produce fruit.

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• What needs to be done to the soil to make it receptive to the seed? What must be done to the heart to make it receptive to the word of God?
• How can we cultivate soil? What Kingdom prayers can we pray about this?
• Once the seed is planted in good soil, what needs to happen for it to grow?
• Once God’s word is planted in the heart, what needs to happen in order for it to grow?
• How is the soil of your heart? Your family? Your church? The body of believers in the world? What Kingdom prayers should we be praying about this?
• Insights (record them below as comments for the edification of others):

2.5 Seeds among the Weeds

I think this is the scariest scenario for me. There are seeds that fall among thorns. The seeds are viable, the soil is deep enough, but there are competing weeds. They tend to choke out the good seed. Heed Jesus’ warning. Notice there two things that choke out the seed. First, worries of the world. There are so many things we can get worked up about. Anything from global warming to politics to security to finances… the list is endless.

Now this doesn’t mean that we should ignore matters in the world, but we shouldn’t become so consumed with them that we look away from God’s word.
Jesus says, “Do not worry… but seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.”

The second thing that chokes out the word is the deceitfulness of riches. Pursuing the dollar vs. pursuing His Kingdom and His righteousness. What happens as a result of the seed being choked out? The plant becomes unfruitful. A plant is intended to bear fruit, but in competition with weeds, it bears none.

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• Ask God to search your heart on this. Are you consumed with worry? What is the antidote to worry? How can you pray for those who are worried about the things of the world?
• Are you caught up with concerns over money? Why is this deceitful? How can we pray for anyone caught in this? Yourself, your church, your neighbors, etc.?

2.4 Seeds Among the Rocks

At times, I’ve seen people respond to the word of God with great joy. They hear it and are really on fire about it for a while. I always love to see that. But unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t last. Why? Jesus says it’s because there is no firm root in this person, so as soon as persecution or affliction arises on account of the Word, he or she falls away.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes persecution or affliction causes some people to grow closer to the Lord, but for others, persecution and affliction causes them to turn away?

The seed (God’s word) has life in itself, so it springs up – but roots are necessary for a plant to remain viable. Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like this.

Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:

• What is necessary for anyone to be rooted and grounded in Christ? What are Kingdom prayers you can pray for people without this grounding? Be specific.
• For someone who has joyfully sprung up upon hearing God’s word, what is it about affliction or persecution that causes them to fall away? What are Kingdom prayers you can pray about this?
• Are there people you know who have shallow root systems? What can you do about that? What can you pray about that?
• How is your root system?
• Other prayer prompts:

2.3 Seeds on the Path

We are privileged to hear God’s word a lot. We hear it on the radio and the television, we hear sermons and Bible lessons in church. We may have family devotions and private devotions. We have slogans on our coffee mugs, t-shirts and key chains.

As a believer, I used to skip over this passage thinking it didn’t pertain to me. But honestly, does the Word hit the good soil every time I hear it? Sometimes I hear the word, but don’t really listen to it. Sometimes I read it but don’t really pay attention. I don’t want this to be characteristic of my life. The disciples didn’t understand fully until Jesus taught them. Don’t be careless with the word yourself – cherish it and pray it doesn’t get trampled along the path or snatched up by the birds.

For those who do not yet know the Lord, the word may hit the path and never penetrate the soil of the heart. Their hearts need to be softened by the Lord.

Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Take time to listen.
• Are there times that you are more sensitive to God’s word than others? What dulls your senses towards His word? What kingdom prayers can you pray about this?
• How might the Lord use you to soften the hearts of those who don’t understand or revere God’s word? What Kingdom prayers can you pray about this?
• Insights:

2.2 The Parable of the Soils

Matthew 13:1 That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

Matthew 13:3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 "Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 "But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 "Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 "And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 "He who has ears, let him hear."

The parable explained

Matthew 13:18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

• Simply read and meditate on this passage today.
• Without looking at commentaries on this passage, ask the Lord, by His Holy Spirit to open your eyes to understand it.

2.1 Real Life Kingdom Prayers

Last Sunday morning, just moments before we started our first prayer time connected to this study, I got a phone call from my wife.

She told me that she had just received word from Robb, a former Glenfield member, that the pastor of his church in suburban St. Louis had just been shot by a gunman during the sermon in the early morning service. Robb and his wife were in the service when it happened.
Then she informed me that the pastor was Fred Winters – a pastor I knew very well. We worked closely together for about a year and he challenged me personally to grow as a pastor and leader. Fred was a fireball of a guy, passionate about God’s Kingdom. He loved God, he loved the family of God, and he was passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus with people who don’t yet know the Lord.

Already gathered to pray, our congregation prayed for Fred and for the congregation of the First Baptist Church of Maryville. As the morning progressed, we got several updates, and then during our morning worship service, we received word that Fred died from the gunshot wound.

We continued to pray. We prayed for God to comfort Fred’s family; for others who were wounded in subduing the gunman; for the gunman himself; for the children in the service who witnessed the tragedy; and we prayed that God would somehow use this terrible circumstance to advance His Kingdom. We prayed Kingdom Prayers. We prayed, “Lord, Your Kingdom come. Use this tragedy to point people to You. Don’t let this cause Your children to stumble, but rather strengthen them. And use this to point many people to You. Rule and reign in the hearts of many as a result of this devastating incident.”

I travelled downstate on Thursday to spend time with Robb and his wife Pam, and to attend the wake and the funeral, both of which were held at the church. I arrived at 6 pm, was seated in an auditorium with two-thousand people awaiting the opportunity to pay their respects. The entire time, a slide show played on a screen showing pictures of Fred – full of life – with his infectious smile, using his life to serve his Lord, his family, and his church. Row by row, they ushered us into the sanctuary where again we were seated in a packed auditorium until it was our turn to pay our respects. For nearly four hours until it was my turn, I watched the slides, talked with people around me about this amazing man, and contemplated a life solely dedicated to glorify God. Again, I prayed Kingdom prayers, that God would use this tragedy for His glory, and that many people would come to Him as a result.

News of this tragedy made headlines around the country and around the world. The funeral itself was one of the two most inspiring funerals I have ever attended, as his wife and several friends not only reflected on Fred’s life, but also spoke of a renewed commitment to faithfully serve Jesus and to make Him known for a lifetime. At the funeral they played a video of Fred on the popular website YouTube, where he answered the question, “Why do you exist?” Since the funeral, fourteen-thousand people have viewed the video. News reports in St. Louis included lengthy sections of the funeral – including the pleas to follow Jesus. Truly, through this tragedy, God’s Kingdom has advanced.


Clues to Kingdom Prayers


As I mentioned last week, it was after I preached the Lord’s Prayer several times that I began to understand that the heart of the Lord’s prayer is “Your Kingdom come.” Then one day, in reading my Bible, I saw an important clue for understanding the Kingdom of God and thus, Kingdom Prayers.

In Luke 4, Jesus visited Peter’s home one night. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever. They asked Jesus to help her. He rebuked the fever and it left her immediately.

At sunset, Jesus healed many who had sicknesses. Word spread. By the next morning, the entire town showed up at Peter’s house to see this miracle worker named Jesus. But He was nowhere to be found. The disciples began to search high and low for Jesus. Finally they found Him. He was by Himself in the wilderness praying.

Peter came and brought Him the good news. “Everyone is searching for You,” he said. Jesus surprised him with His answer.


“I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

When I read the words, “I must preach the Kingdom of God”, I thought, “Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God? Oh, how I wish I had one of those sermons! I could learn so much about praying ‘Thy Kingdom come’ if only I had one of Jesus’ sermons on the Kingdom.”


Some clues are found in parables

And then it hit me. We do have one of those sermons. In fact, we have lots of them. My mind turned to the parables of Jesus. I remember reading things like…


“How shall we picture the Kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed…” or “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like leaven…” or “The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field…”


I learned upon studying these passages that sometimes Jesus called it the “Kingdom of God” and other times He called it the “Kingdom of heaven”. He used both terms to communicate the same thing.

So He used parables to teach the people about the Kingdom of God. From that I knew that I would find valuable clues to help me pray Kingdom Prayers.


Yet more clues are found in Jesus’ explanations of His parables.


And then, in my quest to learn to pray Kingdom prayers, I found something even more exciting.

The disciples came and asked Jesus, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered, them, “To You it has been granted to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”

Jesus took time to clearly teach His disciples. They didn’t yet understand the parables, so He opened the eyes of their understanding. As He taught the masses, the meanings were veiled in parables, but when He got alone with His disciples, He held nothing back. He helped them to fully understand the principles of the Kingdom of God.

You and I have a great benefit as disciples of Jesus. We have the aid of the Holy Spirit to lead us into these truths and principles of the Kingdom.

For the next several weeks, we will study various Kingdom parables of Jesus in order to gain more insight into the Kingdom of God. Once we better understand His Kingdom, we will be able to better pray Kingdom Prayers.

Seek Him fervently as you look at these parables. Seek understanding of these truths as though you were seeking for hidden treasure. The Author of these parables is able and willing to open your understanding to these truths. Talk with your prayer partner about these things (Don’t have a prayer partner yet? Seek one for the duration of this study.) Don’t rest until He has given you insight.

This week, we’ll turn our attention to the parable of the soils. The passage is found in Matthew 13:1-23. Take time to read this every day this week.

Prayer Bullets:

This week, take a prayer walk with your prayer partner. As you walk, discuss some of the Kingdom principles you have been learning.

Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Listen to Him.

• Ask Him to give you a deeper understanding of Kingdom Prayer.
• As a disciple, ask Him to help you understand these parables.
• Ask Him to give you very specific ways to apply these principles.
• Ask Him to help you love Him more, love His family more, and love those who do not know Him more.

Record your insights by leaving a comment below

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1.7 It's All About His Kingdom

Just in case you missed the heart of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus puts an addendum on the end of the prayer in Matthew. He tells us to tell God why it’s important that He answer these prayers… “for Yours is the Kingdom and the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

The Lord’s Prayer begins and ends with praise of God almighty. This is an important facet of Kingdom Prayer. Give God glory and honor and praise as you seek to pray Kingdom prayers.

Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Take time to listen.
• As you come to God in prayer, seek to give Him praise for 5 minutes without asking for anything. Can you do it? How about 10 minutes?
• Praise Him for His Kingdom – the reign and rule of God in the hearts of His children.
• Praise Him for His surpassing glory.
• Praise Him for His power. The power to raise the dead to life, the power to save...
• Praise Him for His eternal nature, that He is always worthy of praise.
• Insights:

1.6 Temptation and deliverance from evil

One of the things that will derail my heart for Kingdom Prayer more than anything else, is my battle with temptation. Is there someone in the family of God with whom you can be held accountable in your areas of temptation?

Notice the prayer “lead us not into temptation” is a proactive prayer. Something to be prayed before the time of temptation.

When you’ve fallen headlong into sin, notice also that Jesus tells us to pray that God will deliver us from that evil.

Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Take time to listen.
• Pray about your greatest areas of temptation, ask the Lord for protection in advance.
• Pray for other believers in their areas of temptation.
• Pray for accountability partners and encouragers to come alongside believers in their areas of struggle.
• Pray for God to deliver us from evil.
• Pray for discernment that we can recognize the evil from which we must flee.
• How can we encourage each other in these areas?
• Insights (record a comment below):

1.5 Receiving and Giving Forgiveness

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."


It is so easy to lose a Kingdom perspective when we have not confessed our sins to God. Therefore Jesus tells us to pray that daily as well so that unconfessed sin doesn't become a hindrance to praying Kingdom prayers.1 John 1:9 tells us If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Unconfessed sin becomes a real hindrance to my Kingdom Prayers. So too, if I have been forgiven, but the I haven’t been willing to forgive someone who has trespassed against me, again, I will lose focus on Kingdom concerns.

Don’t let a root of bitterness grow against someone who has wronged you. Go to them. Work it out. Forgive them as God has forgiven you.

Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Take time to listen.
• What things do you need to bring to the Lord for forgiveness? Pray about this.
• What things do we as a body of believers need to bring to the Lord for forgiveness?
• What things do we need to bring to others to seek forgiveness – (inside or outside the family of God).
• Who do you need to forgive personally? Corporately?
• Insights (leave a comment below)

1.4 Got Milk? How about daily bread?

"Give us this day our daily bread." It was this portion of the Lord's Prayer and the following verses that I used to think of as the heart of the prayer. But really, the prayer for daily bread (or daily needs) is something that I need to pray in order to keep focused on Kingdom Prayer. You see, if I don't have my daily needs met, that may consume my thoughts, and I may not give Kingdom Prayers a second thought.


Remember also, as we noted on Monday, that this prayer is not to be applied to me only, but it is intended for for the community of believers. With that in mind, let me tell you a true, faith-building story about two people in our church several years ago.


Linda, a sister in Christ and member of our local church, was short of funds when she reached the end of the month. But she needed a few groceries to last the few days before her next paycheck. She counted out her money and headed to the store.


After gathering several items and carefully totaling the cost, she realized she didn't have quite enough money to purchase everything in her cart. Though she really wanted milk, she hadn't had any for some time, she knew that if she put the milk back, she'd have just enough money for the rest of her items. She sighed and headed back to the dairy section to return her milk to the shelf. Before she proceeded towards the checkout, she felt prompted to pray. "Lord, You know my needs and my wants. You've told me to pray for my daily needs. Thanks for meeting my needs today. I know I don't absolutely need milk, but I sure would enjoy it if You would provide some for me anyway. Thanks."


She paid for her groceries and went home. She climbed the long outside staircase to the second floor apartment and when she reached the landing, she saw two gallons of milk sitting by the door with a note. "Linda, I hope you can use this. Robert"


Linda, tears streaming down her cheeks simply looked up toward heaven and said, "Thanks Lord. Thanks."


She called Robert to tell him about her prayer for milk just a few hours earlier. He paused on the other end of the line. "Wow," he said, "That's amazing. I stopped by the store on the way home from work to pick up a few groceries. When I walked by the milk, I put two gallons in the cart. Even though it wasn't on my grocery list, I knew that we go through milk pretty quickly around my house."


"On the way home, I called my wife to tell her I picked up the groceries and two gallons of milk. She told me that she had just bought milk, and she wasn't sure there was room for any more in the fridge. I prayed, 'Lord, who might need milk?' At that point, I was driving near your street and thought of you. When I realized you weren't home, so I just put it outside the door and wrote the note."


It still gives me goosebumps every time I tell that story. Think about it. Linda prayed for provision. She asked specifically for milk. Robert bought milk which wasn't his plan, and then thought to pray and ask the Lord who might need it. That is a perfect example of how we ought to pray "Give us this day our daily bread," considering not only our needs, but the needs of others. When Robert realized his needs had been met, he asked God if someone else might be in need.


This gives me a whole new way of thinking about the prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread." Now, when my needs have been met, I want to ask the Lord, "Who else has needs today, Lord? Will You use me to help meet those needs?"


Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Listen to His Spirit.


• In these difficult times, many people are concerned about daily needs. Pray that God will meet those needs in ways that will show His goodness and sufficiency for all our needs.


• Are you in need? With whom can you pray?


• Who do you know who is in need? Ask God if He wants to use you to bless them.


• How can we be a blessing to our community in dire times? Pray about this. Click on comments below and add your insights.

1.3 A Strategy for Difficult Times

Jesus wants us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come." He wants Kingdom prayers to be foremost on our hearts. But let's be real. We live in difficult times. The global economy is in peril. Markets crash, unemployment grows, banks collapse, and foreclosures run rampant. Citizens who felt secure a few years ago, now worry about the future.

So how is it possible to be Kingdom focused when everything is in disarray around us? How how shall we live in the face of economic uncertainty? Jesus has the answer: Do not worry then, saying, "What will we eat?' or "What will we drink?' or "What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:31-33)

So His strategy for difficult times is, "Seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness." God knows your needs. When you seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, He'll meet them.

Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Take time to listen.
• Pray through the Scripture above. What insights do you have?
• How is it possible to seek first God's Kingdom when you're in great need?
• Are you in need? Pray and seek His Kingdom.
• Who do you know who is in need? How can you encourage them today? How can you help them see the importance of the Kingdom?
• Click on comments below and share your prayers or insights.

1.2 The importance of community in Kingdom Prayer

Americans are so independent. And though independence in itself is not bad, I do believe it can negatively impact our sense of community among believers.

Look again at the Lord’s Prayer. Notice the prayer begins with God – giving Him praise for who He is. But then notice, beginning in verse 11 with the personal requests, it does not use the words “me” or “my”. Instead it uses the words “We”, “Our”, and “Us”.

This is important. In Luke 11, Jesus gave this prayer to His disciples – as a group. And here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows the importance of praying together for these concerns.

It is important that we have times of prayer by ourselves, but it is also critically important that we regularly pray together, and seek to apply His word corporately.

Some time ago I realized that I often approached the Scriptures in a me-centered manner. When I opened, for example, the book of Ephesians and begin to read, I would pray, "Lord, help me apply this to my life." It never dawned on me that this book was written to a community of believers, to be applied corporately. Why didn't it occur to me? Because I am an independant man in an independent society, in an independent country that was founded on Independence Day!

But when I look at God Himself, I see incredible community within the Godhead. That's why He calls us to community because it is such a part of His nature. Jesus desires to welcome us into that communion with God. If you don't believe me, (and even if you do) read John 17 and look at Jesus' communion with the Father and His desire to include us in that community. And until we go home to be with the Lord, He tells us "Love one another as I have loved you." Jesus loved His disciples in community.

Community is an essential part of the Christian life. We're not intended to be lone rangers. We're intended to be part of the body. So though many of us pray kingdom prayers on our own, we're truly missing an incredible blessing if we don't pray with other believers about Kingdom concerns.

Prayer prompts and discussion starters:

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Listen to Him.
• Ask God to give you a heart for prayer within His community of believers.
• With whom can you pray these things?
• How can we build community in prayer with the members of the local church?
• How can we build community in prayer with missionaries who serve on the mission field?
• How can we build community in prayer with other believers and congregations outside of our immediate famly?
• Click on comments below and record your insights from prayer and the scriptures.

1.1 Rethinking the Lord's Prayer

I have known the Lord’s Prayer most of my life. Like many of you, I learned it as a child. And because I recited it in church every week I had it memorized at an early age. This prayer is deeply ingrained in me, and yet, I have become increasingly convinced that for most of my life, I completely missed the heart of the Lord’s Prayer.

I thought the meat of the prayer was about daily needs, about giving and receiving forgiveness, about avoiding temptation and about being delivered from evil. I think that’s because I tended to live a fairly me-centered Christian life. And so, it was easy to think the Lord’s Prayer was given as a means for God to meet my needs.

In the past several years, however, God has begun to show me the importance of His Kingdom, and the importance of community among His children. God has a purpose for this world, and He wants to use His children to help accomplish that purpose.

So on that fateful day when one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Teach us to pray”, Jesus responded with a prayer intended to move their eyes off themselves and redirect their gaze on God and His Kingdom.

The heart of the Lord’s Prayer

What is the heart of the Lord’s Prayer? Three simple words really sum it up: Thy Kingdom come. In other words, “Lord, Holy God, bring Your Kingdom here. I want it to come. Bring it about today, and use me in whatever way You will to show the reality of Your Kingdom to those who don’t know about it.” That’s the heart of the prayer – but for the longest time, I didn’t even know what those three words meant. I didn’t even realize that “Thy Kingdom come” was a request. Wrapped up in that simple statement is a prayer that God will invade lives with His incredible love and change them forever. That God will reign in the hearts and lives of His children; and that more and more people will come to know and love God with all their hearts.

Why study Kingdom prayer?

My purpose in writing this study is to encourage you to rethink prayer; to pray bigger prayers – Kingdom Prayers. To pray prayers that extend beyond our wants and needs; to pray prayers that come from the heart of God Himself.
In order to do that, let’s first define the Kingdom of God.
One reason that I didn’t understand “Thy Kingdom come” is because I had an incomplete understanding of the Kingdom. I believed that to pray “Thy Kingdom come” meant that I wanted Jesus to make the second coming happen today. You see, I thought the Kingdom of God was a future-only occurrence; something that would happen in the distant future. Consequently, I didn’t feel any real urgency to pray “Thy Kingdom come” on a daily basis.

Yes, the Kingdom is future, but it’s also present!

But Jesus made it clear that His kingdom is coming in the future but, it is also here and now. When Jesus arrived on the scene, the kingdom arrived on earth. That’s why at the beginning of His ministry, He said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here.” (Matthew 4:17). That’s also why Jesus taught us that instead of worrying, we should “seek first God’s Kingdom…” That would make no sense if the coming of the Kingdom was not a present day reality.

Much of Jesus’ teaching centered on the Kingdom of God. In fact, we’ll look at several of His teachings on the Kingdom in the weeks to come. For now, suffice it to say that He taught about the present state of the Kingdom as well as the future fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. He taught that the Kingdom of God is near, that it is inclusive, that it is continually growing and is abundant, it is precious and of great worth, it is powerful, it has great authority, it is present, it belongs to those who mourn, it is characterized by forgiveness and grace, and that it is available to all who repent and believe.

So Jesus taught a lot about the Kingdom of God, but just exactly what is it?

Definition: so what exactly is God’s kingdom?

Simply stated, The Kingdom of God is the reign and rule of God in the hearts of His children.

So when I pray “Your Kingdom come” I could also pray it this way: “Lord, reign and rule in my heart and in the hearts of Your children.” This is a prayer of submission – that we will bow to the reign of the King. It is a prayer of respect – that He is a worthy ruler and we desire His reign over us. It’s a prayer of commitment – that as He rules, we will follow. It is a prayer of direction – that as He leads we will point others to Him.

At Glenfield, we sing a song that has “Thy Kingdom come” as its heartbeat. We sing:

“Lord, reign in me, reign in Your power,
Over all my dreams, in my darkest hour,
You are the Lord of all I am,
So won’t You reign in me again?

Reign In Me. Words and music by Brenton Brown. ©1998 Vineyard Songs. ARR, ICS, UBP.

Definition: so what exactly are Kingdom Prayers?

Kingdom Prayers are prayers that ask God to expand His reign and rule in our hearts, so that we can love and serve Him more fully (in other words, prayers that encourage us to love God).

Kingdom prayers are also prayers that ask God to expand His reign and rule across the hearts of all His children (in other words, prayers that encourage us to love His family).

Kingdom prayers are also prayers that ask God to make His reign and rule known to people who do not yet know Him (In other words, prayers that encourage us to impact our world with His love).

In his book, Living the Sermon on the Mount, Glen Stassen has an example ot the outcomes of Kingdom Prayer: "When you pray that the will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven, envision conflict being resolved, marriages and families healed, truth told and people faithful to one another, initiatives that break through the vicious cycles of retaliation, and love that creates new community among people through forgiveness, reconciliation, and peacemaking.”

Daily Prayer

Each day of this study, we should pray. Begin today by reading through the Lord’s prayer. It is found in Matthew 6:9 "Pray, then, in this way: "Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 "Give us this day our daily bread. 12 "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. '

Prayer Bullets:

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray.
• Ask Him to give you a heart for the things that matter most to Him.
• Ask Him to give you a deeper understanding of Kingdom Prayer.
• Record your insights from prayer and the Scriptures today: