Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
September 10, 2006 - W0637

Happy 11^th Anniversary everyone! Thank you so much for celebrating with us. We are so blessed and believe our best years are yet ahead, but it all began with a small beginning.

We live in an age information overload. For example, in Christianity, we are known more for our best selling books, television evangelists, and training workshops. Yet we are less known for actually taking action with what we know. In other words, we spend so much time studying and gathering information that it leaves little time for us to actually apply what we learn.

We read books on being godly, yet our lives don’t show it. Somehow though, we have to learn to bridge that gap. But how do we learn to do that? The Bible gives us the answer: “…The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…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...” (Mt. 13:31-32) In other words, it is small beginnings that result in huge changes. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin …” (Zech. 4:10)

Big changes are birthed from small beginnings so everyone can be a part of the kingdom of God by doing small things. So what are some of the things that all of us can do to bring about big changes? Everyone can be involved in:

1.     SMALL GESTURES.

The Kingdom of God is built by small gestures. A word of encouragement -- a cup of water when someone is tired and thirsty or laying a hand on someone’s shoulder and praying for them may seem small to us, but it is a huge difference in the life of the other person. And it is a big deal to God. “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.” (Prov. 12:25) The Bible says healing can often come from a word.

I remember feeling like a worthless Christian just before I went to Bible College. A woman named Sister Jones wrote me a note saying she’d be my prayer partner and would pray for me everyday. I kept that note in my wallet for the next four years. That one little note gave my heart a lift. The kingdom of God entered my heart and gave me confidence.

• Small steps are what the Kingdom (of God) is made of.

“But Jesus answering said to him, ‘Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he permitted Him”. (Mt. 3:15)

The English version says: “… ‘Let it be so for now. For in this way we shall do all that God requires.’ …” (Mt. 3:15 TEV)

In other words, to John it may have seemed unnecessary to baptize Jesus, but to God it was a huge gesture. And when we are obedient with the littlest of gestures, something of the Kingdom of God begins to be established.

There will be times in our own lives that saying “I love you” before we hang up the phone, a hug, a note of encouragement, or a word of thanks -- little things will make such a huge impact. And it’s not only small gestures that open up huge changes in the kingdom, but also…

2.     SMALL INVOLVEMENTS.

Someone once asked Mother Theresa what her goal in life was. She said it was to reach everyone in the world with the Gospel. They told her that was a huge task and how would she do that. She answered them and said that she’d start with the person who God places before her.

It’s the same for us. Wherever we are, just be there in that moment, that place, with that person. Don’t let things distract your mind and heart from being right where God placed you.

The amazing thing is that small involvements aren’t something we need to train for. It’s something God provides. It’s a need – something as simple as picking up a piece of rubbish or helping someone who’s lost. How will we know? When there’s a need, it will be obvious. In fact, we’d have to intentionally ignore it otherwise. Remember, that’s exactly what happened in the story of the Good Samaritan. Two people encountered a man hurt on the side of the road and chose to avoid him. And it was the third person who stopped. Listen to what Jesus says about that: “‘Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?’ And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same’”. (Lk. 10:36-37)

There’s another person that the Bible mentions. His name is Barzillai from Gilead.  King David was fleeing for his life from Absalom and Barzillai (though he couldn’t help in other ways) provided David with food. And at the end of David’s life he says:

“Now Barzillai was very old, being eighty years old; and he had sustained the king…for he was a very great man”. (2 Sam. 19:32)  David had one encounter with him, but what was it in David’s eyes that made him a very great man?

• Simply being hospitable made him great.

It’s as simple as that – being hospitable to others will make us a great people. We may think our visits to a sick friend doesn’t accomplish much for Jesus, or the small class we teach is not worth our time, or the low attendance in our care group means we’re failing. The truth is, as insignificant as it may seem to us that is what the Kingdom of God is made of. 

Sometimes we think our limited knowledge of God disqualifies us from sharing with others. On the contrary, that’s what it’s all about. It is in the small involvements that the Kingdom of God is built. “If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs it’”. (Lk. 19:31) Bringing about huge changes start with small beginnings, small gestures, small involvements and…

3.     SMALL INVITATIONS.

One summer when I was in high school, a friend of mine invited me to help him out by playing guitar at a Baptist summer camp worship. I wasn’t keen about the idea, but I went to help him out anyway. By the second day of playing hymns, it started to sink into my heart. By the third day, I was drenched with the love of God. And though I formally received God years later that was the day I opened my heart up to Christ. It was a small invitation.

It was in 1972 that I was invited to a Christian concert. After the concert, I was invited to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” and I did. The Kingdom of God is built by small invitations. In fact, that happened in the Bible: “One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ [and] he brought him to Jesus… The next day He … found Philip. And Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found … Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph’”. (Jn. 1:40-45 selected)

There are people around us who are waiting for an invitation and little do we know what great things God has in store for them. It was just a small invitation to many such as Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, Billy Graham, and countless others which paved the way for God to bring about huge changes in His Kingdom. 

It is small gestures – a word of encouragement, a hug. It is small involvements – being in the moment wherever God places us. It’s simply being hospitable. It is through small invitations that we reach the world for Jesus. It is from small beginnings that lead to big changes that build the Kingdom of God. Let us all commit to being a part of the Kingdom in small ways. And we will indeed see that our best days are yet to come.

Discussion Questions

1. Who can you offer a word of encouragement today?
2. What small gesture has someone offered you that made a difference in your life?
3. It’s not a matter of skill or training. Being involved is simply a matter of seeing a need and jumping in to help. How are you involved in the lives of those around you?
4. Think of the invitation that changed your life. Who is waiting to be invited? Go and extend that invitation today.
5. What will you do with the information you learned today?

 “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong with our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NLT)

Sermon Notes Ministry: Debra Chang, Robin Hart, Leighton Loo, Doreen Rabaino

Jay Tsukayama, Rhonda Pang