“He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.'” -Mark 4:26-29

God’s Work in Global Gospel Advancement

Upon my return from South Asia a week ago, I have contemplated so many things in my heart to share with you so that your faith may be stirred up and strengthened. I believe, with every fiber of my being, we are experiencing a global harvest! What we have prayed for decades and generations is upon us. My pastor spoke these words, “It feels like the world is falling apart. Rather, it is falling into place.” All of history is culminating for the Second Coming of Christ, post tribulation, where the whole world will be reached with the gospel and He establishes His millennial reign. Every day, I look for His harpazo (rapture) coming when the Church meets Him in the sky! Until then, we sow seeds.

Witnessing God’s Work in South Asia

I walked uphill, backpack on, to this small farming home. A woman was hanging her clothing up to dry. She smiled at us, and my translator and I greeted her. As we sat exchanging words of why an American was sitting in her yard, up walked her neighbor with a sickle in hand. She was actually surprised to see us. She said, “I was leaving my house to go cut grass for my cows, but I found myself turning right and heading here.” We sat together, and both young moms received Jesus as their Savior. I showed them how to share the gospel with their children and one day their husbands when they returned from work in a neighboring country.

In an area that is 99% Hindu and has ground as hard as cement, we saw scores of people give their lives to Jesus. In fact, seven people experienced miracles that led to their salvation. One priest of the local Hindu temple was hard of hearing. We prayed for the Lord to heal his deafness, and when He did that, the man’s heart opened wide to the power of the gospel. I love when miracles set the stage for salvation!​​ Just like Paul said, “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:3-5).”

Understanding Kingdom Growth Through Mark 4

Let’s unwrap a few treasures we find in this Mark 4 passage that we can hold on to in this hour.

The Kingdom is Within You

First, the Kingdom of God is within you: “‘… nor will they say, “See here!” or “See there!” For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21, NKJV).’” It is growing and maturing, becoming evidence of His power and presence. The establishment of His Kingdom within you is not a matter of temporal things but rather a flow of Heaven to Earth to the ground you have been assigned to till. Here are some of the characteristics of His Kingdom within you: righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17); the authority to bind and loose (Matthew 16:19); the ability to drive out demons (Matthew 12:28); preaching the gospel to the whole world (Matthew 24:14); forcefully advancing (Matthew 11:12, NLT); and the abundance of His Kingdom is our inheritance with ample supply in every season.

Our Role in Seed-Scattering

Second, seed scattering is our primary role as we expand His Kingdom on the Earth. We take the Kingdom of God within us into every soil, ground, and field our feet tread. He has given us the seeds of the gospel to scatter. He doesn’t counsel us in His word to sow sparingly, in fear of rejection, or with human reasoning. He simply calls each one to take the seeds of the gospel, as ministers of reconciliation and ambassadors, and go. And the promise is for His power to be evidenced as we go: “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power (1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT).”

God’s Sovereign Work in Growth

Third, Jesus determines the process of growth! Fertile soil will absorb the seed quickly; harder soil takes more time for growth. That is not for you and me to gauge or determine. That is for the Spirit of God to do His faithful work. It’s a process underground where we cannot see that the seed covering is broken and life enters the seed. The seed becomes hungry for light and water and nutrients once that seed covering breaks. The Spirit of God is present in that process. He simply asks you and me today, “Will you simply take the seed and scatter it and leave the process of absorption and transformation to Me?” The end result of harvest begins with the primary truth that the power is in the seed of the gospel. This is where it all begins.

Join God’s Harvest Work

The seeds of God’s harvest are in you and me. We were given this upon our salvation and commissioning as believers (Matthew 28:19-20). From the seed to the sickle, the process begins with the Lord—not you and me. We can rest there in the grace and faithfulness of God to accomplish everything for which His Word was sent out to accomplish.

As the world falls into place according to the plans and purposes of God, we have two choices in this hour: we can sit back and watch, or we can get dirty in the harvest field. I can tell you about all of the things God is doing here and around the world, or you can experience it for yourself and have your own stories. But it will mean walking out your front door and putting one foot in front of the other. You don’t have to go to South Asia; simply start with people at the grocery store. You can go afraid and trembling. You can go feeling inadequate. You can go wounded and broken and hurting. But one thing you won’t do is go alone. And you won’t go without authority and power because Holy Spirit lives in you.

To make this very practical for you, this Saturday (November 4) in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Charleston, South Carolina; Phoenix, Arizona; and Vancouver, Washington, we are hosting a Harvest Day. The Arise leaders in these cities will train you how to engage people in spiritual conversations and bring the hope of Jesus to hurting people. We will set out two by two for a couple of hours to engage people in prayer and conversation. This is simply the best way to practice scattering seeds. To jump in, simply email your Arise City Leader, and that person will give you all the details!

Dallas: Julie King, [email protected]

Houston: Shannon Stubblefield, [email protected]

Charleston: Patti Evans, [email protected]

Phoenix: Jennifer Ferguson, [email protected]

Vancouver: Becky Hurley, [email protected]

I want to leave you with this quote:

“A woodpecker tapped with his beak against the stem of a tree just as lightning struck the tree and destroyed it. He flew away and said, ‘I didn’t know there was so much power in my beak!’ When we bring the Gospel there is a danger that we will think or say, ‘I have done a good job.’ Don’t be a silly woodpecker. Know where your strength comes from. It is only the Holy Spirit who can make a message good and fruitful.” -Corrie Ten Boom

A Few Key Notes

• If you are desiring your city to become an Arise city and want to talk about what that could look like, please contact Melissa Burnett at [email protected]. We are looking for 55 more Arise City Leaders to fan the flames of global revival.
• We have a $40,000 match in place from now until December 31 to expand the impact of Arise in our nation and the nations. Please consider making a year-end contribution to Arise by giving online.
• The Holy Fire Study with me and Tracy Edwards begins this coming Monday in person and over Zoom. To register or for more information, contact me at [email protected].