Were you ever a part of a club as a kid? Did you feel like you were a part of something special, a part of a privileged group? Was there a secret handshake or secret meetings? At some point though, the appeal wore off. Maybe some of the members of your club couldn’t get along, and they spent club meetings fighting with each other. Maybe the club was simply more work than it was worth. You did far more for it than it did for you. One day you may have realized that your club had no real purpose. You got togther and talked about how you were in a club and others weren’t.
Have you ever felt that way about the church? Have you ever known some “club members” who seem more interested in fighting? You feel like you are always doing something for the “club,” but wonder what the club has ever done for you? Maybe you’ve been in a “club” that liked to meet, but didn’t really do anything.
This is not what Jesus had in mind for his church, his club, his kingdom.
We stay in Matthew 13 this week as we continue our study of Jesus’ Kingdom parables. In five short stories, Jesus teaches us four great truths about the kingdom. We looked at the first two last week, and we consider the second two this week. We will see that the kingdom is of immense value and worth, but we will also see how many will miss out on this incredible treasure.