Friday, November 1

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Matthew 13:31-32

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

A number of years ago a young woman approached me after a Saturday night service and asked nervously if I had time to talk to her. I was a bit torn because I had a commitment to be somewhere else and was anxious to get to my car. There was also another person waiting to talk to me about something I knew wouldn’t take long so I said something like, “Yes, I have a few minutes, I’ll be with you in just a bit.” But then she said, “That’s OK, it doesn’t have to be today,” and she started to walk away. I said, “No, it’s OK, I have time, let’s talk.”

That began a pastoral conversation that has continued for some 5 years over two continents. 

That night that young woman began to share her story with me. It was a heart-breaking story of pain, fear and loneliness that she had never told anyone before. 

She knew the gospel; she knew Jesus loved her and forgave her; she just found it very difficult to feel that love and that forgiveness.

We talked a number of times over the next year and a half or so, then she had to return to her home in a different country.

But she still sends me emails several times a year to ask questions or to just pour out her heart. Sometimes her emails are hard to read and it’s hard to know what to say or how to encourage her.

But I got another email from her this past week, and part of it reminds me of what Jesus is trying to teach us about the gospel and about his kingdom.

She wrote:

I'm trying to take it day by day, I started with hour by hour,

hopefully by next year it will be week by week. I still fall everyday, but I'm not breaking anything so I just get back up... I try to laugh more, be more positive and never blame anything on my past. I've had enough time to heal and the mistakes I make now are new mistakes. They are my mistakes. I love God and I want to know Him, my faith will not be shaken and I will fight till the end to meet Him one day face to face.

I think you understand how difficult it was for me to talk to someone. God sent me all the way to North Aurora to find the place where I would feel safe enough to talk to someone. Thank you for listening, please never stop praying for me.

I thank God everyday for placing FBCG in my life. I hope one day I could give you all as much as you have given me.

I think that’s what Jesus is talking about when he says:

Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.

That young woman was like a lost and wounded bird that needed a safe place to find rest and nourishment. She found that place here...a tree that is the result of a tiny seed planted 119 years ago.

To change analogies, she is one more acorn produced by the oak tree that is FBCG. One more acorn that, when planted, has the potential to produce many, many more acorns.

That is the kingdom of heaven.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, October 31

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Acts 1:8

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on  you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to visit many parts of world. While I am not as well traveled as some, I have had the chance to visit about 20 countries on five different continents. And in all my travels, from the Great Wall of China, to the villages of Africa, to an impoverished town in the Dominican Republic, I’ve almost always been able to find a cold Coca-cola! 

Think about that.

Coke is nothing more than caramel colored, uniquely flavored, carbonated sugar-water; it has no nutritional value whatsoever; and yet it has been marketed successfully to the whole world.

In fact, the current marketing slogan of Coke is “Open Happiness.”

I don’t often drink Coke these days, but when I do I think about the difference between Coke and the gospel. I think about what Jesus said in Acts 1:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on  you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus envisioned a day when the gospel would reach the whole world. Jesus envisioned a day when it would be easier to find the gospel than to find a cold Coke. 

Notice his plan for getting to that day!

He says, “...you will be my witnesses...” That’s it.

No fancy marketing campaign. No slogan. No logo. Just people. Just us. 

Yesterday I asked you to think about how you first came to understand the gospel in a personal way. My guess is that somewhere, sometime, someONE shared the gospel with you. It might have been a pastor, a Sunday School teacher, a parent or a friend; but someone explained or demonstrated the gospel to you in a way you could understand. And you believed; you put your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Once you have identified the person or people who helped  you understand the gospel and come into a relationship with Christ, I want to encourage you to do two things.

First, find a way to express your gratitude. Thank God for placing that person or those people in your life; then find a way, if possible, to send a note, make a call, or simply tell them how thankful you are for their part in your spiritual journey.

Second, ask God to give you an opportunity to share the good news with someone today!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, October 30

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Matthew 13:31-32

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

American history is littered with stories of business ideas that started small and became enormously successful. We ca start, of course, with the McDonald brothers, Mac and Dick, who opened a single BBQ drive-in restaurant in 1940 that eventually became over 34,000 restaurants world wide. Then we can look at a college drop out named Steve Jobs, who found a way to make computer technology available to the masses and grew his tiny company named “Apple” from $25,000 in sales in 1975 to revenues of over $150 billion today. We can even study a man named Mike Illitch, who turned a $10,000 investment in one pizza shop into the multi-million dollar Little Caesar's pizza empire.

Whatever we think of their products, we are amazed at the vision and persistence it takes to turn an idea into a world-wide phenomenon.

In a way, that’s what Jesus is teaching us about the kingdom of God:

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

How does something so small grow to be so large?

For an entrepreneur it’s a combination of having the right idea at the right time; the financial backing to produce the product; and the vision and passion to market the idea.

How and why does the kingdom of heaven grow?

Well, first, the gospel is the right idea at the right time! 

Romans tells us:

At just the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6

And it’s also the very nature of the gospel to grow. In Colossians, Paul writes:

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing... Colossians 1:6

One interesting thing about the mustard plant in the ancient world is that the plants tended to grow wild, that is, they were rarely cultivated. It simply was the nature of a mustard seed to grow wherever it was sown.

Second; God possesses all the resources needed and, indeed, has already produced the product. Romans tells us:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...Romans 1:16

In other words, the plant is already grown - there is room for everyone in the branches - all you have to do is trust!

But what about the marketing strategy? How will the message get out? How will the ‘birds of the air” know there is a place of rest and safety already prepared for them?

Those are questions we will look at tomorrow, but I’ll give you a hint! How did you first come to hear and understand the gospel in a personal way?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, October 29

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Colossians 1:6-7

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.

A few weeks ago I wanted to use acorns as an illustration in a talk I was giving, so I did a little research. I found out that acorns are actually seeds; each acorn containing one seed that, when planted, produces an oak tree. But what I found really interesting was that a healthy oak tree can produce from 70,000 to 150,000 acorns a year! That’s a lot of acorns!

But what makes that number even more amazing is that a healthy oak tree lives an average of something like 150 years!

Now think about those numbers for a moment. One oak tree can produce 70 to 150 thousand acorns a year for up to 150 years or more! If I did the math right, that’s over 22,000,000 acorns...from a single oak tree.

Now imagine that every single one of those 22 million acorns is capable of producing an oak tree that, in turn, can produce another 22 million acorns in its lifetime.

Like I said, that’s A LOT of acorns!

And the almost incredible productivity of oak trees takes me to Paul’s words in Colossians:

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.

How does the gospel grow? 

Let’s start with Jesus. Jesus began his public ministry by proclaiming: 

“The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” Mark 1:15

Then Jesus died on the cross and rose again in order to fulfill God’s promise of salvation to all who believe.

In a sense that was the first acorn! And that acorn then grew into the oak tree that produced the apostles; men like   Peter, James, John and Paul. God used those men to plant acorns that then grew into churches all over the ancient world. And those churches planted thousand more acorns through all the new believers that came to faith in Jesus.

Fast forward through history and you eventually come to our church and to your own story. 

Our church was planted in 1894 and has grown and produced acorns for over 119 years! You can trace your own faithstory to another oak tree and another acorn that was planted somewhere, sometime; and now you are also an acorn God can use to grow yet another tree.

Do you see it? Once the gospel was planted; once the fruit begins to grow; it’s unstoppable! It’s immeasurable! Each and every acorn contains the potential for limitless growth! 

That’s what Paul is talking about in Colossians, and that’s what Jesus is talking about when he says:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, October 28

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Matthew 13:31-32

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

I have the privilege of being a pastor at a church that includes over 4000 men, women, students and children. Every weekend we worship in six different services on two campuses and it seems like every week I meet someone who is new to our church family.

But this large, diverse, multi-site and multi-service church was not always like this! It’s hard for me to imagine but the church that I am part of was actually planted as a tiny seed by 10 Swedish immigrants in 1894. They didn’t have a building for 10 years, didn’t have a full time pastor for  many more years after that, and were sometimes uncertain about whether or not their little church would survive.

But that little plant did survive! And eventually it grew into what it is today. How does that happen?

I think this is part of what Jesus is talking about when he said:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

I don’t know about you but when I think of the words “King” or “kingdom” I don’t think of small things! I think of crowns and robes and opulent palaces; I think of great walled cities and mighty fortresses. And yet when Jesus starts talking about the “kingdom of heaven”, the reign of the creator of the universe himself, he points our attention to a tiny mustard seed. Why?

First of all, I think Jesus uses the mustard seed as an illustration of God’s kingdom in order to surprise us! Like any good teacher he uses the unexpected to get our attention and to entice us to listen to what he is saying.

Second, he chooses an everyday, ordinary plant to illustrate the kingdom of heaven so that his followers would see the mustard bushes growing wild throughout the countryside and then remember what he had taught them about the kingdom!

Third, I think Jesus told the parable of the mustard seed because it accurately describes how God likes to work! God loves to plant the seed of his gospel in good soil and then to bring a great harvest from small beginnings.

And, finally, I think Jesus uses the mustard seed because it keeps us from being able to say, “Well, see, the kingdom of heaven is just too big, too expansive, too grand a thing for someone as small as me to play a significant part in growing.” He wants us to see that if something as tiny and as seemingly ordinary as a mustard seed can grow to become a safe place for birds to find shelter, then maybe, just maybe you and I can be part of building the kingdom of heaven as well.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, Oct. 25

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From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.  - Matthew 4:17

Jesus preached that the Kingdom of heaven had come near, that it was at hand...but when we look around at the state our world is in, sometimes it is hard to see evidence of the kingdom of heaven.

Where is the Kingdom??

Whenever a young child opens his/her heart to God and trusts in Jesus...there is the kingdom!

Whenever a man gets off of the couch to climb the stairs to his child’s room in order to kneel and pray... there is the kingdom!

When a family adopts an unwanted child and raises that child in the knowledge of a loving God... there is the kingdom!

When a a woman who has been abused and tossed aside her whole life learns to trust again through the love of Christ... there is the kingdom!

When a person battling addiction discovers that in Christ there really is hope for recovery and freedom... there is the kingdom!

When a young executive refuses to cut corners in his career because he desires to please God more than men... there is the kingdom!

When an older man reaches out to a teenage boy who has lost his father, to encourage him and pray with him, and be a father  figure to him... there is the kingdom!

When a couple on the verge of ending their marriage after 15 years discovers that Christ can put the broken pieces of their marriage back together... there is the kingdom!

When a child with special needs is played with, laughed with and loved on by a volunteer... there is the kingdom!

When a teenage girl decides to be baptized in the jungles of Ecuador in front of all her friends, because that is where she first learn to trust God... there is the kingdom!

When a single mother, struggling to make ends meet, finds that someone from her church has paid her rent for the next 2 months... there is the kingdom!

When a man brings $500 worth of Meijer gift cards to the church every few months so that families in need can go shopping... there is the kingdom!

When a suburban family sells their home and their business to follow the call of God to move to Ecuador and start a skate church for street kids... there is the kingdom!

When 700 people give up a few hours on a Sunday to pack thousands of meals for hungry children... there is the kingdom!

Wherever sin is confessed,

relationships are reconciled,

the hurting are comforted,

marriages are restored,

praises are sung,

prayers are offered,

God’s word is applied,

captives are set free,

God is worshipped,

the Gospel is preached,

and Christ is glorified...There is the Kingdom!!

Jeff Frazier

Thursday, Oct. 24

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Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”   - Acts 1:6-8

After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”. How was Jesus to answer such a question? What the disciples meant by kingdom was not what Jesus had been teaching. The disciples were still thinking in terms of a nationalistic kingdom rather than a slowly growing family of all ethnic groups. It would take them many years to realize that Gentiles were welcome in the new kingdom. Christ’s kingdom was still not of this world, but it was to be active in this age. So Christ did not say yes or no—he simply told them there was work to do and power to do it.

Simply put, the power of the kingdom is in Christ!.  From start to finish, Jesus’ entire life and ministry was the expression of God’s mighty rule that had broken into history to deliver the creation and its human inhabitants from the curse of sin and death. The rule of God was in Jesus. He was, as ancient church theologians believed, the Autobasileia, Himself the Kingdom!

Jesus displayed this kingdom power on the Cross.  There on the cross, God in Christ conquered sin, defeated death, and triumphed over Satan. Sounds like a Kingdom victory to me! Yet it could not have appeared more unkingly. Jesus hung there in apparent defeat. There He suffered and died. Satan appears to have won the battle. Yet by this means, Jesus triumphed over God’s enemies and ours by is resurrection, and shares that victory with those who believe. Jesus is Christus Victor!  By means of this victory, we are restored to God and our true purposes as human beings. It is the mystery of the Kingdom that makes us new creatures in Christ.

God has always been a King, and there has always been a kingdom, and there always will be a kingdom. But this one kingdom appears in different ways at different times – it looks one way with Adam and Eve, another way with Abraham. It is transformed again with the nation of Israel, and transformed again with Jesus and the church. We are now in the kingdom, but there are weeds growing in among the grain. At the end of the age, the Messiah will return in power and glory, the weeds will be removed, and the kingdom of God will again be transformed in appearance.

Jeff Frazier

Wednesday, Oct. 23

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Jesus spoke about the Kingdom as both a present reality and as a future hope.

Present reality - But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. - Matthew 12:28

Future hope - Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  - Matthew 6:10

In fact, all throughout the Bible we find passages that talk about the Kingdom both in terms of the present and the future.  On one hand, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Colosse and tells them that they have been brought into a new kingdom... For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  - Colossians 1:13-14

On the other hand, the book of Revelation speaks about a future battle after which the Kingdom of God will finally come...Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah.   - Revelation 12:10

So, which is it?  Is the Kingdom of God a present reality or a future hope?

Well, surprisingly enough, the Bible seems to indicate that both are equally true about the Kingdom of God, it is both a present reality and a future hope!  This is what theologians sometimes refer to as the “already, not yet” reality of the Kingdom.  The kingdom is already here - it was inaugurated when Jesus came to earth.  The kingdom is not yet fully realized - it will not be consummated until Christ returns.

Jesus proclaimed the nearness of God’s kingdom, when He said “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”, He was announcing that the long-awaited rule of God was near. This message was called the gospel, the good news. Thousands of people were glad to hear this, and many responded to this message.

Consider for a moment what the response would have been like if Jesus had preached, “The kingdom of God is over 2,000 years away!” This would not have been news, nor perceived as all that good. The message would have been disappointing, and public response would likely also have been disappointing. 

This is why Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom as a present reality to His first century hearers (and to us).  The message said something about what people should do now; it had immediate relevance and urgency. It aroused interest—and called for a response. The message challenged the status quo and implied that changes were needed in civil life, in religious teachings, and in personal behavior.

The kingdom of God is here, Jesus said. His audience did not need to wait for a conquering Messiah, and neither do we — God is already ruling, and we should be sharing in the divine life right now, living in his domain, in which his will is done. We don’t yet possess a territory, but we do come under the reign of God. The kingdom does not force itself upon us – we have to voluntarily come under its influence.

Understanding that the kingdom already exists can help us give greater attention to the way the world is right now. Even so, we must not forget that the completion of the kingdom is still future. If our only hope is in this age, we don’t have much hope.

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  - 1 Corinthians 15:19

We should do not harbor illusions about bringing the kingdom with human efforts. No matter how much we try to live in a way that reflects God and his kingdom – and we should try – we cannot transform the entire world into God’s kingdom. Perfection will come when the King, the Perfect One returns. We pray for the kingdom to come - but even so, we want God’s will to be done now, as well as in the future.  When we suffer setbacks and persecutions, when we see that most people reject the gospel, we gain strength from the knowledge that the fullness of the kingdom is in a future age.  Nevertheless, even though we cannot transform this earth into a heavenly paradise, doing good is still good and it is kingdom work for His glory! 

Jeff Frazier

- Acts 1:6-8

Tuesday, Oct. 22

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Matthew chapter 13 contains a series of stories that Jesus told known as the “Kingdom Parables” and Jesus told these parables to teach His followers about the reality of His kingdom.  In fact the theme of the entire book of Matthew is “the Kingdom”.  Jesus begins almost all of his parables with this phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like...”

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to: a man who sowed good seed in his field, a granule of mustard seed, to leaven, or the working of yeast, to a hidden treasure, to a pearl of great value, to a net, to a king who called his servants to settle accounts, to a landowner who hired servants, to a king who arranged a marriage celebration for his son, to ten virgins meeting the Bridegroom, to a master who gave his servants talents to invest and increase.

The Hebrew word for kingdom is malkut and its Greek counterpart is basileia. Both terms primarily mean “rule” or “reign.” Only secondarily do they denote a realm, sphere, or territory over which a rule or reign is exercised. Both terms have a dynamic or active meaning, and refer to the exercise of God’s power, dominion, or sovereignty.  According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, “kingdom” is a designation both of power and the form of government as well as, especially in the later writers, the territory and the rule - the Kingship and the Kingdom. Hence, the basic meaning of kingdom involves three things - a ruler, a people who are ruled, and a territory over which they are ruled. 

We all know about The United Kingdom, especially since the royal wedding and now more recently the royal baby, but most of us tend to think about kings and kingdoms as things of the past, but it might surprise you to find out that there are 27 active kingdoms in the world today!  You might know that Spain & Norway are kingdoms, but what about 

Bahrain, Belgium, Tonga, Lesotho and Liechtenstein?  Each of these kingdoms is ruled by...yep, you guessed it, a King!  (actually a few are ruled by a queen).

So, when we talk about the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven, what are we talking about?  

For a first century Jew, the kingdom of God meant the restoration of Israel as a dominant religious and political power in the world.  It meant the return of God’s glory to His people on earth and the defeat of Israel’s enemies, namely Rome.

But Jesus rather scandalously redefined these expectations of the kingdom.  He did not talk about the kingdom in terms of a military overthrow or political power structures.  He spoke about the kingdom primarily in terms of its transforming power in the hearts of individuals.  

Simply put - God’s Kingdom rule was established at creation; It was attacked and damaged by Satan at the fall; It was announced at the coming of Jesus Christ into the world; it is being restored on earth through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ who defeated Satan, death, and sin at the cross; it will be finally realized when the King (Jesus Christ) returns to judge the world and sit on His throne! 

No wonder He taught us to pray in this way: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven!”

Jeff Frazier

Monday, Oct. 21

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I have always liked fairy tales and myths that have riddles in them.  You know, the kind of stories where a prince will have to answer a clever riddle to marry the princess, or a knight must solve a riddle to cross a dangerous bridge and slay the dragon...that kind of thing.  

One of my favorite such stories comes from J.R.R. Tolkein’s book “The Hobbit”.  In this story, the hero is a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins and at one crucial point in the story, he must win a game of riddles in order to escape from the creature Gollum.  

As a matter of fact, there are even riddles in the Bible.  In the Old Testament book of Judges, Samson asks 30 of his wedding guests to solve a riddle before the seven days of his wedding feast end.

However, when we come to the parables of Jesus, it would be a huge mistake for us to think of them as riddles that we must solve.  Although some of Jesus’ parables were not immediately easy for everyone to understand, and the disciples even had to ask Him to explain what He was talking about at times, Jesus was not giving them riddles to solve, but stories with divine purpose and meaning.

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand...But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.   - Matthew 13:10-13, 16-17

It is very interesting that the the disciples come and ask Jesus why He tells these parables so often.  They are wondering why He doesn’t just come right out and say exactly what He means?  “Instead of a parable, why not use a simple outline, or even a power point presentation Jesus, so that everyone can understand what you are talking about?”

Jesus’ answer is telling...

From this point on in Jesus’ ministry, when He spoke in parables, He explained them only to His disciples. But those who had continually rejected His message were left in their spiritual blindness to wonder as to His meaning. Simply put, Jesus knew that there are those who have neither interest nor regard in the deep things of God. He made a clear distinction between those who had been given “ears to hear” and those who persisted in unbelief—ever hearing, but never actually perceiving and “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). The disciples had been given the gift of spiritual discernment by which things of the spirit were made clear to them. Because they accepted truth from Jesus, they were given more and more truth. The same is true today of believers who have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He has opened our eyes to the light of truth and our ears to the sweet words of eternal life!

Jeff Frazier

Friday, October 18

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Matthew 13:8, 23

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

In my role as pastor I have counseled with dozens and dozens of married couples as they have gone through various times of conflict and struggle. And I almost always start with reminding them that, whatever the issue they are struggling with and however irreconcilable their differences seem to be, there is always hope.

I tell couples that for two reasons: first, because I believe God can do miracles in the human heart; and second, because I have seen those miracles happen in marriages.

Some 15 years ago a man met me in my office and confessed that he had done something that would probably destroy his marriage. He was honest and took responsibility for his actions but had to move out of his home for about six months not knowing if his wife would be willing to take him back. But in the mean time he also opened his heart to faith in Christ and began the process of spiritual growth and accountability.

Eventually, his wife offered him the gift of forgiveness, allowed him to come back home, and they began to work on their marriage together.

Some ten years later I had the great privilege of leading this couple through a renewal of their wedding vows that was a celebration of the hope and healing that can be experienced in Christ.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the week, today’s farmers can count on a 600 fold increase when they plant a field of corn. In Jesus’ day the expected yield may have been more in the 30 to 60 to 100 fold area, but the point is that the seed is wildly productive.

Who can begin to measure the harvest of just one gospel seed planted in one man’s heart? Who can begin to measure the harvest of one marriage reconciled and restored? Who can begin to measure the harvest of children who grow up in a family where Jesus is Lord?

Who can begin to measure the harvest as those children grow up understanding that God has called them to serve in his great and eternal kingdom? Who can measure the harvest of the generations of families that may grow from this family tree in the future?

Who can measure indeed?

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Praise the Good Farmer for the eternal and immeasurable growth of the gospel!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, October 17

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Matthew 13:23

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Last week I was checking my Facebook page when I noticed that someone posted what looked like an interesting video. The video was of a graduation speaker at a major university in the U.S. who was billed as both funny and “brilliant.”. 

So I decided to watch the video.

The speaker spoke with what sounded like an Australian accent and was, indeed, very bright and clever. He offered a number of pieces of advice to the large assembly of graduates before him, including: “Don’t seek happiness”; “Be hard on your opinions”; “Exercise”; “respect people with less power than you have”; and “Define yourself by what you love.” I kept listening because I liked his presentation and found myself agreeing with much of what he said, even though he was a bit profane.

Then he concluded by saying:

I said at the beginning of this ramble that life is meaningless. It was not a flippant assertion. I think it’s absurd: the idea of seeking “meaning” in the set of circumstances that happens to exist after 13.8 billion years worth of unguided events. Leave it to humans to think the universe has a purpose for them...

Life will sometimes seem long and tough and... tiring. And you will sometimes be happy and sometimes sad. And then you’ll be old. And then you’ll be dead.

There is only one sensible thing to do with this empty existence, and that is: fill it...

And in my opinion (until I change it), life is best filled by learning as much as you can about as much as you can, taking pride in whatever you’re doing, having compassion, sharing ideas, running(!), being enthusiastic. And then there’s love, and travel, and wine, and sex, and art, and kids, and giving, and mountain climbing … but you know all that stuff already.

It’s an incredibly exciting thing, this one, meaningless life of yours. Good luck.

While all the students cheered wildly at the conclusion of his speech, I found myself saddened as I sat in front of my computer.

I was sad because I had just heard the best that a worldview without God has to offer; and what the clever and “brilliant” speaker offered was “Life is meaningless.”

In the “Parable of the Sower” Jesus is telling us exactly the opposite! Our lives can and do have meaning because we are invited to participate in the great harvest of the kingdom of God!

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Imagine a farmer who scatters seed in his field but never bothers to harvest a crop. That would be meaningless and foolish. Or, imagine a farmer who harvests his corn but then allows the corn to remain in storage bins until it rots. That would also be meaningless!

But a good farmer sows seed with the harvest in mind. God created you with a purpose in mind. God saved you with a purpose in mind. And that purpose is that each one of us would be part of the great harvest of his eternal kingdom! And more than that, his purpose that each of us play a part in helping others know and share in that kingdom as well.

Don’t let anyone ever tell you that “life is meaningless.” Nothing could be further from the truth!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, October 16

To listen to the audio version, click here. 

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Art and Dorothy Helwig are members of FBCG and attend the East Campus whenever they are in town. But they aren’t in town very often these days because about 10 years ago they responded to God’s call to serve the world. In particular, they were called to start a ministry called “GECHAAN (Gembu Center for HIV/AIDS Advocacy in Nigeria)” in Africa. 

GECHAAN currently provides information regarding prevention of HIV/AIDS, aggressive counseling and testing, treatment care for over 2,000 patients as well as care for more than 15,000 orphaned children.

This is why GECHAAN is one of FBCG’s “Serve the World” partners for 2013. We want to provide financial and prayer support for Art and Dorothy and their staff as they serve in Jesus’ name!

I also think this is what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians when he says:

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

The more I watch people like Art and Dorothy, the more I understand that generosity lies at the very heart of the gospel.

In John 3:16 we read the well known words:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God so loved that he gave.

God is generous beyond our comprehension! And as we come to understand and receive his gift of salvation, he begins to re-create that same generosity in our hearts and lives.

We tend to think of generosity in terms of money; and, of course, we are certainly to grow more and more generous with our resources. But generosity is also expressed in the way we share our time, our attention, our love, our service, and our talents.

Art and Dorothy are living out the gospel by being generous with their love, their time, their talents and their very lives. When we share our resources with GECHAAN with generosity we are actually enabling the great harvest of the kingdom of God to continue!

The harvest of the gospel begins with the internal harvest of salvation but it doesn’t stop there! God intends for the harvest to spill out of our hearts and into our lives and into the lives of others through love, service, sacrifice and generosity.

Would you be willing to ask God to show you how you might become more generous in your contributions to his “harvest of righteousness”?

Would you be willing, like Art and Dorothy, to give your time, talent, and attention to love and serve others?

Would you be willing to share your resources so that ministries like GECHAAN can continue to thrive?

Here’s the promise the Apostle Paul makes to us when we are generous:

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, October 15

To listen to the audio version, click here. 

Matthew 13: 8, 23

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

A number of years ago I conducted a wedding for a young couple at FBCG. At the time they came to me seeking to get married, the young woman, who had grown up in church, was a follower of Christ. But the young man, who had never really attended church before, was not a believer. He was, however, very interested in spiritual things because of what he had seen in his fiancé.

Eventually, “Tom” came to faith in Christ through the ministry of FBCG and they got married in a beautiful ceremony.

The sometime in the year after they were married I met Tom for lunch just to see how he was doing in his new life. He loved being married but what he wanted to talk about most was his new and growing faith. 

I remember our conversation went something like this: 

“Pastor Brian, I’ve noticed the weirdest thing!”

“What’s that?”

“Well, all of my life I’d had a temper; I mean a real temper. It’s gotten me in a lot of trouble and I just haven’t been able to control myself when I get frustrated. And I have a very stressful job, so it’s a bad combination. But the last few months I’ve noticed that I just don’t get that frustrated any more - and when I do - I don’t blow up at people. It’s just weird!”

Then I said something like, “Well, I think I know what’s happening but it might sound a little spooky to you.”

He said, “What?”

I said, “Remember that I told you that when you accept Christ as your savior that he not only forgives you of your sin and gives you the gift of salvation, but that he also comes to live in your heart in the form of the Holy Spirit?”

“Yeah, I kinda remember that.”

“Well”, I said, “when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives he starts to change things.”

“What do you mean?”

Then I quoted Galatians 5:22 for him: 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control.”

I said, “What you are experiencing is the Holy Spirit growing a different kind of fruit in your heart.”

He looked at me with a big grin and said, “That’s SOOOO cool!”

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

The harvest Jesus is talking about begins when we allow the seed of the gospel to penetrate our hearts; when we open our hearts to the forgiving and transforming grace of Christ. But the seed is also designed to produce fruit in our lives; the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. 

And just as a farmer doesn’t harvest corn until the stalks are fully grown, so also the harvest of the gospel isn’t complete until we are fully grown!

Pastor Brian Coffey