Spiritual Gardening

Gardeners. Priests. Kings. Called to reign and rule. Humans were made in the image of God. What does this mean? It means they were to co-labor, co-reign with God. And how were they to see the reign of God spread from Eden out? They were to be gardeners. They were to grow a garden, multiply their family, and reign and rule over the earth. They were to watch out for snakes and predators. They were to enjoy all the trees God had created for them and then eat from the Tree of Life to enjoy his life and learn his wisdom. But they were not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad. Even though that tree was in the garden, they were to reject it and choose the Lord’s wisdom instead of their own (Proverbs 3.5-7). But even when sin and rebellion entered the world in Genesis 3 after they ate from that tree, God’s plan never changed. Humanity was still called to partner with the Lord and be gardeners.

Let’s pick up the story in the New Testament. Jesus often used trees and fruit as analogies in his teachings and parables. Perhaps the most famous of these teachings is found in John 15. Jesus says that he is the vine, and his disciples are to abide and remain connected to him. Our job is to first abide, stay connected to Jesus, and then bear fruit.

In Matthew 28.18-20 when Jesus commissions the disciples, he seems to connect the original commission of Genesis 1.28 in a spiritual way. By bearing fruit, the disciples were called to extend the Kingdom reign all over the earth. How would they do this? By making disciples of all the nations. They were called to be spiritual gardeners. They were called to help disciple people and the nations, in that way growing the Kingdom of God.

During the stay at home order, we like most people have had time for some long-standing projects. Angie enjoys working outside, and she has done several yard projects we have been wanting to do. As I mentioned, I have learned some new hobbies like roasting coffee and cooking new foods. But the one hobby/project that I have longed to do in past years but haven’t started is gardening. Since we moved to our new house, we just haven’t figured out exactly how we want to do it. And because we were preparing for Ukraine the last two summers, the timing hasn’t been right.

But in the last week, I have had a couple fun conversations with friends that are using some interesting gardening techniques, and I have started thinking and dreaming more--which is often a dangerous combination that my wife then has to endure. :)  As I was talking with one of my friends (he shared an amazing gardening technique called a “hoop house” with me), he said this phrase: We are called to grow, not build. As we talked and unpacked what that meant naturally and spiritually, it hit hard on some things the Lord has been speaking to me in the last year.

Sam McVay, who leads Disciple Nations, had a deep encounter with the Lord 20 years ago. He was a young church planter and had just moved from El Dorado to Wichita to plant a new church. The Lord, in a loving rebuke, said, “You are making an Ishmael, not waiting for Isaac” (see the story of Abraham in Genesis 12 and following chapters). Then he said clearly to Sam, “I will build my Church. I have called you to make disciples. That word from the Lord radically transformed Sam, and he committed himself to making disciples and equipping saints rather than being focused on building numbers in the Church. For a while Sam went in the opposite direction and tried to get disciples out of the traditional church setting, and again the Lord spoke. “I didn’t ask you to get them in or out, but I made you to equip the saints and make disciples.”

Sam’s philosophy and his spiritual DNA that the Lord imparted to him have deeply touched my heart over the years. But I realize that there is part of me that still loves to try and build even though I know the Lord has clearly not called me to build. The Lord gave me a clear word that spoke deeply to my heart earlier in the week. And then it was confirmed when I heard that phrase, that we are called to grow, not build.

The Church is undergoing a radical transformation, and it is going to continue and intensify before the Lord’s return. I think one of the issues the Lord will “root out” is the building of ministries, but he will increase the growth of spiritual families through the making of disciples. In fact, one of the biggest prayer ministries in the States has gone through a drastic reset, choosing to first be a spiritual family, and then be about the work of prayer and mission. This is the Lord’s heart for his children—that we would first abide in his Son, and from that place bear fruit.