As summer turns to fall and fall to winter, some of us have spring on our minds. In particular, what kinds of flowers would we like to see next April or May? There are two approaches to that question. The first is to scatter wildflower seeds. Another is to intentionally plant seeds or bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, or crocuses.
Scripture speaks of both of these approaches when it comes to the gospel. For example, Jesus uses the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-8; Luke 8:4-8) to remind us that God scatters gospel seeds far and wide. Only those that land on good soil produce a crop. On the other hand, Jesus also talks about a single vine he nurtures until it bears fruit (John 15:1-8) or a single tree the gardener fertilizes (Luke 13:6-9).
When it comes to the question of scattering to the many or focusing on a few, the Advent story displays God’s surprising preference for the latter. The charismatic leaders of Jesus’ day filled coliseums, led armies, and captained armadas. In contrast, the eternal Son of God was born in obscurity with only his parents and several shepherds to witness. Jesus lived his entire life within a roughly 90-mile (140-km) corridor between Galilee and Jerusalem. Though he addressed large crowds from time to time, the vast majority of Jesus’ ministry was spent privately teaching a small group of disciples. Behind Jesus’ coming is God’s election of Israel, a small nation, to be his chosen people and the channel of blessing to all people (Gen. 12:1-3).
What can we learn from God’s Advent principle of “focusing on a few”? In the past few issues of The Banner, I’ve been sharing lessons of congregational renewal from the Gather Initiative—10 in-person gatherings of CRC leaders and members from all 49 of our classes (regional bodies). Visit crcna.org/Gather to learn more. A common theme I heard at Gather was that God is blessing focused efforts to develop leaders in our CRC congregations and classes.
But why does the Advent principle of “focusing on a few” bear fruit? When Christian leaders identify a few mature believers and deeply invest in them, God surfaces gifts that bless many. These gifts include preaching, administration, community outreach, evangelism, and pastoral care. I’ll admit, it’s a bit counterintuitive. In the kingdom of God, the greatest effects often come from the most focused efforts.
In this December edition of The Banner, we bear witness to what God can do through the Advent principle of “focusing on a few.” Each one of the leaders featured on these pages could tell a story about the investment a person or a few people made in them and how God used that effort to bless many. Though it's winter now, spring is coming. Let’s invest in the leaders God is using, and will use, to renew our congregations. May you have a blessed Christmas and New Year!
About the Author
Rev. Zachary King is the general secretary of the CRCNA. He is a member of Cascade Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.