The Parable of the Growing Seed

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

Throughout the gospels, Jesus presents principles for ministry through parables.  These principles are then modeled by Jesus and applied in his assignments for the disciples.  This particular parable includes a number of important principles for discipleship and has been an influential part of shaping the Everywhere to Everywhere training weekend event. Nathan and Kari Shank, long term workers and movement catalysts in India, have unpacked the parable of the growing seed in their training manual Four Fields of Kingdom Growth.

     [Download the manual for free HERE]

The Five Parts of the Four Fields
In Four Fields of Kingdom Growth, Shank points out that in the parable of the growing seed there are four contexts or fields.  There is also a fifth element that is important in every movement of God.  He offers a key question for each that focus both our kingdom work strategy and our training of new believers.

​Field #1 - The Empty Field - The farmer enters an empty field.
Key Question:  How do I enter a new field?

Field #2 - The Seeded Field - The farmer scatters seed on the ground.
Key Question: What do I say to share the gospel?

Field #3 - The Field of New Life - The farmer is there to observe and tend to the growing crop.
Key Question: How do I make disciples?

Field #4 - The Harvested Field - Eventually a season of harvest comes and the farmer is there to cut and bundle the harvest.
Key Question: How do I form a new believers into groups or churches?

Leader Multiplication - Generational Multiplication Potential - Out of the harvest comes both fruit for this year and seed for the coming growing season.
Key Question: How do I develop and multiply movement leaders?

Jesus says that this is what the kingdom of God is like.  It seems then that the parable of the growing seed could be a helpful framework around which to build a life of discipleship and ministry.  It is the framework that has shaped much of the training we do at Everywhere to Everywhere events across the Midwest.  And within it are principles that have been observed in every movement of kingdom expansion throughout history.

Every disciple of Jesus should be trained and able to identify and understand how to enter the fields of lostness in their context, whether that be a Muslim village in Central Asia or their suburban neighborhood in Wichita or Fresno.

Every disciple of Jesus should be trained and able to proclaim the good news of the gospel with anyone, anywhere and anytime.

Every disciple of Jesus should be trained and able to disciple new believers into a mature, healthy and growing relationship with Jesus and into the lifestyle of disciple making.

And every disciple of Jesus should be trained and able to gather believers together as the body of Christ.

The final element, leadership multiplication, is an important part of healthy discipleship and kingdom growth.  The Apostle Paul always had two to three disciples with him who he was training up and releasing into ministry. 

Without the multiplication of leadership, the making of disciples will always come to a bottleneck.  But as young disciples take what they have learned and pass it on to other disciples who will pass it on to others (2 Timothy 2:2), the kingdom will expand, our churches will grow and great commission discipleship will be a reality.

This is exactly what we see in this parable, in the workings of Jesus and in the unfolding story of the the growth of the early church in the book of Acts.  This is what we see in the the great movements of kingdom expansion throughout history.  And this is what we see happening in the kingdom movements spreading across countries all around the world today.  

The Kingdom parables serve as a framework for understanding Jesus’ kingdom agenda across the gospel accounts.  Jesus’ kingdom agenda serves as a working job description for both his disciples and our lives and ministries.”
                                                                                          -- Nathan Shank

The four fields framework also creates a helpful rubric against which we can assess our own discipleship journey.  It is a bit of a diagnostic tool which can help us see the places where we need more discipleship and training so that we can become the kind of kingdom agents that Jesus has called us to be.  

Just as he was sent, he is sending us into a lost and broken world to be his ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) and witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Your Assignment
Work through the following questions to help you understand where you might need additional training in order to step into your role as an ambassador and witness.

• Are you able to see lostness in the different contexts of your life?
• Do you regularly enter those fields of lostness and make relational connections?
• Are you confident you can share the gospel in those contexts?  Do you know what to say and how to transition to gospel conversations?
• When you lead someone to Christ, are you also able to disciple them into the foundations of the Christian faith and a life of being a disciple of Jesus?  Do you have a discipleship plan that you could work through with a new believer?
• When you lead people to Christ, are you equipped and able to gather them together as the body of Christ?
• Are you able to identify “Timothys” in your context to train up and release into ministry?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions or just felt unsure of whether you understand what or how to step into these kingdom assignments, find your pastor or a trusted mentor and ask them to help you get equipped.  

Reach out to your nearest Multiply regional mobilizer and ask them to come and do some training with your congregation. 

Consider coming to an Everywhere to Everywhere three day missional training event or hosting one in your region.   

And check out the great training opportunities at the No Place Left website.

However you respond, do something!

Amidst this need to learn to do the work of the kingdom, we must remember that applying the principles of this parable to the ministry of making disciples and planting churches demands dependency on the Holy Spirit.  

It is the work of the Holy Spirit - the unknown doer in the parable - that causes the seed to sprout and to grow.

As Christ’s disciples, there is a path laid out in the parable for how we can join in the work of the Spirit, but it is the Spirit that brings the growth.  This was the understanding of Paul, who in 1 Corinthians 3:6 says, “I planted, Apollos watered but it was God who made it grow.”

There are things that Paul and Apollos need to do and to train others to do, but spiritual fruit is always because of the power of God.  

My hope is that this parable will help you discover some of the places where you need more training or encouragement to become those who go and make disciples. 

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Training and Resources

• Everywhere to Everywhere Resource Page
• No Place Left Training Videos  (Spanish)
• Curtis Sergeant Training Videos
• No Place Left Training Calendar
• Four Fields for Kingdom Growth Manual