Introduction
This past Lord’s Day we considered the Parable of the Growing Seed and the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:26–32). Together these parables reveal the nature of the Kingdom of God. It is a kingdom that advances according to the sovereign power of God, begins in small and unassuming ways, and ultimately grows into a glorious kingdom that fills the earth.
As we reflected on these truths, we were exhorted to labor—to faithfully devote ourselves to the ordinary and often unspectacular work God has given His people. From our homes to the nations, we are called to labor. None of these tasks appear particularly remarkable, yet they are precisely the kinds of means through which God delights to accomplish His extraordinary purposes.
This conviction not only shapes our individual lives; it also shapes the ministry philosophy of Holy Covenant Church. One of the best ways to describe our ministry is that we strive to be an ordinary means of grace church.
What Does That Mean?
The phrase ordinary means of grace is not found in Scripture, but the concept is. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines them this way:
Q. 88. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption?
A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.
The emphasis is important. Christ Himself communicates His grace through the means He has appointed. The power is not found in preaching, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, or prayer themselves, but in the Savior who works through them by His Spirit.
John Calvin summarized this beautifully: “By these means the Lord is pleased to communicate Himself to us.”
Why Does This Matter?
Our culture assumes that extraordinary results require extraordinary methods. But not only culture, churches can easily be tempted to chase the newest strategy, personality, or program. When this occurs, there is a constant grasping at new and increasing more extraordinary methods
Jesus points us in another direction.
The farmer sows the seed.
God gives the growth.
That is true not only in the parables but throughout the New Testament. Faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). The early church devoted itself to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers (Acts 2:42). Christ has promised to build His church, and He ordinarily does so through the means He has appointed.
What Does This Look Like at Holy Covenant Church?
This is why our ministry centers on the ordinary means of grace.
We gather every Lord’s Day around the faithful preaching of God’s Word.
We baptize those whom Christ has commanded us to baptize.
We come weekly to the Lord’s Table as God’s covenant family.
We pray together.
We sing God’s truth.
We disciple our children.
We encourage one another and practice loving accountability.
These things are not flashy, but they are powerful because God has promised to work through them.
Gather in Hope
The point of the parables is not that the farmer is impressive but that God is faithful. The farmer scatters. God grows. The mustard seed appears insignificant. God makes it glorious.
The same is true today. Every faithful sermon, every family devotion, every prayer, every Lord’s Day gathered with the saints, every celebration of the Lord’s Supper, every act of quiet obedience may seem ordinary. Yet these are the very means through which our extraordinary God advances His kingdom.
May we never despise the ordinary. Instead, let us gather weekly with joy and hope, trusting that the God who grows seeds into harvests is still pleased to accomplish extraordinary things in the lives of his people, through the ordinary means He has ordained for Holy Covenant Church to labor in.
HCC Blog Link: https://holycovenantchurch.com/blog/
Sermon Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvbnFd375JU
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