A megachurch pastor used the parable of the leaven to encourage Christians to watch out for their families, environment, society, and nation, and to become people who are used by God to bring about changes.
In a recent sermon, Pastor Tong Liu of River of Life Christian Church in Silicon Valley, the United States said, "When the leaven enters the dough, it can make the whole dough rise. No matter what life circumstances you and I are in today, God can still bring change, and God wants to bring changes through you and me."
"One thing you must know as a Christian is that the environment is not our lord, our God is the Lord of the environment. Christians are those who can change the environment. The analogy of God putting us on the earth like leaven inside the dough, is that we are in the world and bring influence with the witness of our lives," Liu added.
Pastor Liu said, "If the leaven is to function, it can't just stay with the leaven all day long, it has to mix up with the dough, or even blend into the dough, before it can make an impact and bring changes. Likewise, Christians cannot just stay in church all day long and read the Bible, pray, and share; that is a monastic belief. We must actually go out among the people in order to influence the environment and bring about changes."
Once, the Lord Jesus took Peter, John and James to the mountain, and the glorious presence of God was manifested, and Moses and Elijah appeared to the people. Peter was so excited to see such a sight that he asked the Lord Jesus to stay with him on the mountain.
"Although the experience on the mountain was good, and the gathering of the saints was good, the gathering on the mountain was for the purpose of going down to the ministry. The church does not exist only for glory, but also for the purpose of ministering to the world. This is why Jesus said that you are the light of the world. It is because the world is dark and full of sin that the church is responsible for illuminating the dark world."
He also pointed out the problems of the church today, "The problem with many churches is that we shine, but instead of shining to the world, we put the light under the bucket. We shine by illuminating ourselves... There is a deep horizontal gulf between the church and society. The church is big and there are many people, but the community is insensitive to the church's presence. This is because we only emphasize the experience on the mountain, but ignore the mission on the mountain.
"My point is not to tell you to suffer intentionally, but to truly experience the compassion and love of the Lord Jesus and to follow the example of Christ's incarnation to serve our families, to serve those around us, and to serve the community before we look to bring about change."
In Elijah's day, Israel was suffering from a three-year drought and there was famine everywhere. Then God called Elijah to Mount Carmel to pray. Elijah bent to the ground and laid his face down between his knees.
"It was a productive posture, it was a productive prayer." Liu said, "He prayed seven times, and God delivered heavy rain to lift the drought. God calls us to pray today as well, whether it's for your family, community, country or the environment... The darker the times, the more often God's acts of restoration will come. Throughout church history, if faith had been in comfort for a long time, it would have been on the road to death; but instead, it was in the midst of difficult times that faith came alive again. Therefore, do not lament over the present circumstances. You must see that this is the time to rise up for the Lord and to work with Him. It is in the dark circumstances that our Lord calls us to work with Him."
"Not only do you have to get up and pray, but pray consistently. When Elijah was praying, he was probably thinking in his heart that the rain would come down as soon as he prayed. But that wasn't the case. The first time he prayed and it didn't rain, he continued to pray; the second and third time... but Elijah did continue to pray until the seventh time when he saw the cloud float over as big as his hand. He just knew that God's time had finally come and that a great rain was about to fall."
"God is going to use you to change the world." Pastor Liu Tong said, "Me? How is that possible? We often think this way. Many people are often governed by an inferiority complex in their lives; some people feel they are not capable, talented enough, from a bad background, not learned enough, etc. Inferiority complexes often make us timid and unable to accomplish God's use with courage. What matters is not whether we can or cannot, good or bad, but what God has actually asked us to do."
When Paul was on the road to Damascus, and he was struck down by the Lord with a great light, he asked, "Who are you, Lord?" When he was sure that Jesus was his Lord, he immediately asked, "What shall I do then?" When he obediently followed, he became a vessel to influence the generations.
"In the same way, if you do confess that Jesus is the Lord of your life, you will seek God on what to do. You don't have to worry at all about your lack of resources or talents, for God will prepare all the resources for you when He wants to do something. You just need to be bold and obedient to God's leadership by faith."
He concluded, "There is a reason why we are put in our circumstances today. Many times we look at the environment and think it's full of all kinds of problems. Every problem can be an opportunity for God to get involved and bring answers. And whether you and I are willing to be a conduit for God to bring answers, remember that God has faith in you, God has chosen you, God has been with you, and God has given you the Holy Spirit. If you get up and keep praying for your circumstances and boldly submit to God's leadership, you will certainly be able to bring about changes in your circumstances."
- Translated by Wylie Sun
