Bishop Dale Bronner returned to City Harvest Church with a lesson to learn from birds, and a lesson to learn about seeds.
Birds are a reminder that God will take care of His people, while seeds are a reminder that life moves in cycles. These are the topics Bishop Dale Bronner, founder of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral brought to City Harvest Church on the weekend of Jun 24 and 25.
LOOK AT THE BIRDS
On Saturday, the Bishop began his sermon by expounding on Matthew 6:26-34 (MSG), in which Jesus told his disciples to look at the birds who are “careless in the care of God”.
Bronner went on to give his observation and perspective on how birds live. Birds lead a carefree life and God takes care of them. Their next meal does not worry them, as they know God who feeds them yesterday would feed them again today.
In other words, Bishop was saying to the church that whatever issues the people are dealing with in their life, God has it under control. Whenever they feel stressed, it is a call for them to pray.
“See things from God’s perspective. Jesus said, ‘Look at the birds’. We meant much more to God than a bird, and if He took care of the birds, He would take care of us too,” he said.
Bronner explained that human stress comes from having to meet others’ expectations. Jesus said to look at the birds; it is His way of saying, “I’ve got you”.
The preacher also encouraged the church to be like ants that move morsels of food one piece at a time. “Little begins the process”, he said. Whether it is the prayer life or starting to serve in a ministry or even building a church, it begins with taking a little action and building on it daily.
“Things don’t happen overnight, it happens over time,” he said. “Be diligent in what God calls you to do. Don’t expect to possess the promise if you can’t endure the process.”
Desire without discipline becomes delusion, he reminded the congregation. The greatest enemy to a person’s destiny is not adversity but a clear path to a lesser goal—that is, settling for less than God’s purpose for you. He encouraged the congregation to persevere through adversity.
Bronner also reminded the congregation the importance of keeping relationships. He described how people would not be looking for their diploma or bank account on the deathbed; they would be looking for their loved ones.
“If relationships are what matters most at the final stage, shouldn’t relationships matter most now?” he asked.
Christianity is the only religion that replaces religion with relationship: church is a family of families, a place for fellowship and acceptance.
He portrayed life as a play. When the curtain is drawn, the previous scene is over and a new scene begins.
“God is writing an epic story in your life,” Bronner said. “Won’t it be boring if there’s no enemy in your story? But God also writes Himself into our story.”
Romans 8:28 says, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Bronner ended the sermon reminding the church that “the birds dig deep to uncover treasures in the dark; God hid the treasures for us”.
YOUR FUTURE IS IN A SEED
The cycle of a seed involves sowing and reaping. Likewise, every person’s life comes with challenges but God has blessings planned in the future, preached Bronner on Sunday.
“Everything God does is in the form of a seed,” he said as he started his message. Bronner shared that a person’s future is too big for the present, thus God places it in the microcosm of a seed. “When you ask for a harvest, God’s answer is a seed. A seed is incalculable, its productivity in your life is far more than you can imagine.”
It is important to understand the cycle of a seed. “An apple takes two years to grow before it bears fruits,” Bronner explained. “If we don’t know that, we would be discouraged after waiting three months.” Hence, one must be persistent in prayer and consistently work towards receiving the blessing in the future.
Drawing from Matthew 13:1-9 (ESV), Bronner explained that not all seeds sown produce fruits. Some will be snatched away by birds (the devil), some scorched by the sun (tribulations and hardships) and some choked by thorns (deceit of riches).
“But we can’t be distracted from our mission, which is to sow seeds,” said Bronner. “We cannot waste our time going after the birds or analyzing why the sun kills the seeds, we need to keep sowing our seeds.”
Based on the law of averages, the pastor continued, as long as one continues sharing the word of God, some are bound to respond positively. “If you keep on sowing, the law of averages will work on your behalf. Some seeds will fall on good ground and they are going to produce like crazy—30-fold, 60-fold or a 100-fold!”
Another important thing to note about the cycle of the seed is that it involves expansion and recession. “It’s like the economy. Sometimes we go through economic expansion but we also go through the recession,” he said.
Bronner reminded the congregation that when a person goes through a recession, it is not the blow of the wind that determines their direction but the set of the sail, which is their mindset.
Reading Isaiah 55:10-11, Bronner shared that a harvest ripens not because someone needs it but because someone sowed seeds for it. It may be seeds of opportunities, money, time, words and ideas.
Moreover, the greatest blessing of a seed is the ability to stop and start a cycle. “Sowing a seed can reverse the cycle of poverty, depression, and start a cycle of productivity,” Bronner explained.
In conclusion, Bronner encouraged the church to be radical. He explained that the word “radical” means innovative, progressive and inciting thorough change.
He exhorted the people to “be radical in your faith, obedience, and prayers. God will turn the situation in your favor and you will see the radical power of God demonstrated in your lives!”
