There are some magnificent churches in this world. Rising above the city of Prague is the glorious St. Vitus Cathedral. With its black gothic spires stretching into the sky and massive stone supports along its sides you can feel its strength and admire its beauty. In London, St. Paul’s Cathedral survived the bombing by the Nazis in World War II. As you walk through the church its beauty and detailed architecture take your breath away. Detailed paintings give you a sense of wonder, and when the organ begins to play, you might think you were getting a taste of heavenly glory. Such beautiful churches in this world…

But we don't have to actually go to Europe to find these beautiful churches. They are all around us. And they are just as magnificent. From the outside, you might not think it a very glorious church. It might not be listed on any historical records. It maybe doesn’t boast cathedral-like architecture. But I’m not really talking about outside appearances, or architectural design. I’m talking about what makes a church truly glorious. This is the kind of glory that puts the cathedrals of Europe to shame. And when I think about this kind of church, I think of churches planted by Christ.

It can be easy to wonder just how successful or impressive the church is in the world. You might worry that your small church that barely has 50 in worship is considered successful. So here's the trick to finding out. All you have to do is answer one simple question: is Christ there?

You see, Christ plants a glorious church. It may not look impressive, but it is glorious because it grows by Christ’s power and by his power it is growing into something great.

Jesus once said in Mark 4, "[The church] is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”