Even a little faith in the great God is enough!

Anyone who asks for greater faith has not considered the potency of the mustard seed. Sometimes the impossible begins exactly where you stopped fighting against it.

Helge Mutschler, then still Chief Apostle Helper, visited the District Apostle Area of Western Germany for the first time in February. He conducted a divine service in the Lindlar City Hall, Germany, on 1 February 2026, which was broadcast to congregations throughout the Regional Church. He based his sermon on Luke 17: 5–6: “And the Apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Faith is not an achievement!

A tree that no one can transplant

Chief Apostle Helper Mutschler described the mulberry tree that Jesus pointed to as “a rather ugly specimen, but an ugly specimen with very, very deep roots”—a plant that resists any attempt at transplanting it. Jesus thus deliberately chose something that was regarded as immovable in the world of that time. It was as if the Lord had been standing next to the Empire State Building and ordering it to pull itself up and transplant itself into the Hudson River. The image is provocative. “Who would have the courage to give orders to a skyscraper?”

A request born of feeling overwhelmed

The context is crucial. In the preceding verses, Jesus told the disciples that they would be tempted and that there would be conflicts within their own ranks, that they could be hurt, and that they must forgive their repentant brother time and again. Seven times—in other words, always. The disciples felt overwhelmed and asked the Lord to increase their faith. Forgiving seven times, over and over again, is a real challenge. And, yes, it is indeed overwhelming.

Longing for strong faith

The disciples asked for a greater, a more powerful faith with which they could drive away illness and bear life’s burdens more easily. The disciples thought, just as people often do today: the more, the better. Chief Apostle Helper Mutschler explained the logic behind this idea: “Ever stronger, ever more powerful …” The weak hardly feature in this calculation. This is precisely where Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed comes in.

A little faith in the great God

Mustard seeds were said to be the smallest seeds known at the time. It takes around 700 of them to make a single gram. It all hinges on this small detail: “Even your very tiny faith—your nearly broken, fragile faith—counts in the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ.” What matters is not the size, but what is behind it: “What matters is that you have even a little faith in the great God.” It is not our own strength that counts, Chief Apostle Helper Mutschler said, but the fact that Christ is powerful in weakness. That is why even a little faith in the great God can uproot trees. He described it as a humble, simple, and unpretentious faith that does not feel compelled to struggle. Instead of relying on its own strength, such a faith entrusts itself completely to the Lord.

Faith like a mustard seed in practice

The Chief Apostle Helper illustrated this principle in concrete terms across six aspects where entrenched patterns have become deeply rooted.

• Suffering: Anyone who is seriously ill and believes that all they must do is believe and pray the problem away misunderstands the parable of the mustard seed. “It’s all right to doubt.”
• An outdated image of God: Anyone who has carried the image of a punishing and demanding God in their heart for decades has allowed deep roots to take hold there. A different image can take its place: “Perhaps this God is love after all.”
• Sin: Anyone who tries to root out a besetting or habitual sin will fail because of their own limitations. “We fail to realise that we will never succeed on our own.”
• Forgiveness: Two members, who had been at odds for years, reconciled after a divine service, even though the hurt had long seemed irreparable. “I listened to it; it was actually something absolutely impossible.”
• Fear in society: In recent years, a palpable sense of fear has taken root in many hearts. “Everything is in God’s hands.”
• Our mission: Emptier church pews and the decline of Christianity could be discouraging. “Let us simply place ourselves into the hands of Jesus Christ and carry out our mission.”

Joy instead of fear of the future

The sermon concluded with the return of Christ, a thought which, throughout the history of the Church, has aroused fear in some. Joy must take its place. Here, too, it is faith as simple as a mustard seed that prevails—a faith that does not dwell on things but lets go. “Don’t struggle, don’t be so tense!” The Chief Apostle Helper left the final word to the Lord: “Simply place yourself into My hands, and then you will be able to uproot trees.”