Good Morning Friends,
Today we look at the personal teaching of Jesus concerning the growing of the collective body of believers and the growing of ourselves as individuals spiritually and mentally. It harkens back to the Creation story and God’s direction that we dress till and keep as a way of conservation not just of the Earth but to improve the status of our soiled and sin sicked souls. And moreover, it is also about hands on teaching of people where they are on the journey and applying this as a way of spreading the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now some think this should come from a pulpit and others by encounters of outreach to people in the work of making a difference in the world. But today’s scripture might lead us to believe that the proof of Jesus’ dominion is not just the ascension to heaven to judge, but when we take a place at the feet of Jesus learning not just where he sits today but how we go about learning from the Ark in the flesh. Today’s parable of the seed brings some clarity to this situation. The reality is that doing good and sharing the Gospel are never really separated. The reality is that the seed in the parable is the Word of God and how we respond to it is the soil. So, Is Your Garden Of Evangelism Producing A Harvest?
Scripture: And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.” For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” he also adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Hebrews 10: 11-18 (NRSV)
The Lord says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” The Lord sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes. Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Psalm 110: 1-4 (NRSV)
Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:1-20 (NRSV)
Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NRSV)
Message: Jesus was always willing to risk trying new things in sharing the Gospel. In the Parable of the Sower and in its explanation, Jesus sets forth a description of how a planting of a seed reacts to the different soils of our lives in the world. So, Jesus tells a story about a farmer who is sowing seeds on his field expecting a harvest and the farmer in the story observes that he has three different soils and gets different results from each of them. What may be confusing for us today is that we have 1000 different soil types in Florida alone and so in the telling of the story today the interpretation of the parable can get more complicated as certainly the landscape of religion has become. But I am not going to go there but instead get back to basics. By observation, we know that the farmer expected a harvest. He distinguishes the different soils and different results. Then later in the chapter we see Jesus’ interpretation of the parable. And we get the idea that our job is to get the seed into the right soil so that it will grow and see a harvest. But it is also about improving our own soil. For once the seed of the Word is sown in our heart, we become the farmers to in turn sow the Word of God in people lives and to do that effectively we are to have a good heart and absolutely the help of the Holy Spirit. Once the seed of the Word spouts in us, the desire is to see it planted in good soil and see lives changed by God’s Word is to affect us as well as those around us. But notice that the farmer plants the seed, and we water and nurture, but God gives the increase. We cannot do more than plant and nurture. God is the one responsible to germinate and increase the harvest. He is the one that prepares the soil where the seed will be planted. Therefore, we think some are ready and it does not germinate and then others where we think there is no chance and we see a great harvest in their lives. But friends, I would be remiss if I did not point out that trouble comes because of the Word. The Word is powerful, and it begins to cut away things that God wants out of our lives- and the problem comes when we do not want to let God cut it out so we might produce fruit of the Spirit that is the will of God. Friends, life is in the seed, and the soil, not so much the sower. Trust the seed. Stop worrying about how good a sower you are. Realize that it is not your plan or my plan but God’s plan we are to seek. Pray we realize that doing something good will always be associated with the Gospel but that on a case-by-case basis may not be the same as doing God’s will.
And So, the purpose behind it all is for us to experience the joy of being connected to Christ and yes to so we might produce fruit of the Spirit. Evangelism, membership, mission, and fellowship committees might learn an important lesson from this thinking. You see our spiritual soil must be built up through study of scripture, prayer, and Christian community but also in the understanding that comes from the Holy Spirit at the feet of Jesus in obedience to the Master. When we build up and replenish the soil, we can have hope to increase the harvest, but this is in direct relationship to the commitment of the process of learning from the Teacher. So, staying connected to God and abiding in prayer, for this is an essential ministry that is needed for us to be part of a spiritual harvest for the Kingdom. Here we discover that it is important to abide in Christ daily through study of the Word… discover that it is fruitful for us to have not only faith in the power of this connection but also a forgiving heart, so the connection be clear and pure. Friends to be fruitful is to be compassionate to the needs of others…. extending and growing our love so that our fear be removed. To be fruitful is to believe that God will answer prayers so that He might be glorified. Then if we have learned any of that, then we learn that fruit bearing is a byproduct of abiding in Christ. We learn that Christ is key to the harvest. Tending the garden like sanctification is not a once and done activity.
Pray we become good soil and bear much fruit. Pray God’s truths be empowered by the Holy Spirit in us. Pray that the authority of Jesus be nurtured in us to complement the strength and gifts we have been given. Pray we realize that we cannot out give or out produce God. Pray we abide in the Word. Pray we abide in love. Pray we abide in the abundant joy of Jesus. Pray we are connected to a productive purpose that honors God. Pray we are connected to what really matters. Pray we listen and respond appropriately to people hearing the Word of God so that it might find a way to help that seed take sprout and develop deep roots. Pray we realize that seeds must be sown in lots of places and not just places we call church. Pray we treasure God’s Word as wisdom on how to live. Pray we read, study, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word. Pray we apply, trust, and obey God’s Word. Pray we live God’s Word. Pray that our own experiences of having had a hard heart, a shallow heart, a divided heart, and a selfish heart help us to respond appropriately to those confronted with these challenges so that with God’s help we might all develop a humble heart. Pray the seeds we plant grow into abundance and love. Pray we have wisdom on how to deal with weeds.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 