In Mark 4:15-20 (NIV) Jesus said "Some people are like seed along the path,where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.Others ,like seed sown on rocky places,hear the word and at once receive it with Joy. but since they have no root,they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others,like seed sown among thorns,hear the word,but the worries of this life. the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word,making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop thirty,sixty, or even one hundred times what was sown."
After reading this I though that wasn't it ironic that my last blog was on change, how the message never changes but the delivery method does, and yet when reading this I realized that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Let me explain. Jesus had used this parable to teach the crowd that had gathered at the lake, and then the twelve asked him about it and he explained it to them.That was thousands of years ago and yet today , we can take this parable and see that it still applies to today's church and society. I'll show you
In Verse 15 Jesus said some were like seed along a path. They are normally scattered about in no order, falling out as the farmer treks out to the field to plant. In our society, we have People who come to church ,maybe they are yearning for something different, as maybe all their life they have been scattered about, or had no meaning in their life. They come in they sit down they hear the message but they don't really know what they are feeling,. They come down make a confession of faith but maybe they have seen that done and think that's what they have to do and then all is good. They walk out the door and BAM the worlds Trash, SIN, is staring them in the face and since they have never been taught what happens after that confession of faith, they walk right down the middle of the road with trash all around them. These are the souls I feel the church will have to answer for one day, as we forget about new converts a lot and they slip into the void, that because we don't reach out to them after the act of salvation takes place, we never see them again, and they continue to wallow in the trash that the world has to offer.
in Verse's 16 and 17 Jesus says some are like seed sown in a rocky place , that hear the word, receive it with GREAT JOY, but have no roots and last only for a short time. Wow how many times have we seen a new convert that comes in , gets saved and the next thing you know they are into everything, from teaching maybe Sunday school, to helping in the nursery or children's church, the adult groups, they wanna start a prayer group, etc. Don't get me wrong this is great , the only problem is they haven't been in long enough to get the meet of the word in their soul and when adversity or persecution comes at them they have no idea how to handle it. I have seen where a newborn Christian gets involved and they think I am gonna save the world, and that is the mentality we all should have, the problem is when the world comes at them and says tell me why I should follow Christ, or a family member starts to rag them for being a holy roller, they have no idea how to stand and witness to them in a manner that not only sets them straight but gets them discouraged and next thing you know the persecution becomes to much to bear,and they leave the kingdom and step back into the worlds trash pile because they had not been mentored properly, and taught how to prepare themselves for the spiritual warfare that they were stepping into.
In Verse's 18 and 19 Jesus said that others are like seeds sown among thorns, they hear the word but life and money and pursuit of attaining more earthly things chokes off what they hear and makes them unfruitful. UNFRUITFUL CHRISTIANS, NEVER. This is what I have always referred to as a CHURCH HOUSE CHRISTIAN. These are the folks who come to church on Sunday's and Wednesday's and may teach Sunday School. might be a youth leader , heck in a lot of instances we have seen National Preachers in this category. They hear the word and from all indications they are true saints of God. They give to the church , they attend regularly, they may even teach a class for you, but when the church doors close and they are at home or in the world , they have the worlds trash hanging off their every step. They may be the ones who everyone considers "Fine, upstanding citizens" "Pillars of the community", and that they maybe to the world but in Christ's eyes they are the bad seed that come harvest time will be uprooted and thrown in the "Trash" pile to be burned with the thorns. These are the people who you see gossiping in the checkout line instead of witnessing to their neighbor in line as God is nudging them to witness. Theses are the ones who on Saturday night , may be out at the night club, having a "Social Drink" with friends and then having to get a cab home because they are so full of the worldly trash they cant drive.They might be the one who had to be thrown out of ballpark their kids were playing at because they couldn't control the temper when the ump made a bad call and they decided to tell him what their opinion of him was in a not so nice frame of mind. oh they drop their trash off at the steps of the church , as not to hurt their image, but they pick it right back up on the way out.
Then in Verse 20 Christ says that the rest , they are like seed sown in good soil,they hear the word, they accept the word and they practice the word in their lives.These are the people who, read their bible, pray daily, will go out of their way to make sure that Gods will is done to the best of their abilities.These are the folks who when the spirit urges will stop and witness to others and are not ashamed to wear the badge of Child of the King. These are the folks who are storing up treasure in Heaven, as Jesus commands in Matt 6:19-20 (KJV) "Lay up not for yourselves treasure upon Earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal."
Brother and Sister are we as a church or as individuals walking in the "Trash" that this world leaves around, for all to step in, headed for a day when we will be ripped up at harvest and thrown in to the "Trash Pile" to be burned for eternity, or are we Treasure hunting and storing them up in Heaven to be revealed when we see Jesus face to face. This message was a hard one for me to start to write, but after I realized that God had spoken to my heart and asked me the question I just asked you , I knew I had to get this out to the masses, for the day is fast approaching when it will be to late to answer this question, because the decision will have already been revealed in our lives. Search your heart and life and answer the Question are you trash walking or treasure hunting. and only then will you know where your relationship with Christ stands.
If you have are reading this and have never accepted Christ as your saviour then never fear for today is the day of salvation (2 CHR 6:2). Reach out to him today and tell him say Lord I am a sinner, but you paid the price for me all those many years ago so I ask you that today you would come into my life, forgive me of my sins, and become Lord of my life.Follow that up with contacting your local church, and if you need help in that then send me a message on Facebook or leave me a comment on this blog and I will help you to find a local church to attend and I will pray for you that God's will be done in your life and that you will be as a seed sown in good soil.Bill
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