Blog #83, March 19, 2024
The righteousness sought for by most religions is based on with the believer’s ability to do works that adhere to the mandates of their laws. It is not necessary that they believe in what they do, as long as they do it. Christ taught in parables that sought out and spoke to those who would do more. Faced with a new ideal they would ponder in their hearts all that they were being offered. His purpose was that their belief and their good works should arise not out respect for a given mandate, but out of a heartfelt trust and support for all they had been given.
Moroni 7:8 And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray, and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing; for God receiveth none such; wherefore, a man being evil, can not do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.
Moroni 10:5 And if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.
The parable of the sower found in Matthew 13 expounds on the very purpose of Christ’s ministry. It showcases the method He used in bringing the Gospel of the Kingdom to the children of God. The Kingdom being for everyone, consequently the ideals that would become the Kingdom were spread everywhere. It told of the many who would receive the word and the few who would accept the word and make it a part their lives. It tells of ills of the world that challenge the hearts of man, and the fate of those few that would hear the word and allow it to change their life.
Matthew 13:3-7
3:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow.
3:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up.
3:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprung up; and when the sun was up, they were scorched, because they had no deepness of earth; and because they had no root, they withered away.
3:6 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them.
3:7 But others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit; some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold.
Christ ended this lesson with the words, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear”. This is the challenge that Christ’s parables brought to a world very much in need of the Kingdom. The teachings of Moses and most of the other religious sects of Christ’s time were based on a set of rules that the believer had to follow. Included also were rewards for the trustworthy, and penalties for the unfaithful. They required nothing of the individual other that obedience. God wanted more for His children, and it was through His parables that Christ sought to speak to the hearts and minds of God’s children.
Isaiah 32:3-4
32:3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
32:4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.
As I grow in my understanding of Christ’s parable, I find that multiple lessons can be garnered from the same parable. I chose the “Parable of the Sower” because Christ took the time to open the hearts and the minds of His Disciples to its meaning that they might more fully understand the value of the parable as a teaching tool. It was in this explanation that I first grasped the true need for all of us to have eyes that see and ears that hear.
This is the understanding Christ gave His disciples:
Matthew 13:18-21:
18 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart; this is he who received seed by the wayside.
19 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word and readily with joy receiveth it, yet he hath not root in himself, and endureth but for a while; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
20 He also who received seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
21 But he that received seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word and understandeth and endureth; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred-fold, some sixty, and some thirty.
For many years, each time I read or heard this passage, I was very careful to make sure I was being that good fertile ground that produced the bountiful harvest God sought. But as I grew in my own ministry, it dawned on me that what Christ was teaching applied more than just the individual believer. I was given to understand that He was teaching the twelve men who were to found the Church that would eventually produce that community we call Zion. Perhaps Christ was opening up their hearts to a fuller understanding of all that they were to build. Perhaps this parable is more than just an admonishment to the individual. Perhaps Christ is talking collectively to the gathering of people that would become His Church.
Received seed by the wayside: Considering this carefully we will grasp a very important dynamic. Can any ideal or concept be truly understood by one mind on its own? How important is it to have the wherewithal to ask a question or have a discussion. I am convinced the ability to ask and discuss a topic is fundamental to any understanding. Then I have to ask this, “Have we ever seen situations in a modern-day church that isolates the new believer?” How about the typical preaching-based service. Who if any of us dare to ask a question during a sermon? How many class sessions have you ever been in that turned into no more than just a cavalcade of scriptures that no one cares to comment on or explain? During home ministry questions are asked and meanings are clarified, but how much home ministry takes place in the modern believing world? I firmly believe that more than a few potential believers have left never to return because they were never given a decent chance or a good reason to gain that first kernel of understanding. It seems as if they were tossed by the wayside. In His letter to the Romans, Paul pointed out this very problem.
Romans 10:13-14
10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Received the seed into stony places: I find traditions and rituals to be the very essence “the stony place”. There are religions that consist of nothing but ritual and tradition. Each service you attend is constructed around first this ritual and then that one. And, sadly enough, worship in these houses of God use the fear to fill their pews. Worse yet it seems as if anything that encourages independent thought is considered heresy. As we open our hearts fullness of the worship carried on, we find it extends its observed mandates to how we dress, how we talk, and how we are allowed to act and react. When questioned about their rigid repetitious adherence to attitudes that don’t and never will cause growth, the pat answer is, “Well this is the way its always been done”. I can name you a double hand-full of people that have walked away from their churches because of traditions and rituals. The saddest thing is that each one of them has a very dark testimony of Heaven, hell, and God. When questioned about death, most have told me, “I don’t know for sure where I am going, but if Heaven is anything like church; you can have it. I don’t want to be there. I think Paul described these churches best.
2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.
Received seed among the thorns: Probably the greatest temptation facing a Christ-centered community today is their need to be recognized and accepted by the world around them. It begins with the need to have a proper building in the proper place. Then at minimums you have to add a raised pulpit, a sound system, pews, piano, and restrooms. Next you need a fellowship hall with kitchen equipment, and a cry room for all those noisy babies. When you finally gather together all this stuff, you will find you forgot to bring one thing, God. You will discover that God, His purpose, and the needs of the Kingdom will become secondary to the need to care for and maintain all this stuff. Evangelism becomes paramount but not for the sake of God’s presence in the world. We need more people, their offerings, and their time so that we can keep all this beautiful stuff. In short, the adversary wins. Pride wins. Lust wins. God loses and many are lost.
Jacob 2:23-24
2:23 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
2:24 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ, ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and you will seek them, for the intent to do good; to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick, and the afflicted.
Received seed into the good ground: As I grow older and listen closely to what people say, I recognize that it’s real easy to identify problems, but solutions are hard to find and harder yet to institute. Not so with God. Imagine if you will a handful of rich black soil. It feels soft and yielding to the touch. If you swipe across it with your thumb it crumbles easily and you discover that this handful of soil is in reality many individual parts. Some are organic rot like pieces of twigs and roots. Some pieces are spongy and some appear to be as solid as sand. And, oh the odor of rich black soil; you can almost feel it caress your nose with the fragrance of all this soil will grow. In short rich black soil does all it can to invite you to plant anything in it and then just stand back and be amazed. What an apt description of that which will be Christ Church. It almost dares you to come be apart of it. First of all, it is welcoming. When you walk through the doors, you feel at home. It’s so very familiar and you find that anyone that doesn’t know your name; wants to. The message of the day you’re presented is Christ-based, but people-oriented. It is less than a lecture but more than a sermon, and before it’s done you find that even you have either a question to ask or an answer to give. Everybody, both young and old, are involved, and the babies have managed to become integral with the group. All of them seem to find a lap or two to sit in. If it’s not Mom or Dad, it’s someone who wants them there. It is so easy, so invigorating, so loving, and so downright natural that you never want it to end, and when it does, you know it will happen again and you are going to be there. How do the words go? “Beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred-fold, some sixty, and some thirty”. When you allow yourself to gather with these people, you understand fully all that was meant by that passage. Brethren, this is the gathering we seek to be. So filled with people of true Godly intent that the testimony of God working in the lives of His children is growing, thriving, and flourishing.
2 Corinthians 9:10-11
9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
9:11 Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
DC 12:1a A great and marvelous work is about to come forth unto the children of men.
And, if we choose to, we can be a part of it.
FRED