THE CROSSING WEELKY

Every great tree has grown from a seed planted in earth.

When seeds are planted, they have four possible outcomes. Some seed can be spread and eaten by the animals walking by. Some can fall on rocky ground and grow quickly where the soil is shallow, but the sun will burn and wither it away. Other seed, still, can fall among thorns; but the flower will choke because thorns are sharp. And the last kind will fall on good soil where it sinks deep and produces a crop ten thousand-fold what it’s expected to produce.

In the book of Matthew, the disciples are a little confused as to what Jesus means by this. Later, he goes on to tell them what it means.

“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives 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. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:19-23)

When looking at this parable, there are so many angles to look at, but really, it warns the disciples of what can happen if they do not intentionally plant their seed in good soil and what happens if they do not live in alignment with the Spirit.

Josiah Armstrong spoke about this on Sunday (find the message here), encouraging the body to remain steadfast, to sink deep into the soil of going low, and as a result, producing something far greater than we can ask or imagine in that process. In our Life Groups we contemplated the underlined questions in response to the message. Josiah said, “God is always doing two things: maturing His church, and adding to it” What is our role in this? How does God, and how IS God, using us to accomplish this mission?

“We are His house. God dwells by the Spirit within our midst and our job is to learn how to live in-step with the Spirit. We are alive in the Spirit and we are meant to walk by the Spirit… It changes everything.” This ultimately requires us to consecrate ourselves. Why is it so important that we consecrate ourselves and our speech? What is God preparing us for?

He exhorted the body to go back to the basics, to be firmly rooted in the faith because “you never graduate from the basics…” You build from and upon them. How are you working on the basics of “winning each other over” by provoking one another to love and good deeds? How does the way that we live win over the lost?

In the same way a good seed is planted deep, it must be watered with discipline to see change. If you water seed once it will never sprout, but if you continue water that seed daily, then the seed will come alive and produce something from beneath the soil. Meaning that when we are faithful with little (showing up to cultivate intimacy with Him, learning the First Principles, etc…), God will sprout from that so much more than we could ever know.

Armstrong encouraged the body to be faithful, remain steadfast, follow through, and build upon the basics and live a life worthy of the gospel. 

What does it mean to live your life worthy of the gospel? Examine your own life – are you? Let’s till the soil of our hearts.