Stay on Mission – 6th November 2017

4. Matthew 13: 1-9 The soils.
‘That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other see fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
The generously scattered seed of ‘the words of the Kingdom’ fall in all kinds of different places and the condition of the soil determines the growth of the seed. So, it is with the receptivity that people have towards the gospel. Some are immediately resistant, others receive it but quickly return to their old ways, still others begin to be transformed but then the things of life take priority, and then there are those in whom the seed grows and produces a spiritual harvest.
There is so much that can be said about this parable but I want to focus on just one aspect as I encourage you to stay on mission this week. The point I want to make is that the ‘soil conditions’ of a person’s life can change. A person who is resistant to the gospel can, through the circumstances of life and the activity of the Holy Spirit, reach a place where they become receptive to the gospel, receive it and bear fruit.
When I became a Christian, my stepfather was disgusted at what had happened. As my mum and then two brothers gave their lives to Jesus he became increasingly angry. He was very resistant!! I could write pages and pages about this but just trust you to take my word for it!
Over the next years he said and did things that made it quite clear that he was opposed to all that was happening in the family. Then, following some huge life decisions, he began to become more reasonable, made some compromises, even began to attend church. During a sermon one Sunday morning, he surrendered his life to Christ. After that he began to change but still had many struggles. Some years later, he was diagnosed with a terminal cancer and the church gathered together to pray for his healing. He wasn’t healed physically but for the rest of his days on earth, and I don’t say this lightly, whenever you were with him, you knew Jesus was there! A life that was solidly opposed to Jesus became so filled with Him that his presence was evident. God can do this!!
As you seek to sow the seed of the gospel this week, please don’t give up on people who may not be ready to receive it right now. Live your life before them in such a way that, even though they may not say it, they can see something in you that makes them curious about Jesus. Also continue to pray that God, the Holy Spirit, will be at work in them, break down their resistance and make the ready to receive the gospel in His time.
Dennis