Parable of the Sower

Work the Soil

/ The Pastor

Over the years, I have heard people lament the lack of faith in their children/grandchildren. Sometimes the lament is centered on themselves as a parent, that there is something deficient in their own faith or practice thereof. Sometimes the lament is centered on what they did or did not do to teach them the faith. They wonder if their message was deficient or did they not support the church enough in teaching their children. Sometimes the lament is the influence of the world on their children, that the world’s voice was just too loud. Whatever the case, people are confused as to why some believe so readily and some are so resistant. For those whose children are not Christians, it is sometimes a badge of shame they wear.

But we must not blame ourselves, for salvation is something that is out of our control. The Parable of the Sower begins to teach us that (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23). Here, Jesus teaches about a sower who went out to sow seeds. Some of the seeds took root and some did not. But what is of note is that the sower nor the seed is deficient, it is the soil. As a parent, if you taught the Word of God to your children, if you brought them to a solid, biblical church, if you lived your faith in the home, it is not you or your message. But do not get me wrong. I am not throwing your children under the bus. The problem is the soil of their heart. So do not give up. A farmer who has a bad crop one year does not pack it in and quit. They work the land. Keep working the soil of their heart, being faithful with God’s Word and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit and entrust your children to the Lord.

Seed Sowing in Satan’s Face

/ The Pastor

In reading the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20, I am quickly reminded that the call and the joy of the Christian is to sow the Word of God. The joy comes from the fact we are sinners but that God offers forgiveness of our sins by His grace through Jesus Christ. And through this forgiveness, we have the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life.

This is the Gospel.
This is the Good News.
This is AMAZING news!

And yet, we often see evangelism as a chore or as something to do later if we have time or something reserved for a certain committee or (and this is my favorite) it is something reserved strictly for the pastor.

Maybe this inattention to evangelism comes from the fact that, more times than not, you get beaten up when you try to seed sow. Maybe someone strongly rejects your Gospel presentation. Maybe someone tells you to keep your faith to yourself. Maybe someone argues with you to the point of exhaustion. Maybe you have been shot down too many times to count and you’re just plain tired of getting hurt or embarrassed. Whatever the case, it serves as a reminder that Satan is hard at work. Whenever you are sharing your faith or trying to present the Gospel or stand up for what you believe, Satan is right there to make life difficult. And he should because the Gospel threatens Satan.

But we must keep seed sowing.
We must keep spreading the Gospel.
We must keep telling people that there is hope.
We must keep showing people Jesus.

For when we stop, Satan wins and thus he laughs.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, seed sowing is hard but look at the bright side. If seed sowing is difficult and it feels like you are being resisted every step of the way, then maybe you’re doing something right. In that case, keep on going in the strength of the Lord and mock Satan knowing that Jesus stands with you and that Satan can not possibly win.

And that is cause to laugh in Satan’s face and praise be to God always and forever!

The Pastor -|—