Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” - Matthew 13:18-23
Jesus said the seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11). It’s the only thing that has the power to change the human heart. Preaching alone won’t do it because we cannot talk people into a new heart. Our words may be interesting or inspiring, but they have no power in and of themselves. Programs won’t do it. The contemporary American church is mostly programmed up to its eyeballs. The typical suburban church is filled with programs for men, women, working-women, children, youth, adults, singles, newlyweds, newly-divorced, newly-remarried, single parents, senior adults, and we offer classes for those struggling with bad family backgrounds, abuse issues, addiction issues, plus we have sports teams, choirs, drama teams, Internet teams, and affinity groups for everything under the sun.
I remember reading that the great puritan pastor of the mid 18th century, Jonathan Edwards, believed that the church should be the social center for the congregation. Well we’ve certainly followed his advice (at least in this area) and with a lot of good results, I should add. The numerous ministry programs that churches offer are not necessarily a bad thing at all. It’s necessary and good for the church in our day to reach people where they are. And if we don’t reach them, we can’t connect them or equip them or send them out to minister to others.
But it’s possible (and sadly all too common) to mistake busyness for godliness and activity for spirituality. The only thing that produces lasting growth is the Word of God. Preaching and programs without the Word, without the Gospel, may produce quick growth but they won’t last.
This is one of the central teachings of the parable. Remember that there is nothing wrong with the seed. The same seed that the birds eat is the same seed that produces a good crop. And it’s the same seed that produces a plant that withers away or gets choked by the thorns. Faithful ministry cannot always be defined by results in the short term. Many years ago while on a student mission trip to Ecuador, I met an old Quichua indian couple (that is one of the indigenous peoples of the Andes mountains in Ecuador). They were both believers and were living in a tiny remote village near the Colombian border. They were pastoring a little church of about 15 believers in a village of about 100 people. They told me about how years ago they had started a church in another village and in just 7 years it had grown from 1 believer to over 200 men, women, and children that had come to know Jesus Christ! The old man told me that he and his wife had been in this village for 13 years and they had seen only 8 people come to know and trust Jesus! What happened? Had this couple suddenly become ineffective as servants of God? No, they were just working with much harder soil!
In this parable, Jesus teaches us both patience and hope. We need patience because some of the seeds we sow will never produce the fruit we hope for, and some of the seeds we sow will look good at first, but end up disappointing us. But others will produce one hundred times more than we expect. And this is why we love, and serve, and preach and pray and keep on sowing seeds!
There is good soil out there even though it’s not always easy to find - keep sowing!
Jeff Frazier
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