Monday, September 16

To listen to the audio version, click here. 

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

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 seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:18-23

“Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When someone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Did you know there are people who spend their lives studying dirt? A group called the “Soil Science Society of America” has identified 12 main types of soil in the U.S. These types range from the rich, dark soil of the midwest, called “Mollisol”, to the reddish soil of the southeast, called “Ultisol”, to the dry soil of the southwest, called “Aridisol.” And while people like me might not be terribly excited by soil-types, they’re pretty important to farmers!

Farmers know that, while it is the nature of a seed to grow, seeds need the right soil conditions to achieve maximum growth.

In this parable Jesus talks about four specific types of soil corresponding to four different kinds of people; four different types of hearts.

Read his words again and see if you can find all four.

When someone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Did you find them?

There is the “path”; or hard soil.

Jesus mentions “rocky places”; this would be shallow soil.

Then there is the thorny ground; or cluttered soil.

And finally he talks about the good soil.

He wants us to make a connection between these four soil types and the condition of our hearts.

Before we start to dig into the soil types, know this: you are in the story! When Jesus tells a parable, he creates a kind of “truth-trap”; that is, he tells the story in such a way that no one can say, “Nice story but it doesn’t apply to me!” because we are all in the story somewhere. The key to understanding the spiritual point of Jesus’ parables is figuring out where we are in the story.

Jesus is saying that right now your heart is like one of these soil types. Right now my heart is like one of these soil types. We are in the story.

Do you know which one you are?

Notice the curious line Jesus uses as he tells the story: he says, “He who has ears, let him hear.”

This is Jesus’ way of saying, “Listen up, I’m talking to you!”

Before you click off “10 Minutes with God” for today; read the parable one more time, slowly. As you read, ask Jesus to show you what kind of soil is in your heart today.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, Sept. 13

To listen to the audio, click here.

The Parable of the Sower is one of the best known of  the more than 40 parables of Jesus in the gospels.  This famous parable has many components and layers of meaning, but it is really all about how the gospel penetrates a human heart. It is not insignificant that this parable is recorded in 3 out of the 4 gospel accounts; Matthew, Mark and Luke.  Did you know that in Mark 4:13, Jesus says that if you do not understand this parable, you will not be able to understand any of His parables?  “And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”  

We have been examining the parable out of Matthew’s gospel this week, but today let’s look at Luke’s version of this story.

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  - Luke 8:4-8

The story is told that one of Napoleon’s officers was badly shot in the chest. As they operated without anesthesia just above his heart, the soldier said, “One inch lower you will find the Emperor.”  What is in your heart?  If it were possible to open up your heart, what would we find?  Would we find Jesus Christ there?  Or would your heart be hard and calloused and empty, or would it be shallow and full of stones, or cluttered and distracted and choked with thorns?

Although the seed is the living word of God, and it alone has the power to transform hearts, it must fall on good soil to bear fruit.  Jesus outlines four different kinds of soil, only one of which is fruitful.  When Jesus mentions four types of soils, He is not giving percentages. Rather, He is showing four general responses to the gospel. At various times there will be more in one category or another, according to the sovereign moving of God’s Spirit. 

The four soils can be grouped into two categories: the unfruitful and the fruitful. All four soils hear the Word. The first soil is the only one not to accept it at all. The second soil accepts the seed briefly and shows initial promise, but it soon dies out. The third soil seems to make even further progress, but eventually the thorns choke it out. Only the fourth soil eventually bears fruit.

In Jesus’ audience that day were some who immediately shrugged off His teaching. Some welcomed His message but fell away as soon as persecution arose. Others, like Judas, allowed the thorns of greed to choke out the word.  But many heard His word eagerly, took it into their hearts, and it brought forth fruit for all eternity!  

You know, I have always thought of the hard soil along the path, in terms of the hard-hearted person who will not listen to the truth of the Gospel.  But recently I have realized that even those of us who have received the message of the Gospel can also become hard-hearted, especially toward those who seem hardened toward God.  Perhaps you can relate to this?  Perhaps you too have become hardened and even given up praying for a person who continually resists the message of God’s love.  Let me remind you, that you never know what God is doing beneath the surface in a person’s heart.  Don’t ever give up sowing the seeds of the Gospel!

God wants each of us to check the soil of our hearts. Is it hard and resistant? Is it shallow and impulsive? Is it divided and distracted by the cares of the world? Or, is it soft, humble, and responsive to His Word over the long haul?  

When Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (8:8), He is encouraging each of us to examine our own heart and do whatever is necessary to become good soil.  Ask God for a responsive heart. Cultivate the seed of His Word every day. You will reap the fruit of eternal life in yourself and in others.

Jeff Frazier

Thursday, Sept. 12

To listen to the audio version, click here. 

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

Wednesday, Sept. 11

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Several years ago, I had a conversation about Christianity with a friend who grew up in church, but now refers to himself a “hopeful skeptic”.  He challenged me with what he believed were the narrow and exclusive claims of Evangelical Christianity.  He said, “you can’t just divide up all humanity into two camps, Christian and non-Christian.  That is terribly arrogant.  Who are you to say that there is only one religion that can possibly be right.  There are endless gradations of good and evil, religion and irreligion, philosophies and world-views, etc.  Even among Christians there is a huge variety with many differences in faith and expression of belief.”  (or at least he said something along those lines)

My friend went on to quote the Parable of the Sower and the four different kinds of soils as proof for his argument.  He said, “even Jesus recognized that there is more than one way to respond to God.”  

I have thought a lot about this question, it is a good question, and many people today wrestle with this issue.  I started thinking about how Jesus would respond to my friends question and to his interpretation of the Parable of the Sower.  At one level, I think Jesus would have agreed with him.  Every person does have a unique experience of God.  There is not a “one size fits all” approach to how a person comes to know, trust and follow God.  

In fact, even while Jesus walked the earth, people did not always appear to fit neatly into two simple categories.  There were those who opposed Jesus (the Pharisees), there were those who followed Him closely (the 12 disciples), but there were also those who followed Him, and later betrayed Him (Judas), or denied Him (Peter).  There were those who questioned Him honestly (Nicodemus) and those who questioned Him with false motives (Simon the Pharisee).  There were those who trusted in Him but did not follow Him around (the Centurion & The bleeding woman).  There were those who were confused by Him (the Rich Young Ruler) and those who were not sure what to make of Him at all (Pilate).  Finally there those in the crowds & multitudes who heard Him preach or saw Him perform a miracle, but only from a distance.

So...does the Parable of the Sower mean that Jesus is saying there are many different paths to God?  Let’s look at Jesus’ own explanation of His parable to understand what He was really teaching. (by the way, out of the 40 parables of Jesus, He only directly interpreted two of them; this one and the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24)

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 13:19-23

Clearly Jesus is showing us that the first kind of soil represents someone who rejects the truth, and just as clearly the last type of soil represents someone who receives the truth.  But what about the middle two types of soil?  What do they really represent?  They both tell of soil that allows for growth (unlike the hard soil), but they also tell us that this growth is short lived; in the fist case the growth is burned away by suffering and trials, and in the other instance, the growth is choked out by the cares of the world.  Ultimately it is only the soil that bears fruit and yields a harvest which represents those who are in the Kingdom of God!

So, what would Jesus say to the challenge of my friend?  I think He would say it is true that there are many different kinds of people in the world and each one has his/her own unique path to travel.  However, when it comes to entering into God’s kingdom, while there are many different ways to reject the truth, there is ultimately only one way to receive it!  

May God grant us His grace to become Good Soil!

Jeff Frazier

Tuesday, Sept. 10

For an audio version, click here. 

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”  - Matthew 13:1-9

Matthew 13 contains a series of stories that Jesus told known as the Kingdom Parables.  These parables illustrate the central truths about a person comes to see, understand, receive, and live in the kingdom of God.  The first parable in this chapter is also the longest and most detailed, it is commonly referred to as the Parable of the Sower.  The early church fathers referred to this story as the “Parable of Parables”, not because it was somehow better or more spiritual than all of the other parables, but because it so vividly explains how and why people miss, resist and reject the Word of God!

Jesus finishes this parable with the curious little phrase, “He who has ears, let him hear.”  What does he mean by this?  Don’t most people have ears?  Was Jesus speaking to a crowd of people without physical ears?  Jesus actually uses this phrase repeatedly throughout the gospels, and it is really a kind of warning for us.  

In fact, later on in Matthew 13, Jesus actually explains the meaning of this parable (this is one of the few times He does this in the Gospels) and in His explanation, He refers to each of the soil types as the person who “hears” the word of God in a particular way.

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 13:19-23

In Luke 8:18 Jesus says that we must “take care how we hear”, and the apostle Paul says in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”  These passages, and many others like them, tell us that there is something critical to the way in which we take-in, receive, or “hear” the gospel message.  The condition of our souls, the busyness of our lives, and the humility of our hearts all contribute to our ability to truly “hear” and receive the message of the gospel.  

I am reminded of an old children’s song I think I heard in Sunday School when I was growing up called “Be Careful Little Eyes”...O be careful little eyes what you see..O be careful little ears what you hear...O be careful little mouth what you say...etc.

In light of this teaching form Matthew 13, I think we could add another verse to this kids song that would be especially for us “grown ups”...

O be careful little ears how you hear

There's a Father up above

And He's Speaking to you in love

So, be careful little ears how you hear

Jeff Frazier

Monday, Sept. 9

To hear the audio, scroll to the bottom and hit play. 

Matthew3:1-2 - In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:17 - From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 10:7 - As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Even a casual reading of the gospel of Matthew will show you that this gospel is all about The Kingdom.  Matthew mentions the “kingdom of God” four times in his gospel. He mentions the “kingdom of heaven” thirty-three times. The term “kingdom” is used seventeen additional times. Obviously, then, God’s kingdom is the central theme of Matthew’s gospel.

The kingdom of God is first introduced to us in Matthew through the ministry of John the Baptist. John had two roles. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets. In his prophetic ministry, he was the herald who came before the king, announcing his impending presence. Matthew 3:2 summarizes John’s basic message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This, our first encounter with the kingdom concept in Matthew, is a pivotal one.

Jesus comes on the scene and says the kingdom of heaven is not only near, it is actually here now (Matt. 12:28)!  Jesus taught about life in the kingdom, in fact He began many of His parables with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like...”  Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom, He invited people to enter into the kingdom, and He claimed to be the King!

But the again, Jesus also taught us to pray that His kingdom would come (Matt. 6:10), implying that it has not yet come.  The Apostle Paul talks about inheriting the kingdom, as if it is some future reality that will be ours (1 Cor. 6:9).  And when we get to the book of Revelation, we read a whole bunch of future visions of what it will be like when the kingdom finally does come.

So...some place in the Bible tell that the Kingdom is near, some passages say that it is here, and still others says that it will come some day in the future...which is it?

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this about the reality of the kingdom which may help us understand how to put all of this together; “It is a kingdom which is to come, yes. But it is also a kingdom which has come. ‘The kingdom of God is among you’ and ‘within you’; the kingdom of God is in every true Christian. He reigns in the Church when she acknowledges Him truly. The kingdom has come, the kingdom is coming, the kingdom is yet to come. Now we must always bear that in mind. Whenever Christ is enthroned as King, the kingdom of God is come, so that, while we cannot say that He is ruling over all in the world at the present time, He is certainly ruling in that way in the hearts and lives of all His people.”

With all of this “Kingdom talk”, let me ask you one simple question; Is Jesus your King?

Jeff Frazier

Friday, September 6

To download an audio version, click here. 

Acts 22:17-21

When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking. "Quick!" he said to me. "Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me."

"Lord," I replied, "these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him."

Then the Lord said to me, "Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles."

One of my favorite TV shows as a boy was “Mission Impossible.” Not the recent movie franchise starring Tom Cruise, but the old TV show that first aired in 1966, starring an actor named Peter Graves as agent Jim Phelps.

Every show began with Mr. Phelps listening to a tape recorded message:

"Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it....,” and then there would be some hair-raising assignment involving some kind of espionage involving nuclear secrets or evil adversaries. The the message would always end with, “This tape will self destruct in 5 seconds. Good luck Jim.”

I used to think, "How cool!" 

What would it be like to get a mysterious and dangerous assignment that was so important that the very salvation of the world was at stake!

Then I discovered the gospel.

For the past 12 weeks we’ve been looking at the “Go” stories of the Bible. 

God told Moses to GO to Pharaoh.

God told Gideon to GO in the strength that he had to deliver Israel.

Jesus told the story of the “Good Samaritan” to illustrate what it means to love our neighbor, then he said, “GO and do likewise.”

And we have learned that the gospel is always active; the gospel is always moving, growing and making an impact in the world.

And we see that again in this story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and his transformation into Paul the Apostle.

In fact, GO is all over this story!

Saul is GOING to Damascus to persecute followers of Jesus.

Jesus GOES to Saul to confront him.

Jesus tells Saul to GO into the city.

Jesus GOES to Ananias.

Jesus tells Ananias to GO to Saul; then he tells him again to GO.

Then much later, in Acts 22, when Paul recounts his story he adds that the Lord told him, “GO, I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” (Acts 22:21)

It all sounds so much like “Mission Impossible” to me!

“Your mission, Ananias, should you choose to accept it, is to go and pray for a man who just a few days ago was trying to arrest you.”

“Your mission Saul, should you choose to accept it, is to travel far and wide, among people groups that will be hostile toward you, and endure all manner of hardship in order to bring the the gospel that most of them might, in fact, reject.”

Has Jesus ever called you to a seemingly impossible mission? Has he ever asked you to do a hard job for his sake?

I believe the gospel is the power of God for salvation. It’s the greatest news any human being can hear and understand. But the gospel always comes with an assignment.

And gospel-sized assignments can seem impossible! But just when you find yourself thinking that way, remember Saul of Tarsus. Remember a man named Ananias. Remember that, with God, nothing is impossible.

Pastor Brian Coffey