Mark 4:13 - Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 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. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the desires for other things comes in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." (NIV)
Dear Father in Heaven, start us off clean with this message, forgive us of our sins and open our hearts and minds to receive this message taught to us by parable. Thanks, Jesus, I love you ... In Jesus' name, Amen.
Good Thursday, my dear brothers and sisters. Today is family day, so please pray for your family and mine, while I pray for your family and mine. Also pray please for your church family and your school family, the family of people where your children go to school, or where you go to school. (Yes, we have school kids on this line.) Please, folks, pray for our son Matthew, we do not know where he is or if he is okay. I know nothing else to tell you except that. Thank you all for your calls and cares and prayers.
Please keep praying for Betty Deardorff and her family. The family has made a very important decision and placed Betty into the Lord's hands. Comfort them, please. Prayer requests for Patsy Emig, for Dutch Webster, for Vicki, for Joe, for Jere, Ruth, Sarah. Other prayers today for Grant and Wanda as they travel on vacation, and also for Dave and Joanne as they travel and take a car on a tow dolly to their son Sean. Let's get to the message ...
You Reap What You Sow (Day Four). In Mark 4:13 we find Jesus asking His disciples if they understand this parable. Over the years God has given me many messages on "You Reap What You Sow." Today I want to look at it the way we should be understanding it. To get started on this, let's first go to ...
Mark 16:15 - He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (NIV)
Okay, what is the Good News? It is The Word of the Lord, and about our Salvation through Jesus Christ who died to save us from our sins. Of course we have a lot of other good news about Jesus, like how He feeds us, and how He heals us, etc. So now we know we are to take out the word, and we need to sow this word, and let's take a look at a few things.
Example one. Where does this one fit in the parable? At a big gospel sing, there are many groups, and at the end of this great concert the salvation message is given, and people are asked to come forward and confess their love for Jesus and invite Him into their lives. Maybe a thousand people come forward and they are prayed for and asked to pray a sinner's prayer. Where does it fit in? Does it fit at 'Some seed fell along the path and the birds ate it?' Or does it fit at 'some fell on rocky soil and it grew quick and then scorched off'? Or one of the others?
My answer ... Since there is not a follow-up at almost all the concerts, I would say some of the ones that received the word were the first group, and the birds, and remember that the birds are Satan, ate them up. In other words, they fell into the hands of evil again. Some were excited about coming to the Lord, but without follow-up when they would hit a problem in life with no support network they just might turn from God.
Example two. A big gospel sing, this time maybe just one or two groups but held in a GOOD church, and again at the end a salvation message was given and people came forth. This time people from the church were there to pray with the people and invite them to church and got their names and phone numbers to follow up. Where does this one fit in?
My answer ... Since this concert was held at a GOOD church, plans were more than likely made or even already in place for ushers and/or church staff to help with those who came forward. I would say they were in the example where the soil was good, and why, because the folks from this GOOD church worked the soil and got it ready to receive the seeds that were planted. Also some might think that some would be like seed planted in the thorny areas, but in this case if that happened the staff from this GOOD church would be there to work with the new Christians to keep the weeds, or the evil things, from getting to them. Some of the evil, some of the thorns that we might be talking about could be addictions to crime, drugs, booze, sex, or a host of other things.
Summing up my two examples, and I could have given many more, you will see I said, GOOD church often, for there is a big difference in churches. You would have some churches that would not even make the call for salvation, and others might but not follow up, while you have those who know the main reason for a church is to keep those who come to church on God's side and not let them drift.
Now who is to be taking The Word to all creation? We are, for we are the disciples of today. Jesus is still the same, but His workers, who are few, have changed over the years. By the way, when I ask you how many commandments there are, some might say ten, others might say twelve, but indeed there are many other than what we call the original ten and the two great commandments that Jesus gave us. Indeed, Mark 16:15 is a commandment as were the orders given to Adam and Eve in the garden not to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Amen.
Dear Father in Heaven, please hear our prayers this day and act on them, please, according to Your will for those we are praying for. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
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