03/15/2023
SEED SOWING
"It's time to plant some seeds" Luke 8
By: Al Mitchell
It won’t be long before spring planting gets underway. Jesus had some very important things to say about planting seeds. He spoke as many as 40 parables (stories). This one was one of the few that He explained in detail what it meant. We have three elements involved in planting.
The Sower = Us. The Seed = The Word of God. The Soil = The heart of man.
His desire and mandate is for us to GO, SHOW and SOW . He is the one who causes it to GROW.
Reality Check: Many reasons why we don’t want to sow His Word:
Fear of failure, rejection, ridicule, not interested, no desire, no time, the list goes on and on!
Paul lays out three principles in Luke about this planting principle:
We are RESPONSIBLE to sow the Seed.
Luke 8:5 The sower went out to sow the seed. We are the sowers.
We are NOT responsible for the growth of that seed, only the planting of it. The only success comes from God’s Holy Spirit working and nourishing that seed.
They are RESPONSIBLE to receive the Seed. This is a heart issue. The soil mentioned is the hearts of those who hear. Verses 12-15 talks about the different types of hearts (soil). The important issue is that the seed must take ROOT in that soil, many people believe God’s Word but don’t receive it. (Lifestyle). The difference is the one who receives the Word and lives his or her life in accordance with God’s Word and under the power of the Holy Spirit. They PROVE their salvation, not PRODUCE salvation.
God is RESPONSIBLE to handle the harvest. His Holy Spirit is the only one who produces growth of that seed in the heart.(Soil).. Again please understand, we are not responsible for that person’s salvation. It is not the presentation of the Word that saves but the pe*******on of that Word.
Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ and had one motto:
“ Success in witnessing is simply sharing the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God Himself”.