Jesus shares throughout Scripture ways to grow
His kingdom. Have you ever considered what the story of the Sower of Seeds in
Luke 8 means to the church?
While a large crowd was
gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this
parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was
scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the
birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came
up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still
other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times
more than was sown.”
Jesus tells us that it
is what happens when we share the Gospel.
The seed is the word of
God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes
and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be
saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy
when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the
time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for
those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries,
riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil
stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and
by persevering produce a crop.
It has a Seed Rejection
ration of 75%! I heard recently that to improve on a 25% success rate that we
must plant more seeds! We should plant more seeds but according to Jesus our
conversions will remain at the same percentage. My thought is, Why not try
to be more strategic in our seed planting?
Strategic seed planting
would involve working the soil in advance. In other words:
1.
Engage in conversation about your faith.
2.
Pray, pray, pray for who and when we are to share the Gospel with.
3.
Live out your faith for all to see.
4.
Know the Word of God and share it accurately and truthfully.
5.
Be sensitive to what someone is telling you. They might not be saying no, but
have question.
6.
Continue to be involved in the lives of new believers.
7.
Be ready always to share the Good News of Jesus.
Plant
the seeds of the Gospel in good soil. Amen?
