“Decisions that last for an eternity should never be rushed.” “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matt. 13:18–23). B OTH THE PARABLE AND ITS INTERPRETATION are, in my opinion, one of the most amazing passages describing human nature in the entire Bible. Jesus, in this relatively short passage, is able to identify virtually every type of person who has professed to receive Christ as their Savior. Every minister of the gospel should truly study and understand this passage as should each type of person Jesus is describing, for we all bear great responsibility for the people we minister to. Far too many of us evangelists have gotten caught up in the numbers of it all. Many become so consumed with how many people they can add to their tally and forget the acceptance of Christ is only the first step of salvation. First of all, we bear the responsibility to plant seeds in soil that has been prepared to receive the seed, and if the seed or the people are not ready, we should take the time to prepare them, to help them understand completely what they are doing. If we fail at assisting people with completely understanding what it is they are doing, then we very well may find ourselves being judged by God for, after all, we do know better or at least we should. God is not impressed with numbers, man is, and when we place our focus on numbers, we are seeking to please man, not God. I may ruffle some feathers with what I am about to say, but I challenge you to search the Word before getting upset, so here goes. Not everyone who accepts Christ is saved, at least by man’s interpretation. As you read this passage, it is ever so obvious the enemy literally can snatch away the seed of the gospel sown into unprepared hearts; hence, not everyone who claims to have received Christ is saved. Are we truly doing people a favor when we introduce them to the gospel only to leave them unable to fend off the enemy when trials come? Remember Matthew 12:43–45, which describes what happens when a demonic spirit leaves and comes back with seven worse than he because the house has been cleaned. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone! Am I saying we shouldn’t seek to share the gospel with people? Of course not, we must. However, I am saying we should be responsible for every person we do share it with, and we should plan for discipleship. Many years ago, the Lord taught me this lesson in a very harsh way, one I will never forget. A man asked me to purchase him lunch at McDonald’s on the corner of Haight and Stanyan in San Francisco. He was Russian by descent and spoke very broken English. While we were in line waiting to order, he asked me if I could tell him about Jesus, so as we ate I did, and eventually he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. About an hour or so later, he came back saying there were voices in his head telling him to do terrible things. We prayed for him and immediately he was delivered. Try as we might, we were unable to get him connected with a local church, even though we knew the Lord had told us to always connect people into a local body. Two years later, I watched the news in horror as a man in Sacramento, California, was being hunted down for killing seven members of his family with a knife; yes, it was this same man! You see, we should never get caught up in numbers or take lightly the seriousness of introducing people to Christ. The consequences of our actions are eternal. † Father, may we never take lightly the gospel of Jesus Christ nor the responsibility that comes with sharing the greatest message of all time. Keep us wise and watchful Lord. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 17:43:00 +0000