Seed Casters

Mark 26, 27 …So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground… and the seed should spring and grow up, he knows not how.

Seed casters. Living in Christ will make us seed casters. The kingdom of God grows as the seed is cast into the world. The seed is referred to in scripture often as the Gospel. The good news that Jesus came to save us from our sins and we can have new life in Him. The seed we cast can also be seen as casting our fruit before men, that they may see the grace of God working in our lives. We cast out words of kindness, acts of mercy, God’s love when others are hurting. Seed casting is more that just being a Bible thumper. We do have a responsibility to warn others of the dangers of sin and the eternal consequences, but to be a true seed caster we must live in the image of Christ, and give ourselves, so others can also experience new life in Christ. We are called to be seed caster, the rest is left to God. The Holy Spirit takes our seed and begin the work in the life of someone else. We may never see that life emerge, grow, and bloom, but we can rest assure that we have obeyed God and have committed our lives to casting seed.

The Soil of the Heart

Luke 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart…

The good news, the gospel seed is God’s word to us. The words of truth, words of salvation, words of how to live to honor and glorify our Creator. Jesus tells us that not everyone receives truth the same. Cultivating the soil of our heart is our responsibility. Willingness to open our heart to truth and obey His word is the first step in preparing the soil of our heart. We need to be honest with who we are and let the Holy Spirit turn over the hard soil of our heart and allow Him to remove the stuff in our lives that hinder a deeper life in God. An honest and good heart does not find excuses and avoid what is good for the soil. It knows that it needs to be plowed and made ready for truth. When the seed is planted, the results are roots that go deep allowing for times of draught and stability to withstand the harsh conditions of life. The type of soil we are is not predestinated, we have a choice in determining what kind of soil we will be. The choice is wayside, rocky, thorny, or good ground. Let God’s seed of truth grow in your life to produce the fruit He desires of you.

Casting Seed

Mark 4:26, 27 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;..the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

Casting seed is to spread the seed of the gospel. We often have no idea how God will use our efforts to affect or influence someone to God. We share the Gospel seed and trust God that He will use it to bring glory to Him. Sometimes it is years later that we may see what God has done with that seed, or we may never see the seed grow in our lifetime. But the kingdom of God is made up people who have been influenced by the word on God spoken, written, seen, or lived. God wants us to be seed droppers. Be ready to share what God can do and how His grace is able to make a difference in the life of anyone who will turn to Him. Be ready in season and out of season to cast the seed whenever you can.

Love Life

John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Most people love life. We don’t relish the day that our bodies fail us and death’s door knocks. Death is our enemy and we go to any means to preserve life on earth. So, the words of Christ appear to go contrary to human nature. Surely Christ did not imply that we should hate living and pray for death to take us. Christ was not speaking of our physical body, but our eternal soul. The spiritual life that God instills in each one of us. What really matters in this life? If we live for this world and the material gain, we will lose what really matters. Seek first the Kingdom on God, and God will take care of all our material needs in this life. We must be willing to die to the temporal life of the pleasure of sin and the want of material gain. Dying to self goes contrary to how the world lives. Everyone is out to make sure number 1 is taking care of first. If we are to know real life, we must die to our selfish desires to please ourselves, and allow Christ to give us new life, eternal life, life that sets it’s affections on things above and not on things of this world. Let us love life. Life in Christ. “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain”

Sowing and Reaping

John 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One sows, and another reaps.

It is easy to get discourage sowing the seed of the gospel and not seeing anyone won to Christ by the efforts we make. Weather it is inviting someone to church, or extending the love of God to help someone, God has given all of us a job to do. Ultimately, it is God who gives the increase. Some are given the gift to speak, to engage in conversation to share the grace of God concerning salvation and new life in Christ. Others work hard behind the scenes to show kindness and acts of mercy to people who are not open to preaching, but open to see God’s love demonstrated. Reaping cannot happen without the seed being sowed. If the ground is fertile, the Holy Spirit waters it with conviction. The season for reaping is before us. As we go about planting seed, let us be vigilant to gather the fruit of the harvest for the day draws near and the season will soon be pass.

Enmity To God

Gen.3:15 “ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.”- 

Sin and Satan are oppose to anything that is holy and right. Satan will do everything he can to destroy that which is good and wholesome. Living a holy life for God is incongruent with the carnal heart. It is in opposition to the will of God, and is not compatible to a Holy Spirit filled life. God sent His son in the form of a man to be the Seed that would bruise and defeat the plan of Satan. Satan thought he had destroyed the Seed when Jesus was nailed to the cross and put to death, but it was His death that crushed the head of Satan and provided a way for mankind to be saved from the destruction of sin and Satan. In order to live in harmony to the will of God, sin must be eliminated from our hearts. Yes, we were all born in sin and from birth are sinners, but the Seed of the women, Jesus dealt the death blow to sin, making it possible for us to live a life without sin. Not by our own righteousness, but by the grace of God that changes our life. We were once sinners, but now we have been redeemed, no longer sinners, but children of the most high God. Once (past tense) we were sinners, but now we have been set free from the bondage of sin. Our hearts are no longer in enmity to God, but made holy and subject to the will of God.  

The Wisdom of Jesus

Mark 4:21-34

The words of Christ are not hard to understand. He speaks with simplicity and clarity. It is His desire for all to come to the knowledge of His truth. The way of salvation is not complex and difficult to comprehend, a fool need not error or be detoured from grasping and obtaining its meaning. The wisdom of His words spoke not only to the minds of men and women, but it reached into the heart and soul of all who heard Him speak. The heart would either reject or receive His words. To the Scribes and Pharisee His word brought conviction and revealed their hypocrisy, to the sinner it brought hope and forgiveness. The wisdom of Christ astonished all who heard, for no man spoke with such authority and wisdom. Let him, who has an ear, hear and do what the Master says to do. For those, who hear and do it is given to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Speaking in Parables (vs. 33, 34)
• Making connections/past experiences
• Comparing nature to spiritual insight
Shining as a Candle (vs. 21, 22)
• The truth is for all to have and receive
• Our own lights needs to be out in the open
Seriousness of the Word (vs. 24)
• What are we doing with the Word?
• We will be accountable for the light God gives us
Sowing the Seed (vs. 26)
• The Sower, the Holy Spirit and human vessels
• The Seed: The Word of God- His truth
Spring up from the Soil (vs.27)
• The Soil: the heart of Man- condition of the soil
• Good soil- will bring forth new life- All things pass away
Shooting up of Branches/Leaves (vs. 32)
• Healthy growth of life in Christ
• Establish and rooted in the Word of God
Sickling of the Harvest (vs. 29)
• Our lives will bare the fruit of His Spirit
• It will be used to nourished the world
• The fruit of our labors- Bring in God’s harvest
Shadow of Protection (vs. 32)
• Refuges in God’s Sanctuary- The Church should be a place to find shelter from the world.
• Standing strong- Those that are spiritual help those …