God Brings the Harvest (W.o.W. Rewind)

 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.

Mark 4:26-29

There were many things a farmer in the first century could do to try to ensure a successful crop. He could prepare the earth to make it receptive to the seed. He could prevent weeds from invading the gardens and choking the seedlings. He could even fertilize his plants. But in the end, the farmer knew all too well that the success of his crop depended on many factors that were out of his control. He couldn't control the rain or the heat or the cool. He couldn't control whether bugs ruined the crop. In fact, he didn't even really know how seeds grew. He didn't have the science to know. He was painfully aware of the fact that the success of his harvest depended more on the kindness of God than on himself. He sowed the seed but God made it grow.

The same is true when it comes to sowing the seed of the kingdom. The seed is the word of God, the gospel. We do not know how God will use that word planted in people's hearts to bring them to salvation. And sometimes we look at the seed and we think, "This is just a small thing, it won't make a difference. How could it ever amount to something so big in their life?" But that is how the kingdom of God works. It starts small, but our God has a way of making it grow quickly in fertile soil.

Sow the seed and trust God for the results. I know that you are scared to talk to other people about Jesus, but it's okay to start small. Just try to work the name Jesus into your conversations. That is powerful. Or try to work some scriptural truth into your interactions. It may seem small and insignificant but throw it out there anyway. God will do with it what He pleases. If it should grow, He'll make it grow. Remember that if it is God's word then it will accomplish the purpose that God sent it out for. (Isaiah 55:10-11).

You are called to make disciples of the whole world (Matthew 28:19). That is your first calling, your number one job as a Christian. You may not be Billy Graham, and that's okay. God isn't asking you to save people. That is His job! All you have to do is scatter seed. Some people do not know that when the Great Commission says "Go therefore into all the world and make disciples," that it can actually be translated "as you go." I think that is a very helpful way of thinking about it. You don't have to be on a mission trip to share the gospel. As you go through life, wherever you find yourself, plant gospel seeds. If your attempts at sharing Christ seem small and like they won't amount to anything, take a minute to look at a mustard seed and remember that our God uses small beginnings to bring about big changes. God wants to use you to rescue souls from Hell and all you have to do is sow little seeds. So...sow!

For further consideration...

• This week instead of further reading, here are some ideas I have gathered from a number sources (some are even from teens) about ways that you can sow gospel seeds.
• Invite people to church.
• Speak the name of Jesus every chance you get. There is power in that name.
• Bring Scripture up in conversations by comparing real-life situations to stories found in Scripture.
• Put Bible verses up in your workspace, on your car, on your desktop, or on your stuff.
• Put Scripture up as your Facebook or Twitter status.
• Hand out gospel booklets that explain the plan of salvation.
• Write out a verse of Scripture on a 3x5 note cards and give them to cashiers whenever you pay for anything. 
• Do an Evange-letter. Take note of all of the addresses in your apartment complex or on your street. Develop a form letter that is personable and explains the gospel. Once a week, take five minutes and hand write one of these letters, pray over it, and mail it to one of your neighbors. You don't even have to know their name. All you need is their address.

Jesus Silenced Them!

Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

Mark 3:11-12

Demons were proclaiming the gospel?! Why would they do that?

Many believe that these demons were trying to stir up trouble for Jesus. If they could convince the crowds that Jesus was the Messiah then the crowds might take Jesus by force and crown Him King. This would, in turn, be seen as an act of rebellion by Rome and would result in Jesus' death. It’s a rather ingenious plan! 

But if these demons were speaking the truth about who Jesus is, then why did He silence them? I think there are several reasons. First, He silenced them because it is not yet His time. It wasn't time for the crowds to fully know who He was yet, and it wasn't yet time for His crucifixion.

But here's another reason why He silenced the demons. The demons were not fit to procalim the gospel. It would have been inappropriate for the Messiah's arrival to have been heralded by demons. To allow them to do so would have sullied Jesus' reputation and it would have elevated theirs. He could not allow either of those things to happen. 

Lastly, I think Jesus silenced the demons because even though they were speaking the truth their intent was evil. They were trying to use the truth to work against God’s purposes, and Jesus would have none of it.

This gives us some insight into how we should think about and deal with false teachers. The test for a false teacher isn’t just, “Are they speaking the truth?”, but also “Are they twisting the truth for evil purposes? Is their intent to use the truth for some purpose that is their own and not the Lord’s?" If so, then they should be silenced too.

I think it is a valid application of this passage to say that we shouldn’t listen to everyone who speaks the truth! I would explain it this way. While the truth is always welcome, some mouths don’t deserve to speak it. For example, I like drinking nice cold milk as much as anyone, but I don’t want to drink it out of a dog bowl! Some containers aren’t worth drinking from no matter what is in them. Likewise some people aren't worth listenign to, even when they are speaking the truth. Don’t be tricked into listening to some false teacher just because they speak the truth sometimes. Even the truth can be used with evil intent. So test not only the message but also the person and their motives.

God's Kingdom Won't be Stopped

Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.

Mark 3:6-8

By just verse six of chapter three of mark's gospel, Jesus has unnatural allies plotting together how they might kill Him, but what we find in the next two verses shows us that even in the face of increasing opposition, God’s kingdom advances.

In verse 7 we read that Jesus has a large crowd following Him but they are all from Galilee which is the geographic area that Jesus’ ministry has been primarily restricted to up to this point. But it doesn’t stay that way for long. In verse 8 we find that word about what Jesus has been doing has spread and that people are coming from all over to see Him. 

The names of some of these places that they come from are interesting. Tyre for example is far north of Galilee. While Idumea is far south. And both of them, along with several other areas listed, are inhabited primarily by non-Jews. What this tells us is that Jesus’ influence is growing. He is now drawing people from a large geographic area. [John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Mk 3:8.]

And so what we see here is that in spite of the fact that Jesus’ enemies were plotting to kill Him, His influence grows and God’s kingdom advances! This is strong reminder that we should not live in fear of the world or of those who oppose the expansion of God’s influence over it. People with a secular mindset may call you nasty names. They may say awful things about Christians and Christianity. They may even makes threats against you, but they cannot stop the growth of God’s kingdom! God is in control, and you are in His hand. They cannot harm you without His permission; so never, never, never fear them.

A Refuge in Death

When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.

Proverbs 14:32

This proverb begins by saying “When calamity comes…” It’s not a question of if but when. Calamity will knock at your door sooner or later. It may come in the form of disease or injury or financial trouble or the loss of a relationship or even death, but it will come. The question is this…when calamity comes for you, will you be ready? Will you have a refuge to run to?

The proverb says that “when calamity comes the wicked are brought down.” The wicked person lives their life balanced on a razor’s edge. Their lifestyle seems exciting and thrilling but it leaves them exposed to danger. And sooner or later, when even the smallest calamity comes their way, they will fall on that razor’s edge that they walk every day.

The wicked person has no refuge in the time of trouble. They can’t expect to receive any help from the God they have spent their life mocking. They can’t expect to receive any help from the family they have caused so much heartache. Nor do they have a single true friend to come to their aid because they have never been a true friend themselves. The wicked man or woman is profoundly susceptible, at risk of being brought down by even the slightest difficulty that enters their life. 

But not so with the righteous! The righteous person has a refuge. It says that even in death, the worst calamity that life throws at us, the righteous have a refuge. Who or what is it? It is their God!

The truth, however, is that none of us are fully righteous on our own. But God has revealed a righteousness from Heaven that comes by faith and not by works (Romans 1:17). And all we must do to receive it is to acknowledge our wickedness and throw ourselves on the mercy of the Heavenly court seeking God’s grace and forgiveness. We must believe on Jesus’s death and resurrection and begin living in obedience to His commands. When we do this our sin is credited to Jesus’ account and Jesus’ righteousness is credited to ours. From that moment on when God looks at us He sees the righteousness of Christ. Then we too will have a refuge even in death.