Reflecting God - "The Farmer Sows The Word" The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States for Monday, 25 January 2016 – Embrace Holy Living - Mark 4:1-20

Reflecting God - "The Farmer Sows The Word" The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States for Monday, 25 January 2016  – Embrace Holy Living - Mark 4:1-20RG AUDIO 012516

Mark 4:1 Again Yeshua began to teach by the lake, but the crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the crowd remained on shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things in parables. In the course of his teaching, he said to them: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell alongside the path; and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky patches where there was not much soil. It sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow; 6 but when the sun rose, the young plants were scorched; and since their roots were not deep, they dried up. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked it; so that it yielded no grain. 8 But other seed fell into rich soil and produced grain; it sprouted, and grew, and yielded a crop — thirty, sixty, even a hundred times what was sown.” 9 And he concluded, “Whoever has ears to hear with, let him hear!”

10 When Yeshua was alone, the people around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. 11 He answered them, “To you the secret of the Kingdom of God has been given; but to those outside, everything is in parables, 12 so that

they may be always looking but never seeing;

always listening but never understanding.

Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!”[Mark 4:12 Isaiah 6:9–10]

13 Then Yeshua said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you be able to understand any parable? 14 The sower sows the message. 15 Those alongside the path where the message is sown are people who no sooner hear it than the Adversary comes and takes away the message sown in them. 16 Likewise, those receiving seed on rocky patches are people who hear the message and joyfully accept it at once; 17 but they have no root in themselves. So they hold out for a while, but as soon as some trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, they immediately fall away. 18 Others are those sown among thorns — they hear the message; 19 but the worries of the world, the deceitful glamor of wealth and all the other kinds of desires push in and choke the message; so that it produces nothing. 20 But those sown on rich soil hear the message, accept it and bear fruit — thirty, sixty or a hundredfold.”

"The Farmer Sows The Word" by 

Author: Jon Carnes

Most farmers spend a lot of time preparing the soil so it is the best possible ground to produce a crop. However, sowing seeds of the gospel is a different type of planting. We use a casting approach because we cannot really tell what the soil is like. Each person is different. A homeless person can come in with a heart ready to receive Christ, while a long-term church attendee sits with arms crossed and hard heart.
We can prepare the atmosphere in which people hear but we cannot judge the soil by outside appearances. Therefore, Jesus teaches us to cast the seeds as broadly as possible. Will some fall on hard or rocky ground? It will! Sow anyway!
It never entered Jesus’ mind that the Church would not sow. He simply wanted Christians to understand what to expect when sharing God’s message. Do not get discouraged with those who refuse to hear. Celebrate those who receive the Word with sincere hearts. The increase is God’s job; sowing is ours.
Hymn for Today: "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"

Refrain:

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

1. I looked over Jordan, and what did I see?

Coming for to carry me home.

A band of angels coming after me,

coming for to carry me home.

Refrain:

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

2. If you get there before I do,

coming for to carry me home.

Tell all my friends I’m coming too,

coming for to carry me home.

Refrain:

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

3. The brightest day that ever I saw;

coming for to carry me home.

When Jesus washed my sins away,

coming for to carry me home.

Refrain:

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

4. I’m sometimes up and sometimes down,

coming for to carry me home.

But still my soul feels heavenly bound,

coming for to carry me home.

Refrain:

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot,

coming for to carry me home.

Thought for Today:

"But those sown on rich soil hear the message, accept it and bear fruit — thirty, sixty or a hundredfold." Mark 4:20.

Please pray:

For the people who sow the seed of the Gosple to the people they come in contact with as well as for the people who hear will have hearts and minds ready to receive the Good News of the Gospel.
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