Parable Of The Sower

Matthew 13:1-9

Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.

Great multitudes came and gathered around Him.

Jesus got into a boat and began to speak to them.

He spoke many things in parables.

He told them the parable of the sower.

The sower sowed the seeds...

Some fell by the edges of the road. The birds came and devoured them. The seeds had no opportunity to grow.

Some fell on stony places. They didn't have much earth for proper root system. They sprang up too early. They were scorched when the sun was up. They withered away.

Some fell among thorns. The thorns sprang up and choked them.

Some fell on good ground. They yielded a crop. Some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

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Some of us have few opportunities to hear and consider the Word of God.

Some of us do not count the cost before we accept the Word of God.

Some of us are troubled by the things of this world and live a defeated Christian life.

And some of us continue to look up to God and live a fruitful Christian life.

Many today have called themselves Christians.

But not all are growing and flourishing.

Some are struggling and falling behind.

Some are backsliding and ready to perish.

And some don't even know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

Which are you?

Light Shines In The Darkness

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3)

Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles.

He had written to Theophilus before, most probably the Gospel according to Luke. In that book, he had written an orderly account about the Lord Jesus Christ, to convince Theophilus of the certainty of the Gospel of Christ.

The Gospel of Luke is about all that Jesus began to do and to teach. It is about the coming of the Kingdom of God. It is about the work of salvation through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary. It is about the work of the Holy Spirit in relation to our Savior. It is about faith and devotion to Jesus Christ, and the Cost of Discipleship. It is about the great Commission. It is about the fulfillment of the OT prophecies. It is about the love of the Father.....

The Lord Jesus Christ was taken up to heaven after His suffering and death on the Cross, after He had conquered death and Satan's hold of our lives. The Lord Jesus Christ was taken up to be with God the Father in Heaven.

The world is coming to the end.  The last Judgment is approaching. The Lord Jesus Christ will come again in Glory. He will triumph over all His enemies.

Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is with us, guiding us into all truths, bringing us the blessings of Heaven, helping us in our spiritual battles, protecting us, teaching us, comforting us, proving our faith genuine, ......

Church leaders are to continue the work. The people of God are to be gathered. The Church of God is to be  established. Light must continue to shine in the Darkness. Missionaries all over the world are making disciples. The night of darkness is coming, when no one can work.

Light penetrates Darkness.

Go And Tell The Gospel

The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (John 1:41)

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Successful soul winners have their priorities in order.

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They See The Sinner’s Condition. They have a burden for the lost. (Andrew was burdened for Simon Peter). They are burdened about his present state (Eph. 2:1-3; Eph. 2:12). They are also burdened about his prophesied state (Luke 16:19-31; Psa. 9:17). They knows that men are headed to an eternity apart from God (2 Thes. 1:8-9). They are moved by this knowledge and they have a desire to snatch men from the jaws of destruction.

They Sense The Urgency Of Sinner’s Need. They know that the night is coming when no man can work (John 9:4). They know that life is just a vapor and that men are perishing without the promise of another minute (James 4:14; Pro. 27:1). They know that the window of grace will close with the return of Jesus. They know that the lost sinner has no inkling of knowing he is lost from God, Hell bound and hopeless, apart from the salvation that can only be found in Jesus Christ!

They Seize Every Opportunity To Share The Gospel. They look for the open door of opportunity wherever it may appear. They are sensitive to the Lord and His leadership. They watch the person they are witnessing to and they seek to sense what the Lord is doing in the conversation. Not every contact is a time of reaping! It may be a time of sowing seed or watering, but that is just as important. Their duty is to Go and Tell The Gospel!