A Sower Went Out To Sow
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Derrel Strickland
The parable of the sower highlights the importance of planting seeds of faith and trusting in God's timing for the harvest. Our actions and attitudes sow seeds that impact others, urging believers to spread love, truth, and encouragement diligently.
The core takeaway from this message is that believers are called to diligently sow seeds of faith, love, and truth, trusting that God will provide the growth and harvest in His perfect timing, regardless of the challenges or disruptions they may face.
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
Understanding the Parable of the Sower
The parable of the sower, found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, uses a simple story to illustrate profound truths. Derived from the Greek word meaning to lay side by side or parallel, a parable helps us see likenesses or similarities in the narratives it portrays. This particular parable emphasizes the importance of sowing seeds of faith and understanding the different outcomes based on where these seeds fall.
The Importance of Sowing Good Seeds
A sower, or farmer, goes out to sow seeds, which is a metaphor for spreading the word of God. However, the effectiveness of these seeds depends on the condition of the soil they land on. Good seeds need to be planted in prepared and fertile ground to yield a fruitful harvest. In Acts 16, Paul exemplifies a diligent sower, going to unexpected places to plant seeds of faith despite facing numerous challenges.
Preparing the Ground for Sowing
Successful sowing requires more than just scattering seeds. It involves preparing the ground, tending to the plants, and ensuring they receive adequate care. This preparation is crucial for a bountiful harvest. As believers, we must be diligent in readying our hearts and minds to receive God's word and to share it with others. This preparation often involves prayer, study, and nurturing our faith.
Overcoming Disruptions in the Mission
Life is full of disruptions, but these challenges should not deter us from our mission. Paul, on his way to a place of prayer, encountered a demon-possessed girl and faced opposition from her owners. Despite being arrested and beaten, Paul continued to sow seeds of faith even in prison. His resilience and dedication highlight the importance of steadfastness in the face of adversity.
The Role of Faith in Sowing
Sowing seeds of faith is an act of faith itself. The sower must believe in the eventual harvest, even if it takes time to see the results. This belief is rooted in the understanding that God supplies the seeds and ensures their growth. As Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 9:10, God provides and multiplies the seeds for sowing, leading to a harvest of righteousness.
Choosing the Right Seeds to Sow
Believers have access to the best seeds—those of truth, love, and encouragement. It is essential to sow these good seeds rather than seeds of discord, hatred, or bitterness. Our lives, as living epistles, reflect the seeds we sow daily. By planting seeds of faith and positivity, we contribute to a harvest that glorifies God and enriches our communities.
The Impact of Good Seeds on the Harvest
The quality of the seeds we sow directly affects the harvest. Just as hybrid seeds in farming may not produce future generations, spiritually altered seeds that lack authenticity will not yield lasting results. The true seed, Jesus Christ, must be at the core of our planting efforts. Only through Him can we produce good fruit and ensure a meaningful harvest.
The Significance of Obedience in Sowing
Paul's journey to Philippi, guided by a vision, underscores the importance of obedience to God's calling. Even when faced with imprisonment and suffering, Paul's dedication to sowing seeds of faith led to a miraculous revival in the prison. This narrative reminds us that our efforts to plant seeds may answer someone else's prayers and fulfill God's greater plan.
Trusting in God's Timing for the Harvest
The process of sowing and harvesting is governed by seasons, and not all seeds sprout immediately. Some seeds require specific conditions, such as fire or scarification, to germinate. Similarly, spiritual seeds may need time and the right circumstances to grow. Trusting in God's timing and continuing to sow diligently ensures that we will see a fruitful harvest in due course.
Encouragement for Modern-Day Sowers
Every believer has a role to play in sowing seeds of faith. Whether through prayer, words of encouragement, or acts of kindness, each contribution helps prepare the ground for a bountiful harvest. We may not always see the immediate results of our efforts, but by remaining faithful and trusting in God's provision, we can be confident that our seeds will bear fruit.
Conclusion
The parable of the sower teaches us valuable lessons about faith, perseverance, and the power of God's word. By preparing the ground, choosing the right seeds, and trusting in God's timing, we can contribute to a harvest that reflects His glory. As modern-day sowers, let us embrace our mission with diligence and faith, knowing that our efforts will yield a rich harvest in God's perfect time.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Ice Breaker
Have you ever tried gardening or planting something? How did it go?
Reflection Questions
What stood out to you in this week’s sermon about the Parable of the Sower?
Why do you think Jesus used parables to convey His messages?
How can we identify the 'seeds' we possess as Christians?
Discuss a time in your life when you sowed a seed of faith during challenging circumstances. What was the outcome?
Application Questions
What specific 'seeds' can you sow right now within your family, workplace, or community?
How can we ensure the seeds we sow are of good quality, reflecting Jesus’ love and truth?
How can we support one another in our group to plant and nurture these seeds?
Prayer Focus
Pray for the courage and wisdom to sow seeds of faith in all situations.
Ask God to show you where He wants you to plant and how to tend to these seeds.
Pray for a harvest of righteousness as a result of the seeds sown by our group.
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Connecting our kids to what we as adults are learning and hearing on Sundays is vital to passing on our faith to the next generation. Use the summary below as a great way to talk about the message we heard with your kids.
The Story of Paul the Seed Planter
Once upon a time, there was a man named Paul. Paul loved Jesus very much and wanted to tell everyone about Him. One day, Paul was on his way to a special place to pray. But before he got there, he met a girl who really needed help.
This girl was sad because she had a bad spirit inside her. Paul knew that Jesus could help her, so he told the bad spirit to leave, and it did! The girl was free, and she was so happy!
But some mean people got mad at Paul because they couldn’t use the girl to make money anymore. They had Paul and his friend Silas thrown into jail. It was very dark and scary there, but Paul and Silas didn’t get sad. Instead, they started praying and singing songs to God.
Suddenly, an earthquake shook the jail, and all the doors flew open! The guard was scared and thought everyone would escape, but Paul shouted, “Don’t worry, we’re all still here!” The guard was so amazed by Paul and Silas that he wanted to know about Jesus too. So Paul told him all about Jesus, and the guard and his whole family decided to follow Jesus.
Paul planted many seeds of God’s love and truth that day, even in a dark and scary place. And those seeds grew into something wonderful.
So remember, no matter where you are or what happens, you can always plant seeds of Jesus’ love by being kind and helpful. Who knows what amazing things God will grow from those seeds!
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Luke 8: The Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Sower is one of the parables of Jesus found in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Jesus used parables to teach spiritual truths through everyday, relatable stories. This parable uses the image of sowing seeds, which was a common agricultural practice in ancient Israel.
During Jesus’ time, farming was a significant part of daily life in the region. The process of sowing seeds and nurturing crops was well understood, making this parable an effective means of conveying deeper spiritual lessons. Jesus often used such parables to engage the audience, encouraging them to think and understand the principles of the Kingdom of God through familiar scenarios.
Acts 16: Paul's Missionary Journey
In Acts 16, we read about Paul's second missionary journey, especially his travels around the regions of Phrygia and Galatia, forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia and Bithynia. Instead, Paul received a vision calling him to Macedonia, which is part of modern-day Northern Greece.
Macedonia was a significant Roman province with Philippi being a leading city. At that time, it was not uncommon for Roman colonies like Philippi to host a mix of cultures, including Roman, Greek, and Jewish influences. This cultural melting pot made missionary work both challenging and fruitful due to the diverse audience Paul encountered.
Roman prisons, where Paul and Silas ended up, were harsh environments. Prisoners often faced inhumane conditions, but Paul and Silas' response of prayer and worship amid adversity turned a dire situation into an opportunity to testify about Jesus. Their resilience, faith, and the resulting earthquake leading to the jailer's conversion highlight the power of steadfast faith in spreading the gospel even in the most challenging circumstances.
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Matthew, Mark, and Luke share the same parable. Say, well, what is a parable? I think everybody knows what a parable is, but the definition of the word actually comes from. The greek word means to lay side by side or parallel, to see a likeness or similitude.
So you can see a story. It's a picture story. It's the same word. We get the word parallel from, and we know, as if you've been in church very long, it's a story that portrays and emphasizes truth. Now, I said, matthew, mark, and Luke all tell this parable, but I want us to go to Luke chapter eight, verse four.
Luke chapter eight, verse four, and read this parable from Luke's perspective, almost word for word. But it says, and when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, in other words, they were having church. They were having church, and people were coming to hear Jesus. And he said in a parable, a sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it, and some fell on the rock.
As it grew up, it withered away because it had no moisture, and some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold. And as he said these things, he called out, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. That was one of the phrases that Jesus often spoke and said, he that has an ear, let him hear. And some translations say, let him hear what the spirit is saying to the church.
I believe this morning we need to hear what God is wanting us to understand. And this morning I want to share with you this thought. A sower went out to sow. That's what the King James version starts out. That's illustration.
A sower went out to sow. But instead of using a figurative story to explain a literal event, I want to use the literal event to shed some light on the significance of the sower went out to sow. So say it with me. A sower went out to sow. How many knows?
That's what a sower does. A sower goes out to sow. Some people call him a farmer. Some people say it was he that distributes seeds. But the reality is a sower is one that has to distribute or to sow seeds.
Now, in acts chapter 16, we have an awesome story that we're going to be looking at. It's a story of a sower that went out to sow. And that sower was Paul, and he went to an unusual place to sow his seed. He went to an unusual place to sow his seed. Now, as we look in chapter 16 of acts, we'll see that story of a sower that went out to sow.
Now, I want to mention a couple of truths that I want you to keep lookout for as we go over to them. One of them, then I'm sure that we all know. But we may need to be reminded as Christians. As Christians, we have ready access for seeds to sow. I said, as Christians, we have ready access for seeds to sow.
Because I'm going to tell you, if you are not don't have seeds, it doesn't do you any good to go out to sow. I say, if you don't have something to share. I believe that's one of the problems that we have in our churches today, that sometimes we neglect the truth. And when you don't share the truth, you don't have anything to share. I said, if you don't share the truth, you've got nothing to share.
But in two corinthians, this is what Paul says in chapter nine, verse ten, he who supplies seed to the sower, who is that? That's God. And food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. Now, amazing thing. As we sow and do God's work, guess what?
He lets his righteousness come out of us. We will reap that righteousness. It says, you will be enriched in every way. To be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. So as we are vessels or as we are conduits to let God's blessings flow through us.
And let's use that analogy of sowing seeds today, every time we sow a seed, guess what we're doing. We're letting God's blessings flow through us. And God's not going to be a debtor to anybody. If you start sharing the seed, guess what? He's going to give you some more seed to share.
And I want to tell you this before we get any further. You are sowing seeds.
But you'll have to decide what seed you're showing, because I'm going to tell you there's a lot of seeds that are being sown out there in the world today. Discord, hatred, bitterness, anger. You say, well, I'm not sowing that seed. I hope not. I hope not.
But the Bible tells us that we're living epistles. Now, what that means is we're letters, living letters read, of all men. So what you are living is what you are sowing. I said, what you're living is what you're sowing. So we're all sowing something.
So we need to understand that God will supply the seed. And the more we sow, the more he'll give, even as we're giving of our finances. Now, you don't have to hold on to your bill, folks. I'm not taking a special offering today, but I can tell you that as you share them, God shares more with you. He gives more to you.
You can outsow God. Cause a sow, sower went out to sow. Now, it tells us here as we read it, and we need to understand that a sower cannot do it by itself. How many knows a little bit about farming? Not a bunch, but how many know a little bit about farming?
How many can ask your wife.
Now, I see a lot of people say, I asked Google, I asked Marcia, it was, in effect, long time before Google washing.
But most of us know a little bit about how to plant a seed. And we know that without planting a seed, you're not going to have a harvest. But the reality is you need more than just the sower. You need the one that prepares the ground. That's right.
You need the one who tends the ground or hoes the weeds. You know, you're the one that fertilize it, and without the harvester, not doing any good to sow. But today, I want us to emphasize the sower. But each and every one of us, each and every one of these people are very, very important. And there's a few things that we must remind ourselves.
We got to have good seed. I said we got to have good seed. We need to prepare the ground. We need to take care of the plants. We need to harvest the crop.
But this morning we're going to emphasize planting the seed. A sower went out to sow, realizing again all of those other things are important, and we'll talk about them a little bit more later. The harvest requires work, but then you get to see the results of your work. The tiller of the soil. That's probably the hardest thing, because you don't see anything except dirt.
You're just getting it ready. But I'm going to tell you, the one that prepares the ground, he's the one that gets part of the harvest.
And the sower. The reality is, every one of these is done by what? Faith. Because if you're planting seeds and not expecting a harvest, you're probably not going to get much. If you're not taking care of it, you're probably not going to get much.
But the sower expects the harvest. But we also understand what that you don't get that harvest immediately. I said, doesn't happen immediately. The closest thing to that is radishes. You can grow a radish, plant a radish in less than 30 days.
You can have a radish. But how many knows? It takes longer for an oak tree. It takes longer for a pecan tree. I got a pecan tree.
It's eight years old and it ain't had a pecan yet. I keep thinking it will, but it takes time. It takes time. Now, I want us to look at the field that Paul was asked to sow in. He was asked to sow in.
Actually wasn't asked. This was his field, and I want to begin, and it's going to be in chapter 16. He was headed where? He was headed to a place of prayer. We could say he was headed to church.
I know it wasn't a church at that time, but he was headed to a place of prayer. As recorded in verse 16 of acts chapter 16. As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune telling. See, on the way to sow at church, he was disrupted. How many knows that life is full of disruptions?
I said, life is full of disruptions. And the amazing thing is, sometimes Paul probably was headed to a good assembly of God church. That everything was good. He had a nice coffee raid for him. Everything was clean, everything was good.
Had field immaculate already for seed. But on the way.
On the way, he ran into a demon possessed person.
But that wasn't the end of it. What else happened? Look at it. He says.
She followed Paul and us. Luke was writing this, crying out, these men are servants of the most high God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation. And this ye kept doing for many days. Paul having become greatly annoyed. Can you imagine a pastor getting annoyed man?
He would be kicked out of the assemblies in a minute. He became greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out of that very hour. Now, there's a lot we can say, but let me just point out, he did not speak to the person. He spoke to the evil spirit.
We cannot blame a lot of people for what they're doing because they don't know better. But we can speak to the issue. Okay, you see, we got to love people, but address the issue. And he spoke to the demon, to the spirit, and he cast out the demon. Now, after Paul brought deliverance to a demon, plague girl, when the owners saw, they began to sow seed.
But it wasn't good seed. It wasn't good seed. What did it say? It said, but when the owners saw their hope of gain was gone, they had seed of greed, selfishness, finances. You could go on and on.
It says, they seized Paul and Silas, dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they brought them to the magistrates, they said, these men are Jews and they're disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice. Let me just set this out here. They were fine until it began to affect their pocketbook.
There's a lot of people don't mind anything about what you say about God, but when it begins to get into their pocketbook, they don't like it.
Thank you.
That's the truth. See, a dead fish can float downstream. I said a dead fish can float downstream. But when we get doing things for God, we're going against the current. And when we begin to do things that disrupts people and takes money away from them, guess what?
They gonna get upset. They gonna get bent out of shape. That's just the way the human point people are. They do that. And after Paul delivered that demonic girl, they began to sow seeds.
Seeds of anger, seeds of discontentment, seeds of greed. So let me just ask you folks, what are you sowing? Only you can answer that. I said only you can answer that. Now.
See, a sower goes out to plant, and I believe God wants us to plant Jesus. He wants us to plant love. He wants us to plant encouragement. And here is a great point. Jesus is the seed.
He is the good seed. The believer can only produce of the seed that is in him.
Okay, this is gonna get touchy right here. Now, y'all go ahead and say, o me. I know you're not gonna say amen, but you can say, o me.
We have today in the farmer's circle, what we know as hybrids, hybrids. You know what a hybrid seed is? It's a genetically altered seed that will not produce the next generation. It will produce that, but you cannot take that seed and plant it because it's been genetically altered. You cannot do that.
So the real thing, it comes down to the fact that if we don't have the real seed, we've got nothing to plant. I said, if we don't have the real seed, we've got nothing to plant. And Jesus, he is the seed that we need to be planting. He is what we need to be broadcasting. He is the one that we need to plant.
He is the good seed. And the believer can only produce the seed that is in him, and so we can only produce or reproduce the seed that is in us. If we have Christ, guess what? We plant good seeds. If we don't, we cannot produce good seeds.
So Paul was on his way to prayer and got disrupted.
He was going to plant seeds. He was going to have church at prayer. But what happened? He got arrested. What happened?
If you take time to read it, he got beat, matter of fact. Said they stripped him down and beat him some more, carried him to prison. Told the guard, says he better not get out. He better be here when we come back to get him.
Now, I don't know about you, I'm glad that on my way to church this morning, I didn't get interrupted, I didn't get stopped, because, I tell you, I'm glad that I didn't go get put in jail today and that I had to plant my seed to those prisoners instead of you. But it ought been worse. If they'd have stripped me down and beat me, that would not have been a pretty sight. But they left Paul beaten, battered and bloodied, and left for dead, almost close to a death punishment. And all he was wanting to do was to plant some seeds.
All he was wanting to do was to share the good things of God. And so if that would have been me, I would have probably been upset.
But guess what Paul wanted to do about midnight after all day, been beaten up on at midnight. Now, I can't still wake that late, but at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. He was asked to go plant the seed in the prison. Now, I want you to know, this is a thought. This is not a theology.
Don't you call Terry Rayburn and tell him I've been preaching heresy. This is just a thought.
Go back to the early part of chapter 16, verse nine. Because, see, Paul wanted to go to Asia. And God says, no, I don't want you to go to Asia. He wanted to go. Bithynia said, no, not going to Bithynia.
And verse nine says, and a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia was standing there urging him and saying, come over to Macedonia and help us. And when Paul had seen the evision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them, that God had called us to plant seed in Macedonia. So, setting sail from troas, they made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and to the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi. That's where the jail was.
To Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia.
Just the thought, the man in the dream, could it have been the prisoner? I mean, could it have been the prison guard saying, come on and tell me about Jesus. Or Gator could have been one of the other prisoners. Come tell me about Jesus.
You say, well, what's a big idea of that? I can tell you that sometimes we're going in obedience to the answer of other people's prayers.
Some of you heard me say this before.
I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to witness the family members. See, they know how awesome I am. No, not really. They know about all my warts, and it's harder to witness to them. And one day I was praying to God because my dad was not living for God at all.
And I said, God sends somebody to talk to my daddy. Somebody thinks that's a good prayer. Send somebody to talk to my daddy. And you know what God said to me? Whose daddy are you talking to?
See, you may not complaint the seed in your garden, but you can plant it in somebody else's garden. And the answer to somebody's prayer said, come to Macedonia because I need to hear about Jesus.
See, Paul was headed to Asia. God said, no. Bithynia. Nope. You gotta go to Philippi.
Now. I don't think Paul had an inkling at that time. Okay, I'm going to Philippi. I'm going to go on a mission trip. I'm going to Philippi.
He probably didn't know he was going to jail. He didn't probably know that he's going to get beaten. He probably didn't know that he was being almost murdered.
But could that be a little bit what Paul was saying later on in another book when he said, I've learned in all things to be content as long as I'm doing what God wants me to do, answering somebody else's prayer. The man that called Paul in his vision, could it have been the jailer or could it have been one of his family members? Because, see, they all got saved, or could have been one of the prisoners.
Folks, God tells us to plant the seeds. Chances are he has already had somebody else to prepare the ground. I said, chances are somebody else has already been praying for them. For those of you that have been praying for your families, don't you hope somebody goes plant the seeds? A few weeks ago, I was reading a bit of the book by Jonathan Cahn called the Josiah Manifesto.
Good book. What little bit I've read. But one of the things I read right at the beginning, I was so blessed when I read that. When Joseph Kahn went to Cuba a number of years ago, he went to Cuba. And the two places that he singled out in his book were the two places that we've built churches in Cuba.
That was years ago.
The two communities that he mentioned are the ones that we have built church, and they've had revival in those churches.
But our first trip to Cuba. I said, our first trip to Cuba that Jerry went on. I did not go on the first trip. Gator was there. The pastor of that church said that God gave them a vision 30 years ago that some people from America were coming to build them a church.
30 years later, we showed up.
I don't think that's coincidence. I think God honored his word, and it took that long for the ground to be prepared. It took that long for the seed to be planted. It took that long for it to happen. And we were able to go help in the increase.
A sower goes out to sow. You may be the answer to someone's prayer.
Think about it. When Paul got on the boat, he probably was not saying, hey, I get to get arrested. I'm going to be dragged through the streets. I'm going to be stripped naked in front of everybody and beaten just so I can plant some seeds. Maybe Paul understood a little better.
That might have been his motivation to poke silence, say, hey, boys, we got to sing because we got some seed to plant. We got some seed to plant. Oh, man. Tomorrow we get to celebrate the life of Harry Dietrich, you know, who led him to the Lord, his future father in law, who was a missionary. And he and Esther got married and lived married for over 70 years.
But I just found this out the other day. I knew that he had served in New Jersey, planted a church. Several churches in New Jersey. But for 35 years, Harry Dietrich went door to door selling electrolux vacuum cleaners to support his habit of eating so that he could take time to plant seeds. And I can tell you Harry's passion was sharing the gospel.
I said, his passion was sharing the gospel. I can tell you he probably planted a lot more seeds than he sold vacuum cleaners.
His last assignment, he and Esther, after all those years of pastoring in the small church, he and Esther's last assignment was a little missions church, as you might have heard of, called Times Square. Both of them worked on staff, worked for Dave Wilkerson faithful. Sowing seeds. Sowing seeds. A sower went out to sow sow.
See, church, we don't know what kind of ground we're sowing into on the surface. Cause it may look hard. It may look like there's no way that this will ever bring forth a crop. There's no way that that rascal can be saved.
Look at all the briars. Look at all those things. But guess what? Someone may have been praying for them. Somebody might have been tilling the soil.
Somebody may have been watering it, just waiting for somebody to plant the seed. Go back to verse 25. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. And the prisoners were listening to them drop down to verse 28. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, do not harm yourself, for we're all here now.
What brought that on? The guard came back because all the doors opened up. I said, all the gates, all the doors opened up. And guess what? My ministry started preaching in jails.
I don't know a whole lot about it, but I was glad that I had a captive audience when I first started. You know, they didn't walk out on me. A lot of them went to sleep, but they didn't walk out. But I can tell you, if somebody come by and opened those doors, they wouldn't have took time to say bye.
All the doors, all the cells, the locks on their hands and on their feet broke off. And that guard saw that and said, oh, no, what happened? Everything went. There was an earthquake. Things went to pieces.
And he came out with his sword in his hand. You can read it. Getting ready to kill himself because he knew that was what was coming. They were going to kill him because he was given the responsibility of keeping those prisoners. Now, I don't know if you thought about it, we know Paul was a man of faith.
But it appears like none of those prisoners left.
And I tell you, I just believe that every one of them, every one of them became a believer because in the middle of that prison, in the middle of that prison, he sowed the seed.
You see, when you sow good seed in good soil, in good season, you will have a good harvest. You say, well, when will that be? That's a good question. Because seasons difference.
I'm fixing to share two things with you. One I knew and one I didn't know. I know that surprised you that I didn't know it, but I knew that there were some seeds that needed prophetic. They needed to go through the fire to sprouthdemen. There are certain pine trees that those cones are so tight that until a forest fire heats them up, they will never reproduce.
They have to go through the fire, man.
Nobody likes to go through the fire, but sometimes the seed cannot be sown until the fire.
I was listening to a CD yesterday of JD Sumner, a stamps quartet. Now, many people know that he had a terrible drinking problem. And he drank. He sang for Elvis. And by his own, speaking on the video yesterday, I saw him say that he was the only one that Elvis allowed to drink.
And he had convinced Elvis that the reason he had a low voice is because he drank.
Okay. I'm glad to say that JD Sumner was delivered from his alcoholism of drinking two fifths a day.
And he said that Elvis refused to allow anyone to drink except him. And he refused to have marijuana and other drugs allowed. The only thing we know that he was hooked on the downers and the uppers. What am I saying? I'm saying that sometimes there's things people going through we don't know, but God does.
I said God does. And he prepares the ground. And some, he has to go through the fire. Some of them have to go through the fire. But there's another one.
One that I did not know is that there's some seed that they call they have to be scarification. You say, what in the world? Scarification. I didn't know this either. I don't make you feel good.
Something I didn't know. Scarification. There's some seeds that are so strong and tough that the only way they can be sprout is if they're scarred, if they're chipped off some of the husk, because it's so hard. Maybe your husband's like that, have to be scarred.
Why are you saying this? I'm telling you that we don't know the times nor the seasons. We don't know where they are. But a sower went forth to sow and he went to that prison and had revival, even though it was not an easy time of sowing seed. He was obedient.
He was obedient to God.
So what do we do? Well, let's do our part. We've got the good seed, right? We got the best seed, and that's Jesus. Somebody else has been preparing the ground, or maybe you have.
I want to encourage you. I've been pastoring here at this church almost 40 years, and there have been several spouses that came to know Jesus Christ after 25 or 30 years of prayer. 25 or 30 years of somebody tilling the soil, of watering the soil. So we have the good seed. And I believe God can make the good ground out of anybody.
Look at me and you and a good season. And some of you say, well, where do I fit in? Well, I'm glad you asked. That's a good question. And I think Paul answered that in first Corinthians, chapter three, first Corinthians, chapter three, verse one.
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
Every one of us here today are somewhere on the spectrum. Some of you may be unbelievers. If you're unbelievers, you're over here below zero. And that's not degrading you. That's just factual.
You're over here. But some of you are brand new babies Christians. And guess what that means. You're a baby Christian. You're here.
And listen what Paul says about the baby christians. He says, I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. You're not ready. Somebody said, well, I'd love to go to Africa to be a missionary. Hey, listen, if you won't cross the street, you shouldn't cross the seas.
Hey, that's good. Y'all write that down. And even now, you're not yet ready.
A lot of people stop there. They say, I'm not ready. I'm not ready.
But see, that's you're still in the flesh. For while there's jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, I follow Paul, and another I follow Apollos, are you not merely being human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul?
Now, who was writing this? Paul, he says, servants through whom you believed. And I know none of you would say, well, I don't say I'm of apollos. I don't say I'm of Paul. No, we say, I'm church of God, or sym to God or Baptist or you name it.
But I like what the old brother said. If you go up, the tag's going to drop off. If you go down, it's going to burn off.
That's what he's saying. Those tags don't mean a whole lot. What means something is, are we born in the blood? Are we washed in the blood? Have we been redeemed?
But God gave the growth. It says, I planted, apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and who waters are one. Each one receive his wages according to his labor, for we are God's fellow laborers.
Oh. Oh. That means God and I work together. Hey, I believe that with God's help, I can do about anything. Isn't that what it says?
I can things through Christ, which strengthened me. You are God's field. You are God's building.
You say, well, pastor, I can't do much. What is much? I said, what is much? I think Jesus said, inasmuch you've done the least of this to my brothers, you've done it to me. Give a cup of water, give a word of encouragement, plant some seed.
A number of years ago, and I'm glad I know this to be true, a number of years ago, I received a letter from one of our missionaries, and it closed. And he made this statement, said, I know you'll hear a lot of missionaries say, the least you can do is to pray. But that's wrong. The most you can do is pray. The most you can do is pray.
Well, I don't have great talents. I don't have great abilities. Let's use this. Paul, remember one time they were getting ready at another time to kill him. He went through the fire a lot.
They were going to kill him, and they were going to turn him over to these people that were wanting to stone him. And do you remember how he escaped? Anyone remember the story of how they put him in a basket? Put him in a basket. What did they do, gator?
They lowered him down on the outside of the wall. Now, Paul was the one that was rescued. Paul was the one that escaped. But I can tell you he thought pretty highly of the guy that held the rope.
Who held the rope? God's looking for a lot of people that do nothing and say, hey, I can hold the rope. I can hold the rope. I can plant the seed. I can carry the water.
I can do something for the kingdom of God, because greater is he that's within me than he that is in the world. And I want you to think about it again. Not a theology, but could that dream, that man in the vision, could it have been the jailer saying, paul, come tell me, come tell me, come tell me. Because I tell you, I've heard a lot of missionary stories of people that had visions just like the church there in Cuba. God's going to send somebody.
You may be the one. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the word. Thank you that we are called to sow the seed.
God, some can not preach or teach or play musical instruments, but God, you can. Let us all pray. All of us plant words of encouragement and seeds of faith. Move and minister to us. Even right now, Lord, give us a passion that we've never had before and help us realize, God, that you're allowing us to be vessels, vessels of being used for you and God, we give you praise for it.
