Luke 8:5 and 15, “A sower went out to sow his seed... But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
Every Christian believer ought to be a spiritual Johnny Appleseed, planting
seeds everywhere one goes for the Lord. The Word of God is that Seed by
which men are born-again into the kingdom of God. 1st Peter 1:23, “Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” The Bible is the Seed which
must be planted into men's hearts if they are to be saved, specifically the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Most religious people these days are planting the wrong kind of seeds. Instead of planting the Seed of the Gospel, they are planting seeds of hatred, gossip, and wickedness. While some Christians are keeping busy soul-winning, contending for the faith, and serving God; other backslidden and carnally-minded believers are working against the cause of Christ by spewing hatred, gossip, and sowing discord amongst brethren. God will judge each and every believer individually at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11; James 4:12, 5:9).
I would be ashamed if one day I stood before God, having spent my life tearing people down with malicious gossip; rather than building up the Body of Christ by soul-winning and earnestly contending for the Christian faith. Some people have nothing more going for them than to slander, gossip, and tear others down with their malicious words. I refuse to live like that, planting seeds of hatred and contempt, which is exactly how Satan behaves. Revelation 12:10, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” You are never more like Satan than when you point fingers at anyone. Satan accuses believers to God day and night the Bible says, just like some wicked people do. I condemn no one, just as Christ condemned no one (John 3:17). God's Law condemns the whole world (Romans 3:19).
I choose rather to spend my time soul-winning, contending for the Christian faith, and living for God by helping others (Philippians 2:4-5).The Bible teaches in Romans 12:21, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” When people condemn you and try to discourage you, overcome evil with good by sharing the Gospel, give out Gospel tracts, distribute Gospels of John, or do something in Jesus' name that glorifies God the Father. Let the wicked tear each other down, wasting their lives away scorning one another in childish hatred; but I'm going to continue laying up treasures in Heaven by faithfully serving my King, preaching the Gospel of Christ Jesus to all.
What type of seeds do you plant?
The Bible teaches that a Christian believer with an honest and good heart keeps the Word of God and brings forth fruit. To bring forth fruit, seeds must be planted in order for something to grow. This means sharing the Gospel with others so that they can be saved. Most professed believers have their own selfish agenda and never share the Gospel with others. Most believers are choked by the cares, riches, and pleasures of this temporal life (Luke 8:14). Very few believers live from day-to-day with Heaven's closeness in view. Do you have any idea just how close we are to eternity?
What type of seeds are you planting on a daily basis with your life? Every day lived is another day spent. I would hate to think that I spent all my days wallowing in the mire of gossip, hatred, and condemnation of others. We're all living on borrowed time. 'Tis one life will soon be past, and only what's done for Christ will last. Daniel 12:3 tells us all that will matter 100 years from now for the believer... did you turn many to righteousness?
While soul-winning Christians are working to get sinners saved, there are others who work against their labors in the Lord. While one is pushing, the other is pulling. While one is building, the other is tearing down. This ought not be. Those carnally-minded believers who stifle the work of God and sow discord amongst brethren will face the terror of the Lord on Judgment Day (2nd Corinthians 5:11). They will lose all their rewards. God calls the feet of the soul-winner, beautiful (Romans 10:15). There is nothing beautiful about a gossiping tongue that spreads manure and instigates contempt and hatred toward others. In fact, God hates a lying tongue, a proud look, hands that shed innocent blood, feet that are quick to mischief, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, a false witness that telleth lies, and he that soweth discord amongst brethren (Proverb 6:16-19).
What type of seeds are you planting? Are you planting seeds of hatred, gossip, and distrust of others? Or are you planting the Seed of the Gospel everywhere you go? Are you planting seeds of good works done in Jesus' name? Or are you planting seeds of contempt and hatred toward others by your calloused and hardened heart?
Let's cut to the chase... are you a builder or a destroyer?
Most professed Christian believers today are floaters, neither building nor destroying. They simply don't care either way. Our churches are filled with floaters who sit on their blessed assurance, never doing anything to make a difference for Christ by sharing the Gospel. 2nd Corinthians 4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” Oh how great the cost of silence? The world is headed for eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire. If we hide the Gospel by remaining silent because we are too preoccupied with this temporal world, then it is the lost who will suffer the eternal consequences in Hell. This is exactly what 2nd Corinthians 4:3 states. If we fail to preach the Gospel, it is only hid from those who are lost.
Let every Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) singer hear the stern warning of 2nd Corinthians 4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” Not one mainstream CCM artist shares the Gospel on their website; yet they have influence over tens-of-millions of fans. The popular message of our apostate generation is love, love, love. Praise God for His unconditional love that sent Christ into the world to die for men's sins (John 3:16); but the Bible also teaches that God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11), and God's wrath abides upon all Christ-rejecters (John 3:36), and whosoever doesn't obey the Gospel will burn in the fires of Hell forever and ever (2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9).
What type of seeds are you planting?
May we all become as Johnny Appleseed (1774-1845), who planted apple tree seeds so much that he was nicknamed for it. Every Christian ought to plant the Seed of the Gospel everywhere we go. One of my favorite ways is to give someone a booklet of the Gospel of John, which was written for that very purpose. John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
1st Corinthians 15:33, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” You will not be what you decide to become; but rather, you will become what you decide to be around. People who watch TV on a regular basis are going to have a garbage pail for a mind—saturated with filth, violence, self-righteous hypocrisy, and brainwashing indoctrination from the manure-spreading newsmedia. A believer who loves Jesus Christ ought to hate what television is today. If you'll turn off the TV and instead spend time searching the Scriptures (John 5:39), then you'll become more concerned about the things of Jesus Christ's as Philippians 2:21 teaches (thinking about others, Philippians 2:4-5).
Walk with God and you'll begin to hunger for souls to be saved. It is a matter of faith. Most churchgoers don't really believe that there's a place called Hell that burns with fire and molten sulfur (Revelation 21:8), where all Christ-rejecters will be tormented for ever and ever. Most religious people don't believe in a literal Hell. However, the Word of God plainly teaches and warns that Hell is real “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
What type of seeds do you plant... seeds of righteousness or seeds of wickedness? Every one sows some type of seeds. Those seeds sprout and bring forth either good fruit or evil fruit. The Bible warns that every man will reap what he sows (Galatians 6:7). While the wicked plant seeds of evil, hatred, and unbelief; Christians ought to lay up treasures in Heaven by planting the Seed of the Gospel into the hearts and minds of men.
It is wonderful to know that amidst all the sorrow, pain, and tribulation of this temporal earthly life that we can BE OF GOOD CHEER as Jesus said in John 16:33; rejoicing that Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended into Heaven, seated on the Father's right-hand, and is now interceding on our behalf as our heavenly High Priest (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 4:15-16). What a precious Savior, Jesus is mine!
Job 19:25, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”
