More than "just living"
The Spring after Mirjam and I purchased our first home in Salt Lake City, Mirjam's parents came to visit. During their stay, they helped us with a lot of work around the house. The main project that needed to be tackled was landscaping the back yard (which involved building a small retaining wall, making a tile patio, and planting grass). Mirjam's dad (Bernd) also planted many fruits and vegetables for us. Underneath our deck he planted two grapevines.
I loved those grapevines. The first few years they produced the sweetest grapes. But around our fourth summer the grapevines started looking different. The leaves looked like they were sick, and some would even shrivel. The vines still produced grapes, but far fewer; and the grapes they did produce would get bad looking spots on them (not the most appetizing). One fall we cut the vines back to almost nothing (hopefully getting rid of the sickness). The following spring things looked hopeful, but sure enough by fall it was plain to see that the vines were still sick and not producing fruit like they should.
Recently I have been reading the book of Matthew and I was hit by the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13. This is a parable I have heard countless times (I have even preached from it). No matter how many times I hear or read Jesus' words they still pull at my heart and cause the gears in my mind to turn.
The story is familiar to most of us, Jesus tells of a farmer who goes out to sew seed. The seed lands on four different types of soil. The first type of soil the seed can't even take root so no plant is produced. In the second soil the seed makes root, but not deep enough so the plant gets scorched and dies.
Then we get to the third soil. This soil seems to be good and full of nutrients. In fact the seed takes root, sprouts up, and it even grows to maturity. There is just one problem. This soil is also filled with "weeds". These weeds cause the plant to be unfruitful. Jesus finally tells about the fourth soil, the "good soil". The seed that falls here grows to maturity and then IT PRODUCES FRUIT. In fact Jesus declares it produced a crop a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown!
As I was reading this it hit me that one of the primary focuses of the parable is that the good soil will allow the seed to grow to maturity AND produce fruit! A healthy plant is one that will produce more plants. Farmers plant seeds intending to reap a harvest from those plants, not merely for the fun of growing a plant! If a plant does not produce seed, it is removed. A sick plant may not completely die, but rather, fail to produce fruit. I was prepared to give those grapevines one more year to see if I could help them recover, but after that, they would be removed. I don't want to keep around a grapevine that doesn't give me grapes to eat!
I think many well meaning people look at this parable and focus on a person just "growing in his or her faith," and in the process fail to stress the importance of having a faith that reproduces. There are so many things in the world today that rob our time and attention. These things may not cause a person to "walk away" from his faith; but they often prevent him from sharing his faith and reproducing.
I don't simply want to have a faith that is "living" but not "producing." I long to have a faith that is healthy and produces a crop. I know it is easy to let the worries of this life choke out my productivity. So my prayer is that I would allow God to weed the soil of my heart.
I think this parable can be applied not just individually, but to the corporate church as well. How often do we as the church get caught up with the worries of "life?" (How should we paint the youth room, who should serve as the chairman of the elders this year, how will we make budget!) Sometimes these concerns are valid, but if they take us away from the heart of the great commission (to make disciples) then they are robbing us from truly living. Are our churches not just "keeping the doors open," but reproducing by making disciples?
This last Sunday as I was talking with Mirjam's family I learned that their local Catholic cathedral only meets in their building every so often. Three different towns worship together and they rotate where they meet. This is because a. There is a shortage of priests and b. Attendance has been dwindling so there aren't that many worshipers. They can all fit in one cathedral easily (even though they are from three or more different towns)!
My prayer is for the church to make disciples! May we not just be content with a "living but not producing" faith, rather may we have a faith that yields crop; that produces fruit! I pray that we raise up leaders so that there are workers for the harvest fields. I want a faith that is more than just "alive," I want a faith that will thrive.
I loved those grapevines. The first few years they produced the sweetest grapes. But around our fourth summer the grapevines started looking different. The leaves looked like they were sick, and some would even shrivel. The vines still produced grapes, but far fewer; and the grapes they did produce would get bad looking spots on them (not the most appetizing). One fall we cut the vines back to almost nothing (hopefully getting rid of the sickness). The following spring things looked hopeful, but sure enough by fall it was plain to see that the vines were still sick and not producing fruit like they should.
Recently I have been reading the book of Matthew and I was hit by the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13. This is a parable I have heard countless times (I have even preached from it). No matter how many times I hear or read Jesus' words they still pull at my heart and cause the gears in my mind to turn.
The story is familiar to most of us, Jesus tells of a farmer who goes out to sew seed. The seed lands on four different types of soil. The first type of soil the seed can't even take root so no plant is produced. In the second soil the seed makes root, but not deep enough so the plant gets scorched and dies.
Then we get to the third soil. This soil seems to be good and full of nutrients. In fact the seed takes root, sprouts up, and it even grows to maturity. There is just one problem. This soil is also filled with "weeds". These weeds cause the plant to be unfruitful. Jesus finally tells about the fourth soil, the "good soil". The seed that falls here grows to maturity and then IT PRODUCES FRUIT. In fact Jesus declares it produced a crop a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown!
As I was reading this it hit me that one of the primary focuses of the parable is that the good soil will allow the seed to grow to maturity AND produce fruit! A healthy plant is one that will produce more plants. Farmers plant seeds intending to reap a harvest from those plants, not merely for the fun of growing a plant! If a plant does not produce seed, it is removed. A sick plant may not completely die, but rather, fail to produce fruit. I was prepared to give those grapevines one more year to see if I could help them recover, but after that, they would be removed. I don't want to keep around a grapevine that doesn't give me grapes to eat!
I think many well meaning people look at this parable and focus on a person just "growing in his or her faith," and in the process fail to stress the importance of having a faith that reproduces. There are so many things in the world today that rob our time and attention. These things may not cause a person to "walk away" from his faith; but they often prevent him from sharing his faith and reproducing.
I don't simply want to have a faith that is "living" but not "producing." I long to have a faith that is healthy and produces a crop. I know it is easy to let the worries of this life choke out my productivity. So my prayer is that I would allow God to weed the soil of my heart.
I think this parable can be applied not just individually, but to the corporate church as well. How often do we as the church get caught up with the worries of "life?" (How should we paint the youth room, who should serve as the chairman of the elders this year, how will we make budget!) Sometimes these concerns are valid, but if they take us away from the heart of the great commission (to make disciples) then they are robbing us from truly living. Are our churches not just "keeping the doors open," but reproducing by making disciples?
This last Sunday as I was talking with Mirjam's family I learned that their local Catholic cathedral only meets in their building every so often. Three different towns worship together and they rotate where they meet. This is because a. There is a shortage of priests and b. Attendance has been dwindling so there aren't that many worshipers. They can all fit in one cathedral easily (even though they are from three or more different towns)!
My prayer is for the church to make disciples! May we not just be content with a "living but not producing" faith, rather may we have a faith that yields crop; that produces fruit! I pray that we raise up leaders so that there are workers for the harvest fields. I want a faith that is more than just "alive," I want a faith that will thrive.
Comments
Post a Comment