IBS Application for Luke 8:11-15

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing they fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

This parable and it’s meaning carry with it a truth that was actually quite timely, because last night, I had a conversation with some of the guys about it. It came up in a discussion about how we all wished that some unbelievers could experience just a taste of the life God calls us all to be living, a life that we all are living out right now. I put forth the sentiment that I wished all people would be saved, even though I know that it isn’t the fulfillment of God’s plan for the world. There is an elect, and not all people will choose to partake in Christ’s gift of salvation.

It’s a disappointing notion to me. And it was driven home by this parable. Not all people will receive the Word well. Some will have a short-lived outburst of joy in response to it, but will remain ungrounded in it and the joy will fade someday. Others will be too caught up in worrying about worldly things to make time for it, and the message will be choked out by the noise of life. Some will be attacked by the devil before the message has a chance to take root. It’s a warning to us who sow the seeds of the Gospel to others that not all who receive the message will end up being saved.

While all these outcomes carry disappointment with them, there seems to be a greater meaning to the message overall that I find many people overlook. The sower still shows the seeds. He still spreads the word to all who would hear it, despite knowing that not all will respond in the proper way, if at all. God still loves them enough to try.

This bit of information is consistent with Christ’s command to His disciples at the Great Commission. He told them to go out into the world preaching the Gospel and making disciples of the peoples of all nations. The command here was to sow the seeds in all places until the entire world has heard the good news. These same men that He told to do this were also informed that their efforts may end up being in vain.

I believe that Christ perhaps knew that it was a possibility that His men would get discouraged when they went out into the world preaching what they were told to preach only to find that not all would be converted. And it is a discouraging thing to see. I’ve seen it happen almost every time I’ve shared the word with the unbelievers in my life. I asked God each time what the point of sharing the Gospel was in each case, and wondered whether the not I was doing any good for the Kingdom.

But this passage warns us that there will be disappointment. And I think the additional takeaway from it is that it ultimately isn’t up to us whether or not a person receives the word or not; it’s up to them and the Holy Spirit working on their hearts to convict them of their sin and their need for forgiveness. Nothing we do will change their minds.

Our job is to be seed sowers, not the cultivators of those seeds. That’s God’s job. We may be used as tools in that cultivation, but ultimately, we aren’t the ones that determine whether or not that seed will grow. Once the seeds have been sown, our responsibility in the process has been fulfilled, at least until some are then called to serve as the means by which the seed grows to fruition.

But the amazing thing about the entire process is that we do not know what God’s plans for certain individuals are. Ground upon which the seeds weren’t able to grow the first time may grow the next time. If not that time, then perhaps the next time, or the time after that, and so on. God can work miracles in the lives of unbelievers. Our call is to be faithful to that fact and share the word with persistence, and know that the seeds that we sow may not be the ones that take root.

This need to have perseverance in the sharing of the Gospel is essential for the completion of the mission. There are some of us here who are only here because God was persistent in His pursuit of us. He didn’t give up on us; He’s asking us to have the same perseverance and not give up on those who still don’t know Him.

This message is one that I find particularly convicting, specifically in regards to some of the people I met during my time working at Walmart. However, because I may not have an opportunity to witness to some of them again by the time I have finished the program here, I will do what I can from here. For the next week when I wake up, I will pray for each individual from my old job that I know isn’t saved, so that perhaps the seeds I sowed while I was still there will receive the proper cultivation, or else that whoever else might be called by Christ to minister to them now will answer that call with God-granted wisdom and sow the seeds again, and that those seeds will receive the proper cultivation. And if I ever get a chance to minister to any of them again, I will do so, asking that God would soften their hearts enough to receive the message. For a more immediately practical application, however, I will make an effort to let God use me when He calls me to minister to the people here in Whitefish, in whatever way I can, as often as I can, not fearing the outcome because it isn’t something that I can control.