Sneak Peak at Feb. 27th Sermon...Luke 8: 4-18

This is a familiar passage...The Parable of the Sower...which we could have quickly read through and felt that we understood.  Good soil produces fruit and bad soil does not.  God's word takes root in good hearts and does not in hard hearts.  But as we paused and questioned our understanding, we found instruction in His words and not just a statement of fact.

After sharing the parable with the crowd Jesus called out (vs. 8), "Let anyone with ears to hear listen."  This told us that there was more here than a casual reading would reveal.  Jesus challenges us to open ourselves up to receive instruction and understanding even in those situations that at first seem to be so normal.  Anyone who has ever planted a seed knows that the soil condition is critical to the success of plant growth, but here Christ is telling us that there is more to the story.

In verses 9 & 10, Jesus explained to his disciples that he spoke in parables so that those who did not understand would seek the meaning.  Parables were intended to cause people to ask what the meaning was and to look deeper and seek understanding...listen and learn.

He then went on to explain in verses 11-15 what the parable meant.  The seed is the word of God for those who would hear it and the devil takes the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be save.  So that word is planted in our hearts so that we may believe and be saved, and the devil will be trying to keep that word from taking root in our hearts.  Satan will harden our hearts, the hard path, to keep the word from entering our hearts. If we receive the word he will do all he can to keep it from taking root, temptation, worries, pleasures so that the roots are not nourished and growth does not happen.  But when the word is planted in an honest and good heart, it will bear fruit with patience and endurance.

Verses 16-18 went on with Jesus talking about lighting a lamp, not to put it under a jar, but to put it on a lampstand so that enter may see the light.  Then in verse 18 he once again talks about listening, "Pay attention to how you listen...".  Jesus, apparently wants us to receive the word of God, listening and being fed by the word so that we may beieve and be save.  Also, he wants us to use the word to bring light so others may see and believe.

As we were coming to an end of the study we talked about Jesus himself, being the sower, the seed, and the light and that as we grow in Him, we also will be sowers of the word but as well be the seeds that die to self so that we can bear fruit in Him, so that others will come to believe and find salvation.  Jesus is making us aware that it is by our listening, seeking His teachinng and leading, that we can endure our season of growth and maturation..beaingr fruit for Him.

God in the Midst...Praise Him!...Acts 16: 16-35 (Sunday Feb. 13, 2011 Text)

What a good class and discussion Wed.  In these passages we see God revealing His love for the saved and the unsaved through what we call persecution.  Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into jail for casting out a "spirit of divination" from a slave girl who was used to raise money for fortune telling.  Paul was annoyed when the girl cried out (vs. 17) "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation."  We questioned why Paul would be annoyed by a statement of truth and we determined that he was annoyed, because the truth was not spoken to glorify God, but was being used for profiting evil people.  Paul was so in love with Christ, that he could not stand silently by when the gospel message was used for evil gain.  Of course the crowd, probably incited by the slave owners, were upset because Paul was disrupting their way of behavior and commerce..."disturbing our city" (vs.20).  This reminded us of the reception Jesus got when he overturned the tables in the temple in Jerusalem.  He also could not stand by and ignore evil gain, instead of glorifying God.

As we moved through verses 25-35, we see how loving God is and how He orchestrates all things in order to redeem us and reveal His love for us.  Paul and Silas, having been beaten and in jail, locked in the stocks, were worshiping God in the midst of their persecution.  They had no doubt that God deserved their praise and worship even then.  God's response to their circumstance was awesome...an earthquake, all the prisoners set free, and the jailer seeking salvation.  The prisoners, although free, chose to remain; a testimony to their faith and hunger for God.  Paul and Silas witnessed to the jailer...(vs. 31)  "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.", and through baptism the jailer and his family were welcomed into the family of God.

After all this, the next day the magistrates set Paul and Silas free.  God transformed what we label persecution, to actually be an act of love.  Paul and Silas shared their love with those around them and God revealed His love by His words which were delivered through these followers, to save the lost.