Last night at our house church gathering that was hosted in the home of a sweet 84 year old widow who opened her heart and home to us, we read the Parable of The Sower together in Mark 4:1-20 and we reflected and discussed on “Sowing.”
As I read the passage one more time this morning, I reflected on that all through the Gospel in the NT we see God's extravagant sowing in people and in the church.
After the stoning of Stephen in Chapter 7, men scattered from the persecution that followed from Cypres and Syrean, they went out and sowed the Gospel into the weeds and thorns, to gentiles, who would believe it. Their sowing establish the great church in Antioch that later sent Paul out to be the great missionary. (Acts 11:20)
In the 4th century the whole church is brought to its knees by Barbarians that invaded and sacked the Roman Empire. What did the church do? They sowed to the barbarians. And they became better Christians than the Romans!
Fast forward to recent time: Africa was known as "the grave yard of missionaries”, but the real story was God's extravagant sowing into Africa. China called us "foreign Devils." But the real story is the Gospel took root in China, and today the most dramatic growing churches are in Africa and China.
All through history the story is the remarkable spreading of the gospel through individuals and churches who extravagantly and wildly sowed God's seed.
And we come to the present, to our church One Direction Community and to your church. What if a handful of 4 or 5, or dozen people gathered in our or your church had one wild idea: “What if we actually became a church that served and wildly sowed to the people in Madison, Huntsville, Harvest and other communities in your area?”
What if we asked the mayors or officials what are their problem areas? Their weedy, thorny areas, that give them the most headaches: the barbarians, the missionary graveyards, the foreign devils and we sowed there?
What if when your church gathers next your pastor is greeted by a handful or more of people who tell him, “Lets start sowing!!”
What if in our churches we didn't just focus on collecting and acquiring God's seed in Sunday morning Bible Studies and our worship services (which are good), but spent most of our time looking forward to who we need to be sowing the seed we collected? And then hold each other accountable to sowing the seed.
What if we did not form a Missions committee in our church, but we formed and became a church of missionaries all sent on mission with God to sow?
What if we did not form a wonderful prayer committee in our church, but we actually sought to be a whole church that fasted and prayed?
What if we sought not to be known as the church to go into with the amazing worship team or worship service, but as a church that collectively goes out into and continuously sows and worships out in its community?
What if we actually formed a church who’s heart breaks for the lost, and that was concerned that one marvelous day, when we stand together in the new earth among the millions before the lamb and worship Him, that because of our extravagant sowing into their lives, our neighbors, classmates, co-workers, and others from our area, are there as well, along side us proclaiming:
That God’s sowing is more consistent than the Devil’s snatching!
His sowing is more powerful than the devil’s eating!
His sowing is more enduring than the devil’s tribulation!
His sowing is more persistent than the devil’s choking!
My family, I pray this morning after reading this you ask the Hoy Spirit to give to you the names of the handful or dozens of people to ask to join you in Wildly Extravagantly Sowing in your community, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for reaching with the Gospel those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
