Thursday, August 31, 2006
Seed
A friend and I were talking the other day when, in the course of the conversation, we started talking about the word of God. We recognized that the Scriptures are merely seed. I'm not maligning the word of God when I say "merely seed." Seed is absolutely essential if there is to be fruit. That's what God is interested in - fruit. The purpose of the seed is to release the life within it whereby it yields an abundance of fruit. As long as it remains in seed form, there will be no fruit. So I say "merely seed" because the seed has not fulfilled it's purpose until it yields a harvest of fruit.
There is an abundance of seed, but a scarce amount of fruit. Week after week, the seed is dispersed, studied, analyzed, memorized, quoted, explained and taught with seemingly little fruit to show for it. Obviously, having an abundance of seed has not resulted in an abundant harvest.
Have we deceived ourselves into thinking that if we know the Scriptures we'll be fruitful? The devil knows the Scriptures probably better than any of us. So what is missing? If we have the basic ingredient for fruit, why is there so little of it?
There is an abundance of seed, but a scarce amount of fruit. Week after week, the seed is dispersed, studied, analyzed, memorized, quoted, explained and taught with seemingly little fruit to show for it. Obviously, having an abundance of seed has not resulted in an abundant harvest.
Have we deceived ourselves into thinking that if we know the Scriptures we'll be fruitful? The devil knows the Scriptures probably better than any of us. So what is missing? If we have the basic ingredient for fruit, why is there so little of it?
# posted by Carman : 9:34 AM
Comments:
<< Home
I was just about to challenge your notion that scripture is seed and suggest that faith is seed... but then I remembered the parable of the soils, in which the seed is pretty clearly the word of God...
Which reminds me. Revival and renewal - do you suppose that's caused by God or caused by man? If there is no fruit, could mankind simply be living through a dry season? Individually, a tree may produce good fruit, but a lack of an overall harvest might be a statement about the state of the world in which we live, and less of a statement about the responsibility of believers. In the time of Judges, "the word of the Lord was scarce in those days." We could be in another time similar...
Just a thought.
Which reminds me. Revival and renewal - do you suppose that's caused by God or caused by man? If there is no fruit, could mankind simply be living through a dry season? Individually, a tree may produce good fruit, but a lack of an overall harvest might be a statement about the state of the world in which we live, and less of a statement about the responsibility of believers. In the time of Judges, "the word of the Lord was scarce in those days." We could be in another time similar...
Just a thought.
jovial cynic,
You pose some good thought-provoking questions. I believe revival and renewal is a joint effort between God and man, considering that the Scriptures speak of us as being co-laborers with God.
The lack of fruitfulness can have many factors contributing to it. You've noted the possibility of the state of the world being a contributing factor. That is a very real possibility. However, I would narrow it down somewhat to the western or developed world. The reports coming from China, India, Asia, Africa, and South America tell of a great harvest in the third world and developing countries. The numbers of people coming to Christ are staggering. Comparitively, it appears that the West is in a famine.
You pose some good thought-provoking questions. I believe revival and renewal is a joint effort between God and man, considering that the Scriptures speak of us as being co-laborers with God.
The lack of fruitfulness can have many factors contributing to it. You've noted the possibility of the state of the world being a contributing factor. That is a very real possibility. However, I would narrow it down somewhat to the western or developed world. The reports coming from China, India, Asia, Africa, and South America tell of a great harvest in the third world and developing countries. The numbers of people coming to Christ are staggering. Comparitively, it appears that the West is in a famine.
Well, if it's a famine in the west, than I'd argue that the west is certainly failing in their half of the co-laboring efforts. :)
The sad thing is that the corporate mega-church template of christianity of is so... good at it's aim. It's trying to bring people in the doors. And it's good at that, and that's what spreads the quickest. These times of harvest across the rest of the world is certainly going to be met by the West's interpretation of scripture and an invasion of culture as the western churches try to apply the exact same template to the rest of the world. They don't realize that this very "successful" formula is what's choking Christianity in America.
Bleah. In the same way that Israel was the enemy of Christ at the time of his crucifixion, I could easily see this "corporate church" being the enemy of Christ at his second coming, and that the greatest persecution will come from the "new orthodox" megachurch system that's spreading the globe...
But maybe I'm just being paranoid. :)
The sad thing is that the corporate mega-church template of christianity of is so... good at it's aim. It's trying to bring people in the doors. And it's good at that, and that's what spreads the quickest. These times of harvest across the rest of the world is certainly going to be met by the West's interpretation of scripture and an invasion of culture as the western churches try to apply the exact same template to the rest of the world. They don't realize that this very "successful" formula is what's choking Christianity in America.
Bleah. In the same way that Israel was the enemy of Christ at the time of his crucifixion, I could easily see this "corporate church" being the enemy of Christ at his second coming, and that the greatest persecution will come from the "new orthodox" megachurch system that's spreading the globe...
But maybe I'm just being paranoid. :)
jovial cynic,
You've nailed it! History has shown that persecution of those who are moving in the new thing God is doing comes first from the religious institution. Jesus said that what they do to him, they'll do to his followers. It was the religious institution that crucified him, getting the State to do its dirty work. We see that repeated down through history.
Pertaining to the famine in the West, It appears that we have been intent on building our own little religious kingdoms, i.e. megachurches, ministries, etc. However,there's only one kingdom that God will honor, and it's not any of our kingdoms.
You've nailed it! History has shown that persecution of those who are moving in the new thing God is doing comes first from the religious institution. Jesus said that what they do to him, they'll do to his followers. It was the religious institution that crucified him, getting the State to do its dirty work. We see that repeated down through history.
Pertaining to the famine in the West, It appears that we have been intent on building our own little religious kingdoms, i.e. megachurches, ministries, etc. However,there's only one kingdom that God will honor, and it's not any of our kingdoms.
You might like this post I wrote on my blog about a conversation I've had on a christian forum:
here's the link.
here's the link.
As a side note, I added your blog to my blogroll (list of links to blogs of people with whom I frequently chat). It's located in the center of my site, towards the bottom with the other links to folks.
Folks that come to my site now have a link to your site from my main page.
Folks that come to my site now have a link to your site from my main page.
jovial cynic,
I read your post, "Christ: Political Leader." Good Stuff! I perused your site and liked what I saw. Very engrossing. Love the expanse of topics you deal with.
Thanks for listing my blog. I appreciate it.
I read your post, "Christ: Political Leader." Good Stuff! I perused your site and liked what I saw. Very engrossing. Love the expanse of topics you deal with.
Thanks for listing my blog. I appreciate it.
Thanks!
It really is amazing how offended christians get over the suggestion that they might be wrong in their political loyalties... the intermix of church and politics has created that blurring, and as a result, a christian believes that everything the republican party says is Gospel. It's good to find more and more believers who are starting to get it.
If you go back to that same post, you'll notice that a friend of mine commented, and he's starting to come around. It's spreading... haha...
Post a Comment
It really is amazing how offended christians get over the suggestion that they might be wrong in their political loyalties... the intermix of church and politics has created that blurring, and as a result, a christian believes that everything the republican party says is Gospel. It's good to find more and more believers who are starting to get it.
If you go back to that same post, you'll notice that a friend of mine commented, and he's starting to come around. It's spreading... haha...
<< Home
