A farmer who scatters seeds gets a good night of sleep because he knows there is power in the seed and he trusts the process to produce. If we aren’t planting any seed then we should be concerned, but if we are planting seed by sharing the gospel then we can be sure that our corner of the kingdom will be advancing and taking the territory from the enemy.
After the Parable of the Soils, the Gospel of Mark records the Parable of the Lamp. On the surface, what Jesus says here is self-evident: “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?” (v. 21). This simply means that no one lights a lamp and then shoves it under his bed or puts it under a basket because that would defeat the purpose of having a lamp. Instead, a lamp is lit to shine a light, and to be most effective it is elevated on a stand it so that the light can fill the room.
This parable is often referred to as “The Parable of the Sower,” but perhaps a better title would be, “The Parable of the Soils,” because the sower and the seed are constant, but the variable in the parable is the various types of soil. Perhaps the most important point of the parable is to understand the soils and how the soil affects the productivity of the seed. The seed has the power to reproduce if it falls on good soil.
Think about it, of all the titles God could have chosen for Himself—and there are many names for God indicating His power and character—the most intimate and relational title He chose was “Father.” The Bible instructs us to pray in the name of Jesus, but Jesus teaches us to open our prayers with, “Our Father who is in heaven.”
The ministry of Jesus in saving, healing, and delivering people is a powerful attraction when it is the real deal. Too many churches have more hype than hope, more music than ministry, and more preaching than power. However, when Jesus is in the house, when He is lifted up, when the authority of His Word breaks the yoke and sets the captives free, people will show up, business will pick up, and prayers will go up.
We live in a world of hurting people, wounded people who think no one cares and who believe we will not look beyond their sins to offer compassion and concern rather than criticism and condemnation. We can care about sinners without condoning sin, and we love the lost without approving of their lifestyle. They are in the darkness, so we must be the light that draws them to Christ. Only He can transform their lives into something beautiful. We know He can, because for that’s our testimony.
As a Church of God preacher, I embrace the view that speaking in tongues is the first physical evidence that one has been baptized with the Spirit, but I also agree with Pastor T. L. Lowery who said, “If the only evidence that you’ve been filled with the Spirit is that you speak in tongues, then I question your experience.” Why would he say that? He said it because speaking in tongues is the initial evidence, not the only evidence, and certainly not the most important evidence that a person has been filled with the Spirit. I would argue that while the evidence of the baptism may be that the believer speaks in tongues, the purpose of the baptism is power to be witnesses of Jesus Christ.
If I walk into the ring and knock out the champ, what does that make me? Well Jesus was pounding Satan into the mat with every miracle, every deliverance, every healing, and every word. If Satan was the strong man, then Jesus is Messiah, Son of God, God incarnate. Why weren’t the Pharisees, the priests, or the scribes defeating Satan? They couldn’t because they were more committed to their religion than they were to the truth.
As Christians, we try to model our life after the example of Christ and other people in the Bible who exemplified true Christian character. When it comes to a model for motherhood, two of the most powerful examples would be Jochebed, the mother of Moses, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. However, Mary would have to get the top spot because from the beginning she had to overcome obstacles, endure sorrow, and realize that she would never be the authoritative voice directing the destiny of her Son’s life.
JESUS PLANS FOR KINGDOM GROWTH By Mark E. Hardgrove, PhD Mark 3:7-21, NKJV 7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things...
