A Few Thoughts For Your Tuesday from the Enon Church of Christ

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Date: Mar 08 2016 3:03 PM

The Good Seed

Several years ago an interesting picture appeared in a magazine.  It showed a man standing beside some pea vines.  With the picture was the story of the seed from which the vines grew.  It is a remarkable story and illustrates some truths about spiritual seed.

Some peas were found in a tomb in Egypt.  They had been in the tomb two thousand years.  The peas were planted to see if they would grow.  Peas like those were not growing anywhere in the world, but when they were planted, they grew and produced peas exactly like the peas found in the tomb.  

Jesus spoke a parable about seed.  He told of a man sowing seed in different kinds of ground.  Some of it bore fruit and some did not bear fruit.  It bore fruit when the ground was good.  He explained what the seed represented, “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11).  He also explained what the different kinds of ground represented.  Of the good ground He said, “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

Today there are many kinds or varieties of religious beliefs, all going by the name of “Christian.”  When we see different kinds of plants, we know they grew from different kinds of seed.  When there are different beliefs, people should know that they are the result of different teachings.  The right seed is the Word of God, the Bible.  Any teaching that is not found in the Bible is the wrong seed and will produce the wrong fruit.

What fruit will the true seed produce when people take it into their hearts?  It will produce Christians.  It will make people believers in God and His Son Jesus Christ.  It will cause them to love God and follow His teaching in His Word.  If people follow God’s Word only, they will be Christians only, just like the first Christians.

Christians are people who have been born again.  Jesus said to Nicodemus, “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).  By what seed is He born?  We find the answer in 1 Peter 1:23, “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God.”

The fruit of the true seed is also the church.  When one person receives the Word in faith and obedience, he becomes a Christian.  When others do the same thing they also are Christians, and the group of Christians is a church.  A church is just a group of Christians who worship and serve God together.  God gives instructions to the church in His Word.  He describes how He wants a church to be organized, how He wants the Christians to worship, to live, and to tell others about Christ.  The way the apostles organized the churches they established is the way God wanted them to be organized.  This is true because the apostles were God’s messengers and were inspired by His Spirit in them.

Paul warned that other seed would be planted and would produce the wrong fruit.  He said to the elders at the church at Ephesus, “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:29-30).

Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed ” (John 8:31).  The words Jesus spoke when He was here on earth were His words.  When He went back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide His apostles and others in teaching.  What the Holy Spirit gave them to teach was Christ’s Word also.  When He promised to send the Spirit He said, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14-15).

Let us take into our hearts the pure Word of God.  Let us continue in that Word, learning it and following it.  Never accept teachings that are not found there.  In that way we will be faithful disciples, and the final fruit will be eternal life in the glory of God with all the redeemed.

Have a great week!

Mitch Robison

Enon Church of Christ

1366 Enon Road

Webb, AL 36376

[email protected]

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