“But as many as received Him…”

The Parable of the Sower
MATT 13:18“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

In this parable of the LORD Yeshua, the first person didn’t receive the gospel message for it was snatched away by the enemy. All the rest, received it.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

This is the name Yeshua that means salvation! That “YAH is salvation”! That is the meaning of His name – that God or YAH is salvation! Then we become children of God and are no longer the children of wrath. (EPH 2:3)

CHILDREN OF GOD

True Christians are children of God. But there are many who pose as “Christians” but they are not. There are all kinds of Christians in the world, and I don’t mean to put everybody in a category, but the LORD did! He also divided people into sheep and goats. The goats are not His!

Infiltrators/Goats – These are not true Christians. They are not children of God, but children of wrath. They are there in the churches to manipulate through evil ways and idolatry. The “goats” could also be the “seed by the wayside” in above parable. They have heard the gospel but do not understand it.

Infiltrators come into the church with an evil intent. Some of them are naive as to what they are doing, but many have the same purpose: to creep in and/or get in leadership positions in the churches to spread deceiving lies. Outright witches/warlocks come in sometimes and they could disguise themselves as “Christians”. Or sometimes they just make trouble. In a big church, this is more likely.

Some “seed by the wayside” are not infiltrators in the church but are honest about their beliefs, though they are false. Other “seed by the wayside” would include atheists, agnostics or those from false religions.

“Carnal Christians” – This person receives the word. These could be the “seed on stony ground”. This “persecution” may be as simple as getting drunk with one’s old buddies. This “persecution” could mean that in order to feel accepted and likable, one will gossip with old friends.

Or the “Carnal Christians” could be those who “received seed among the thorns”. Riches and worries could drown out one’s fruitfulness and make one rather useless, but he is saved by the grace of God!

EPH 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.  10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

GOOD GROUND

MATT 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

That says it all! Let’s encourage one another to go for the gold! We only have this life and what we do with it affects eternity!

So believers in Yeshua should attend services for worship…

ROMANS 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Possibly these are the ones who produced fruit at 30%. Minimum efforts yields minimum results. We’re heading for eternity and what we do here counts! So let’s encourage one another to love the LORD and to keep His commandments.

JOHN 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

Let’s encourage one another to lift up holy hands to the King of Creation!

JOHN 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Let’s encourage one another to listen and go where He leads!

REV 14:4b These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.

Are you willing to follow the Lamb wherever He goes?

… into being a witness for Him; into persecution; into far away lands; into your own hometown?

Following the Lamb should yield a bumper crop of fruit to 100%!

And maybe that will make us a part of the 144,000!