Interpreting the parable of the sower as simply about coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus is missing its full significance. The familiarity of the story can cause you to switch off to an interpretation that is relevant to both the new and the experienced Christian. In part 2 of this series, we explore the pathway.

Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. (Mark 4:3-4)

These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them (Mark 4: 15)

The first seeds fall beside the road, on that hard pathway area that surrounds the field. There the seed doesn't penetrate but just sits on the surface. Then the birds come and take it away and it has no impact at all.

Luke's account says that the seed ‘was trampled underfoot’ (Luke 8:5). Jesus said 'do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet' (Matthew 7:6), referring to their indifference. You can be like that about the gospel itself, just indifferent to it by thinking nobody still believes that kind of thing or takes it seriously anymore. You can hear this in the media, the workplace, your family or sometimes from parents when you become a Christian. I remember my parents telling me not to take it all so seriously, no one takes that seriously anymore. The same seed that produces a hundredfold a few feet away reproduces nothing at all on the path. Why? Because the seed doesn’t penetrate. It doesn’t have any life imparting impact. It stayed on the surface.

Believers beware!

This is obviously true for those who don't even entertain the possibility that God speaks at all, but it's also a very real warning to believers not to miss it. It's possible for Christians not to bother to take the word seriously and not be changed. Sometimes we dismiss truth and the seed lies on the surface. The Bible says we have an enemy and that the seed sown on the pathway is snatched away by the evil one (Matthew 13:19). This can happen even before we get out of the door at Church. We had a chat, a cup of coffee and so on, but the word didn't do anything in us. Whereas elsewhere it's phenomenally changing people.

A friend of mine was visiting the church of a famous preacher. He said he was so impacted by the sermon that he just wanted to go home and seek God about what he'd heard. Walking behind two people, he heard one say to the other 'he was quite good this week wasn't he?' and the other said 'yes, but not as good as last week'. No penetration! Simply observing how the preacher performed. The seed simply lies on the surface.

So the pathway is dangerous turf. It says in Matthew 13:18 that the seed which falls on the pathway is referring to someone who 'hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it'. Some will say 'well you take me as you find me, I'm Joe Blunt, I speak my mind, I don't take the bible very seriously because well, who can understand it? By not receiving the word, he's not being changed by it. He's not thinking 'oh I see, I need to change my worldview on this, I need to change my attitude on this, the way I run my home, the way I look after my wife, the way I train my children'. He's not being shaped by truth because 'well who can understand it? The Bible's difficult'.

Open your mind

When we don't understand, it's not because we've got low IQ, or we're not very clever, it's because we won't become as a little child, and let it speak to us and give it full weight. Paul instructed that we consider what he said and the Lord will give us understanding (2 Timothy 2:7). That's a twofold process. You consider it and the Lord will give you understanding.

When you first go to Starbucks, you read the menu and find lattes, americanos and cappuccinos and you think 'all I want is a coffee!' You've got to learn the language. And if we're going to be serious about growing as a Christian, maybe producing a hundredfold, we've got to start understanding the language of scripture and letting truth penetrate. The word is able to change us. It's able to do us good. It's powerful. So beware the danger of just missing it and letting it stay on the surface ready for the bids to steal.

Interpreting the parable of the sower as simply about coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus is missing its full significance. The familiarity of the story can cause you to switch off to an interpretation that is relevant to both the new and the experienced Christian. 

The parable of the sower is the first reference to a parable in Mark’s gospel. Perhaps it could be called the 'parable of the different soils', because it's main feature is fundamentally how different soils respond to the seed. There's also something unique about this parable because Jesus said, if you don't understand it, how will you understand all the parables?  

The Word of God

Jesus said, “The seed is the word of God.” Every time God speaks, this parable happens. Every Sunday we have a dynamic experience of the parable of the sower. As we sit and hear the word, we represent all kinds of different soils, different ways of responding to what is being said. Week by week, as we gather in churches, seed is being thrown and different hearts are receiving the word of God in different ways.

It may be a word about prayer, faith or victory over sin. It may be a word about your family or financial resources. Words are coming to you. Words that have power, that can change you, save you or rescue you from anxiety, fear and small vision. A dynamic process takes place. These words can produce life. How you receive them is the big issue. How do you receive these words? So please don't think 'oh I know about the parable of the sower’. No, it’s about how we receive what God is saying to you about all sorts of things.

Jesus Imparts Life!

Jesus said, ‘My words are Spirit and life’. He is a life imparting Spirit. He can impart life to you. You can be full of anxiety; He can change that with a word. You may have problems with lust; He can change that with a word. You may have all sorts of things that we battle with; a word can set you free. The question is, how do we respond to these words?

What kind of soil are you?

In the next few posts, we will explore the different kinds of responses to God's word through this parable.

// Originally posted on Terry's Blog //

Holy Spirit-inspired preaching brings about an encounter with God that demands a verdict and produces a changed life based on revelation, faith and love, not cold obedience to external rules.

God’s flock will intuitively hear His voice and respond as truth is fed to them by called and anointed pastor/teachers. Gradually a culture of God-centredness will emerge characterised by worship, faith, grace, mercy, respect, service and the awareness of being an alien people whose fundamental citizenship lies elsewhere (Phi. 3:20).

Shepherding love and care

The shepherd’s ability to feed and be a channel of God’s grace will result in the gathering of a flock. The sheep gather to the gifted anointing of shepherding and thus a flock forms.

The responsibility of the shepherds is not simply to expound truth but to develop relationships of love and trust, and in some cases to ‘parent’ a flock often made up of those who have never been parented before. Paul says that he was among the Thessalonians ‘like a nursing mother tenderly caring for her own children’ (1 Thess. 2:7), adding that he also was ‘exhorting, encouraging and imploring each of you as a father would his own children’ (1 Thess. 2:11). Many in our modern world don’t have true fathers. No one has helped to shape their lives. Many modern city-dwellers are lost and lonely, like sheep without a shepherd, distressed and harassed (Matt. 9:36).

There has never been a greater need for true shepherds to be raised up to care for God’s flock, unafraid to use rod and staff when the need arises, and thereby keeping the flock safe and secure, at rest and able to lie down unafraid in green pastures.

A final word

Paul, when speaking to the Ephesian elders, urged them not only to take heed to the flock and shepherd them, he also reminded them ‘to take heed to themselves’ (Acts 20:28). If Jesus prayed, ‘For their sakes I sanctify myself’ (John 17:19) how much more must under-shepherds be on guard.

In John Piper’s words, ‘Brothers we are not professionals.’ Ultimately, we also are sheep. We need to stay very close to the great shepherd, enjoying His smile, drinking in His lavish grace and being diligent to embrace His disciplines and training and follow His guidance.

Moses came from encounters with the Lord with shining face. David made it his pre-eminent desire to spend days in the Lord’s tent, feasting at His table and delighting in His presence. No under-shepherd is an end in himself, or has intrinsic superior wisdom. If Jesus said, ‘The words I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative…’ (John 14:10), how much more must we be constantly receiving fresh grace and instruction.

God has promised ‘shepherds after his own heart’. May we be the fulfilment of that promise.

// Originally posted on Terry's Blog //

‘Ecstasy and delight are essential to the believer’s soul and they promote sanctification.’

This fascinating quote was recently sent to me by a friend from South Africa. It was initially expressed by John Flavel (1627 – 1691).

I first came across John Flavel decades ago when I read The Mystery of Providence. I found it such an edifying book, demonstrating God’s power over every circumstance. It stimulated my faith and helped settle me in my increasing confidence in a sovereign God full of tenderness, mercy and extraordinary attention to detail. Later, I bought the six-volume set of Banner of Truth, Works of John Flavel, which was full of Biblical truth and pastoral wisdom.

I was fascinated, therefore, to read of his emphasis on ‘ecstasy and delight’ and his argument that ‘they promote sanctification’.

Undoubtedly many would regard ‘ecstasy and delight’ as frivolous when considering the important matter of one’s sanctification. But John Flavel, like other insightful people such as Jonathan Edwards and the romantic poet John Donne, understood that if we do not find our deepest joys in God we look elsewhere and frustrate God’s great purpose to flood our inner being with His love.

Don't settle for anything less

When I was first converted out of a reckless kind of lifestyle I was surprised to discover that my contemporaries, the young people in the evangelical church that I had now joined, were manifestly bored. They endured church but ‘came alive’ when the meetings concluded, usually when beginning to talk about girls or perhaps their motorbikes, cars or the sports they pursued. No one seemed to be very excited about their experience of God. More enthusiasm was expressed when they ventured to discuss themes which bordered on the kind of lifestyle that I had just left behind. They seemed fascinated with borderline experiences of a world from which I had drunk fairly deeply. They clearly wondered if there was more fun ‘out there’ than in church life.

As a new Christian I began to learn the jargon that we had discovered ‘Life-with-a capital-“L”’. We proclaimed ‘Christ is the answer!’ but few among my contemporaries had found anything answering their need. As far as I could see, this was true of the whole youth group of maybe 70 young Christians. I tried to find my place amongst a group that used the language of fulfilment but who were manifestly unsatisfied.

How fascinating then to find the Puritan John Flavel insisting on ‘ecstasy and delight’ as ‘essential’ and arguing that they ‘promote sanctification’.

God glorifying experiences

As Jonathan Edwards would have it, ‘God is glorified not only by His glory being seen but by it being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it.’ As a charismatic I can’t thank God enough for experiencing something of the love of God being poured out in my heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). As Douglas Moo says in his commentary on Romans, ‘The verb “pour out” connotes an abundant extravagant effusion’!

The Puritans have not found it easy to shake off their ‘bad Press’ as narrow, miserable deniers of pleasure, but enough from me! Let me give you the rest of the John Flavel quote:

‘Ecstasy and delight are essential to the believer’s soul and they promote sanctification. We were not meant to live without spiritual exhilaration and the Christian who goes for a long time without the experience of heart-warming will soon find himself tempted to have his emotions satisfied from earthly things and not, as he ought, from the Spirit of God.

‘The soul is so constituted that it craves fulfilment from things outside itself and will embrace earthly joys for satisfaction when it cannot reach spiritual ones. The believer is in spiritual danger if he allows himself to go for any length of time without tasting the love of Christ and savouring the felt comforts of a Saviour’s presence.

‘When Christ ceases to fill the heart with satisfaction, our souls will go in silent search of other lovers. By the enjoyment of the love of Christ in the heart of a believer, we mean an experience of the “love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us” (Rom. 5:5).’

Don’t you love ‘happy clappy’ Puritans? They knew a thing or two!

Definition

The teacher is someone who has a proven, anointed, effective and consistent gift of teaching God’s word. He is also able to develop others in their teaching gift. There is reason to believe that Paul referred to the pastor / teacher as one gift, so whether you agree with that or not, it is hard to imagine a pastor that can’t teach, or a teacher who is not pastoral!

How could I develop into being a teacher?

In an earlier blog in this series we looked at the ‘motivational’ Gift of Teaching from Romans 12. An Ephesians 4 teacher is simply someone with a mature and anointed teaching gift. So, the way to develop into an Ephesians 4 teacher is to focus on developing the Gift of Teaching and see if God promotes you to the office of a teacher. Here is a repeat of the earlier blog on the Gift of Teaching:

A Definition of the Gift of Teaching

The Gift of Teaching (Romans 12) is the special ability that God gives to people to explain and apply the Bible, in a way that helps others learn easily, enjoyably and effectively. It is a per-requisite of being an elder/pastor (1 Tim 3:2&9 and Titus 1:9-16). The ‘person’ gift of the Teacher mentioned in Ephesians 4 would be a person that has a very mature and recognized gift of teaching.

Examples from scripture

• Neh 8:8:

‘They read from the book of the law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read’

• Acts 18:24-28:

‘Apollos was a learned man with a thorough knowledge of the scriptures…he spoke with great fervour and taught about Jesus accurately… he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.’

• Peter in Acts 2 and Paul later in Acts exhibit the gift of teaching from Old Testament scriptures.

• Jesus: referred to as the Great Teacher in Mt 23:10.

• Heb 12:26-28: Teachers are those who (1) Read scripture (2) Explain it (3) Apply it to our lives.

How will I know if I have this gift?

You will enjoy research, study and reading, but you will also be a gifted communicator. You will be concerned for biblical accuracy and context. When you discover a new truth, you will long to pass it on to others. You will get great satisfaction out of someone ‘getting it’. The best teachers are those with both good content and good delivery. People will tell you that they enjoy the way you preach/teach/lead the bible study. People will be pleased when they find out it is you who is preaching/teaching. Please note that some people are excellent researchers and very studious but are no good at delivering the truth to others. These people are better off serving someone who is good at the delivery side of things by researching and writing books and so on. Also remember that there are different capacities and types of this gift, so not everyone will be suited to the same teaching context. Some people thrive on small, interactive groups, and others on preaching to large groups.

How can I grow in this gift?

Pray for more of it. Study diligently. Seek out a mentor to learn from with the same attitude of Elisha in 2 Kings 2:2-9.

Filming on a green screen

I’ve always been a big fan a sci-fi films. One of the coolest things I remember seeing as a kid was how they did all of the special effects for Star Wars. All of the models and stop-motion animation was fascinating! Now, of course, they can do just about anything with a green screen and computers. Green screens allow producers to switch out the background behind the actors and place them in completely different surroundings – anywhere they want.

When we study the Bible, we can have a tendency to switch the background and replace it with our own culture and world-view. Doing this, however, can drastically change the message intended by the writer. Paul’s letter to the Romans, and particularly chapter 7, is a classic example of how we can do this. Many scholars and contemporary preachers view Romans purely as a theological treatise – a systematic unpacking of Paul’s understanding of the gospel. Romans is, of course, a magnificent exposition of the glorious gospel of grace, but it is not only that. It is an introductory letter, written by an apostle to a church struggling with Jewish-Gentile relations whom Paul hoped would help him further his apostolic mission to the Gentiles in Spain.

Paul the Apostle

It is important to remember, that while Paul was a brilliant teacher, he was first and foremost an apostle (1:1). His letter to the Romans must be understood in the context of his active apostolic mission. P.J. Smyth tells us that “apostles are gifted to open up new territory to the gospel”. As an apostle, Paul makes his purpose in writing to the Romans plain when he says, “I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey [to Spain]” (15:24). The assistance he was referring to would surely have been financial.

Resolving Racial Tensions

In order to partner with the church in Rome and have their support on his way to Spain, Paul needed to bring solidarity to this somewhat fractured Jewish-Gentile community. I would go as far as to argue that Paul’s whole treatment of the gospel to the Romans is tailored to challenge this disunity by addressing the Jew’s pride in their religious heritage (who had the Law of God, the Covenants, the Glory, the Temple, Adoption as Sons and the Promises (9:4) while at the same time encouraging the Gentile’s to grateful for what they were receiving through the Jews (as branches that were being grafted into the root (11:17-18). From his opening comments in 1:16 this issue permeates Paul’s entire letter to the church in Rome.

How difficult would it have been for a Jewish believer to hear that the Law was no longer the way to God? (2:29, 3:21, 3:28, 4:13, 5:1, 5:20). What kind of questions would they have had? Would they object? Would they support Paul in his mission?

You see, understanding the tensions of the real backdrop of Romans sets Chapter 7 in a very different light. As an apostle on a mission to the Gentiles in Spain, why did Paul include this chapter addressed ‘to the brothers who know the Law’ (7:1)? If we really take time to consider the answer to this question, then wondering whether the ‘Man of Romans 7’ is a believer or not may begin to become a moot point.

Next week we’ll continue by looking at how understanding Paul’s style of writing can further help us come to a right interpretation of this difficult yet essential portion of Scripture.

How did I get here?

Ever had that moment when you're driving and you realize you've been on auto-pilot for the last 20 minutes? Kind of scary, isn't it? How did I get here? What did I miss? I could've had an accident! Well, when we study the Scriptures we can't afford to slip into auto-pilot and miss what's going on around us. We can easily end up in a place we don't recognize and come to conclusions that can get us, and the people who are following us, headed in the wrong direction.

In my discussions with people over the years about Romans 7 I’ve discovered that a lot of people get lost in this chapter. They don’t know how they got there and they misinterpret the signs around them and continue to make a succession of wrong turns. But as leaders, we can help ourselves and our churches, by simply pulling out a map. Knowing Paul’s purpose in writing Romans and the historical context of the church in Rome can transform this confounding chapter into a logical and liberating stop along the way to even greater vistas of grace.

Was there anything unique about the context of the church in Rome?

Unlike the church in Jerusalem that was mainly a community of Jewish believers or the churches in Asia Minor and Greece that were mainly Gentile gatherings, the church in Rome was comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. Bringing together their various cultures, religious histories and nationalistic biases would’ve been a serious challenge.

Why did Paul write the letter to the Romans?

Most reformed believers see Romans as Paul’s theological treatise; a triumphant exposition of the ‘glorious gospel of grace’. However, if we reduce it to merely a gospel presentation (dare I say) we can miss Paul’s purpose and get lost along the way. Without telling you exactly what I think, consider that Paul is the Apostle to the Gentiles (1:5) on his way to Spain via a Jewish-Gentile church in Rome. What would he need to accomplish and receive in Rome while ‘passing through’ to Spain?

How will this help us better understand Romans 7?

Re-read Romans (cover to cover again) with some of these thoughts in your head. Notice how many times Jewish-Gentile relations are brought up. Notice how often the purpose and inadequacy of the Law is mentioned. Notice how some chapters seem to be exclusively directed to either Jews or Gentiles. Can you tell which ones are which? And don’t miss Paul’s purpose in writing laid out plainly at the end of chapter 15.

Sounds like a lot of work? Well, there’s a lot at stake. If your church is lost somewhere in Romans 7 you need to chart a course to freedom. You see, it’s a lot worse than just losing our way, we can actually forget who we are out there.

Is Your Church Under the Influence?

Whether you realize it or not, the teaching of Romans chapter 7 is shaping your church at this very moment. Your church’s understanding of these 25 verses is either undermining or strengthening their relationship with God. If you want secure, steady and sold-out soldiers in your camp, they must know how to wield this chapter and not be pierced by their own sword.

Why is this chapter such a crucial passage of Scripture?

From this one chapter many Christians, Churches and even whole movements have answered these questions:

• What is the role of the Law in the life of a believer?
• Are believers free from sin or do they struggle with indwelling sin?
• How should believers view their own identity?
• Are Christians sinners saved by grace or saints set apart by God?
• How does change happen in the life of a Christian?
• What has Christ accomplished for us in purchasing our salvation?
• How far does our freedom really go?

Some of these of these questions should be answered by this chapter, while others are mistakenly addressed. You, as a leader, and the people who follow you all have answers to these questions (whether they know it or not) that are shaping your church culture at this very moment. Do you know how they would answer these questions? How would you answer them? Take a second and write down the first thing that comes to mind for each question above.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be unpacking Romans 7 together. If you’re not familiar with this chapter, now’s the time…but don’t read it on its own. Read Paul’s whole letter to the Romans in one sitting. Otherwise, we’re just practicing helicopter-hermeneutics – flying in and out, missing the context and most likely the meaning as well. And do your best to ignore the headings. They already reflect a particular theological perspective that may or may not be helpful. As leaders, we have to learn to ‘correctly handle the word of truth’ (2 Tim 2:15).

This is a continuation of a Terry's previous post.

He who has died is freed from sin

I took him to Romans 6:6, ‘Knowing this that our old self was crucified with Christ … that we should no longer be slaves to sin, for he who has died is freed from sin’ (Rom. 6:6-7) and reminded him that Jesus said that you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Clearly this was a truth that this young man did not know.

I then led him on to verse 11 where Paul tells us what our attitude should be to ourselves, namely to ‘consider ourselves to be dead to sin’. We must line up our thinking correctly and eagerly adopt our new relationship with sin, namely, dead to it.

Finally, I underlined his responsibility not to allow sin to reign in his members (Rom. 6:12-13). As a new creation he has the power to rule his members. He was called to live free from slavery to sin because he was not a sinner but a saint. After our chat his countenance changed, his eyes looked brighter and I think a flicker of hope had replaced the inevitability he had felt that as a sinner he was still bound to sin.

Sadly, as I turned from him a girl was waiting to speak to me and she asked exactly the same question and received exactly the same 15-minute Bible study as my answer.

In the second meeting that I addressed, I was challenged that if I don’t regard myself as fundamentally still a sinner surely I would not value the Cross. But my amazement and huge appreciation for the Cross does not have to be centred around me and be sustained by reflecting on my own personal failure!

As I consider the eternal God living in everlasting bliss and mutual delight within the Trinity, the incarnation amazes me! That God should become a man! And not only that, but should also experience death, and what a death! Death on a cross in bloody agony and imputed guilt, separation and rejection.

I don’t always have to bring me into the picture! The Cross amazes me and fills me with wonder and worship, praise and thanksgiving!

To insist on still calling myself a sinner could not add value to the Cross for me. Indeed, to call myself essentially a sinner actually dishonours the wonder of the gospel. The Greek word which we translate ‘to proclaim the gospel’ was not originally a religious word; it is borrowed from elsewhere and actually means the announcement of good (great!) news. The original ‘Marathon Runner’ ran his 26 miles and proclaimed the Good News. We won the battle! We triumphed! It was a victory!

Has anybody got some better news?

If I insist on teaching that Christians are still essentially sinners, what is the Good News? Has anybody got some better news?

To quote John Bunyan: Run John run the law demands But gives me neither legs nor arms Better news the gospel brings It bids me fly and gives me wings!

To quote Paul again, ‘If any man is in Christ he is a new creation. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.’ The great Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones added, ‘A new principle of life has been put into the Christian. He has a new disposition – the life of God in the soul of man! That is Christianity!’

‘Terry, are you saying that you never sin?’ Sadly in this age of conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil I do, but I sin as a saint with all the sadness and inappropriateness of it – not as a sinner with all the inevitability that that suggests.

This post originally appeared on Terry Virgo's website.

I was surprised on two occasions this year when preaching to what I will call ‘conservative evangelical constituencies’ and declaring the joy of our freedom in Christ, to encounter the response that followed.

Saints?

On the first occasion I had been speaking about the glorious freedom proclaimed in Romans 6. On the second I was expounding Ephesians 2 and celebrating the fact that we are new creations, created in Christ Jesus. We are called ‘saints’, holy ones, and are certainly no longer regarded as ‘sinners’.

In Romans 6, Paul celebrates the truth that, whereas we used to be slaves of sin, God has made us ‘slaves of righteousness’ (Rom. 6:18). I deplored the fact that I had seen a poster when in the USA saying that a Christian is one sinner telling another sinner where to find bread. It saddens me not only to see Christians failing to accept the new identity that the gospel provides, but even fighting to defend their ‘right’ to be called ‘sinners’ when God has called those who are in Christ Jesus ‘saints’!

Such were some of you

Paul provides a horrific list of the evils that had formerly characterised the believers at Corinth, such as fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, drunkards and so on, but clearly adds, ‘Such WERE some of you, but you were washed but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God’ (1 Cor. 6:16). Surely he is telling them (and us) that they are now set apart saints of God.

When Christians deplore their sinfulness to the degree that they actually argue that their essential identity is ‘a sinner’ they shoot themselves in the foot! In my next post, we'll explore the true identity of every Christian.