Kingdom
STORIES
of the
30
The War Cry | FEBRUARY 2016
by
LT. COLONEL ALLEN SATTERLEE
THE PARABLES
The Seed and the Soil
W
hy do some people hear the gospel but walk
away untouched? Why do others hear it,
respond joyfully but soon end up right back
where they were before? Still others seem to make great
progress for a time before going astray. There are others
who seem to fly along at low altitude, never soaring,
never experiencing the fullness of what life in
Christ brings. And then there are those who
steadily climb, moving higher and higher
in Christ with a faith that is real not only
to them but to those who know
them. Why is that?
Jesus dealt with this mystery in
the Parable of the Sower, or more
correctly the Parable of the Soils.
The Sower represents those who
spread the seeds of the Word of God
through preaching, teaching, electronic means,
literature--any effective method of communica-
tion. The potential of the seeds is unchanging.
The Word of God is powerful enough to demolish
strongholds but gentle enough to tenderly lift the
fallen. Those seeds can and do sprout in unex-
pected places.
There are four types of soil mentioned, which rep-
resent four types of hearts that hear the gospel.
Matthew 13:3-8; 18-23
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