Sowing to Thorns

My previous article focused on a parable Jesus taught in Matthew 13 about a farmer sowing seeds in expectation of harvest.  According to Jesus this is one of his most important teachings.  In explaining more details to his closest followers he reveals it as a foundation for all other teaching.  “Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” (Mark 4:13).  To understand the kingdom of God (God’s rule and authority) and to follow Jesus more closely, it is imperative to practice the foundational truth of what Jesus is saying in this parable.   Since I’m not quoting the entire parable here, please read Mark 4:1-20 for a better understanding of what follows.

As we saw previously, God is likened to a Farmer sowing seeds.  There are four types of soil (human hearts) mentioned in the story.  Type 4 is the soil that produces a crop at harvest time (good fruit / behavior as the Bible calls it). The other 3 types are hard, rocky, and thorny.  In this article I will focus on the third type.  In a society with many Christian churches and activities, the “thorny” soil is the place many people get stuck.  Unfortunately, I think it describes much of what we see in the Church in America today.  The good news is that God’s power can change this if we allow him to do so.  The article also looked at the ongoing aspects of change that must occur in our hearts as Jesus followers.  Allowing God to change us from the inside out is what the Christian life is all about.  

Mark 4 is another place in the Bible this teaching is recorded from a slightly different perspective from Matthew 13.  The thorny soil is described this way, “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;  but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).  Three charactieristics define type 3 soil: worry, deceit, and misplaced desires.   The three main  thngs that  keep God’s Word from changing our heart are fear, ungodly beliefs, and ungodly desires.  

First, let’s look at the “worries of this life” (fear).  It seems like fear has a tighter grip on peoples’ lives than ever before.  Fear-motivated reactions are the polar opposite of love.  God is love, and he created people in the original design to demonstrate his love to all people, in all circumstances, and for all times.  With the entry of sin came changes to the perfect world God created.  We now have a need to concern ourselves (at least to some degree) with survival and self-preservation.  Father God is our provider, protector, and identity, but we have a role to make this real in our lives.  It is very easy to get  God’s part and our part out of balance.  Fear shows up in thinking about whether we have enough to live life fully (eg. enough good looks, competence, skill, strength, or maybe even enough food or clothes)   Fear shows up in things like trying to grab too much control over people or situations (ei. not trusting God to be our ultimate protector) .  Fear may show up in thinking too much of ourselves (eg. not respecting others legitimate rights,  wishes, or property).  Thinking too little of oneself is also a form of fear (eg. not worthy, valuable, capable of love, misfit, alone(.  

Fear responses create thorns that choke out seeds of truth sown in our hearts.  

Second, is the “deceitfulness of wealth” (ungodly beliefs).  I think the wealth spoken of here applies much more widely than material or financial resources.  It may include abundance (wealth) of trust in knowledge, reason, beliefs, human capacity, self-reliance, self-sufficiency and the like.  When a person thinks they are fine without God, they have no “hunger” for God.  Our physical body can become content with junk food, even though it is unhealthy and steals our vitality.  In a similar way, our soul can become content with counterfeit beliefs.  What we think about God and how we know him should be shaped mainly by the Bible, and not the latest sermon series, video, s’ocial media post, or self-help tool.   When we rely on our own  “wealth” of knowledge,  wisdom, or ability to figure things out, we run the high risk of choking out the obvious truth that is right in front of us.  Our reliance for soul transformation must be in God, and God alone.  

Third is the “desires for other things” (ungodly desires).  Whereas ungodly(misplaced) beliefs stem from over dependence on the power of human reasoning, ungodly (misplaced) desires stem from over dependence on human passion.  God is holy.  He is so much unlike anything else this world has to offer.  An accurate and healthy concept of God is essential for living a healthy and godly life.  Knowing God as a personal God is far removed, and more important than knowing  about God as a concept.  To know him is a wonderful thing.  And to really know that we are known by him, only comes through desire for knowing him.  A heart that longs for him is a satisfied heart.  See Psalm 63  for King David’s  beautiful expression of this truth.  Seeking satisfaction  from things in our natural world leaves us dry and thirsty.  Deep desire for God’s supernatural (beyond natural) love gives us everlasting joy built into our original design.  A satisfied human heart knows God’s desires, and seeks to satisfy God’s desires above their own.  Choosing to elevate God’s desires above self, is the key to finding the true self  God uniquely created us to be.

Human beings are designed to make choices regarding their beliefs and desires.  Reason alone does not reveal God for who He truly is.  Passion alone does not bring us into fellowship with the God of Truth.  We must worship God with both reason and passion, mind and heart, truth and spirit (see John 4:23).  Discovering truth and desiring to please God by putting it into practice is the best way to chase away the fears that keep us from loving as God intends.  We must become less content with what the world has in mind for us, and more content with what God has in mind.  To do this we must become less aware of worldly comforts and more aware of godly comforts.  

Desiring more of God may require us to pay more serious attention to where we place our energy, time, and talents.  Never before in history does there seem to be so many distractions and potential false comforts, false beliefs, and seemingly urgent nonessentials.  Yet with more “thorns” than ever trying to influence our heart (soil), it becomes more important to press into God’s simple truth.  The older I get, the more I realize I must pay attention to what I am paying attention to, and limit my exposure to things that may turn to thorns.  

I don’t want to get too specific so as not to appear legalistic, but I will say that much of what is called “entertainment” today looks like a thorn patch to me.  Even the TV network news media amounts to a thorn patch because of the fear-based slant on news.  Things that fall in the category of addiction would be putting “desires for other things” ahead of God.  Basically anything that would cause us to struggle if we believe God was telling us to give it up, is a potential thorn.  Always remember that anything we view as difficult to give up, has the potential of rewarding us with treasures of far greater value than we were able to discern before giving it up.  We don’t know what we don’t know.  Sometimes we don’t know how deeply something is influencing us in a negative direction until we replace it with an intentional more positive substitute.  Paul, the writer of much of the New Testament has some very good advice for us, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:8-9).

My prayer is that we heed the warnings Jesus is teaching us through this story about the Farmer (God) sowing seeds (truth) that finds its way into furtile (productive) soil (our hearts.  May our hearts be turned to God to elieviate our fears, reshape our beliefs, and renew our desires for God.  To get back on track (or to stay on track), we may do well to ask ourselves some questions about the status of our contentments.  What is the true condition of my heart (soil)?  Have I become content with a thorn that’s choking out the Truth?  Where have I made friends with fear, rather than choosing to cast it aside?  Where might my beliefs need some adjustment to guard against deception?  How could the flames of my passion for God be fanned into a higher (hotter) degree?  Am I discontent with my current level of fellowship with God, so I am freed (from this world’s passions)  to desire Him more?  What experiences might I like too much, so that they keep me from heavenly treasures?  

Weeds and thorns in our heart are part of life as long as we’re living on this earth.  What makes the difference (for becoming good soil) is our choice to cooperate with God by accepting the salvation he freely gave us through his only Son Jesus.  Our hope is in Christ on a daily basis for inner life (soil) cleansing.  May we choose life, and choose to value the seed God has sown to give us eternal life.   

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

The Light of the World

The Gospel of John in the Bible shows Jesus as the LIght of the world.  The world needs Light to sustain life.  

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (John 1:4-5).  The world is a dark, broken, hopeless place withut Light.   The greatest hope for mankind is Jesus coming to this earth.  Every person has a choice to receive Light or remain in darkness.  

“There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world (John 1:6-9).  Physical sight is only possible with light.  Seeing cannot happen without light.  Discerning and believing truth is only possible with the Light.  True spirituality cannot happen without the Light.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God”  (John 3:16-21).

If you’ve been in church and/ or hung around people of Christian faith for any length of time, you’ve at least heard the John 3:16 verse quoted.  So let’s shed some more Light on the context of that verse as quoted above.  Believing in Jesus (the Light) is what saves our soul from eternal damnation. Our belief in Jesus is also something that grows.  It begins with a conversion experience, and then continues to bring more and more of our fears and evil deeds into the Light.  We need the Light every day of our lives.  We need Jesus to shine his Light into the still-darkened parts of our heart.  Our heart is like a house with many rooms.  Inviting Jesus into our heart brings Light into the first room he enters.  As time moves along, we open more doors (leading to darkened rooms) for him to enlighten.  As more lights go on in the rooms of our heart, more darkness flees, and we reep more benefits of living in the Light.  This is a journey of surrender.  We surrender our right to keep doors closed to hide dark rooms, and allow Jesus to open the doors and turn on the Light.  Practically, this means surrendering bad things we say and do, bad habits, bitterness towards people, and long-standing beliefs not based on truth.  It may even mean surrendering good things that are keeping you from God’s best.  Good works do not chase away darkness.  Only the Light conquers the dark.  

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).  Not only did John and others witness Jesus as the LIght, but Jesus himself declared it.  Following Jesus is the only way to avoid darkness in this world.  Is your soul longing to cast off the darkness of this world?  Are you willing to let Jesus turn the lights on for you?  

“Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."  "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light.  It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light" (John 11:7-10).  Jesus did not condemn those who disagreed or even tried to kill him.  He simply saw them as people stumbling in their darkness.  

“Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.  Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.   Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.  This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"  For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:   "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn - and I would heal them."  Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;  for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.  Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.  When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:35-46).   Light brings health.  Light recovers wholeness.  Light restores relationship with Father God.  The words in this paragraph are quoted closer to the end of Christ’s life and ministry.  Jesus again draws attention to revealing Father’s Love through Light.  Jesus proved himself as a trustworthy source of Light.  Yet many rejected this Light, and still many do today.

Except for John 5:35 and John 9:5, I quoted all the verses in John that mention the word “light” (at least according to the NIV translation of the Bible). John testifies to the Light, and the Light testifies to the Father.   My prayer is that Jesus becomes a greater source of Light in your life.  No matter how close or far you feel from God, the Light of Jesus Christ shines for you to find your way to Father’s Love.

 by Ed Hersh, BnB Healing Ministry

Born Again - Part 1

            This article is written particularly for those who consider themselves Christians, although anyone desiring truth might find it helpful.

            Jesus himself used the term "born again" in John 3.  Jesus instructed Nic that following God has  nothing to do  with a particular family of origin, religion, culture, or belief system.  Scholars believe the term "born again" can be more accurately translated in English as "born from above."   Jesus explains, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.  So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it wants.  Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8; NLT).

            We exist in a physical (natural) realm, but the spiritual realm (supernatural) cannot be understood in the same way.  Heavenly Truth is not always understandable with earthly paradigms.  The earthly paradigm of birth is event driven, human effort intensive, and results subject to natural laws of earthly existence.  When a baby is discovered in his mother's womb, he is given a due date.  Pregnancy is a labor intensive process with a climax of the new born breathing on its own.  The new life is now part of the family of origin and human race made of the same stuff as the very first human created in the natural world. 

            The heavenly paradigm of birth from above, however, is much different.  It has no earthly timetable, all effort is God's, and the changes are mostly in the inner invisible realm (likened to the wind).  Each individuals response to God is unique in terms of a conversion experience.  The Holy Spirit reveals the Light of Jesus to a darkened spirit part of our being.   Being born from above is predicated on acceptance of God's love as demonstrated through Jesus Christ dying on a Cross and being raised from the dead.  The Spirit of God continues to breathe life into our spirit to renew and recreate our being from the inside out.  This inner change of heart comes as a result of surrendering the natural body, mind, and soul to the supernatural power of God.  Spiritual growth occurs with an increasing compliance with this process of surrendering to the ways of God.

            The birth of a baby is nothing short of a miracle.   As I witnessed the birth of our three natural-born children, I was each time reminded of the absolute wonderment of God's gift of life.  Natural birth is a miracle.  How much more then, is spiritual birth a supernatural process.  We are each born with a personal spirit, but the spirit part of our being is not fully awakened until it is born from above.  When we surrender to God the right to rule our being, the rebirth of our spirit begins.  In order to reach the maximum potential as the person we are meant to be, this rebirth process must continue throughout our lives (discussed more in a Part 2 article).

            If you’ve been around the Church for any length of time, you’ve heard someone talk about “decision for Christ”  in reference to a “conversion “ experience.  But, being born again is more than acknowledging a need for a Savior.  A decision of a natural mind is not enough.  You may also have heard someone talk about “accepting Christ into your heart.”  Although the heart is where the action is, mere acceptance of a message of truth is not enough for rebirth of spirit.  Accepting and deciding may be a good starting point, but in order for the spiritual realm to intersect with the natural realm, it always requires yielding of the natural.  Surrendering control of your inner person is the key issue. 

            What might surrender look like?  Again, the finer details of surrender may look different for each individual, but here are some possibilities.  It means submitting beliefs and values to a higher power and being willing to re-align to a God-defined standard of Truth.   It means giving up control of the ability to decide for yourself right from wrong.  It means letting go of a self-made identity in exchange for God reshaping of who you are as a person.  

            The transformation is somewhat of a mystery, but over time the practice of surrendering control will become evident in the natural realm.  For example, you may come to an understanding of family that includes a desire to grow your relationships closer without feeling like you are losing your identity as an individual.  Your value for healthy life recognizes the harmful affects of smoking cigarettes, so you give them up without it becoming a sacrifice.   Your concepts of love, happiness, and fulfillment become more in line with what God has already outlined in the Bible.  Your employment, standards of sexual morality, living arrangements, or consumer habits may need to change;  not simply because you made a decision to change your behavior, but change occurs because the "wind" of the Holy Spirit is working a change of heart.  It is also not a result of "trying harder," but surrendering at and cooperating with God's work at a deeper level. 

            The Psalmist penned the following words two thousand years before the message from Jesus quoted above.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a loyal spirit within me.
 Do not banish me from your presence,
    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.  ....

You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God"  (Psalm 51:10,11,17; NLT).

The ancient King David cried out for God to change his heart.  He recognized the necessity of supernatural intervention.  We see here that brokenness and repentance are part of what accompanies a cleansing of heart.  Repentance simply means to turn around.  Surrendering to God requires turning away from human control to divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  When a person surrenders internally, the external behaviors follow.  Many people face great frustration because they try to change their behavior without being fully surrendered in their heart.  

            John writes, "Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6; NLT).  Jesus is the way to be born from above.  Believing in Jesus and following his example of surrendering to the will of the Father is the way to awaken the eternal part of your being and have eternal life (John 3:16).   It is not about trying to become good enough, holy enough, strong enough, or any change of behavior.  Born again is simply believing in Jesus to transform your life.  If you make it more complicated than that, you are likely believing something that is not true.   Adding things that are not true may quickly lead to disappointments, false hopes, and missing the divine call on your life.  It may also lead to falsely believing you are a Christian because of your good deeds rather than having a heart surrendered to God. 

            My experience in Christianity goes back about six decades. I recently came to the conclusion that much of my understanding of "born again" was superficial or incomplete at best.  I had a born again conversion experience in my childhood and served in leadership for many churches over the years.  I even have a doctorate degree in Religious Studies from a conservative Christian school.  However, I recently discovered deeper revelation that being born from above is also a journey of radical and continuous transformation that cannot be explained in the natural realm (discussed more in Part 2). 

            Are you "born again?"  If you are not absolutely certain you can talk to God right now and be sure.  You may wish to read Part 2 of this article to discover the ongoing process of rebirth.  

            If you need another human to talk to about this, please contact me and I would be glad to discuss this more. 
by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry