7 Days of writing on scattering the seed into 4 soils, that Jesus teaches

Gods group thoughts for 3/15/2012 “How the Gospel is Received” (Day 1)

Mark 1:14-15… Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (NKJV)

The gospel of Christ is at the very core of understanding how to be deemed righteous in God’s eyes… I have been writing about the need to obey the gospel of Christ for a few years now; and it wasn’t until my Q/T reading this morning in the Book of Mark, that it dawned on me that I should explore the receiving of the gospel of Christ in more detail… I might also be persuaded to write on this subject because of a book that I started reading a few days ago, written by John MacArthur titled… “The Gospel According to Jesus”…

Yesterday I wrote about the fact that Christians should be slaves to Christ… And 2 days ago, I wrote about the fact that believers must position the Lord at the absolute center of their lives, above everything else… So many people want to be saved from an eternity in hell, believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins… But believing this, without the Lord as one’s Master, (just like a slave throughout time, had a master)…is a false belief that could leave one standing at the gates of heaven wanting to enter upon their death…only to find out that the self righteous works that many churches preach as a requirement to have sins forgiven by God, is not what God wants from us… Jesus warns those around Him (and us), about these false beliefs in church type works done for the Lord, in…Matthew 7:21-23…that will separate sinners from God for an eternity…

God’s timing is always perfect !! As I am reading in the Book of Mark this morning, I realized that this is the only book of the 4 gospels, which has key additional scripture about the parable of the 4 seeds that are sewn; as well as the wording about repentance and sharing the “gospel of the kingdom of God”; which was later described by the apostle Paul as…“the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”, in…2 Thessalonians 1:8-9…with a warning of the outcome of “everlasting destruction”, for those that do not obey the gospel of Christ…

The opening scripture has Jesus starting out His public ministry preaching the need of repentance, and believing in the “gospel of the kingdom of God”… The need for repentance is at the very key to understanding the gospel of Christ, along with turning to Jesus Christ, seeking Him as one’s personal Lord, Master, and then Savior…as one obeys the gospel of Christ…

Jesus’ last words to His disciples (and us) in the Book of Mark, just before He ascended into heaven, is…Luke 24:46-48… Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.” (NKJV)

“Repent, and believe in the gospel” is not only Jesus’ opening words at the beginning of His public ministry; repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, is the final command given by Jesus, which is indeed sharing the gospel of Christ (if you are a believer), with the lost and dying world around you…

Today I will begin explaining how the gospel of Christ is being received, with this scripture in…Mark 4:26… And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,” (NKJV) …Jesus is using the parable of the soils (also described in…Matthew 13:1-23…&…Luke 8:4-15…as well as here in…Mark 4:1-20), to explain how this important message about His gospel, is received by those who have heard it…

The mystery of the gospel, and how God chooses those He will grace with the gift of salvation after the seeds are planted…are not to be understood by us mere mortals… We see this in scripture spoken by Jesus, only here in…Mark 4:27… “and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.” (NKJV) …Our command by Christ is to share the gospel of Christ, by planting seeds… We may also help in the watering of those seeds planted, but it is God’s work to grow and then to bring in His harvest of believers…1 Corinthians 3:7…

Jesus goes on to reveal this, in…Mark 4:28-29… “For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (NKJV) …In my humble opinion, this scripture refers to those that have been chosen by God to become part of His family… It takes time, and sometimes the hearing of the gospel several times, before the sinner finally repents ands obeys the gospel of Christ…

Tomorrow I will start my writing on the 4 types of soil (the 4 kinds of responses to the hearing of the gospel of Christ)…and the outcome of each seed… There is only one of the four types of soil and seeds planted, that ends up representing a person who matures into a child of God… I believe we as Christians could benefit from understanding what causes 3 of the 4 seeds to fail, in hope of doing a little more watering for all the seeds we might plant; so that the good seed will possibly sprout a little quicker…

Heavenly Father, Your Word is clear that all we can do as believers, is to plant the seeds of the gospel of Christ; so that You Lord, can bring those seeds of Your choosing, to maturity as one of Your children… I pray Lord, that You will use these humble words to plant seeds in readers that You don’t yet know as a true Christian; those, that by Your standards, are not yet deemed righteous in Your sight… And Lord, I pray that Your children would seek to remain Spirit filled…so that the Holy Spirit would empower and inspire them to share this good news of the gospel… May all of us Lord, benefit from Your Word in some way…I pray for this inspiration, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce

P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, after first being drawn in by God…John 6:44…

https://godsmanforever.com/2014/10/26/the-truth-about-sin-10262014-by-bruce-reposted-from-7112013/

Gods group thoughts for 3/16/2012 “Devoured Seed” (Day 2)

Mark 4:26-27… And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. (NKJV)

There is no question that Christians have been called to share the gospel of Christ… Jesus Himself commanded His disciples (and believers today), to share the good news of the gospel, in…Matthew 28:19-20…Luke 24:46-48…and here in…Mark 16:15-16… And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (NKJV) …Yesterday, I mistakenly posted Mark instead of Luke, for Jesus’ last spoken words about sharing the gospel in…Luke 24:46-48…

Other scripture, written to verify that Christians are to be sharing the gospel of Christ, were written by the apostle Paul in…1 Corinthians 1:16-19…2 Timothy 1:8-10…and…Ephesians 6:18-20…as well as the apostle Peter, in…1 Peter 3:15-17…

I believe Jesus is explaining the command of sharing the gospel as scattering seed, in the opening scripture… When Christians do as they have been commanded by Christ, and go out and share the gospel (The word gospel derives from the Old English gÇod-spell (rarely godspel), meaning “good news” or “glad tidings” – from Wikipedia.org)…it is not for them to know if the seeds they are planting will become fertile and grow, or not… God decides whom and when someone will be graced with salvation…

Romans 9:15-16… For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. (NKJV)

As I wrote about yesterday, Jesus shares the parable of the four soils, in 3 of the 4 gospels… Typically, the real important ideas Jesus is trying to teach, are given to us multiple times in the gospels; so that our feeble brains just might understand what He is trying to say… Even His disciples, could not understand His parable of the soils, until Jesus explained it to them…

The words to describe the first of 4 seeds Jesus uses in His parable of the soils, were those that…“fell by the wayside”, in all 3 gospels (Matthew 13:1-23…Luke 8:4-15…&…Mark 4:1-20)… I believe Jesus’ description to His disciples, about the meaning to His parable, is best described in…Luke 8:11-12… “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”… (NKJV)

John MacArthur, in my study notes, describes the wayside as paths along the fields, which had been trampled down by people and baked hard by the sun… In all 3 of the parable of the soils that Jesus presents…this seed is devoured by the birds… The Bible doesn’t tells us this; but I believe this gospel of Christ represents what is presented to both people that see or hear the words “gospel of Christ”, and immediately turn away; as well as those who actually read about, see, or hear someone sharing or preaching the gospel of Christ…but they have absolutely no interest in learning about or understanding what this “good news” is all about…

Indeed, both of these scenarios I have suggested, are speaking about people with hardened hearts; whose vision and hearing are totally blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4)… This, however…does not mean that the next time they are presented with the gospel of Christ, that God won’t regenerate their hearts and open their eyes to the fact that they are indeed sinners in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ… This is why we as Christians should never be discouraged or neglect to share the gospel of Christ at every opportune chance we are given by God…

Heavenly Father, help all of Your children share the good news of the gospel of Christ at every opportunity You present them with… Give them the right words at the right time, that will plant a seed that You at Your discretion can mature into a new child of God… I pray that You provide many opportunities to share, and that You instill courage into Your children, to share this good news of the gospel with all of those around them in need…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce

P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, after first being drawn in by God…John 6:44… https://godsmanforever.com/2014/10/26/the-truth-about-sin-10262014-by-bruce-reposted-from-7112013/

Gods group thoughts for 3/17/2012 “A False Sense of Security” (Day 3)

Matthew 13:20-21… 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. (NKJV)

As I have explained in the last 2 days of writing, with scripture to back up my beliefs…Jesus uses 4 types of soils to describe the 4 types of people who hear the gospel of Christ (the seed that believers are planting by the sharing of the gospel of Christ with unbelievers); and the explanation by Jesus, as to why 3 of the 4 types of people, end up never receiving the Holy Spirit as a permanent resident of their heart, mind and soul…(still not graced with salvation by God)…

The second seed Jesus speaks about in His parable of the soils, written about in 3 of the 4 gospels of the Bible (Matthew 13:1-23…Luke 8:4-15…&…Mark 4:1-20), is planted in ground without much depth or enough soil content, because of stones or rock just below the soil, to allow the seed to grow deep enough in good soil to receive enough moisture to thrive and mature… I believe this represents someone who sees or hears the gospel of Christ, and their mind understands that they are sinners in need of the Savior-Jesus Christ… They seek Jesus Christ through prayer, by asking Christ to save them from their sins that will lead them to eternal damnation in hell… They believe they understand the principle of salvation, and are filled with joy, because in their minds they are now forgiven of their sins by God…

A good example would be someone like a teenager, old enough to understand the principles of the gospel of Christ, that professes they have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior… Unfortunately, this person only has a mental understanding and belief they are saved, without a regenerated heart; because the Holy Spirit has not taken up residence in their heart… The opening scripture has Jesus speaking of “no root” formation, which is speaking of no change in the dead heart of the sinner…

I might note that this sharing of the gospel could have been done by believers who are family, neighbors, friends, or co-workers of the person who has heard the gospel… Or the gospel of Christ could have been heard in a church or a gathering of people, with someone sharing the good news of the gospel… Another possibility would be the sinner who reads about the gospel of Christ on their own…from the Word, or other printed or visual sources… In any event, this second type of person has not had any regeneration of the heart; so they as of yet, will still die in their sins…John 8:24…if they were to die at that moment in time…

We as children of God, are not to know which seeds will eventually die, and which of the 4 seeds will eventually come alive because of the regeneration of the heart by the Holy Spirit… More about this later…

Once we hear of this good news that someone has professed they are saved; we are to continue to water this seed, by encouraging the person to grow in their knowledge and wisdom in the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:6)… We as believers should take them under our wing, “so to speak”; and encourage them to spend time everyday reading the Word, as well as our encouraging their constant prayer to the Lord for protection… We should also encourage then to find a good Bible believing church to attend to continue feeding them God’s Word… We should keep these professors of faith in our prayers, and as believers should watch for any signs of visible sin in their lives, and confront them…

This is contrary to the belief of many believers and non believers alike; but the Bible teaches us that we are to go to professed believers as their brother or sister in Christ; and because of our love and concern for their spiritual growth…we should confront them with sins we spot, using what Jesus teaches is righteous judgment…John 7:24… “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (NKJV)

I must warn all of you that we as believers must not jump to conclusions, or listen to hearsay or gossip; if we are to confront a professed Christian that we spot sinning… It must be first hand knowledge of their sins, and we must have concrete evidence they are doing something God would deem sinful… An example would be their use of foul language, the use of God’s name in vain, or an obvious sin, including looking at or posting horoscopes…

I mention horoscopes as a sin, because many people have no idea how much God hates us looking to anyone but Him for our future…not even for kicks… Here is the link from scripture in the Bible for those who have never read how God feels about this subject… http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deut18:10-13&version=NKJV

Jesus tells us this seed will fail, because a person will suffer tribulation or persecution because of the word, and immediately he stumbles. True believers will have a changed heart, and as a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), they should not be ashamed of their new life in Christ… The apostle Paul writes this, in…Romans 1:16… For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (NKJV)

New believers won’t cave in to persecution or name-calling from their piers…especially teens at a high school level; when their unsaved friends find out they profess to be “born again” Christians… Going back to school, and rejoining fellow classmates with the same sins that are professed to have been forgiven, is a reasonably sure sign that a person was not saved to begin with…Titus 1:16… They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. (NKJV)

Heavenly Father, I pray You use this writing from Your Word, to stir the hearts and minds of those who falsely believe they have been graced with salvation… I pray Lord, that these sinners will be convicted by the Holy Spirit with this truth from Your Word; and that these un-repentant, unsaved professed believers will be quickened by You to see they are still subject to the wrath You will bring upon those that die in their sins… I pray Lord, that all of us will benefit in some way from today’s writing… I pray Lord, for all hearts and lives to be filled with the Holy Spirit…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce

Gods group thoughts for 3/18/2012 “The False Good Christian Life…Mine” (The Third Seed) (Day 4)

Mark 4:18-19… Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (NKJV)

For the past 3 days I have been writing about Jesus’ parable of the soils, that is written in 3 of the 4 gospels of the Bible (Matthew 13:1-23…Luke 8:4-15…&…Mark 4:1-20)… I have explained through scripture, my belief that Jesus uses the parable of the 4 seeds in various soils, to explain in His own words, why 3 of the 4 seeds die…never maturing into a believer (Christian), who God has graced with the free gift of salvation…

The third seed, Jesus portrays as a person who hears the Word of God (the gospel of Christ), and just like the 2nd person represented by the seed that falls on stony ground…they proclaim to be a Christian, who falsely believes they have been saved by God from their sins and an eternity in hell, separated from God…when in reality God has not recognized them as righteous in His eyes… This following scripture defines just such a person who is being warned by Jesus that their self righteous works won’t get them into heaven… Look it up…Matthew 7:21-23…

Jesus tells us, that unlike the second seed that dies relatively quickly, because there is no root structure to sustain the hot sun…this 3rd seed which is really an unsaved person, believes they are saved by God’s gift of salvation… But worldly traits like the monetary riches those living in the world seek, and all the problems of the world that attack the unsaved person who is falsely believing they are a Christian…and all the personal desires of those still living in the world, as listed by the apostle John, in…1 John 2:15-16…end up chocking the growing seed (the unrighteous person in God’s eyes), and they produce no fruit; which means they weren’t a Christian to begin with…

The Bible is full of scripture revealing the fact that spiritual fruit must be produced to prove that a person is truly a child of God…or these false believers will die in their sins…(John 8:24)… This is, in my humble opinion, where many self professed Christians (denied by God Himself as being righteous in His eyes), will find themselves… I know how easy it is to fall for this false belief of being a Christian…because I found myself in this position of living in the world of sin and shame for 52 years…

I was blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4), living the good life with a beautiful wife (she still is and always has been beautiful !!), and 3 good kids that all went to college… I had the good job with a 6 figure income, a company car, a nice house…and didn’t really want for anything… I thought I had finally made it in this life… Indeed, I had made it in this world, but as a sinner that was bearing absolutely no spiritual fruit… I was still in need of the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Lord, my Master, and then my Savior…

This 3rd seed Jesus speaks of is the last of the 3 dead or unproductive seeds… It represents a person who never produced any spiritual fruit… Many people (just like me for so many years), falsely believe they are Christians who are living for the Lord… But the Bible clearly warns us that the fruit of material wealth and the other material possessions one has accumulated, is not a substitute for the spiritual fruit that has to be produced, as evidence that this seed has indeed germinated (made alive by the Holy Spirit), and is righteous in God’s eyes and one of His children…

Heavenly Father, I am ever so thankful for Your Word, that helps us understand exactly how we are to live our lives in order to be pleasing to You… I pray Lord, that all that is written on this page will be used by You to glorify Your holy name… I pray Lord, that this parable about the 4 seeds, will be used by You to open the eyes of those who are still dead spiritually… I pray for these lost souls, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce

Gods group thoughts for 3/19/2012 “The Perfect Seed” (Day 5)

Mark 4:8-9… “But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (NKJV)

This is the 5th and final day of writing about the 4 seeds that Jesus spoke about, in His parable of the soils… Only the 4th seed fell on fertile soil and grew, producing an abundance of fruit… Jesus is describing those that become Christians in God’s eyes… Thank You Lord for gracing a wretch like me with salvation !! You can find this important parable in 3 of the 4 gospels, in…(Matthew 13:1-23…&…Luke 8:4-15…as well as here in…Mark 4:1-20)…

Jesus related the seeds that were being planted as people who had “heard the word” (the gospel of Christ); and explained how the gospel of Christ would be received by different people in different ways… The first 3 seeds were either (1) – eaten quickly; or (2) – they were planted in rocky soil and died in the hot sun with a shallow root; or (3) – the seed was planted and sprung up…but was strangled by thorns… None of the first 3 seeds (Jesus explains later as representing people), grew and matured into a fruit bearing tree; because they were spiritually dead without the power of God…

I like Jesus’ description in the Book of Mark the best, where Jesus explains to His disciples (and us) how the un-repentant sinner hears the gospel of Christ, and accepts it…Mark 4:20… “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (NKJV)

Hearing the gospel of Christ, and then accepting or obeying the gospel of Christ, in hope of becoming a Christian…is not going to automatically make one a Christian… The second and third seeds (people), had heard the gospel of Christ, and believed they were saved because in their minds they thought they understood exactly what God requires to become righteous in God’s eyes… But the hearts of none of the first 3 types of people were filled with the love of Christ, as happens when the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the new Christian… There must be a change in the stone cold heart of the sinner… Their heart has to be first regenerated by God Himself…

John 6:44… “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (NKJV)

The heart is quickened or made alive by the Holy Spirit, and the sinner understands that they are in need of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord, Master, and then Savior… They realize that they cannot save themselves… The sinner is given the will by God to turn from their sins and repent of them, seeking Christ by saving faith alone, to take charge of their lives… When God sees the changed heart of the sinner, as the righteousness of Christ is imputed into the truly repentant sinner; their sins are imputed to Christ… God by His grace and His mercy, God now deems this individual as righteous in His sight… Praise the Lord !! What an amazing eternal gift !!

2 Corinthians 5:21… For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV) …Salvation is complete, as the Christian becomes a child of God who will indeed bear fruit… The above scripture reveals that all Christians will “bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

As I mentioned yesterday, we as believers are to be spreaders of the seeds towards salvation… We are commanded to plant seeds, and then continue to water them… We are not to know the mystery of God, as to which seeds will mature into a child of God, and which ones won’t… The apostle Paul writes this, in…1 Corinthians 3:6… I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. (NKJV) …It’s God’s decision, and God’s timing…and both are always perfect…

Heavenly Father, help all of Your children to be productive planters of the seeds, that can only then be made perfect by You; as Christ’s perfect righteousness is imputed into a new Christians heart, mind, and soul… I pray Lord, that these words today, will be used by You to nurture some lost souls; as hearts are regenerated by You, and new lives as a new creature in Christ then emerge as one of Your new children… Help all of us Lord, be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that our lives will be pleasing to You in every way… I pray for this supernatural event for all of us today, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce

P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, after first being drawn in by God…

https://godsmanforever.com/2014/10/26/the-truth-about-sin-10262014-by-bruce-reposted-from-7112013/

(My Salvation) Gods group thoughts for 3/20/2012 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Day 6)

Matthew 22:14… “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (NKJV)

I came across this opening scripture this morning in my Q/T reading, and it goes right along with the last 5 days of writing; where I expounded upon the “Parable of the Soils” that Jesus preached about, as recorded in 3 of the 4 gospels of Christ, in… Matthew 13:1-23…&…Luke 8:4-15…&…Mark 4:1-20…

This calling, spoken of in the opening scripture, is sometimes referred to as a “general call” or “external call”, as some call it… An excellent example of this call, would be when we as Christians spread the seeds that God calls us to spread…as we share the good news of the gospel of Christ; to the first 3 of the 4 sinner’s that I just finished writing about, that heard this calling to repent of their sins and look to Jesus Christ as their personal Lord, their Master, and then their Savior… All 3 of these unsaved people that Jesus uses the different soils to represent, will fail to produce fruit (to become one of God’s children)… They are part of this “general call”, but are not yet regenerated, or called with what is called an “effectual call”, or “internal call” that is made by God Himself… More about this later…

These first 3 soil scenarios’ in Jesus’ parable of the soils, presents several reasons why people won’t respond to this general call (the gospel of Christ), to understand how someone becomes a Christian in the eyes of God…

Jesus has already spoken about the fact that few will find their way through the “narrow gate” as He calls it; as Jesus preaches about the true way into the kingdom of heaven, towards the end of His “Sermon on the Mount” teaching… This teaching by Jesus was in the beginning of His public ministry, and is recorded in…

Matthew 7:13-14… “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (NKJV)

Here in this scripture spoken by Jesus Himself, we see the same idea as the opening scripture…there will be “few who find it.”… Jesus’ telling us that “there are few who find it”, should send up a red flag that I pray God will use to open the eyes of those still living in this lost and dying world…

This “general calling”, is something that should actually be seen by all people, just through their eyes as they look around them at the beauty and the majesty of this Creation God spoke into existence… God’s Creation is recorded in the beginning of the Bible, as written about by Moses, in…Genesis 1… Here is the link for the entire first chapter of Genesis …

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen1&version=NKJV

Jesus goes on to give those around Him (and us) this warning which I write about all the time… I post this warning by Jesus, in hope that He will open the eyes of those who read His warning, and truly understand its truth… To me it is truly eye opening scripture, where Jesus tells those who do all these self-righteous works, like going to church every week, in order to have their sins forgiven…that they are not seen by the Lord as forgiven…and will be turned away from the gates of heaven, and separated from God for an eternity…

Matthew 7:21-23… “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” (NKJV)

God gives all of us a conscience, which should hopefully help all people in their understanding of right from wrong… But we have to keep our eyes and our ears open to what God is trying to show us visually, and what God is trying to tell us through our consciences; as well as through believers around us… Unfortunately few will respond to the calling of believers, as they try to share their own good news testimonies, or the gospel of Christ… Jesus warns us over and over in the 4 gospels, to open our ears and hear… I find it interesting that Jesus uses the exact same words at the end of all 3 parables of the soils, as recorded in…Matthew 13:9… (“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”)…Mark 4:9b…&…Luke 8:8b…

These words from Jesus come at the end of the explanation of the 4th soil… It is only this seed planted in fertile soil that Jesus tells us will mature and produce fruit… I have already discussed the fact that a person must be drawn by God, or they will not end up becoming a Christian… The apostle John records these words from Jesus, revealing this truth, in…John 6:44… No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. (NKJV)

But this doesn’t mean the person that will eventually be drawn in by God, will really hear His call the first time they are called by those who share the gospel with them?? …I heard (but did not really hear) and responded to the gospel of Christ a number of times, before my heart was regenerated; and God through grace alone the last time I heard the gospel, chose that this was the time that I actually had the ears to hear and truly respond to His calling…the “effectual call”… Why else would Jesus add these words in the 4th soil parable scripture… “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”… This means the previous times I heard the gospel, that it was shared as one of the first 3 soil scenarios, in a “general call”…

It was only the last time that I heard the gospel of Christ preached…that I heard God’s “effectual call”; and by responding through prayer with a heart that was regenerated by the Holy Spirit, I repented of my past sins, turned from them, and in earnest prayer to Christ in saving faith alone, I prayed for Jesus Christ to come into my life and take charge… Praise the Lord for His grace and His mercy, because in that blink of an eye, I was graced with salvation, and became a new creature in Christ, as God’s new redeemed child…

Salvation comes after the gospel of Christ is obeyed; and only occurs by God’s grace through saving faith, not by works… (Ephesians 2:8-9)… The sinner’s heart is regenerated; the sinner repents, turns to Christ in faith, and is received by God into His family… This whole miracle of salvation is still a mystery to me, as to the exact timing and all the details… I know not why I was chosen by God… I am just forever thankful to the Lord, that I now belong to Him…

Heavenly Father, I pray that this writing about how seeds are planted, and how only the 4th soil will mature to produce spiritual fruit…will be used by You to help those in need of understanding, to possibly see by my humble life experience, exactly how Your mystery of salvation actually occurs… I pray Lord, that You will open the eyes and the ears of those in need to seeing and hearing the truth from Your Word…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce

P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, after first being drawn in by God…John 6:44…

https://godsmanforever.com/2014/10/26/the-truth-about-sin-10262014-by-bruce-reposted-from-7112013/

Gods group thoughts for 3/21/2012 “The Chosen” (Day 7)

Romans 8:29-30… For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (NKJV)

I wrote yesterday about what Jesus told us in the Book of Matthew, which included Jesus telling us this, in…

Matthew 22:14… “For many are called, but few are chosen.” This calling where few are chosen is referring to as a “general call” or “external call”, as some have named it… I went on in detail, to explain what this calling consisted of, as spoken about by Jesus Himself in His “Parable of the Soils”… Here is the link to yesterdays writing, for people who want to catch up with my writing about this “general call”, and examples of it… https://www.facebook.com/notes/gods-group/gods-group-thoughts-for-3202012-for-many-are-called-but-few-are-chosen/10150607350566437

I also touched on some scripture written by the apostle John, which explains that no one can become a Christian unless they are first drawn by God Himself… We see this in scripture spoken by Jesus Himself, in… John 6:44… No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. (NKJV)…

This drawing in by God, I see as a regeneration of the heart, as God quickens or makes alive a dead heart; and is known as an “effectual call”, or “internal call” that is made by God Himself… This calling by God, is written about by the apostle Paul in the opening scripture; and as one can read, God knew before time began, exactly who would be on the “elect” list”… This scripture, as well as any other scripture written about sheep (all those that are going to be drawn into God’s family), is referring to the Christians that have been called, or who will eventually be called (as I was), with God’s “effectual call”… These Christians are then “justified” as righteous in God’s eyes…and they will die ending up being “glorified”, at the time their buried bodies are called up from their graves to meet Christ in the air, at the time of the rapture… This glorification is written about by the apostle Paul in the following scripture…

Romans 8:16-17… The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (NKJV)

I believe the glorification together with Christ happens at the rapture; as written about by the apostle Paul, in this scripture…1 Thessalonians 4:16-17… For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (NKJV)

Heavenly Father, I pray that this glorious event of being “effectually called” by You, which will lead to being made righteous in Your sight (at the time of salvation), will be understood by all of today’s readers… Help them understand that this is accomplished when the sinner obeys the gospel of Christ, and takes on the righteousness of Christ, as their sins are imputed to Christ Himself…(2 Corinthians 5:21)… I thank You now Lord for the wisdom to help all of us truly understand all that Your Word presents…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce

P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, after first being drawn in by God…John 6:44… https://godsmanforever.com/2014/10/26/the-truth-about-sin-10262014-by-bruce-reposted-from-7112013/