| Report: Sept 10, 2006 Morning....
Bro Dale Rude led a lesson on the 4
types of soils from Jesus' parable in Mark 4 & Matthew
13. This was an interactive time of sharing and each
person was free to share, as the Spirit of the Lord
witnessed to the Word. We believe that unlike the
typical "church services" of most institutionalized
churches of today, New Testament meetings were conducted
in a much different manner. They were very interactive
and no one was to be purely a "spectator". In light of
this observation, we openly discussed each of the 4
different types of soils and how they had a practical
application for our lives and for those around us. The
insight that was gained from each other was so much more
edifying then sitting and listening to the same person
"preach", service after service, week after
week.
The wayside soil represented a
hardened condition in which the seed, or the Word of
God, could not penetrate. Many times people are hardened
to the Gospel by repeated rejection of God's love, or in
some cases by what they have witnessed in other people
lives (religious professors). The stony soil represented
a person who initially accepted the Word, but because of
carelessness or because of having responded to an
emotional appeal rather than a heart-felt conviction,
they "lose it" when the tests of life come along. The
weedy soil is a condition where "things", even
legitimate things, snuff out the spiritual life and the
person never produces godly fruit. Finally, we discussed
the fourth category of soil, that of the good soil. It
was noted that it is our responsibility to individually
break up the fallow ground and prepare our heart for the
Word. Only then will we be spiritually mature and bear
fruit....
And our supreme desire is to bear
fruit for God's benefit! |
