What do we mean by “4th Seed”?
Matthew 13 — 3 [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, the first seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 The second seeds fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 The third seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still, the fourth seeds fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear.”
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the first seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the second seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the third seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the fourth seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the Word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Hearing the Word. Understanding the Word. Producing a high yield. That’s the 4th seed. And that’s what we want to be about as disciples of Jesus.
Coming soon: May blog & study through the book of Acts
At our monthly men’s breakfast on Saturday morning, May 3rd, I’ll be sharing from Acts 1. For the remaining month, the Men of Mesa will be encouraged to read and study through the book of Acts for the remainder of the month. For those new to Acts, let’s just say it’s the story of our church’s first 4th Seeders, who bore amazing fruit during the days of the early church. This study will feature the awesome stories from the pages of Acts, a daily blog with some ideas to make you think, some questions for your to consider, and the opportunity to interact with the blog through your posted comments.
The goal? That, through study and prayer, the men of our church will look increasingly like 4th Seeders in Acts.
Whether you’re from Mesa or not, jump on board…the first blog will appear by May 1st.
God’s best to you all, Bill
Bill Hartley, Mesa Area Pastor, East Valley Bible Church
East Valley Bible Church of Gilbert, Arizona, has what we call “Area Ministries”…one of those areas being Mesa, Apache Junction and Gold Canyon. Men from this area are committed to encouraging one another in our discipleship to become more like the Christ. For more information about EVBC, go to www.evbc.org.
