The Shepherd’s Staff: Soil

The Shepherd’s Staff: Soil

Evelyn and I lived in the “Garden State” of New Jersey for 32 years. While we lived in Cherry Hill, my daily
commute involved a lengthy drive through the Central Jersey farmlands, abundant with hectares of corn and
soybeans. I specifically recall observing the dedicated farmers as they plowed their fields, applied fertilizer,
watered seed, and finally reaped their crops. It was a pleasant sight during that 45 minute commute.

To put things into perspective — during Jesus’ day, farming was much more common than it is today and it
was accomplished without all the high-tech machines that we are accustomed to seeing. Jesus uses the
illustration of a sower spreading seed on the ground in order to produce a crop. He frequently spoke in
parables — fictitious stories used to teach those who had a desire to hear Truth. Every parable has a main
point, only understood by those who have the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

The parable of the sower, or soils, is recorded in the three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 13:1-9, Mark 4:1-9
and Luke 8:4-8. Jesus interpreted this parable in Matthew 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-20 and Luke 8:11-15. The
farmer, or sower, first prepared the field with a plow, then he walked out on the land with a bag of seeds
fastened around his waist to scatter the seed onto the soil. There were four kinds of soil upon which the seeds
were thrown. There was the road, the rocky places, the thorns and the good soil. The seed which fell on the
road were eaten by birds. The seeds which fell on the rocky places began to grow but were scorched by the
sun having no deep roots and they withered away. The seed which fell among the thorns where choked by
the thorns. However, the seeds which fell on the good soil yielded a bountiful harvest.

Jesus was speaking to two groups of people: 1) those who simply heard the story and took an agricultural
lesson from it, and 2) those who were listening and realized that Jesus was pointing to a deeper, spiritual
meaning through the story. The seed was the Word of God being spread by His disciples. The soil was the
hearts of those who were hearing the Word of God. The response to the Word is illustrated by what
happened to the seed. The seed falling on the road was immediately prevented from germinating by the
interference of Satan. There was no effect on that person, because there was no faith in the first place. They
were not children of God. The seed falling on the rocky soil is represented by a hearer who was shallow in
his faith, excited at first but who could not endure any kind of affliction, persecution, hardship or conflict as
a result of their initial believing. These are those who did not have assurance of their salvation and the
understanding of the cost of being a disciple. They were saved but lived as though they weren’t, thus bearing
no spiritual fruit. The seed falling on the thorny soil, are those who have a crowded life, wanting the best of
two worlds. They focused on pleasures, worries, riches and were unresponsive to heavenly things. They too,
although saved, were unfruitful. Fortunately, the seeds which fell on the good soil produced spiritual fruit
which was bountiful and brought satisfaction to the Sower, because they had accomplished His will.

So, examine your heart. Are you faithful and fruitful? Do you keep your heart refreshed by the Word of God,
prayer, fellowshipping with fellow believers, serving the Lord in the power and infilling of the Holy Spirit?
Continue to do that. Are you worried and worldly? Are you pursuing wealth and material things, or the
preservation of comforts, luxuries and privileged positions? Where is your priority of the Lordship of Christ
in your life? Are you keeping company with the world and walking the fence when it comes to moral
decisions? Are you shallow and shaky in your faith, holding on to your eternal life insurance policy but not
realizing that to be a disciple of Christ involves digging deeper into the riches of God’s Word. Maybe you
are content with your shallow Christian life and enjoy the fleeting comfort of the world. Are you faithless
and stubborn and totally reject the Truth, having never received it by faith, thinking that this faith is just not
for me?

The Lord Jesus Christ is looking for those who will not just hear what He says, but will listen and obey
through faith. This decision of the heart will produce spiritual fruit now and eternal rewards later when Jesus
returns. What kind of soil are you?

Bill Olsen, Elder

Find Rest For Your Soul

Find Rest For Your Soul

We’re not good at resting.  And we really need some good, life-giving rest these days.  Too many times we look for relaxation and down-time in the things of this world.  Things that just distract us but don’t actually rejuvenate.  We are spiritual beings and our souls need to drink deeply from the Living Water.  We need the reminder and refreshment of His grace to fill us up.  The things of this world cannot and will not quench that thirst.  Drinking from the things of this world is like drinking saltwater.  It only leaves us drier than before. 

Here’s the next part of the trap.  Following Jesus, while drinking from the wrong well, can turn our relationship with Him into religion.  Turn it into a routine.   Turn it into morality and rule-following.  Turn it into keeping the Law.  But our relationship with Jesus is not based on us keeping rules and checking boxes.  It is based upon his mind-blowing, self-sacrificing grace which He has lavishly poured out on us. 

At the Jerusalem Council, the Apostle Peter reminded the Jewish leaders in attendance that because of the gospel of grace, God had poured his Spirit out upon the Gentiles.  They were saved by grace, not works, and they would follow Jesus through the Spirit and not by the Law.    He reminded them that for generations the Law had been a heavy yoke upon the neck of Israel; a yoke that none of them had been able to bear.  [Acts 15:8-11] 

Peter could probably remember right where he was when he first heard these words from Jesus: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  [Matt. 11:25-30]  The Law was an impossible yoke to bear.  Trying to earn God’s favor, or anybody’s approval, for that matter, will leave you tired, anxious, and fatigued. 

Find rest for your soul this week by turning off the faucet to the things of this world.  Find rest for your soul this week by setting down the yoke of religion and moralism.  Find rest for your soul by drawing close to Jesus and learning from him.  He will remind you that He loves you and that following Him is joy and peace.  He will remind you that time sitting at His feet is never wasted time.  He will show you that the world deals in death but He gives life in the Spirit! 

Pastor Jon

Lion and the Lamb

He’s coming on the clouds, kings and kingdoms will bow down
And every chain will break, as broken hearts declare His praise
Who can stop the Lord Almighty?

Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power and fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before You
Our God is the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world, His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Oh every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb

So open up the gates, make way before the King of kings
Our God who calls the saved is here to set the captives free
Who can stop the Lord Almighty?

Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power and fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before You
Our God is the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world, His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Oh every knee will bow before the Lion and the LambWho can stop the Lord Almighty?

Who can stop the Lord Almighty?
Who can stop the Lord Almighty?
Who can stop the Lord Almighty?

Oh who can stop the Lord Almighty?
Who can stop the Lord Almighty?
Oh who can stop the Lord Almighty?
Who can stop the Lord?

Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power and fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before You
Our God is the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world, His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Oh every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb

The Shepherd’s Staff

The Shepherd’s Staff

Beginnings

 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit coexisted as three eternal persons and in essence, one solitary God. Since He, by nature, is perfect, lacking nothing, needing nothing, He is never lonely. The three existed eternally in perfect harmony, enjoying the fellowship they had with each other. Out of that beautiful Oneness, God created angels and then He created Adam and Eve. There is no indication that He was lonely or that He was lacking relationship. He created angels and humanity because everything that He does brings glory to Himself, for He alone is worthy of all glory. God enjoys fellowship.

Genesis devotional about the Shepherd

 God can do anything He wants and He wanted to create angels and mankind. He enjoyed an intimate relationship with His creation until Lucifer, His most senior angel, rebelled. Lucifer, or Satan, was cast out of Heaven, God’s dwelling place, with hordes of angels loyal to Lucifer. Then Adam and Eve rebelled and were thrown out of the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had walked with God in the garden which had everything they needed as human beings and the most perfect intimate fellowship they could have had with their Creator. They threw all of that away on the day they rebelled against God and sin has separated mankind from an intimate relationship with the living God ever since.

 It appeared that God had been defeated both in Heaven and on earth. Since He is the sovereign God who is Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent, His plan of having intimate relationship with His elect angels and His elect humanity can never be thwarted. God planned before time existed, that His Son, would become flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, would live a perfect life as a human being, would die a substitutionary death for all mankind, would rise up from the dead and would ascend into Heaven from where He came. Victory over death and sin was accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All who trust in His work will live eternally with Him in perfect fellowship. God’s plan in the beginning for intimate relationship with His mankind is available now on a spiritual plane. The Apostle John writes this in his gospel, “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” (John 17:3). That word “know” has the meaning of “intimate, experiential knowledge”.  It means that once we have placed our trust in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are declared to be children of God and thereby begin a never ending relationship with our Creator and Father. The Apostle John writes about that fellowship, “our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3).

 Although the beginning in Genesis was followed by a banishment from Paradise, Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them and that He would return and take all who are His children to live with Him for eternity. The Bible says that the present Heaven and earth will be replaced by a new Heaven and earth, which Jesus, the One Who created the original Heaven and earth, has been preparing since He ascended into Heaven almost two thousand years ago.

The first book of the Bible speaks about the first beginning and the last book of the Bible speaks about the new beginning. The garden of Eden was occupied by Adam and Eve, animals, birds, fish and crawling things. The serpent (Satan) was also there. God walked in the garden with His human creatures. The new heaven and earth will be occupied by God, countless numbers of people from every tribe, nation and tongue, who have been adopted as children of God because of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This new heaven will be void of Satan and his angels, who will have been cast into the Lake of Fire for eternal punishment prior to the creation of the new Heaven and new earth. A unique aspect of this new creation is that the dwelling place of the Triune God, Heaven, will be on earth. The Apostle John wrote this as a result of the revelation He received from the Lord Jesus Christ, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be HIs people, and God Himself shall be among them.” (Revelation 21:3).

 Before the first beginning, God existed alone as Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Heaven. In the new beginning, God will continue to exist in fellowship as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also in delightful fellowship with all His redeemed children. Will you be there with Him?

Bill Olsen, Elder

The Right Mindset For Today

The Right Mindset For Today

Do yourself a huge favor.  Start your day off by letting the Holy Spirit take the lead so you can have a life-giving experience today!  Romans 8:14 tells us that ‘all who are led by the Spirit are children of God’.  Make it your morning practice to surrender to the leading of the Spirit. 

How can you do that?  Get the right mindset!   Romans 8:5 says, “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

You have a decision to make every morning.  What will you focus your mind on?  What will be your first thoughts and mental input for the day?  If you want to be led by the Spirit you need to make up your mind to meditate on the things of God. Here are a few ways to focus your mind today and through the week:

  • Read Romans 8 and learn what the Spirit has to say about himself. 
  • Choose one verse from Romans 8 to meditate on this week.  Write it down.
  • Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and mind and to guide you.  He will!

You may not feel up to this today.  You may feel spiritually weak.  That’s okay.  Romans 8:26 tells us that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”  Just take the first step toward the right mindset and be surprised when the Spirit comes alongside of you and strengthens you in ways you did not expect!  The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you and he will give life to your body as well. 

I am praying that you will sense the leading of the Spirit this week and I’d love to hear what verse you pick to memorize!

Pastor Jon