Tuesday: Sowing and Reaping in Cities
Read Matthew 13:3-9, Matthew 13:18-23. Though this is a familiar story, how can we take what it teaches in order to help us better understand how to minister and to witness to our communities, including the cities?
Image © Rolf Jansson from GoodSalt.com
Though set in a rural context, this parable is, in fact, more important in urban ministry than in small towns and rural areas, because urban areas have a greater variety of “soils.” This explains why it is more challenging to conduct evangelistic campaigns in cities than in more rural areas.
Different soil conditions produce different kinds of results, suggesting the need to study the soil conditions before investing in evangelism activities. If after studying the community “soil” your church discovers that it has limited “good ground” in its territory, you must plan to improve that soil by softening the hard pathways, removing the rocks, and pulling up the thorns. That is, for evangelism to be successful, the church must work ahead of time, preparing the soil. This can make a great deal of difference in how effective an evangelistic campaign can be.
In 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, Romans 12:1-21, and Ephesians 4:1-32, the Scriptures teach about spiritual gifts. They say that there are a multiplicity of different gifts but only one mission. The types of soil mentioned in the parable show the need for many different gifts to be included in reaching the cities. In the large cities, “men of varied gifts are to be brought in,” Ellen G. White has written. “New methods must be introduced. God’s people must awake to the necessities of the time in which they are living.” – Ellen G. White,Evangelism, p. 70. Through the gift of divine insight, she saw what is necessary to be effective in urban ministry. It is even more necessary today to have a wide variety of approaches and gifts working within a large, multifaceted strategy. A single campaign or one major project will not achieve much in the long term. The massive scale and complex structure of the city simply swallows such programs, and within a few weeks there is no trace of an impact. More needs to be done beforehand.
Think about those you are trying to witness to. What kind of ground are they in? What can you do to help prepare the soil better?
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I was struck by the appropriateness of your words, '"Different soil conditions produce different kinds of results, suggesting the need to study the soil conditions before investing in evangelism activities. If after studying the community “soil” your church discovers that it has limited “good ground” in its territory, you must plan to improve that soil by softening the hard pathways, removing the rocks, and pulling up the thorns. That is, for evangelism to be successful, the church must work ahead of time, preparing the soil. This can make a great deal of difference in how effective an evangelistic campaign can be.’
So often we have been ‘sent out’ and with dismay we have learned we have not been given the right tools, or even been the right persons. Yet I have never heard anyone say before, that we need to ‘pre-pare’ (pare – to reduce, peel or cut off) the soil, to make it ‘good ground – before we sow the Gospel seed.
I have heard of ‘seed sowers’ where people meet regularly to discuss how they may have sowed seeds in the hearts of unknowing folks in the past week or so and encourage each other in the name of Christ. But I have not related any mission to preparing or make ready the community ‘soil’ to make it ready – particularly in urban areas. I admire the churches who have soup kitchens and the like but did they really have the aim of preparing the folk to receive the gospel ? Sometimes I have truly wondered about this.
Bless you for bringing this to our attention to ‘work ahead of time to prepare the soil’ and to find out about ‘the soil conditions’ first.
Godbless today
A Stolz.
In order to know what kind of ground and what we can do to prepare the soil better in our communities, we should present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, because this work is to be done by the Holy spirit in us.
Speaking of the parable of the sower, the lesson comments - "Though set in a rural context, this parable is, in fact, more important in urban ministry than in small towns and rural areas, because urban areas have a greater variety of “soils.”"
I find this somewhat puzzling, because it seems to be saying that urban 'fields of labor' have more than the 4 types of soil specified in the parable. While I agree that there is greater diversity in the cities, I cannot see that the "soil" types in the cities will ever go beyond the 4 that Jesus spoke about. In terms of "soils", even the largest city has no greater diversity or "variety" than what might be found in a scattered rural community.
Whether in rural or city settings, the soil types are the same. There is (1) hard, unreceptive, "wayside" soil; (2) shallow soil that produces an initial 'enthusiasm' which quickly dies away; (3) soil so crowded/infested with thorns, that any good seeds get choked (or crowded out); and (4) good, receptive soil.
The Lesson goes on to say that "the greater variety of “soils”... explains why it is more challenging to conduct evangelistic campaigns in cities...". But again, my suggestion is that the variety of "soils" remain the same everywhere, and in terms of the Parable of the Sower, these are limited to only 4.
Maybe there is a higher percentage of the first three types. Maybe combinations of the first three types. Maybe we need to understand the reasons for the type. The weeds type could be that financial, medical, or basic safety or shelter issues are getting in the way. Our job could be to remove the weeds by helping to solve those problems. Only after doing that will sowing seed be profitable.
Wilton, thank you. I agree with all the points you've proposed/offered here, and I especially like the last concept.
I praise God for his abundant mercies that in knowing that some ground is good for the seed while the other is not, he still bids us to go to every ground or we may say person/culture/tongue/tribe to preach the word.
We are not to judge as to whom must the message be preached to our commission is unto the ends of the world... so is the promised power to be witnesses to the whole world.
Time is running up .... lets work while it is day for night comes were no man labors.
Read matthew 28:19-20 and also Acts 1:1-9.
praise be to the Lord.
I think that in the cites making your church hall a place full of activities, that help people, will attract the people from the highways and the byways without a problem.
The rich and self-satisfied need other rich to reach them on their level with soul food.
There is such a variety of people in the cities, maybe first look at what talents your group has been given, then you find people who are attracted to that type of outreach.
The main thing is: one person, or small group, or big group using your Spiritual Gifts and Talents to share the love of Jesus. Everyone needs Jesus' love!
This lesson is saying we can witness to people in our community by the way we live. In other words, people should see a difference about us, there should be a light. Our characters should not be the same as a non-believer. In stead, we should be kind, loving, forgiving, honest, humble, and etc.
These times require different methods to reach the people that God, through the Holy Spirit, places in our paths. The image that is in today's lesson speaks volumes to that very point. You have a young man with his hat on backwards with the word Jesus on it, the word love on the front of his shirt, a Bible in his hand, standing in the mist of an urban street declaring, as John the Baptist did, "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" Matt. 3:2. (NKJV)
The different soils seem to be represented as well. You have:
(1) a person laughing meaning nothing sticks
(2) a person who perhaps will accept because of his issues, but will turn back to his old ways
(3) a person thinking about it, but not understanding
(4) a pardon seems to be walking in the newness of life
Praise be to God who gives us the victories through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Steward Crafts
I think there are more than 4 types of "soil". Especially in the cities like you said there may be more than 4. From experience I have noted that in every type of "soil", all 4 types are in that particular "soil". In other words all the 4 types of soil are in every single person (soil). The work looks harder but with faith and prayer (God) all things are possible.
Hello Peter, I am happy to allow for the view that there are more than 4 types of "soil" in the human family, and that Jesus gave us only a partial lesson in the Parable of the Sower.
I don't share that view, but I do agree however, that individually, we can have all 4 types of soil in us. In my view it was apparent in the disciples that they possessed "wayside" soil during their time with Jesus. (As well as good soil, etc.) It appears that every time Jesus told them that He was going to be killed, the proverbial birds of the air came immediately and took those particular seeds of truth away. Their minds/hearts were simply unable to receive that truth, and when Jesus was betrayed and died, it hit them as if He had not even tried to warn them about the impending event.
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I suggest that there comes a time though, when each of us will be characterized by one of the 4 "soil types" that Jesus spoke about.