February 19
Lev 7:28-9:6 | PS 37:12-29 | Prov 10:5 | Mark 3:31-4:25
It seemed a question many were asking, "Was the thing going on in Asbury College a true revival or not". There were no shortage of opinions. The truth is, time will tell. A life that is changed by the seed of God's Word will go on to show it. Fruit will be produced. When describing those that are truly His, Jesus in Matthew 7:20 states, "Therefore by their fruits you will know them." When the music stops, and the prayers cease, will those who received the message put forth at this meeting move on to have a life that produces fruit, that goes forward to continue to plant seeds in others. This is not to elevate or diminish what went on there. A movement of the Spirit is always a beautiful thing, but what is the receptivity, the true receptivity of the soil of the hearts in those gathered there. More importantly, since most of us were not there, what is the condition of the soil of our own hearts. Are we bearing fruit? May we never forget, that we get to plant seed, it is up to the individuals that we plant it in to receive it or not. May we all be faithful planters.
We read the well known parable, The Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:3-8, "“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 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.”" Knowing that true salvation produces fruit, the "good ground" represents true salvation. What happened to the other three? The hard soil is not necessarily engaged in gross sin, in fact, they may say and do all the right things, being upstanding members of society. But they are hard-hearted, bogged down with being busy with the things of this world. There is no time to pause, or for self-appraisal. There are deadlines. Their "to-do" lists are too full to allow God's Word to penetrate. The shallow soil is excited. There may be no shortage of arm waving and "Hallelujahs". The tent revival might have compelled them to move forward. But when the excitement of the event dies down, and worldly troubles once again come to the forefront, their faith is nowhere to be found. The thorny soil receives the seed, may understand it, even enjoy it. But sadly in their heart it is no competition for all the competing desires: pleasure, money, family, etc. These individuals, who "are in reality" simply have no time for God's Word or for allowing true revival to take place in their hearts. They might actually enjoy it, but will put it off until their lives calm down, and they can fit God into their competing schedule.
Rather than looking to an event occurring hundreds of miles away, the most important question is, "Are you saved?" Is your heart represented by the "good soil" in the parable. This does not mean that you won't sin or struggle, because while we live on this earth we still have this flesh to deal with. But we either move forward in the Spirit or ourselves. The fruits of the Spirit are revealed for us in Galatians 5:22-23. Do these flow from us? Are we about planting the seed of the Kingdom of Heaven in those around us? Also, never take for granted those around us, even in the church. May we continue to plant seeds of the gospel message. May the gospel message, may the Word of God pour out of our mouths in church and in our communities. May we be less about worldly issues and more about the truth.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: