Podcasts about sower

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) vs Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993)

Monday, 13 October 2025   He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. Matthew 13:37   “And answering, He said, ‘He, the ‘sowing the good seed,' he is the Son of Man'” (CG).   In the previous verse, the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him to explain the parable of the darnel. Therefore, Matthew records, “And answering, He said, ‘He, the ‘sowing the good seed,' he is the Son of Man.'”   His words reveal that this is not just a parable without an exact meaning, like a fable or a general metaphor that can be equated to various things. Rather, it is a specific parable that provides specific information.   Because this is so, even though truths from it may bleed between dispensations, the most likely explanation is that it is an overall truth applying to only one. This was discussed in the comments provided when the parable was given to the crowds by Jesus.   Jesus is the Sower. Therefore, the parable is referring to Him and cannot be transferred to anyone else as an example of their life or ministry.   Life application: As noted in an earlier commentary (Matthew 13:30), if the words of this parable are referring to the church age, there needs to be a specific spiritualization of some of what is being said.    This is generally what people do, attempting to fit themselves and their situation into parts of the Bible. Passages, for example, that provide hope to Israel in exile to Babylon, such as are found in Jeremiah, are transferred to our lives. Although they are words of hope, they are intended for a particular audience.   We can learn about God's mercy and compassion from those passages, but we should not endeavor to place ourselves into what is being stated. The words of this parable are specific and have an intended audience.   We can learn truths from it, and we can also see parallels in our dispensation to some of the things that happen, but the best course of action when reading it is to understand that it is dealing with Jesus and Israel.   Lord God, help us to understand Your word as You intend for us to understand it. Keep us from making faulty or illogical connections that are not intended by You. Rather, may our time in Your word be for understanding Your nature and Your care for humanity as You interact with us at any given time. Amen.

Discover the meaning behind the Parable of the Sower, one of Jesus' most powerful teachings about faith and the condition of the human heart. In this episode, we explore the four types of soil and what they reveal about our response to God's Word. Listen to find out which soil you are and how to grow deeper roots in your spiritual journey.

We are living in a world that currently feels unsettled, to say the least.At best, people seem confused. At worst, frozen, or acting out. There is so much anger and uncertainty in the air.One way I'm coping is by returning to art and story. Because here is what I know: Stories are more than entertainment. They can be bids for understanding. They can be tests to see if you understand or even agree with another person. And for times like these, they can also be compasses that orient us when the world feels unmoored.Since January, I've noticed myself reaching for historical fiction and speculative fiction as if story itself is a lifeline.That's what this first episode of season two is about: How story can hold us and help us make sense when the world we live in feels fractured. I'll share a few of the narratives that are nourishing me right now, and give you an exercise I use with clients when they're ready to write a new story for their own lives.This is also an introduction to our theme for season two: imagination. Over the coming weeks, you'll hear from living sages, authors, educators, artists, and activists—people imagining new ways of being, and offering us tools to step into our own power.Listen to the full episode to hear:Three narratives of agency, creativity, and community that offer fierce hope in the face of oppression and adversityA six-sentence exercise to write your own story of muscular hopeHow Emma Cote's Pixar Story Spine can help us practice, and then live, with hopeTo download the Story Spine Worksheet, click here.Learn more about Valerie Black:The Change AgencyBecoming Power NewsletterCoachingResources:Parable of the Sower, Octavia E ButlerThe Japanese Lover, Isabel AllendeHarlem Rhapsody, Victoria Christopher MurrayThe Mars House, Natasha Pulley

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Send us a textWhat if the line “many are called, few are chosen” isn't a riddle but a roadmap? We take a sober, hopeful walk through Scriptures that unsettle easy religion and steady real faith—starting with Deuteronomy 7:7, where God chooses the fewest to showcase His strength, and moving through Matthew 20's vineyard wages to Romans 9's distinction between flesh and promise. Along the way, we test our assumptions about universalism, cultural Christianity, and the idea that religious privilege or national heritage can stand in for new birth.We also reframe the Parable of the Sower as a portrait of the Sower Himself—Christ scattering one powerful Seed across four kinds of hearts. The wayside never receives; the rocky receives without root; the thorny receives but is choked; the good soil receives and bears lasting fruit. This is not about technique or personality; it's about life from above. Our panel wrestles with election and assurance in plain terms: gratitude over pride, humility over presumption, urgency over apathy. If Israel's privileges didn't guarantee salvation, neither do ours. Faith in Christ, given by grace, evidenced by perseverance and fruit, is the narrow way.Expect candid moments: questions about mourning the lost under predestination, testimonies of laying down pride, and clear calls to examine ourselves without sinking into fear. The throughline is simple and bracing—God saves through promise, not pedigree; through mercy, not math; through a narrow gate that remains open to all who come by faith. Listen to be challenged, comforted, and called to a deeper honesty with God. If this conversation helps you think and trust more clearly, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review to tell us what changed for you.Support the show

River of Life is an inter-denominational, interracial, Spirit-filled church located in the heart of Wakulla County, Florida. We share the sermons from our services in the hopes they'll reach others determined to worship God in spirit and truth.

River of Life is an inter-denominational, interracial, Spirit-filled church located in the heart of Wakulla County, Florida. We share the sermons from our services in the hopes they'll reach others determined to worship God in spirit and truth.

In this solo episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Jesse Schwamb explores the profound depths of Jesus' Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13. While this parable might seem unassuming compared to others, Jesse reveals how it serves as the "granddaddy" of all parables—offering a God's-eye view of salvation through the ordinary imagery of farming. The episode examines why different people respond differently to the same gospel message, and challenges listeners to consider what kind of soil their own hearts represent. Through historical context and theological reflection, Jesse unpacks how this parable prepares believers for the mixed responses they'll encounter when sharing the gospel and reminds us that the efficacy of salvation depends not on the sower's skill, but on God's sovereign work in preparing hearts to receive His Word. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Sower provides a framework for understanding the various responses to the gospel message, serving as preparation for disciples who would face both acceptance and rejection. Jesus' parables, particularly the Sower, demonstrate how God uses ordinary, mundane things to express profound spiritual truths about His kingdom. The efficacy of salvation doesn't depend on the skill of the sower but on God's sovereign work in preparing the soil of human hearts. God's Word never returns void but always comes back "full" of either acceptance or rejection—it accomplishes exactly what God intends. Historical context matters: Jesus' audience had high expectations for a Messiah who would establish an earthly kingdom, but Jesus was revealing a different kind of kingdom. The Parable of the Sower shows that the kingdom of God isn't received equally by all—some receive it with joy while others reject it outright. Having "ears to hear" is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit, not merely intellectual understanding but spiritual receptivity. The Word That Never Returns Void The power of God's Word stands at the center of the Parable of the Sower. Jesse highlights Isaiah 55, where God declares that His word "shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose." Unlike human words that often fall flat, God's Word always achieves its intended effect. This doesn't mean universal salvation, but rather that God's purposes are never thwarted. When the gospel is proclaimed, it always returns to God "full" of something—either acceptance or rejection. The parable illustrates this reality by showing the various responses to the same seed. This should encourage believers in evangelism: we are simply called to faithfully sow the seed, while God determines the harvest according to His sovereign purposes. Our success is not measured by conversions but by faithfulness in proclamation. Kingdom Expectations vs. Kingdom Reality The historical context of Jesus' ministry reveals a profound disconnect between what people expected from the Messiah and what Jesus actually delivered. Jesse explains how the Jewish people anticipated a conquering king who would overthrow Roman oppression and establish a visible earthly kingdom. Instead, Jesus announced a kingdom that begins in the heart, dividing even families according to their response to Him. The Parable of the Sower anticipates this mixed response, preparing disciples for both acceptance and rejection. This teaches modern believers an important lesson: the gospel will not be universally embraced, even when perfectly presented. Some hearts are like paths, others rocky ground, others thorny soil. Yet we continue sowing because God has appointed some to be good soil—hearts prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive the Word and bear fruit. This reality should both humble us and embolden our witness. Quotes "The power of this message is in the message itself, but the medium by which it is delivered... it does pierce the heart. It does pierce through bone and marrow. It does divide because it always returns full of either acceptance or full of rebellion and denial." - Jesse Schwamb "We find ourselves humbled. We find ourselves rushing in, coming into the kingdom, fighting to come into it because God has impassioned us with that same zeal that has accomplished this very thing. He implants it in our hearts, in our minds, in our guts, so that we would come before him and worship him." - Jesse Schwamb "Consider what it means that this good news... that God's word is his deed. This is why... it's such a blessing to live in this period of time where we have such easy access for most of us to the word of God, and that we ought to be zealous about getting that word out to all people because behind it and within it and around it is the full power of the Holy Spirit." - Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript Welcome to episode 463 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse, and this is the podcast for those with ears to hear. Hey, brothers and sisters, so I am just one half. Of the Reform Brotherhood squad. Tony, of course, wanted to join us on this episode, but it sometimes happens in life. Our schedules were a little bit crazy this week, and God gave us responsibilities that put us in opposite directions for part of the time. And so that means that today on this episode, I thought. You and I, we could just hang out and Tony will be back to join us in the next episode. [00:01:20] Solo Episode and Parable Series Overview But for now, this is one of those solo or formed brotherhood episodes. And if you have been tracking with us, we just started this great and amazing journey on going through all the parables that our Lord and Savior gives to us in teaching us about the kingdom of God and its power. And we just started by talking about the parable of the sower, in fact. In the last episode, we just covered basically the first two soils, the first half of that amazing little story, and I thought it would be really, really great to camp out in that for just a little bit more because even though Tony's not here, the podcast goes on and we, Tony and I never really. Thinking about these things and when we start a series in particular, we always find that we just gotta keep going back on it in our minds ruminating on what we said and what God was teaching us and the conversations like all good conversations that draw your mind back to the things that you talked about, which I should say maybe before I begin in earnest, that is also my denial, which is saying things like, let's camp out in this text now to be. Sure. There's no wrong reason why, or there's no bad reason to say words like that. It's just when I hear myself say them, I think about all the things that Christians say, like saying like, we should camp out in this text, or Let's sit in it for a while. And I think maybe it's because I'm just not into camping or maybe because I think most of the time when you use the phrase like, sit in, it's not. A happy or blessed or joyful thing that you're describing. So I always find that funny, and yet here I am saying it because I just couldn't think of anything better to say except, you know what? We should pause and maybe ruminate a little bit more. On all of this good stuff that's in Matthew chapter 13, where Jesus gives us the parable of the sower, so you can join me in sharing which little Christian phrases maybe you think you hear, we say too much or just become rote or part and parcel what it means to talk. The best way for you to do that is do me a. Go to your favorite internet device and in the browser, type T me slash reform brotherhood, that will just take you that little link to a part of the internet using an app called Telegram where a bunch of brothers and sisters who listen to the podcast are chatting about the podcast, their live sharing prayer requests, and there's even a place for you to share, Hey, what are the things that Christians say that you think. Why do we say that? Why are we always talking about hedges of protection? Why are we always talking about camping out in a text? So that's a place that you can come hang out. So go to t.me/reform brotherhood. [00:03:56] Deep Dive into the Parable of the Sower But enough of that, let's talk a little bit more about this incredible parable that our Lord and Savior gives us in Matthew chapter 13. It's so, so short in fact that I figured. The best parts of any conversation about the Bible is just hearing from God in his word. So let me read just those couple of verses. It's just eight verses beginning in Matthew chapter 13, the parable of the sower. That same day, Jesus went out from the house and sat beside the sea and great crowds gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat down and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables saying a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no roots, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seed fell on good soil and produced grain. Some a hundred fold, some 60, some 30. He who has ears let him hear. [00:05:09] Personal Reflections on the Parable I have to say that of all the parables, and we mentioned in the previous episode that this one is kind of the granddaddy of them all. It's a god's eye view on salvation told in this lovely kind of encased way about horticulture and farming and growing plants. But to be totally transparent, I never really got into this parable. It was never really my favorite one. Like of all the things that Jesus says, of all the creative and wonderful terms of phrase, this one for me always just seemed to be lacking That stuff. You know, it doesn't have really strong characters. It's about a sower, seed and soil, and compared to some other things that seems kind of unassuming and. Not very exciting, quite honestly, to me, and it's not as exciting, I think, as stories about, I don't know, losing something of value and then suddenly finding it and rejoicing and having the characters, feeling yourself in those characters as they go about experiencing all the emotions. That Jesus expresses and keyed in these lovely little riddles called parables. And so for this one, it's always been a little bit kind of like a, okay. It's interesting and the point seems fairly straightforward and it just doesn't captivate me as the others. And I've been thinking about about that, how even in this, it just seems like a really normal, mundane, kind of pedestrian expression of a life in that time. And it's all wrapped up in gardening. And throwing seeds into the ground, not even having control of their outcome. And then in this way, though, expressing and explaining this grand narrative and arc of salvation from God's perspective. So it is, again, another lesson in God using ordinary, normal, almost seemingly mundane things to express his power, to express our lack of control and to show so that he does. Did I just say so to, so that he does all things and certainly we get so much of that in this parable, and so it made me think this week after Tony and I talked about it a little bit. Just how it raises a question in this really normative, kind of unassuming, almost boring, if I can say way, this really profound question, which is, will we be this fruitful, fertile soil? Will we be fruitful followers? Of Jesus Christ. And it doesn't just raise this question, I suppose it also gives us some hope, but it also does so with a warning. It is a maybe a little bit of law and gospel even embedded in these simple means of, again, talking about what it means to plant something and to entrust the planting, the acy of the growth there to the soil and the seed, and there's hope. There's warning and there's so much of that that's in this context of the parable, and that's what's led me to wanna talk to you all a little bit about that as we kinda process together more of what this means. [00:08:00] Historical Context and Expectations of the Messiah I was thinking that when Jesus began his ministry, when he's coming forward, he's really announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God. And it's helpful, I think, to meditate as a second on how profound that is, that he comes again, not just as the message, but the messenger and the medium of that message. I was just kinda ruminating on the fact that. Everybody had high expectations. There was no one, I think, with kind of a low opinion of what was about to happen or of what the Messiah was going to bring or what he was going to do. And here you have like explicitly Jesus' hearers, their ancestors would've been taken into exile and captivity because they had broken the covenant with God. And the prophets had made this case for God's punishment because of their idolatry and their injustice. But that message, and you get this especially in in books like Isaiah. Where there's this mixture that's bittersweet. There is not only an exclusive message of woe for the people, but there is at the same time up against sick, almost running parallel. This promise of a day when God, by his own effort in Zeal, would bring about a restoration where he'd set up visibly an earthly reign through his anointed Wanda Messiah. And so I can only imagine if I could. Even partially put myself in the place of these people who are hearing this particular parable, that there is all this sense that we have strayed from God, that we're covenant breakers, but that he has promised to make a way and that his own zeal will very much accomplish this, but it will be visible and earthly, not just spiritual in the sense that we believe these things and we internalize them in the sense for our being, and therefore we speak about them in these kind of grandiose and ephemeral terms. But more than that, that God was going to come and set up an earthly reign, purely manifested in the world in which we live and breathe and have our being. And so two things would happen. Israel's oppressors would be defeated. And God would institute a pure worship and a reestablished pure worship. And so I can't help but think maybe there was some of this expectation. They're, they're seeing this Messiah, this Jesus, the one who speaks with a different kind of authority, come into their midst. And there I think all these things are somewhere in their minds as their processing. Maybe they should be in ours as well. And so there's this portrait that's being painted here of the prophet saying there's gonna be. Restoration and this image of a seed being sown. And then of course you have these metaphors that Jesus is employing in his own time. Very reminiscent of passages like in Isaiah 55, where you find the prophet saying, for as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and I shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. What an amazing, glorious promise of God that there is no suboptimal nature. In his expression of who he is and what he's accomplished, that the very thing that he intends to do, he always does, and this word comes back. I think what really strikes me about this passage in particular is the fact that it does not return to God empty. I mean, think about what that means. It's strange in a way. That. In other words, it's full of something. And here I think it's full of response. It's full of anticipation. It's full of this. Like what? What has gone out is now received by the individual and then returns with either acceptance or denial, very much in the same way that we're about to receive it in this parable before us. And in fact, even our ability to understand the parable. This if you have ears, he has ears. Let him hear that itself is an expression. So in other words. The power of this message is again, in the message itself, but the medium by which it is delivered, it does pierce the heart. It does pierce through bone and marrow. It does divide because it always returns full of either acceptance or full of rebellion and denial. And so when we think about the people of Israel. They exactly in that way. They return from exile under Ezra Nehemiah. But even those returns, even those improvements or some of that remediation seems to me like to come short of expectations. You know, Ezra rebuilt the temple, but it paled in comparison to Solomon's original, in fact. If we go to Ezra chapter three, there's like so much honesty as the people are seeing this rebuilt temple. Their response is, is like tragic in a way. So this is Ezra chapter three, beginning verse 12. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers houses, old men. Who had seen the first house as the temple of God wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy so that the people cannot distinguish the sound of the joyful from the sound of people's weeping for the people shouted with a great shout and the sound was heard far away, even in just the setting up the foundation, the base layer. There are those saying this is. This is not like it used to be. Even this is just far piles in comparison and falls very far short of the original. And of course you have Nehemiah's rebuilt wall around Jerusalem. Couldn't even ensure the holiness of God's people. And so everything up to that point. All of it was still just a shadow. It was like a big, giant disappointment, a blemish as it were, on God's people. Even as there was an attempt to restore, there was still this longing from the inside to have the real McCoy to everything made right to have the true Messiah come, not the one that was the type. Not the thing that was the shadow, not the the poor replacement or the analog, but the real thing. And so you have in response to this, you know, some of God's people move into the wilderness and pursue holy living. Some accommodated to Roman occupation like the Sadducees, some retreated into kind of individual individualistic piety or rule keeping like the Pharisees. And then there's all kinds of accounts of God's people in rebellion. Like Simon, the Zealots. There were some who even located themselves under the legitimate, yet Roman endorsed leadership of Herod, you know the Herodians. So you have all of these people you can imagine literally in the same audience. Jesus pushes back and he begins to teach them. And he starts by talking about horticulture. He starts by saying, A sower goes out and he throws all this kind of seed. And it's not difficult to imagine that all of the seed, all the soil, everything is represented in what he's saying right there. And then it's not a story as if like, well, you take this away and try to process it in such a way that you might come to terms with it later on. It's happening in the here and now. Even what he's saying. Even the message that he's communicating is being man made manifest right there in their midst, and it's not returning a void to him. The one who wrote it to begin with is the one who's speaking it, and it's having its desired effect, even as we read it now, and it reads us today. [00:15:13] Jesus' Ministry and the Kingdom of God And so it's amazing that it's on this stage that Jesus steps out and he stands, especially in the synagogue when he reads from the Isaiah scroll. And he announces that the true jubilee has now arrived and it's arrived in him. You know, by the way, what's interesting there is we have, we have no real reason to think that Israel ever really practiced Jubilee as it was outlined in the scriptures. So we have this beautiful instruction for a reset, a pure reset, and one that is liberty and freedom in so many ways, but especially demonstrated in this economic reality. And Jesus commences his public ministry proclaiming the good new. News that the kingdom of God has arrived. I feel like we have to go there, right? Because this is just so good. So in MOOC chapter four, Jesus stands up. He asks for the scroll, and this is what he reads. Loved ones. These are fantastic words. I mean, hear them from the mouth of our Savior. Again, Jesus reads this, the spirits of the Lord is upon me. Because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. It's such incredibly strong and powerful news. We're getting this sense that there are those who are poor that need. To hear that something will be different. That they are her, that they're seen that all of the straining in life and all of their labor is not in vain, but here is one who's come to rescue them and that those who have been set in prison, those who are chained and under duress and find themselves locked up. That here he has come to proclaim liberty to the captives, and then for those that cannot see, that have lost their way entirely, that are groping in the dark, here is one that's coming to recover the sight. Hear that word, not to give it brand new, but to restore that which was originally present to begin with. Imagine the horror of having your sights and then having it taken away that. Knowing that there was something there that was beautiful in your midst, something that was precious to you, and now to have that restored, in fact, like Blind by de MEUs the Greek, there is more when God says, or Jesus rather, says, what do you want me to do for you? The Greek is very clear, just says, sight again, sight again. And I think we like our ancestors and Israel here before us. We ought to be always clamoring and crying. Then I tell God like, son of David sight again. Would you help me to see truly not as the world appears to be, but we spiritual eyes, to know the truth, to understand how much you love me, and would you gimme the strength to love you? Me back love you back by way of giving, yes, this sight. And then for all those who are downtrodden. Where, wherever, and whatever that means, physically, emotionally, spiritually, that here's the one who has come to, again, set you at liberty and then to say, do you know what this time is? This is the time of the Lord's favor. Why? Because the son of man is here and where the son of man is. There is freedom and restoration. There is a new king over all things. There's one who super intends over all of the earth. Who has been given control over all things and has come to win literally the day for those who are rebellious before God, for those who have sinned, who are covenant breakers, who are gospel abusers, while we were at yet enmity with God at the right time, Jesus and his son for us. And so we find that it's like the pretext, it's the context for all of this, and especially this parable. And of course, rather than. Everybody listening to what Jesus has to say here and just being one over being filled with some kind of winsome logic of what's being said here, of being thoroughly convinced. We know that of course it's not just a matter of evidence, but unless the Holy Spirit comes the same spirit, which is upon Jesus, the sin of God, to change us, to open our ears, that we do not hear these things, we don't hear them as we ought to. We do not give them heed. We do not internalize them, and we cannot understand them. And so because of that, rather than of course meeting with universal acceptance, Jesus, of course, he encounters a host of reactions. Some opposed him. The crowds sometimes were way more motivated, like people in our day by novelty or curiosity or by presume rewards or blessings. You can imagine this is what makes, of course, something like the Blat and grab, its kind of gospel, the prosperity of some of our modern evangelical expression, so incredibly dangerous. Because of course people will say, well, if I can get that blessing, of course I want Jesus. Or if I'm gonna be made, well, yes, I'll, I'll find, I'll take Jesus. If I'm gonna get wealth and riches and a 401k, that's gonna suit my every need. Well sure I'll take Jesus. And of course, the blessing, the reward of getting Jesus is getting the son of God, getting the one who restores us first and predominantly. With God the father himself, that all of those blessings are already ours in the spiritual realm because of Jesus. In fact, we've, we've already been placed with him in the heavenly realms. That is the reward. And so sometimes the gods were a little bit more motivated by, this guy's given us bread before. Let's see if there's gonna be another buffet, rather than he says We ought to eat and drink his flesh. That in that is eternal life, and so we get distracted. And so sometimes novelty and curiosity just win the day. And then of course, on the other hand. Some of the most unlikely unseemly, most sinful were responding with incredible joy and embracing Jesus and his announcement. Tenaciously like voraciously, the ones who were humble, who knew that they needed a savior, they needed a reconciliation that was alien and outside of themselves. Something powerful that could defeat even the sin that was within them and bring about a pure and unbridled atonement, unreserved in its ability to clean. These were the ones who were saying, come, Lord Jesus, these were the ones crying out, saying, have mercy on me, son of David. And we like them. Ought to follow that example. And so throughout Matthew's Gospel and Luke's gospel. There's a mixed response throughout the entire ministry of Jesus. And again, what's unique about this parable, I think, is that Jesus comes setting the stage for that unique response. All of those different kind of options and how people will perceive him, how they respond to him, what they will say to him. And so whether as you go through the narratives in the gospels, you look to. The Samaritan Leopard or the blind beggar, or the Chief tax Collector, or the impoverished widow, all of these were those who were forcing their way into the kingdom in response during the good news. There's really something I think that's beautiful about that, that God allows for us to force our way as it were. When we are convicted of this kingdom, that he is the kingdom and that he brings it to us. That we come headlong, rushing in, falling over ourselves to get into that kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. And that's why I think, why, why Luke writes in chapter 16 of his gospel. The law in the prophets were until John. Since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone forces his way into it. What a amazing and lovely thing that God allows us. Which is the truth, to force our way into that. So these were the ones who proved to be the fertile soil for the word of the kingdom, not the ones who chose the places of honor or the privilege, or we saw Jesus one of many important priorities to be managed. What we have here is the ones who forced their way in. These were the ones who proved to be the fertile soil, and I'm not gonna steal. Any of our thunder, because Tony and I are gonna talk about that in the next episode. But I bring that up merely to say there's so much that's rich here. When we think about are we as Christians fruitful and fertile? In our following, after the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's Matthew's great theme of reversal, like beginning in the birth narratives of Jesus and continuing through the very end of his gospel count. Even like in his final parable, Jesus forced the confrontation with his opponents by declaring that God would give the kingdom to those who had produce a harvest for God in honor. His son. That's the truth. And so he was more than simply this messenger in these cleverly created stories announcing the arrival of God's reign. He was the one who brought the kingdom. And actually, in fact, Jesus embodies the kingdom because he was the king, not only of Israel, but the royal son of God who would rule the nations. And because of that. He did represent a threat to overthrow to some just as much as he was meant as a salvation and a blessing to others. He is divisive. In fact, what's interesting is if you track Jesus standing up in the temple. And he comes forward and reads from Isaiah. It's interesting where he stops reading. This is really before kind of the, all the language about the second coming back, him really coming not to bring just salvation, but to bring retribution, to bring justice and punishment for those who are God's enemies. And so really this first coming. Jesus is all about this. It's it's all about having the message of God go out in that return void. It's returning full of the response of God's people, full of the response of God's enemies and therefore. This parable, an ex explanation to his inner circle would be understood as an accounting for the surprising range of responses. And even more than I think like an ex explanation, like explicitly it would be this kind of preparation. This kind of, again, setting a table or opening up a pathway for this hard road that lay ahead for those who would remain true to Jesus. These would be the ones who would serve the ultimate purpose of God's great act of sowing in his son to produce a great harvest. And of course. That is partly what lies the hope for us. I mean, I think I said last time we spoke about this, what I appreciate about this teaching is not only that it doesn't pull any punches, but it's just so. Real, it's so resonant because Jesus already gives us some of the breadth and scope or the continuum of the responses so that when we go out and we should so unreservedly that that is by proclaiming Jesus as the king who has come as the kingdom already ushered in as here, but not yet. When we do this, we can expect already that there'll be various responses. So one for us, it takes away the surprise. The second is it does prepare us. That these things might in fact happen. And three, it gives us a sense that, again, the efficacy of salvation. And we're getting, by the way, this view of salvation from, from God isn't again dependent on the skillset of the sower. Instead, it is God's prerogative. It's always God's prerogative. And here as loved ones, you've heard me say again, I must invoke the phrase, we have God doing all the verbs, right? He's the one walking in the field. He's the one reaching in into the seed bag, as it were. He's the one casting it liberally across the ground. He's the one making it grow. All of this is what God is doing. The preparation of the soil, the casting of the seed, the being present in. Farmland. All of this is what God is doing now. We emulate that by design. So now the call is to do what Jesus has done here in Mala for us, and that is that we also go out into the world and we proclaim this good news because what is unequivocally true is that the good news of Jesus Christ. Is for all people. Now, this does not mean that all people will accept it. That is abundantly clear in the message that Jesus gives to us. It does not prevent though us or him from casting it out to all people. We see that really, really. Vividly. Some will be given ears to hear. We ought to pray that our neighbors, our children, those in our churches and our communities, our politicians, we ought to be praying that all would be given ears to hear, and the seed of God's word will accomplish exactly what God intends and Jesus' word, a proclamation announcing the good news of the kingdom of God. We see vividly the point that God's word is. Deed that this word that he spoke speaks is his action. It's not simply that God says what he will do, but that his very act of speaking is the means by which he does that very thing. When we hear God speak to us, it is proof that we are alive. Not only do like dead men tell no tales, I think I've just inadvertently like quoted from Disney's. Um. Pirates movie, but they hear no tells as well. You know, you have been born again, not a perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God. Incredible. Isn't it? Loved ones like it's incredible this story that to me on the beginning seems like so kind of. Boring and not particularly catchy and maybe not as interesting as some of the others contained within. This is literally all the words of life in the seed that we've seen thrown and in. It is like the continuum we find, not that it emulates the Old Testament, or that it somehow compliments New Testament, but within all within this parable is all of the scriptures and all of the full plan of God and all of his great love for us. That again, while we were at his enemies, he came and on this path, as he walks among the field, he casts the seed. To all, and he, by his power, gives to some these ears to hear. We find ourselves humbled. We find ourselves rushing in coming into the kingdom, fighting to come into it because God has impassioned us with that same zeal that has accomplished this very thing. He implants it in our hearts, in our minds, in our guts, so that we would come before him and worship him, fall down and find. The one who is our savior, who ushers in the visible kingdom of God, the one that is not built merely on political theories, on good rules. The kind of gospel that didn't come to make bad people good, but came to make dead people alive again. And I think that that is the absolute. Untouchable, unfathomable, almost completely un understandable, if you will, truth of this particular parable. I think this is why the Westminster confession describes the word of God, and particularly the preaching of the word as a means of grace. The word is powerful in itself by the spirits of God. I had to quote the Westminster, of course, at least in honor of Tony, so. [00:30:02] Call to Action and Final Thoughts That's my little challenge to you on this short little episode. It's just you and me and I'm saying to you loved ones. Consider this parable again. Consider how palpable this parable is. Consider what God has for us in it. Consider this soils. And then think about what it means that this good news, we see this within it, this vivid point again, that God's word is his deed. And so this is why though we do not create any kind of legalistic, conscription, or prescription around something like daily Bible study. Why? It's such a blessing to live in this period of time where we have such easy access for most of us to the word of God, and that we ought to be zealous about getting that word out to all people because, because behind it and within it and around it is the full power of the Holy Spirit that is always going out into the world and returning full with response and that when God. Speaks his word. He's always accomplishing his act in that very deed. And so it should be a blessing. We should be compelled to find ourselves in it as much as often as we can because what we're finding there is the power of God for us, in us speaking, administering to us to produce in us a great harvest. That's the promise it's coming, and we're gonna get there in the next. Episode, but what I'll leave you with is just those first two soils thinking about if you have ears to hear, if you have been made alive together with Christ, then consider that there was a time when you are one of the other soils and God who's being rich in mercy has rescued you. Not because of work done in righteousness, not because you've come forward and. Elevate your place to the, to elevate your state to the place of deserving poor. Not because like you came forward with, with empty hands and somehow convinced God that you are worthy enough, or sorry enough or contrite enough. But because of his great mercy, and it's that mercy, I think that compels us to say things to Jesus like Son of David Sight again. Son of David, have mercy on me, son of David. You are the real arrival of the Kingdom of God and your word bears testimony and your Holy Spirit has in a great work in my life. And to that end, I want to follow you and I want to ensure that this word that you've given to me is given to all people. So there's work to do, loved ones. And there's a lot there to process. I hope that you will take some time. Think about this in your own way, and as you are processing this as God is speaking to you, as you are joining together with loved ones from literally all over the world who are hanging out and listening to Tony and I chat about this stuff, that again, you would share your own voice, the best way to do that. Why do you make me beg you? Come join the Telegram chat. You'll have a great time. It's super fun. T me slash Reform Brotherhood. I would also be remiss if I didn't on behalf of myself and Tony, thank everyone who does hang out there, everyone who sent us the email, everyone who shares prayer requests or has prayed for us, and as well everyone who makes sure that this podcast. Is free of charge. It comes with its own expenses. It's not free to produce. And so we're so thankful that those who've said, listen, I've been blessed by the podcast, or It's just been important or special to me. God has done something in it. Or God has renewed a different kind of desire and passion to talk about the things of God or to encourage me in my life. I'm so happy if other things have happened. By the way, it's not because of Tony or me. It's because God is good to us. I mean, can I get an amen? I see that hand. In the back, God is good to Tony and me and we're just so thankful that we get to do this. And so if you'd like to join in supporting financially. Every little gift helps. You can go to patreon.com/reform brotherhood patreon.com, reform Brotherhood, and there you can find a way to give one time or reoccurring all of those gifts together. Make sure that there's no payrolls on this bad boy that you're not gonna get any super weird ads in the middle of it. You're just gonna get us talking. We want to em, I would say be emblematic of what we've talked about here, which is. Freely we've received freely want to give. And for those who join and say, I wanna make that possible so that no one has to be compelled to pay for this kind of thing, I love that we are here for that every day of the week and twice on the Lord's day. So next episode, Tony and I are gonna continue in this parable. We're probably, you know, gonna get together. We'll set up our tents, we'll just camp out here for a little bit. So until we get the tents out, we get the s'mores. And we start camping. Honor everyone love the brotherhood.

Send us a textHannah and Laura are wrapping up The Year of the Dresden and trying to remember what happened in Jim Butcher's book, White Night. They also discuss the relevancy of a book Laura read for her book club, a TV show that hit too close to home for Hannah, and the amount of time Hannah has spent exploring on Silksong...so far.*This episode contains SPOILERS for White Night by Jim Butcher. Spoiler section begins at: 36 min 55 secs. ***CW for the episode: discussions of social justice, racism, homophobia, violence, death, sexism, sexual assault, self-harm, gore, vampires, sex, religionMedia Mentions:White Night by Jim Butcher 1984 by George Orwell Farenheit 451 by Ray BradburyAnthem by Ayn RandTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeBrave New World by Aldous HuxleyParable of the Sower by Octavia ButlerBlack Mirror---NetflixAlien: Earth---Hulu The Bear---Hulu Friendship---HBO Max Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser Hollow Knight: Silksong video game Platonic---Apple TV Friends from College---NetlixWreck-It Ralph---Disney+Ralph Breaks the Internet---Disney+Charmed---HuluRevenge Arc by Cat VoleurWitch King by Martha WellsQueen Demon by Martha WellsA Mouthful of Dust by Nghi VoThe City in Glass by Nghi VoSupport the showBe sure to follow OWWR Pod!www.owwrpod.com Twitter (updates only): @OwwrPodBlueSky: @OwwrPodTikTok: @OwwrPodInstagram: @owwrpodThreads: @OwwrPodHive: @owwrpodSend us an email at: owwrpod@gmail.comCheck out OWWR Patreon: patreon.com/owwrpodOr join OWWR Discord! We'd love to chat with you!You can follow Hannah at:Instagram: @brews.and.booksThreads: @brews.and.booksTikTok: @brews.and.booksYou can follow Laura at:Instagram: @goodbooksgreatgoatsBlueSky: @myyypod

Gil Alderete of Catholic Men's Fellowship (CMF) serves as host of Men of Faith; his guest today is Milton Aldana of the Sower Ministry.Listen live to Gil's show Men of Faith at https://www.spiritfilledevents.com/radio-podcast Monday -Friday at and 12:30pm Pacific Time. Podcast is available https://www.spiritfilledevents.com/men-of-faith and other podcast outlets.Guest: Milton Aldana Support the show

Please support our Extra Life fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network hospitals: https://www.extra-life.org/participants/550181 Justin's back! And he's got a new segment that takes another look at some of the best comic book storylines. Plus: Ice Cream Man, Parable of the Sower, and The Cartoonists Club, among other topics. Download and listen today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon, Stitcher, Goodpods, and more of your favorite podcast services!  Sponsored by Gamefly. New customers can get a 30-day free trial by clicking on the GameFly link at the top of GeekCavePodcast.com.

Tuesday, 30 September 2025   Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; Matthew 13:24   Another parable He near-set them, saying, “It is likened, the kingdom of the heavens, to a man having sown good seed in his field” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus finished the explanation of the parable of the Sower. Now, He immediately moves on. Matthew records, “Another parable He near-set them.”   A new word is seen, paratithémi. It signifies to place alongside, before, near, etc. It is used at times when referring to placing food before someone. In Luke 23:46, it is the word Jesus uses to commit His Spirit to His Father. Jesus is setting near, or presenting, this new parable. In presenting it, He was “saying, ‘It is likened, the kingdom of the heavens.”   The verb is aorist. He doesn't say, “It is like,” or “It will be like.” Rather, it is a state that already exists. In God's mind, all of history is laid about before Him. Therefore, the Bible can speak about what lies ahead in various ways.   The past can be called also into the present, such as in Matthew 22:32. Therefore, regardless of when the events of the kingdom Jesus is referring to occur, the truth exists already in God's mind. Jesus is likening this state through a parable. His comparison is “to a man having sown good seed in his field.”   The meaning of “good” is not the same seed, some spoiled and some good. Rather, it is a type of seed that is good. For example, sowing wheat is sowing good seed. A farmer wouldn't take thorn seeds and plant them. That would be bad seed.   This farmer has seed that is for a good purpose.   Life application: It is good to study the meaning of words in the Bible. The new word in this verse is variously translated as commend, commit, entrust, give evidence, present, propose, propound, put forth, relate, serve, set before, tell, etc.   The word itself stresses the nearness of the setting. It can be hard to match a comparable English word to all of the instances where it is used. In other words, Jesus sets this parable before the people. Food is set before people at a table. Jesus sets His Spirit before God. One word may not convey each meaning as we might understand.   The literal “near-set” may also not be understandable, but it is a very close translation. As you read the Bible more and begin to study it in detail, doing these word studies will help you to see where a translation that you thought conveyed meaning may not be what is intended.   Saying “told” is true, but it fails to give the more exacting nature of the word. There are other words where saying “told” is fine, but here it lacks the intended nuance. So be sure to check things out if you are at all in doubt. Your time interacting with the word will only be as rewarding as the amount of study and effort you put into it.   Having said that, there is nothing wrong with also picking up a paraphrase and enjoying it simply for the general information being conveyed. Whatever circumstance you find yourself in at the time, just be sure to have the Bible (in some form) with you. It is your personal window into understanding the mind of God. Be sure to read your Bible!!   Lord God, Your word is a treasure and a blessing to our souls. Thank You for how we can come to know You and Your intent for us in such a precious and personal manner. Praise to You for Your word that tells us of Your love for us as expressed in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Mark 4:1-20 (ESV)Andrew and Edwin discuss Jesus's Parable of the Sower.Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.    Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.    Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here. We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more. Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.   Thanks for talking about the text with us today.________________________________________________If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser: Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=22828The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheTextFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalkMichael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/ 

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus shows us that how we listen to God's Word shapes the harvest in our lives. Listening is the gateway to wisdom, and the seed you don't protect is the harvest you lose. Depth brings durability, while distractions can destroy destinies. What you water today becomes tomorrow's harvest—whatever you feed will flourish. When we guard, water, and nurture God's Word, the result is always a multiplied harvest.This is the official Facebook and YouTube channel of Champion Christian Center. Our mission is to love God, reach the one, and change the world. Through Bible-based sermons and devotionals, you'll learn how to understand the Word of God, fulfill God's plan for your life, and make a positive impact on the world around you. If you are local, we would love to meet you in person! We are located in Washington, PA and led by Pastors Nathan and Joie Miller.For more life-changing resources, visit us at www.championcenter.com.Subscribe to our YouTube channel:/ @championcenter1To give online:https://pushpay.com/g/championchristiancenter——Champion Christian Center Facebook:/ championccenterChampion Christian Center Instagram:@championccenter

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus shows us that how we listen to God's Word shapes the harvest in our lives. Listening is the gateway to wisdom, and the seed you don't protect is the harvest you lose. Depth brings durability, while distractions can destroy destinies. What you water today becomes tomorrow's harvest—whatever you feed will flourish. When we guard, water, and nurture God's Word, the result is always a multiplied harvest.This is the official Facebook and YouTube channel of Champion Christian Center. Our mission is to love God, reach the one, and change the world. Through Bible-based sermons and devotionals, you'll learn how to understand the Word of God, fulfill God's plan for your life, and make a positive impact on the world around you. If you are local, we would love to meet you in person! We are located in Washington, PA and led by Pastors Nathan and Joie Miller.For more life-changing resources, visit us at www.championcenter.com.Subscribe to our YouTube channel:/ @championcenter1To give online:https://pushpay.com/g/championchristiancenter——Champion Christian Center Facebook:/ championccenterChampion Christian Center Instagram:@championccenter

Mark 4:1-20 1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some 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 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." 9 Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, " 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!' " 13 Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." NIV 84 Lesson Notes The Kingdom Looks Different Than Expected: Instead of arriving with royal pageantry or military power, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a farmer sowing seed—small, quiet, and grassroots, yet destined for great harvest. Parables Are More Than Illustrations: Warren Wiersbe described parables as starting as a picture, becoming a mirror where we see ourselves, and then a window through which we see God and His truth. The Progression of the Soil: Jesus' parable shows a progression of the heart—from hard soil, to shallow, to crowded with weeds, to fruitful soil producing thirty, sixty, or even a hundredfold. Everyone is somewhere along this journey, and there is always room for growth. The Weeds of the Heart: Worry, wealth, and worldly desires remain timeless distractions that choke out spiritual growth if not pulled up by the root. They may not always be “bad things,” but they become harmful when they take priority over God. The Generous Sower: The parable ultimately reveals God as the Sower, who lavishly scatters His Word on all types of soil. His invitation is for everyone to receive the kingdom—promptly, deeply, totally, and abundantly. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. When you hear the phrase “kingdom of God,” what images or expectations come to mind, and how does Jesus' description in Mark 4 reshape your understanding? 2. Looking at the “soil progression” Jesus describes, where would you honestly place yourself right now—and what would it look like for you to take the next step toward deeper fruitfulness? 3. Of the three weeds—worry, wealth, or worldly distractions—which one most often threatens to choke out your spiritual growth? What practical steps could help you “pull it up by the roots”? 4. Parables act as a picture, a mirror, and a window. Which of these three aspects of the parable of the sower (picture of the kingdom, mirror of the heart, or window into God) spoke to you most in this sermon, and why?

A. SOWER went out to SOW.The trampled path represents a HEART that's HARDENED.The rocky ground represents a HEART with no ROOT system.The thorny ground represents a HEART consumed with earthy DISTRACTIONS.The good ground represents a HEART  that wants to produce FRUIT.TAKE AWAYS:We are all SOWERS.We have to understand our own HEARTS.God will give us His WORD to sow.You can't sow GOD'S seed without the HOLY SPIRIT.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Cedarcrest Conference Centre in Belfountain, Ontario on September 25, 2025.Luke 8:4-15: With a large crowd gathering and people from every town finding their way to him, Jesus used this parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed.We are the crowd that the Lord is now addressing, as we see him now with eyes of faith. You see him as he speaks there in the Gospel.Music: Michael Lee of TorontoThumbnail: Jean-Francois Millet, The Sower, 1851.

God is still sowing His Word in hearts and minds around the world.

In this insightful episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, hosts Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb begin their series on Jesus's parables by examining the Parable of the Sower (or Soils). This foundational teaching from Christ reveals why some hearts receive the gospel message while others reject it. The hosts unpack the four soil types Jesus describes, exploring what each represents spiritually and how these patterns continue to manifest today. They emphasize that while the parable reveals different responses to the gospel, it also provides comfort for believers engaged in evangelism, reminding us that outcomes ultimately depend not on the sower's skill but on the condition of the soil—a condition that only God can prepare. This episode offers both theological depth and practical encouragement for Christians seeking to understand the various responses to the gospel message in their own ministry contexts. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Sower serves as a hermeneutical key for understanding all of Jesus's parables, as it directly addresses why Jesus taught in parables and provides the interpretive framework for understanding their purpose. The parable reveals four types of responses to the gospel (represented by the four soils), but only one that leads to genuine salvation and fruit-bearing. The focus of the parable is not on the sower's skill or the seed's quality but on the condition of the soil—emphasizing God's sovereignty in salvation while encouraging continued evangelism. The "rocky ground" hearers represent those who initially receive the gospel with joy but have no root system to sustain them when trials come, often resulting in what we might call "deconstruction" today. Christians should expect varied responses to gospel proclamation and not be discouraged when the seed appears to be wasted on unresponsive hearts, as this pattern was predicted by Jesus himself. The parable provides a warning against shallow faith while encouraging believers to develop deep spiritual roots that can withstand persecution and trials. Genuine conversion is ultimately evidenced by fruit-bearing, not merely by initial enthusiasm or religious affiliation. Understanding the Soils The Parable of the Sower presents four distinct soil types, each representing different responses to the gospel message. The first soil—the path—represents hearts where the gospel makes no impact whatsoever; the seed simply bounces off and is quickly snatched away by Satan. This illustrates not merely outward rejection of the gospel, but also intellectual non-comprehension. As Tony explains, this doesn't necessarily mean active hostility toward the gospel but could simply be indifference: "It may not be someone who has like a closed fist, 'I hate the gospel, I hate everything about God,' but for some reason they're just not [interested]." This parallels Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that "the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him." The rocky soil represents those who initially receive the gospel with enthusiasm but lack depth. Their faith appears genuine at first but quickly withers under pressure or persecution. This phenomenon is particularly evident in what we often call "deconstruction" today—where someone who appeared genuinely converted falls away when their faith is tested. As Jesse notes, "I think what I've been helpful for me is to get outta my mind...what's the length of time here? Is it possible that somebody could be in this place...which presents like a setting down of deep roots that could last like years on end?" The parable reminds us that immediate joy at receiving the gospel is not necessarily evidence of saving faith, and it calls us to examine whether our own faith has sufficient depth to withstand trials. The Comfort of Realistic Expectations One of the most encouraging aspects of this parable is how it calibrates our expectations about evangelism and gospel ministry. Jesus teaches that when the gospel is proclaimed, we should expect varied responses—including outright rejection—not because of any failure in the message or messenger, but because of the condition of human hearts. This provides tremendous comfort for believers engaged in evangelistic efforts who might otherwise be discouraged by apparent failure. Tony highlights this point: "This parable is not about the skill of the sower or even the efficacy of the seed...The point of the parable...is that it has to do with the soil itself." This understanding frees us from the pressure of thinking we must somehow perfect our evangelistic technique or presentation, while also removing the false guilt that can come when people reject the message we share. Furthermore, the parable encourages continued, generous sowing of the gospel seed. As Tony observes, "We don't see the sower in this parable meticulously only identifying the good soil and only planting the seeds there. He does promiscuously spread this seed everywhere that he can." This reminds us that our responsibility is faithful proclamation, while the results remain in God's sovereign hands. Memorable Quotes "The Parable of the Sower teaches really that the gospel call goes out to all... but only those who God regenerates, that good soil, are gonna receive it savingly and will bear fruit." - Jesse Schwamb "Just because our experience of Christianity and our experience of being in the faith feels so genuine and real and rooted, we should also recognize that it felt real and genuine and rooted for [those who later fell away]... There's a caution there for us." - Tony Arsenal "The exhortation built into this is that we need to seek that root. We don't get to determine what kind of soil we are on an ultimate level—that's God's election and his secret providence. But on a horizontal level, in our experience of things, we have agency, we make decisions. We seek to be rooted or unrooted in the gospel." - Tony Arsenal Full Transcript [00:00:36] Introduction and Greetings Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 462 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I am Jesse. Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast of Good Soil. Hey brother. Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. Well, will you look at us? Look at us. It's finally and officially begun. And that is this conversation. [00:01:00] Kickoff to the Parable Series Jesse Schwamb: This episode is really the kickoff, well, the first parable that we're going through together, starting a long conversation that I think is gonna bear much fruit, if you will. Yes. Maybe 30, maybe 60, maybe a hundred times. Lord willing. It's gonna be great. And we're starting off with a doozy. Yes. Actually, maybe this is like the granddaddy of all the parables because we're gonna hear Jesus tell us something about the word of God and how it's received among different hearers. And this is so fantastic. It's the only place to begin because this is truly some eternally contemporary words. Yeah, it's, this is the parable that's continually verified under our own eyes. Wherever the word of God is preached or expounded and people are assembled to hear it, the sayings of our Lord in this parable are found to be true. It describes what goes on as a general rule in our congregations in the world. Anytime the word of God goes out, what a place to begin. So we're gonna get there. It's gonna be great, don't you worry, dear listener. [00:02:04] Affirmations and Denials Jesse Schwamb: But of course, before we do that, it's our tradition, our word that's spoken is always something in affirmation with something or in denial against something. So I say to you, as I always do, Tony. What do you have for us on this episode? Uh, an affirmation or denial. Tony Arsenal: This is an affirmation. I'll try to keep it nice and short and tight. Uh, I am affirming everything that comes with the fall. It's the air's getting crisp. The season, the, the pumpkin. Yeah. Not, not the fall. With the, let's, let's, let's clarify. I'm affirming everything that comes with autumn. So, uh, the air's crisp, the pumpkin spice is flowing, the leaves are starting to come down. Although, as a New Englander, I feel like I might be a little disappointed this year they're saying that it might not be as vibrant because we've been under a bit of a drought. But, uh, I, I'm all for all of it. Sweaters, gimme like a nice cozy scarf to put on and like a, I don't know, like a stocking cap. Gimme some flannel. I'm just ready to rock and roll. I'm, I'm, I'm done with summer and I'm ready for fall and yeah, that's, that's the whole thing. That's the affirmation. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. [00:03:09] Autumnal Delights and Debates Jesse Schwamb: Beautiful. It's speaking of like eternally or seasonally contemporary. That is so good. Plus I would say like the fall or autumn. The best adjectives, doesn't it? Yes. Like including like the word ottum. Yes. Like, that's just a great word that we, we do not use enough of. So this season, loved ones dropping a tum in there because Yes. It's just such a good word. Tony Arsenal: And I, I know people hate on the pumpkin spice and uh, there was a rev, I think I've said this before, it's re revolutionized my understanding because I used to get so mad because I was like, this doesn't even taste like pumpkin. It's not pumpkin flavored items, it's pumpkin spiced. Flavored items. So it's the, the spice you would use in pumpkin pie is the spice that they're talking about. So people complain that you're just putting nutmeg in things. And to that, I say yes, that's the point. You just start adding nutmeg or pumpkin spice or cloves or all spice or whatever it might be. The point is we're using the same spices that you would use for making a pumpkin pie or some other sort of fall. Delicious fall. Pumpy squashy, goodness. Jesse Schwamb: You got that right. This is a classic case of don't hate the player. Hate the game. Tony Arsenal: It's true, it's true. And if you don't like it, if you don't like pumpkin spice, then just don't talk to me at all. I'm just kidding. Still get pumpkin spice. Like you can go to Starbucks and get the same, same coffee you always get. You don't have to get pumpkin spice, you don't have to drink pumpkin beer, you don't have to do any of that. The all the stuff is, all the normal stuff is still available. They don't tell you you can't have it. Nobody is opening your mouth and pouring it down your throat. So just calm down, order your normal drip coffee and move on with your life. Jesse Schwamb: Speaking of polarizing autumnal type things, I don't know if we've talked about probably, we have talked about this and I've just forgotten. Where do you land on the whole. Cotton, uh, sorry. Candy corn, not cotton candy, but candy corn. Tony Arsenal: I, I feel like we have talked about this and my perspectives may have changed over the years. I'm not a big fan of candy corn, but I will eat it until I vomit. If you put it in front, I think is the, is the consensus that if there's a bowl of it in front of me, the first thing that I will do is I will break off two little white tips of the ca uh, candy corn and stick them on my fangs and pretend to be vampire. Jesse Schwamb: Beautiful. Tony Arsenal: And then I will eat the remainder of the pound and a half of candy that's in front of me until I throw up. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. And I know there's some difference between like candy, corn and like the little pumpkin confectionary ones. Yeah. Some people prefer those over others. And then this is not even to talk about the whole debate between when it comes to Reese's Peanut butter cups and Oh yeah. The pumpkin variety of those and No, all that stuff. Tony Arsenal: No. Mm. Jesse Schwamb: No. To those? Tony Arsenal: No, to those. The, the shaped, the shaped, uh, Reese's Peanut butter objects, I suppose they're not cups at that point. Uh, they use a different kind of peanut butter. I dunno if you know that, but they use a different peanut butter. So they, they actually do taste different than the actual didn't know that says peanut butter cups. Um, it's either a different kind of peanut butter or a different kind of chocolate. But one of the primary substances, uh, not in the Aristotelian sense, uh, one of the primary substances is different. And so it does actually taste different. It's not as good. And then the balance between the chocolate and the peanut butter is off. It's, it's not good. I'm a, I'm a peanut butter cup. Uh, I like to say aficionado, but I think probably snob would be a better. A better term for it. Jesse Schwamb: Listen, you'll, you like what you like by the way, only on this podcast, only, I think among long-term listeners, would it be necessary to clarify that you do not mean substance in there was six alien sense. Tony Arsenal: That's true. That's, that's definitely true. Well, Jesse, that is where we are. Enough about my, uh, fall. Uh, food preferences. What are you affirming and or denying? Tonight, [00:07:02] Musical Recommendations Jesse Schwamb: I'm gonna also come along with you on it with the affirmation, and maybe while you're drinking that PSL or you're searching for that candy, corn, you might like, want something to put into your ears that isn't us, that's a little bit more melodic. And so I'm affirming with the, this time and age in which it is all about curation. That's often a lovely thing. I use Spotify for all of my music consumption, and they just fed me like a really interesting playlist that I would never have thought of as a category, but I've really been enjoying, it's called Math Rock. And I saw, and I thought I'm, I'm usually kinda like dubious of the Spotify playlist because like they're kind of out there for me generally. But I thought to myself, well, this is an interesting port man too. Like, I like math. I like rock, and the description was complex rhythms and mesmerizing loops. So I thought, I like complex rhythms. I like loops that continue and mesmerize, so the check it out for yourself. If you're looking for something that's like, it's enough to be interesting while you're working on something, but not too interesting. So that distracts you. This is apparently the jam. So yeah, it's like just really interesting rock oriented, mostly instrumental music that is like. Really motivating, but again, not interesting enough to really distract you from the task at hand if that's not your thing. The other thing I would recommend, I know you'll join me in this, Tony, is that poor Bishop Hooper released a new album this week. It's called The Serpent and the Seed, and this one has a ton of tracks on it, like 18 or so, and it, it as well is a unique mix of both instrumental, really lovely, beautiful pieces and then some that carry more vocal and melodic stuff that's kind of their customary jam. Both of 'em are great. They both do have kind of an an autumnal vibe, if I'm honest. Now I'm thinking about it. It's really the perfect compliment to whatever it is that you're consuming that has that pumpkin spice in it. So math, rock, the serpent and the seed. There you go. Tony Arsenal: I'm trying to synthesize. I mean, math and rock are like two of Jesse's favorite things. So I'm trying to synthesize what it would be like to scream the quadratic equation at someone with some sort of like slightly off cadence, dissonant guitar rift underneath. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Tony Arsenal: I feel like there's a Me Without You album out there somewhere that that's exactly what it is. But Jesse Schwamb: yeah, probably there should Tony Arsenal: be at least. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, there, there absolutely should be. And I'm with you. I'm willing to work on that album. That's a great idea. Like just, it's just an album of mathematical equations and like the deep mysteries of life, you know, listen, math is beautiful. Numbers are stories. There's, there's so much there. Yeah. You had me at Quadratic, so I, I think we've, we've given people a lot to enjoy in this fall season. It's true. Tony Arsenal: I, I. I couldn't solve a quadratic equation to save my entire life at this point. Uh, I took introduction to logic when I got to college 'cause I couldn't remember how to multiply fractions on the entrance exam. That's fair. So that's fair. So that was, that's my experience with math. But right Jesse Schwamb: now the internet wants to keep serving me videos about, you've seen like all these tests, like these entrance exams for like Harvard or like the Ivy Leagues, other Ivy Leagues, and it is all these random things, you know, like we're solving for like two variables, terminally, and there is some kinda like expon explanation to it. Um. Yeah, I guess that's what I've become and I watch 'em all. They honestly get me every time. Yeah. I'm like, I'm not gonna watch that. And then I'm like, oh, I'm definitely gonna watch that. So it just happens. It's great. Tony Arsenal: I love it. Meanwhile, meanwhile, YouTube is desperately trying to get me to watch Season six and Cobra High. And it's very quickly gonna be succeeding. I think the next time Netflix has a, has a promotion where I can get a cheap month or something like that, I will definitely be binging Cobra Kai. So I feel like our YouTube algorithms are very different. Jesse Schwamb: Very different. Yeah. Very different. Certainly in, um, there is a commonality of, of the mysteries of the world and. [00:11:06] Introduction to the Parable of the Sower Jesse Schwamb: In some way, that's what we're talking about in this entire series. And yeah, if for some reason you didn't hear a conversation from two weeks ago where we really set the table, I think for what a parable is, why Jesus uses parables. As far as I remember, you correct if I'm wrong, it was the definitive conversation about why the parable is not just peace wise in Jesus' teaching, but really why it's the centerpiece. Yeah, we talked about that at great length. So now we're really ready to go. If you didn't hear that, I highly recommend you go back and hear that. 'cause there's so much. I realize as we, we looked at this parable of the sower or better like the parable of the soils, that we could do a whole series on just this bad boy. Such not just like wide interpretation, but wide application. So much for us to really chew on and then to really come back to and chew the could. So we're gonna have to be probably every time a little bit self-editing and brief. So if you're just yelling at your device, why aren't you talking about this thing? There's a great place for you to yell into or maybe just calmly and very politely suggest rather than the void, you can join our Telegram group. Telegram is just an app for, it's kind of a conversational tool and platform, and if you're looking for it and I know that you are, don't, why would you even fool yourself? It's, you can find it by going to T Me Reform Brotherhood. There's a whole channel, there's a bunch of channels there, a bunch of little conversations that we have compartmentalize. There's one just to talk about the episode. So as we go through this, my encouragement to everybody is track with us, get your scriptures out. Come along with us in the actual journey of processing this. Do spend some time processing it with us. And then when there is inevitably that thing, they're like, why didn't you talk about this? You know, a great place to converse with others and us about that would be in the Telegram Chat. So T Me Reform Brotherhood. So enough of that, let's get to it. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, there's, there's some, um, there's some logic that would say we should have just rather than doing an Introduction to Parables episode, we should have just done the parable, because this parable does really follow, it really does form like an introduction to all of Christ's parabolic teachings. And, you know, it's, no, it's no, um, mystery either in God's providence or just in Matthew as being a, a, you know, somewhat genius level composer of, of a work of literature in putting this parable first, because you're absolutely right at the top of the show that this parable really is. Almost like the hermeneutical key for all of the parables. Not just for in terms of like understanding the parables, it doesn't do that so much. But in understanding the purpose of the parables and more importantly, explicitly in the middle of this, Christ explains why he teaches in parables. So we covered that a lot last time, so we're not gonna, we're gonna skip over that middle section 'cause we don't need to rehash that. But this really is the granddaddy of all the parables. It it is, um. It is Christ's teaching on why he uses parables in action. It's the application of his own theology, of parables, if you want to call it that. Uh, in principle. And he is gracious enough that in this very first parable, he actually gives us the interpretation, right, which is, is not entirely unique, um, in, in the gospels, but it is not always the norm. There are a fair number of parables where Christ just drops the parable and leaves it there, um, for both his immediate listeners to figure out and then also for us to figure out. We're not given the inspired interpretation, but this one we are given the inspired interpretation. And Jesse, I had to laugh because, um. Just as you get really, really upset and worked, worked up about when people say Christ's body broken for you. Uh, it just drives me nuts when people call this the parable of the soils. 'cause Christ gives it a name, right? So, so we'll talk about that too. And I, I'm, I'm mostly playing, like, I'm not gonna jump through the screen at you or anything like that, but that's the, one of the other unique features of this parable is that it's given it's, it's given a name. Um, and that's part of the interpretation is that in most cases, parables have a primary figure or a primary point that's being made. And if you get that primary point wrong or that primary figure wrong, um, you tend to get the rest of the parable wrong. In this case, Christ graciously tells us who the parable is about or what the parable is about, and then later on when we get to the, the next parable or a couple parables down, um, he actually tells us more about the parable through some other teaching as well. [00:15:38] Reading and Analyzing the Parable Tony Arsenal: So, Jesse, do you have that text in front of us? Do you wanna go ahead and read that first chunk? That's the parable itself. Jesse Schwamb: I do, let's do it by the way. Uh, maybe somebody should keep track. Here's a fun little game of how many times we say parable or parabolic. And of course, whenever I hear parabolic, I always think, of course there is like something of great hyperbole or allegory, but I often think of, uh, parabola, which to your point, Tony, I think you're just doing this for my sake now, and I love, this is an exponent oriented equation. Of course, it's a like a canonical section, which can only be creative mathematically by pronunciation again. So thank you for that. I thought you just did that for me, so Tony Arsenal: I have no idea what you just said. You might as well have been speaking like Hindu. Jesse Schwamb: It's fantastic. Well, let's, let's get to the actual, the best word, the word of life. And this is from Matthew chapter 13. Beginning just at the start of the chapter. That same day, Jesus went out of his, uh, house and sat beside the sea and, and great crowds gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat down and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables saying. A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprung up since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no roots, they were it away. Other seeds fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain. Some a hundred fold, some 60, some 30. He who has ears, let him hear. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So on a surface level here, the, the parable is straightforward, right? We have a very straightforward picture, which is, is common for most of the parables, that it's not some sort of unusual, crazy out there situation that's being described. It's a common scenario from everyday life, uh, that doesn't tend to have sort of like. Mythological legendary kinds of characteristics. We have a simple farmer who is out sowing his seeds. Um, some of the commentaries we'll point out, and I don't, I dunno how accurate this is or isn't, but I, I saw it in, in a couple different commentaries. So I'm inclined to, to believe it that our model of farming, uh, in sort of a western world or, or maybe not western world, but in a more, I dunno, technologically advanced world, is to teal the ground till the ground first, Jesse Schwamb: right? Tony Arsenal: And then to scatter seed. And it was much more common in the ancient world to actually scatter the seed kind of, uh, promiscuously and then till the ground. Um, I don't know the reasons for that. I'm not a horticulturist, but, um. The, the, one of the critiques that I've heard, and it's funny when people try to critique Jesus is 'cause they're always proven wrong, but one of the critiques I've heard is like, no farmer whatever would ever do this. Like, no, no sower would ever just throw seed on the ground, but this actually is the way they would've done farming. So he's, he's taking an everyday scenario that everyone would've been familiar with. Right. Nobody would've been like, oh yeah, that doesn't make any sense. They would've just said, oh yeah, of course you just throw the seed on the ground and then you come back around later and you do what you need to do. So it, it was really a scenario where some of the seed would've fallen on the path. And we're not talking about like a road next to the farm, but a lot of times the, the field had sort of, um. They're probably called like convenience trails is what they're called now. But people would travel through the, through the paths, and so there would be an area that's already walked, walked on that's a little bit easier to traverse. And eventually that area would turn into a pathway. So it was, it was kind of turned into sort of like hard clay turf that you couldn't get the seed into anyways. And then there would've been areas where, um, there was rocks under the surface. Most of our fields that our farm fields have been tilled and prepared and have been worked over, that the stones had been removed. But it wasn't always like that in the ancient world. And then you would've had areas where there was, uh, there was other vegetation, thorns, weeds, other kinds of plants that would've made, made it difficult for the crop to sprout and to bear fruit. So we have a very common scenario. There's nothing surprising about this. There's nothing out of the ordinary. It's just a simple farming metaphor that Christ employs here. Jesse Schwamb: And in some ways that's very consistent of course, because we have these very ordinary, normal things that God is using as a means of explanation for something that is very extraordinary, very supernatural. So we have the natural coming into play, not just as a representation, but to really demonstrates, illustrates and impound both in structure and form. This idea of what it means for the gospel to be communicated. And I'm with you, my understanding is in most ancient world. Those, those fields, we tend to think of them as fields and often the reference that way were like more like these narrow strips of land separated by these paths and you have this farmer casting the seed like very liberally. And not only that, but I think what's interesting right on the face. Is we see that there are basically four potential outcomes here and only one of those outcomes, 'cause we're already understanding this to mean the sowing of the sea, which is the word of life, which is the gospel message. Only one of those outcomes results in kingdom growth. There's a ratio of three to one. There's three times as many poor outcomes. In other words, there's all of these various ways in which we find that the seed is not rejected or does not result in the intended fruit. But there is just one path, one narrow kind of way in which it does result, and then it results in kind of various outcomes in terms of like the magnitude of the fruit or the plants that result from this planting. But as a result of that. I think what's really interesting to me right on the face is that we're seeing, like you said, there is a sower. He's casting the seed deliberately, he's coming on the path and he's just throwing it out. And in that narrow strip of land, there are all these different soils. And so right away we see if you're, if you're a farmer, you're understanding something about, it's not about the skill of the farmer in the casting of the seed. It's not even about the, the skill of the seed to grow. It's about the soil itself. And so again, we have this as three times as many potentially poor outcomes as there are for the one that results in this grand harvest. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And the one thing about this that might be, might have been, and, and again, some of the commentators are, are split on this, but might have been a sort of unexpected, um, element. And, and this is something we do see with, uh, with the parables, is there's usually some sort of, um. Unexpected or dramatic or turn of events kind of element, usually towards the end of a parable that would make, would, should be a subversion of expectations. Right? Right. And so the, in this instance, um, a yield of 30 times or, or 60 times or a hundred times, all of those yields would be crazy high yields. Um, you know, I, I, I think there are some plants, some of the commentators will make, make a point that there are some plants where like a 30. A 30 yield is normal. Um, but a 30 or a 60 or a hundred times yield of a crop is, is not the expectation. And so I think in, in a scenario like this, the reader or the listener is prepped by the fact that there are three, uh, negative outcomes and only one favorable outcome. To assume that the crop yield is not going to be great. Right? And then the reality is the crops that do sprout the crops that land on the good soil or the seed that lands on the good soil. Not only is it productive, it's so productive that it actually outpaces and kind of compensates for the lack of productivity or the lack of fruitfulness of the other three. So it's, it's three different, uh, it's four possible outcomes and then three levels of fruitfulness. And so this parable does sort of cause the listener or the hearer to think about, um, and start, you know, from the very outset, think about what does, what does it mean that the seed landed on the path and was stolen away by the birds? What does it mean that it sprouted quickly and uh, but didn't have roots and so it withered away in the sun? And what does it mean that, you know, it sprouted among thorns and so it couldn't bear fruit. And then I think the implied, um, the implied question that's being forced here because the parable does start out, you know, saying there was the sower, the sower, um. Sowed this seed out. He doesn't introduce this the same way he normally, he normally does or commonly does, right? Jesus often will start the peril ball by saying something like, the kingdom of God is like, right? Or you know this. This is like that. This, he just starts out saying like, a sower was out in the, in the field sowing seed. So the, the listener is not primed to know what the comparison is necessarily, but I think part of that is that now they're forced to ask what is the comparison? And I don't think it's much of a stretch. And again, this is why parables are so kind of paradoxical is it's not a difficult, when we get to the interpretation, it's not difficult to see the interpretation. Right, right. It's, it's easy to understand that the parable here, the metaphor is, is different reactions of, of some sort to. To a given thing, right? It's, it's different reactions to an investment of some sort. There's an investment of seed and in some instances it just doesn't take, in other instances, it takes and it doesn't sprout, and in other instances it sprouts, but it never fruits. So when we get to the interpretation, Jesus is gonna give us the clarity of what that investment is, and then who are, or what are the outcomes and what do they mean? In, in our, you know, in our thought process of what the kingdom of God is like. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, so let's do it then. [00:25:44] Understanding the Soils Jesse Schwamb: 'cause what we've got here is we basically have, each soil is representing some type of here. So we've got four heres but only one true believer. So it's probably behooves us to go through all of them and really kind of chat through. And maybe what we can do is try to bring some of our own practical application to each of these. I've been really meditating and pondering that, trying to think if this is practical for us, then how can we understand how each of these are being manifest all around us? And of course the intention here is not to like name people that we think fall into each of these four little groups, but more so to think about how we might understand people who do fall into each of these groups. And that is to say that. Each one of these, well, the, the first three rather, that these ones in which they're, the soil is in some degree suboptimal. I, I don't know that it means that it's always that way, for instance. So we might think of people that fall into those categories, but the Lord may be moving or working in them to move them into that fourth category. And of course, he's done that with ourselves, so we know that that's exactly how he operates. Um, and it's, I think it's good for us to remember that. I think there's a lot that's scary about this first soil, this idea that. The seed just bounces. So we get no uptake whatsoever in this one. But the other ones, at least you get a little satisfaction that there's some kind of reception. There is a receipt of that word. And the reason why I find this one to be so troubling is because these who hear it in the first case, they don't understand and they don't esteem it. And Christ is very clear to say that the seed itself doesn't sit there long. It bounces. So there's a, there is a literal hardness. That's reflected in that clay soil or that path, which is down trotted. And it's hard because of perhaps this constant lack of belief, this constant and unrepentant hearts or lifestyle, but it would be enough if it just kinda bounced off and sat there. But the fact that it's snatched away that the birds come and take it away, that Satan himself has an active and powerful role in influencing all of those who are hearing this word. And I think that hardness of heart may not just be manifest in, say, like an unrepentant lifestyle or this kind of clench fist against God on the inside, which is of course true of the natural man. But more than that, that anything that would take us away from true belief. So that is even any kind of our religious system or belief, any kind of philosophy, any kind of other worldview I think is in mind here because we know the devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy. And so. What he's doing in that sometimes happens first and foremost in the mind, manifested in the heart and then in our behaviors. So if he's stealing away this word by replacing it with something that is false, that is not true, that destroys, that pulls us away and moves us away, then this is very scary. He has a real power, which we talked about. I don't know, like maybe six or so episodes ago. It's worth listening to, I think. And so what I find here that is really traumatizing upfront is the involvement in particular of the sinful man under his own mean estate. That is, that it's clear that the natural man cannot conceive of the things of God without regeneration, and Jesus makes it abundantly clear. He's, he's basically saying what Paul says later on in First Corinthians when he writes, the natural person does not accept the things of the spirit of God, does not accept them. So again, there's no agreement. There's no, even an intellectual ascent does not accept the things of the spirit of God for they are folly to him and he's not able to understand them because they're spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one for who is understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him. But we have the mind of Christ, so there is no mind of Christ, which is, it's a horrible way to live life. And so in that space we have both the natural man, his total depravity, unable to pull himself up by his theological bootstraps or philosophical bootstraps or his intellectual emotional bootstraps to even discern what the way in which the world really actually is. And then in in, I say in addition to that, we have the devil himself waging war and attacking by pulling away that seed. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And I have a little bit of a different take on this and I think this is what I am looking forward to in this series. Is there, there is gonna be. [00:30:01] Understanding the Parable of the Sower Tony Arsenal: Different, uh, different understandings that probably all fall and are all compatible, but all fall within a acceptable range of understanding. Here, you know, I, in, in reading some of the commentaries, Calvin makes the point that all four of these different types of seed represent people who in some sense are open to the gospel. They're, they're open to, he, he makes the point that this is not talking about the, the person who like refuses to hear the gospel at all, who like won't even come into the church. This is a person predominantly who is, is exposed to the word in some sense, probably in view as someone who's among the people of God who's in the, in the, in the physical body of the people of God who's among Christians or among those hearing the word. And for whatever reason, the, the, the seed doesn't, uh, it doesn't even get into the soil. Right, and he compares, Christ compares, um, this not to somebody who is hardhearted, but to someone who doesn't understand, right? That there's an intellectual element to this, right? You think of, um, you know, you think of somebody who hears the scripture and probably understands outwardly what it means, but doesn't ever comprehend it internally. They don't ever really, they don't ever really let it penetrate into their, into their hearts. Um, so it's been sewn into their hearts, but it doesn't actually take root in their hearts in any other sense. [00:31:38] The Role of the Soil in Receiving the Word Tony Arsenal: And this is what's a little bit different from, from the other ones that we're gonna see in all of the other cases. The seed takes root, Jesse Schwamb: right? Tony Arsenal: It actually penetrates the ground and begins to grow. Um, it, this is a seed that never even makes it that far. And so it may not be someone who has like a, who necessarily has like a closed fist. I hate the gospel. I hate everything about God, but for some reason they're just not. And when we say for some reason I'm talking, obviously I'm talking la you know, horizontally. Um, we know that the reason that they don't have an open heart is 'cause the Holy Spirit is not open to their heart. But for whatever earthly temporal reason, the word just doesn't penetrate. It bounces off of them. It just doesn't get there. Not necessarily because they're outwardly hostile to it. They just maybe are not interested in it. And so this is where I think that. Along with the evil one, snatching it away. That's actually like one in the same thing. Is, is part of what I think this is getting at is that the, the, the only reason that the, um, that Satan can snatch away the word from their heart or what has been sewn into their heart is because their heart has not received it. And so it's that sort of dual function and, and maybe it's kind of like, almost like, uh, in Exodus, you know, God hardening the heart and then Pharaoh hardening the heart and those two things are happening, you know, by means of concurs that God is doing it in a divine sense. I almost feel like this is an instance where kind of like the, the census or, or with job where Satan is the one who is doing it, but it's ultimately attributed to God as well. It's the hardening of the heart, but it's also the hardness of heart. Um, all of those things are playing a dynamic, but ultimately the point here is that there are those who the word is preached to. [00:33:30] The Sower's Responsibility and the Soil's Condition Tony Arsenal: Um, you know, we will find out in, in a little bit later, like, the sower is Christ in, in these parables here. It's not, it's not generally the sowing of the word. It's Christ who is sowing the word. It's the son who is sowing, uh, the seed of the word. And we can think about that either during his own ministry. This certainly was, um, was true of his own ministry on Earth, that there were some who just did not receive the word and they just, it just bounced off of them. But then also as the son sows the seed through his people, down through the church age, through history, whether it's in the Lord's Day service or personal, witnessing, personal, you know, um, evangelism, it's still God who is sowing the seed. It's still the Lord who is the sower of the seed. But even in that context, there are still some who just don't receive it. So I think what you said earlier is really, is really spot on. This parable is not about. The skill of the sower or even the efficacy of the seed. Right. And I think sometimes people read this and they, they look at it as though it is actually the sewer's fault. What a dumb sower. He sowed it on the path. Of course it's not gonna take root. That's not the point of the parable at all. The point of the parable, and we learn it just right, this very first one, is that it has to do with the, the soil itself. Which is why, you know, I, I kind of joke about calling it the parable of the soils, and that's a fine way to refer to it. And most of these parables could have multiple different, you know, accurate titles as well. But the point of the parable, or the main point of the parable is that the soil itself is what determines the outcome. Again, you know, we, we don't need to get into all the theological details of how the soil becomes, what the soil is. This show has the word reformed in the title. You can figure out that we're gonna say, well, God is the one that prepares the soil. And that also just fits with the, with the a parable here, right? The good soil is only good because it's been tilled and prepared by the sower ahead of time, right? So I think that's, that's spot on. And, and you know, as I think about the people I know in my life, um, it's very easy to get discouraged when you try to so seed to, to follow through on the metaphor when you try to so seed and it feels like it bounces off. But we shouldn't be surprised at that. We shouldn't be surprised when someone is just not interested because Christ in his very first parable tells us there are people out there like that. That doesn't mean you don't sow the seed, it doesn't mean you don't continue to spread the seed the way that the sower does. And the reason for that is that some of it is going to take, take root, some of it is going to take root and bear fruit and you are not in charge and you don't control which one does which. We don't see the sower in this parable meticulously only identifying the good soil and only planting the seeds there. He does promiscuously spread this, so this seed everywhere that he can. [00:36:26] The Reality of Hardheartedness Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, there is something there that I think is comfortable about this hardness of the soil, because I think sometimes we underestimate that the normative position of man is to be antagonistic toward God. That's not to say like we're talking about in their every action they take, they're going to refuse to hear the gospel or they're going to fight vehemently or out outwardly against it. But it's true that everywhere we find the scriptures, whether it's this other metaphor about God, again, doing this great surgery, of taking out this height of stone, which is of course hardheartedness or whether we go to like Romans three, where Paul says that there's no one who understands, there's no one who seeks God. So we understand that the default position is, one, nobody's seeking after God. Two, that God is too threatening to us. He threatens ourself. He threatens our ego, he threatens our own way. He threatens our contingency, all of which we try to fight against, like to our own dismay. And you know, basically. You know, it's willing, suspension of disbelief. But it's interesting and I think comforting here that what he's saying is, is exactly what you've just said, which is do not he, he'd almost say like loved ones. Do not be surprised when you find that people are just not that interested. They're just not into the gospel. Because your default position is to be a gospel abuser. To be a covenant breaker. And so because of that, there's just a natural hardness. And that hardness, I think he has to draw out. He has to say it's gonna bounce and Satan's gonna snatch it away because it would be, it's too easy to look at those who are just like vehemently opposed to the gospel that wanna debate. You wanna shut you down, wanna yell at you, wanna put signs in your face, wanna spit on you. That's too easy to be like, well, of course. Those people are not gonna receive it. But what about the quiet people who just don't care? Or, yeah. What about the people who are too caught up in their way of life or their simple behaviors or their patterns, or again, just what? What about those? What about the Mormons? When they come to your door and you can speak into your blue in the face about what Paul says, like the gospel plus anything is anathema, and they're just kinda like, yes. Yeah. Totally. That's fine. Totally down with that. And you're like, yeah, but you're doing, you're doing that very thing. This is great comfort to know that even those situations where you're not at war explicitly with somebody, that it's still comforting to know that this is going to happen. And also I think it's a great reminder that apart from God, apart from that changing of the soil, as you said, Tony, we would be those same people. That's in fact where we start. I, I don't say that. Like there's a progression here. We find in the, from moving from one to four. There is though something like you've said, where it's just interesting that Jesus shows us the very kind of shades of this. And I think, again, we gotta get out of our head like the, the temporality of this or like, well, what length of time are we talking about? Like when we get to the second one, which we should move on to. And there is some sprouting of the seed. Like how much time are we talking about? Like if it's two weeks, are they in camp two, if it's three weeks, are they moved out of that into some other, one of the other schools? Uh, I think it's just to show us that there are really, again, four hearers, one believer, and we can see clearly what the one believer looks like. It's a little bit more difficult to maybe sometimes discern what the other three look like, but it gives us hope and encouragement and basically just a sense of like, this is the way the world works. To know pres positionally, that when we go out, and like you said, I love this already, this is a major theme, is speak the gospel to all people. I mean, in this way, the gospel is for all people. Because Jesus' saying, do not cast the seed here. Go and look at that narrow path and find out, try to keep it off the, the hard ground. Do not let the devil snatch it up. It just says, throw and seed, throw and seed. And so we have to keep doing that stuff. [00:40:10] The Challenge of Shallow Roots Jesse Schwamb: So let's get to number two. What, what? Yeah. What say? Yeah. Tony Arsenal: Let me read it here. This is in verse, uh, 20 and 21. Here. It says, as for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. And when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the world, immediately he falls away. So thi this is the person who, um, who has some sort of outward conversion experience, right? It's a person who receives the word, he receives it with joy, um, and appears to sprout, right? This is seed that has taken hold and has, uh, you know, the, the, and we, we can see that it has taken hold. So it's not just some hidden seed that has roots and never breaks the surface. Right. It's a, it's a, it's a plant that has made its way into the soil. It has taken roots of some sort. Um, but the roots are shallow. The roots never actually get, uh, deep enough to, to be able to survive the sun, right. In the, the original parable, it's, it's baked by the sun. And, you know, this is, um, I think what what we're gonna see is maybe to sort of preface your question, and I think probably this is gonna be one of those two parter episodes, even though we planned it to be one parter episode. Um, I think what we're gonna see here is that you can't actually know whether someone is. The hard rocks is the rocks or the thorns. Right? Un until, until all is said and done. Right. Right. And that's part of what's difficult is you, you want to look at a parable like this, and this is where I think maybe this is a good sort of like caution against overinterpreting, the parables, right? Christ is not trying to give us a rubric to identify who is what. Jesse Schwamb: Right. He's Tony Arsenal: not trying to give us like a litmus test to say like, that person is the hard soil. That person is the rocks. That person is the thorns. And you know, this reminds me, I, I recall, I, I dunno how many years ago, it was a couple years ago when Kanye West was going through his like Jesus phase, right? And he, everyone was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe that Kanye is a Christian and he's writing this album called Jesus. Jesus Saves. And, and I, I just remember saying at the time, like, guys, there's a parable of the soils here. Like we should be. Um, we should be joyful that it, it appears that this seed is taking root, but there are lots of different outcomes when the seed takes root. And it's funny because I, I don't, I don't remember what episode this was and please don't go look it up 'cause that's a waste of everyone's time. But I remember when that conversation happened and I don't know whether there was an affirmation or a denial or what context came up in, but I remember contrasting him to Justin Bieber. And it's ironic, right, because I actually just read on Twitter today. Let me see if I can find the post during the next time you're talking. Justin Bieber posted this really amazing, theologically astute, mature kind of statement on Twitter today. And I think at the time, if you had asked me, um, is Kanye more likely to be the good soil or Justin Bieber to be the good soil, I would've said Kanye. Right? Just because he's, he was older, he is a little bit more established in himself. Um. Justin Bieber was still very young. He was, he was sort of like all over the place personality wise. He seemed to be changing radically. And it just goes to show like, you can't tell. And, and I'm not even saying right now like, this is, this is where it gets difficult. I'm not even saying right now, Justin Bieber is good soil, although I did right. Retweet his quote and did hashtag good soil. Almost aspirationally, right? But we can take a look at someone's life in retrospect and say, this person is bearing fruit, or this person is not bearing fruit. And, and that's really where this particular, um, type of soil goes. It's not so much the fruit, it's the sprout. And I think when we look at a situation like Kanye and, and. There's hopefully still a lot of life left for Kanye, and that means there's still hope for a con, a genuine conversion and bearing fruit that keeps with repentance that does not appear to be what had happened at the time. Right? He's gone totally off the rails at this point. So we pray for that. We hope, we hope for better things for him. Um, but. At the time, Kanye was, is he, he's going by Y now. I don't even know what to call him anymore. But Kanye was a sprout that grew up with great joy quickly. And what we found through time is that it appears that he, when he was, although maybe he fits better into the second, this next category that we'll have to push off till next week, I think. But either way, like he appeared to have sprouted, he appeared to have taken root and ultimately did not actually bear fruit. And that's the defining feature of these first three ones. It's not so much about what happens with the seed. Does it get in the ground? Does it not get in the grow? Does it sprouts, does it not sprout? It's ultimately about the fruitfulness, right? The final, the final phase of the parable, the final, um, the final type of soil is the one that produces fruit. So we'll get to that in detail, but that's what we need to think about. And again, like I said, it's not as though crisis saying like, all right, here's this checklist of ways to determine whether someone's conversion is correct, is true or not. Because we can't know that until after the fact and well after the fact. We also can't know that it's valid until after the fact. What I think this parable, broadly speaking, gets at is that we have to look at every situation and realize that there are these different possible outcomes. And although I don't know that this is explicitly part of the parable, it also sort of points us to the fact that like, because it's not a foregone conclusion about what's gonna happen, maybe there's also something we can do about it. Right? Right. Maybe when we realize someone might be on the rocky soil. Whether we, we have some reason to believe that or we just want to get out in front of that possibility, maybe there's still room to actually get in there and, and move the seed to a different soil, I guess might be a better way to use the metaphor is to, to just take the seed somewhere else or to till the soil, to get the rocks out of the soil. Although this is not talking about like rocks in the soil. It's talking about a layer, probably a layer of bedrock. Like Yes, exactly. Just under the surface. Jesse Schwamb: Right? So Tony Arsenal: there is an immutability about these, these different categories of, of people, and again, this is where like overinterpreting, the parable can get to be problematic, but we, we see that there are these categories, we can't necessarily know which one of these categories a person is in when they have some sort of outward expression of faith where they've received. I think we can tell the difference between that first category. Someone who just has not received the, the gospel at all, has not received the word of God at all, right? Like it's just bounced off of him. It's made no impact. I think we can see that that's a relatively straightforward, um, situation for us to assess. And of course we can't see someone's heart, but it's, it's usually pretty outwardly, readily available to us that they just have not received the word in any means. Right. When we get to these second two categories, that's not the case. We're talking about two different categories of people who have received the word and it has begun to sprout. It has begun, it actually has sprouted, not just begun to sprout, but it's sprouted. Um, I just think we need to be really careful to sort of not place someone in an immutable category until after we've seen what's gonna happen. Yes. Really across their whole life. Jesse Schwamb: Yes. [00:47:41] The Importance of Deep Roots in Faith Jesse Schwamb: I'm glad you brought that up because we really have to remember that in the last three instances, you cannot tell from the soil what the outcome will be. So it is a little bit, I'm with you, kind of a misnomer in the translation. This idea of like rocky soil. Yeah. If it were truly like rocky soil, the way that probably most of us in the Western think of it like soil mixed with gravel, right? They're probably, the sewer would be like, why would I throw it on there like that? That doesn't make any sense. Certainly again, if you're looking for that, that really fertile, well tilled ground, the one that looks promising, you wouldn't do that. So more than likely, I'm with you. We're talking about like a hired limestone layer that would've been like a few inches below, and as the sun would come down, my understanding is of course, like that limestone would heat up. It'd be like the perfect warm environment for like a seed to immediately like spring up with some hope. And that's exactly I think what Jesus is after here. It's this idea that the seed springs up immediately. People receive the message with joy. There's been no root or development to deeper moist soil though, because it doesn't exist. It gets blocked out. But inci incidentally, like the heat of that rock bed actually is the thing that causes it to germinate and produce at least a sprout really, really quickly. But as soon as like any kind of other heat comes upon it, because it cannot not grow deeper because it cannot set the roots, because it cannot get enough water from deep down, then it's going to be quick to die. I think we see this all the time. Maybe we even see this to some degree, not exclusively and in the same kind of magnitude in our own lives. But you know, we may listen to a sermon with pleasure while the impression produced in us is like only temporary, short-lived. You know, our hearts can be like that stony ground. Sometimes it may yield like a plentiful cop clap of warm feelings and like good resolutions and good vibes. How often do we hear that language? But all this time, there may be no deeply rooted work in our souls. And that first like cold blast of oppression or temptation may cause like all of that to go away. What I see interpret it from this particular group and, and this the one that follows it very much the same is like a conversion to religion. So here where this is where I firmly, like, I think we have a class, and this might trigger some people, but I'm gonna say it anyway. We have a class for this to me is deconstructionism. Yeah. And I think what I've, I've been helpful for me is to get outta my mind is that. I'm not sure that we have to be so concerned in this, this metaphor or this great parable about like what's the length of time here? So for instance, is it possible that somebody could be in this place where there is this hard layer of rock, which presents like a setting down of deep roots that could last like years on end. Yeah, where somebody has heard the gospel message has come into the life of the church and finds that this is generally a pleasant way to believe and to live and to express these ideals until maybe they have a strong voice somewhere or they're confronted with the fact that this, their message now is not very tolerant. And so as soon as there comes against them, this push that maybe what you're saying is too exclusive, that all of a sudden there really is a manifestation that there's no real root there. Yeah, there was no conversion. There was a conversion to religious principle and ideas and insomuch as those things didn't push too much against whatever objectives they had. Not even like going after what happens in the the third instance here with all the pleasures of life and all the temptations of the flesh, but just that there is some challenge. To what they believe and that it would be continually lived out in their actual lives, meaningful enough that it would impact behavior, change their mind, and continue to make them outspoken about the thing in which they're setting their roots into that if those things would cause the death of. That sprouts, then to me, that's where we find deconstruction isn't falling. And so in that case, again, it's comforting because it's not a matter of actual conversion as it were. It's not a matter of actual regeneration that hasn't actually occurred. There's plenty of reasons to come alongside and to give the gospel some kind of favor or to give it some kind of acquiescence because it's good on its own. There are lots of things that are good about it, but the rootedness in that is not merely in the outward manifestations of all the benefits of the gospel. It is getting Christ, as we've said. Yeah. And if we're not abiding in Christ, then we will necessarily die. In fact, Christ says elsewhere when he speaks to himself that even every bad branch that does not bear fruit, the father prunes and throws away. And so here we find that happening. It's, this is traumatic, it is dramatic, but this is where I think we see oftentimes Christians really get unnerved and sometimes it really, I think, rocks them when they see people who've had, like you said, Tony, like some professional faith. And I remember us talking about Kanye, and I remember us saying like, I think you and I were cautiously optimistic. We said like, this is fantastic. God does this very thing where he transforms people. And then we see in the long term, in the long run, the manifestation of that transformation, not in just merely as sinner's prayer or some expression of knowing something about the gospel intellectually, but the living it out so that the plant itself grows up in Christ to know of his great love, and then to share and abide in that love where it bears fruit. And so here I find this again, to be just very comforting because I think we see this a lot and our nerves, a lot of Christians, but I think Christ is giving an example here to say, do not be a unnerved by this. [00:53:10] Encouragement for Sowers and Believers Tony Arsenal: Yeah, maybe one last thought and then we, we can push pause until next week when we come back to this parable. Is. I think it's, there's two words in this, um, this little, these two verses here that really stick out to me. There's the, the word immediately, right? Yes. He immediately receives it with joy. That word is repeated later on when he immediately falls away. So there is a, um, there's a, a sense of suddenness to this, to this kind of, I'm using quotation marks if you're not watching the YouTube to this quotation or this, um, conversion experience, right? I think we all know people who have kind of the slow burn conversion experience, right? That's not to say that those people may not be, um, on hard soil or rocky soil. Right. But the, the person that we're talking about in that crisis talking about is the person who hears the word and has every appearance of an outward, radical, outward conversion of joy. And then joy is the second word that that shows up here. One of the things that drives me crazy, you know, maybe just to, to riff off the, the deconstruction, um, narrative a little bit is it drives me crazy when some sort of, um, high profile Christian falls away from the faith or deconstructs or falls, you know, into deep sin and then abandons the faith or has a tragedy happened in their life and whatever reason they abandon the faith. There's this tendency particularly among, I, I think sort of. I don't know if like, there still are young restless reform Christians out there, but I think it's still a valid descriptor. Kind of like the, I'm trying not to be pejorative, but sort of like the surface level tulip is what I call them, like the five point Calvinists who like heard an RC sprawl sermon one time and think that they are like the def, they're the definition of Calvinism. There's this tendency among that demographic that when somebody falls away from the faith to act as though everything about their experience of Christianity was somehow like an act like it was a, it was a, it was a play they were putting on, they were deceiving everybody. Right. That's that's not real. It's not the, it's not the way that it actually works and, and. I think the, um, the flip side and the caution for us in that is that just because our experience of Christianity and our, our experience of being in the faith feels so genuine and real and rooted, we should also recognize that like it felt real and genuine and rooted for Derek Webb or for name, name your key, you know, Joshua Harris, name your big profile deconstruction person of the day. Um, there's a caution there for us and I think that's the caution here in this, um, in this, I dunno, part of the parable is. Just as this is saying, the reason that the person falls away immediately is because there is no root in them yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately falls away, right? The cause of this is because there is no route that ca

Love to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Ready for a battle plan to navigate today's spiritual warfare? This episode unveils Claymore, a discipleship program rooted in St. John Paul II's teachings that equips men, especially young men, to understand their identity and purpose in a confused world.Jack shares exciting developments for the Claymore apostolate, including an upcoming dedicated platform and handbook divided into 52 weekly "acts" that systematically build spiritual formation and brotherhood. This isn't just another program—it's a roadmap for answering life's fundamental questions: Who am I? What's my purpose? Why are we created male and female? How do I find authentic love?At the heart of Claymore lies the recognition that we're in a spiritual battle fought primarily on the battlefield of the human heart. The episode reviews the Claymore Battle Plan, which addresses Satan's three-pronged attack on individuals, families, and culture. You'll discover practical spiritual disciplines like the "morning solution"—beginning each day in prayer before technology—and learn how temptations can become invitations to deeper spiritual connection.Drawing on Scripture and John Paul II's teachings, Jack explains how our daily choices shape who we become through "self-determination." We don't merely receive formation passively; we co-create ourselves with God's grace through our actions. This understanding cuts through today's moral relativism and offers clarity in confusing times.Whether you're a young man searching for meaning or someone who cares about the next generation, this episode provides both inspiration and practical steps for reclaiming truth and building a culture of life. Join the Claymore journey and discover your role in God's larger story—because the future of our culture depends on warriors with the courage to stand for truth.Here are the links to Read Act 3: Substack  on X https://x.com/JP2RenewalDownload the Claymore Battle Plan https://jp2renew.org/claymore/Contact us: info@jp2renew.orgParable of the Sower and the Weeds and Wheat at Matthew 13:1-30Support the show

You Are the Temple of God: Becoming Dwelling Places of His Presence In the first reading scripture recalls the rebuilding of the temple after Israel's exile, . . . . . . highlighting that true dedication is not about stones and gold, but about the people offering themselves to God. Jesus deepens this teaching, declaring himself the true temple and reminding us that our hearts are where God longs to dwell. St. Paul Confirms: We are the Temples of God The Gospel parable of the Sower emphasizes that the Word of God only bears fruit when it falls on rich soil . . . hearts open and receptive. Mary is the perfect example of this, as she received God's Word and bore Jesus Himself. The memorial of Padre Pio illustrates the same truth: his heart was rich soil where God's Word took root, leading him to a life of prayer, spiritual battle, suffering, and union with Christ. Bearing the stigmata, Padre Pio embodied the suffering Christ and showed what it means to live as God's temple. The call today is clear: each of us is invited to become a true dwelling place of God, good soil where His Word can bear lasting fruit. Hear more and listen to this Meditation Media. You Are the Temple of God: Becoming Dwelling Places of His Presence ------------------------------------------------------ Official portrait photograph of Padre Pio, c. 1947 ------------------------------------------------------ Gospel Reading: Luke 8: 19-21 First Reading: Ezra 6: 7-8, 12, 14-20

When the Word Takes Root: Lessons from St. John Chrysostom Today's Homily occurs on the Feast of St. John Chrysostom . . . . . . and connects the Gospel parable of the Sower with the saint's life and mission. The parable illustrates that the Word of God is abundantly sown, yet its fruitfulness depends on the disposition of the hearer . . . whether hardened, shallow, distracted, or open and rich soil. St. John Chrysostom is presented as an example of “good soil”: rooted deeply in prayer, scripture, and surrender before bearing abundant fruit through eloquent preaching, pastoral reform, and courageous witness. His fearless proclamation, even against imperial power and corrupt clergy, led to exile and suffering, yet his words continued to strengthen the Church. Remembered as the “Golden Mouth,” his lasting fruitfulness demonstrates that true preaching flows from a heart firmly rooted in Christ. The Homily concludes by reminding the faithful that Christ, the Divine Sower, continues to sow himself in the Eucharist, and each believer is called to cultivate soil that allows his Word to take deep root and bear lasting fruit. Listen to the Meditation Media. Listen to When the Word Takes Root: Lessons from St. John Chrysostom --------------------------------------------------------------------- Art Work The Byzantine emperor Nicephorus III receives a book of homilies from John Chrysostom; the Archangel Michael stands on his left (11th-century illuminated manuscript): Used with permission from Wikipedia.

WWIII Enabled by Internal Revolution (audio) David Eells, 9/24/25 The man-child reformers are coming out of their tribulation wilderness, but at this time they lead the Church into their tribulation wilderness. Rev.12:5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. (Some have seen this in dreams thinking it to be a pre-trib rapture but it is not.) 6 And the woman (Church) fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they (The Man-child) may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (That's 3 ½ years, just as Jesus nourished the woman, Israel, for 3 ½ years in their tribulation under the beast. So where is our wilderness going to come from? Probably 30+ years ago I shared that when the US divides Israel, the US would be divided at the New Madrid Fault Quakes. Brandon Biggs recently shared that he was shown: When the US and the world divide Israel, (which happened today on Sep 23, 2025) at the Abrahamic Accord there are three days until the New Madrid divides the U.S. going off on Sep 26th. I and others told President Trump of this prophecy so he and the U.S. abstained so the New Madrid punishment will not come now. I was previously shown that the New Madrid would go off when the Man-child reformers are anointed at their spiritual resurrection to the throne. The only thing deleted, at this time, is the New Madrid quakes, for God is true to His Word. The restoration begins now and the Bride is prepared for the Man-child reformers. In a vision, I was standing before Jesus who was marrying me, as a type of the Man-child body, to the Bride in heaven, with the Father watching from His throne when I saw a huge room next to us with the 144,000 Man-child body there. This was all in type when Jesus the Man-child sowed the word in the body of those John the Baptist said was the bride. This is according to Mat 13, the parable of the Sower. This is the time the Man-child reformers are caught up to the throne. The Bride is in all white and submitted to the Lord. And the Woman Church is led by the Man-child into the wilderness tribulation when the world is divided. Rev.6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come. 2 And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer. (Jesus in the Man-child reformers conquering His enemies.) 3 And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come. 4 And another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. (Notice that when Jesus comes in the Man-child Body he starts conquering the Beast of all nations with war.)   Marie Kelton – 9-1-25 (David's notes in red) I had a vision before the heavenly one of sitting at the Sequoia museum by the hill where the Native Americans are buried. (Death is about to come to the new native Americans.) It was sunny. I was sitting next to the Lord on a bench, and He had a Bible in His hand. I looked over and was reading it with Him. As I was reading, I said the name Abraham. I knew we were reading about Abraham. (I thought it fit with the Abrahamic Accord just now.) (Dividing Israel with the Palestinians on Sep 23, 2025, the Abrahamic Accord will bring death to Americans and the world. We have heard from the Alliance that there will be a fake WWIII. The nations will pull out their weapons as if to go to war with each other but will instead jump on the D.S.. I felt a long time ago that the D.S. would then turn this fake WWIII into a real WWlll. This is now happening; pay attention.)   Mena Lee Grebin - 01/29/2014 (David's notes in red) At 2:41 this morning, the Lord Jesus came to me. He said, “Death to the finances”. He then said, “A recession behind the recession”. (We have been told in dreams and visions for years there would be a recession followed by a short period of calm and then much worse collapse.) I asked, “Lord, what are You talking about?” He continued, “Tell My children that a recession is coming behind the recession. Many companies will close; small businesses will crumble and more jobs will be lost”. A calendar appeared in front of me, with the last four months of the year listed (i.e. September through December). (This is the period of the initial collapse, not the duration of the collapse which will continue for years.) I then saw a rider on a black horse ride across the pages. I said, “Lord, You said death to the finances; the rider on the black horse means death!” The Lord responded, “No, daughter, that is the rider on the pale horse”. I thought to myself, “What was the black horse again?” Then the Holy Spirit interjected, “A days wages for a loaf of bread!” (If the black horse rides in the last third of a year, when do the white horse Man-child and red horse war ride? The answer would be at the beginning of that. We must abide in Christ for His provision, which has already been prepared.) The presence of the Lord grew stronger and stronger on me. I felt completely paralyzed. I said, “Lord, if this is You giving this to me, I need a scripture to back up what You are saying”. Then, I heard loud and clear, “Psalm 9”. I started to cry, “Lord, You're showing me the end of the year! That means we will be here! Lord, when are You coming to get us? (Mena believed in a pre-trib rapture, so this was a surprise to her. This is given to the pre-tribbers to help prepare them for the times to come.) It's getting so bad here. Please help us to endure”. The Lord responded with a calming voice. He said, “Soon, My daughter. Very, very soon. Do not be afraid. Tell My children they MUST put their trust in Me, not the government, jobs, bank accounts, stocks, public assistance or retirement. These things will fail them! Only I will see them through. Persecution will increase and the time will come when many will go underground, but only for a very short season. (And then ...) I am coming!”   Saints, Psalm 9 is a psalm of judgment on the nations. (It is a psalm of tribulation.) It is also a psalm of refuge and protection for those who trust Him. I got up to read it as soon as the presence of God lifted enough for me to move. The title of the psalm in the NLT is “Death of a Son”. I thought this was interesting. I was not familiar with the psalm and did not memorize it; therefore, it was shocking to find out what it spoke of. I want to encourage everyone to read this scripture. It tells what is ahead. I don't know if the Lord did this in contrary to the State of the Union address last night (I didn't watch it because my mind can't comprehend habitual liars) or if it's just time for judgment to be executed upon this nation. I don't know; maybe both. But I was told to share this with the body of Christ. We must prepare. Please share.   “Chaos Is Coming” Mena Lee Grebin - 06/27/2016 (David's notes in red) At 1:45 AM this morning, I received a visitation from the Lord. I first found myself at a press conference. The conference contained about 50 people. We were all sitting at long tables in horizontal rows. I was located at the second seat in the last row, on the right. I saw Donald Trump sitting among the people; he was the only person in the crowd I recognized from behind. I only saw everyone's back from my view. In the front, I saw Obama pacing the floor. He seemed very agitated. He started saying, “They're pushing me ... they're pushing me to cause drama!” He then walked over to a man seated three rows ahead of me. Obama looked at the man and said, “Kevin, they're pushing me to give them what they deserve! I will give them the chaos that they deserve!” The man, who seemed to go by the name “Kevin”, frantically grabbed his notepad and began to write on it. It was then that I looked at Obama's forehead and noticed that there was writing on it. It looked as though someone had taken a black Sharpie and written across his forehead; it said, “Chaos is coming”. (Internal rebellion and pandemic with external war?) The scene changed and I next found myself in a room. Ahead of me, about 30 feet, stood Jesus. He was clothed in a simple white robe that illuminated a soft white glow. His face was so clear, clearer than I had ever seen it in all the years He's visited me. It was like I zoomed in on His face. I studied His thick, dark-brown hair that rested on His shoulders, and the fullness of His beard. The expression on His face was that of sadness, yet stern. I noticed that there were tears streaming from His left eye. Within each tear, there was a fetus. (Their vax is causing many still births.) The Lord spoke to me, but without moving His lips. He said, “They are constantly stealing the life that I have given”. He paused for a moment, then continued, “There are those who are even unaware of their murder. (Some are still taking it.) Doctors have convinced some that this is their only choice -- that the child is deformed, or will be born with abnormalities, so they steal the life that I have given”. I noticed that angels began to stand in formation behind Jesus. They were tall; between nine and 10 feet in height. They were all golden -- clothes, body and hair. There were 14 of them. I inquired about the position they were taking. Jesus responded, “They are taking their positions for the 21 judgments, for they are about to begin. Time is short. I will not delay ... I will not delay ... I will not delay! My Bride is preparing herself and I will soon call her to me”. (And the Bride is mature; taken from the Church but is not the Church as in Esther, Song of Solomon, Psalm 45, etc.) I thought to myself, “But there are only 14 angels”. The Key to the Timing of These Things: Then Jesus quickly reminded me that the first seven seals are opened by Him. (This sequence of events doesn't start until the first seal is opened by Jesus beginning the tribulation.) Jesus then looked at me and with a stern voice said, “Within three to six months (After the seal is opened), total chaos will envelop America and a pandemic will spread across the world”. He then gave me understanding that the two events are separate and I wasn't given a time frame for the pandemic. Mena had already received a dream of this same time period in the spring of 2014, which speaks of the economic collapse. The Lord woke her up at about 2:45 AM, saying, “Death to the finances!” He said it so strongly it startled her. She asked, “Death to the finances?” Then the Lord said, “A recession within a recession is coming”. Then He showed her a vision of the rider on a black horse. He was riding across a calendar and started in September (Beginning the death of finances) and rode through December. She asked the Lord, “Is it for this year (2014)?” He answered, “No”. Then He continued, “Small businesses will fail. Those who depend on the government to sustain them will fail. The housing market is going to crash again. I want you to warn the people. (Wilderness) Tell them what is coming because those who are in Me will be sustained, but not everyone who says they belong to Me belongs to Me”. When the economy collapses, the Man-child reformers bring the revival through the Bride, as a repeat of history. I began to pray for the Bride. I prayed for wisdom and boldness. The Lord then spoke and said, “Psalm 12 for the chosen, for the obedient and for the faithful”. This is a warning for the Church, the Bride and the nation. We need to prepare spiritually and physically for what's about to be unleashed. David: Now I want to share these verses with you and a revelation (from UBM livestream 9/19/25 The Bride Exalted and Full of Light) {Jer.6:10} To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah is become unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. {11} Therefore I am full of the wrath of Jehovah; I am weary with holding in: pour it out upon the children in the street, and upon the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. {12} And their houses shall be turned unto others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah. {13} For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. {14} They have healed also the hurt of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Like Now) {15} Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them (meaning: In the Man-child.) they shall be cast down, saith Jehovah. (What could cause this wilderness the Church is about to enter? Earthquakes, economic collapse, democratic saboteurs and assassins in the government and from the invaders, bringing down the grid before Tesla energy is fully up, persecution of Christians, plague, food shortage, war, etc. After Jesus comes in the Man-child reformers by Word and Spirit will come war. Rev.6:2 And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer. (Jesus in the Man-child reformers anointed)... 4 And another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. I asked the Lord when this World War would come and He said, “November.”) Then I got a confirmation. Brandon Biggs saw that Putin will call President Trump's bluff, but Putin is not bluffing; he is creating strong alliances for this major war ahead. war  I then asked Brandon if he knew when this war would happen, and he said, November. I said to him, “Thats my confirmation.” Brandon: So in the last two videos, I saw this right here. He's holding his cards close to him today. That's Putin as he's in this meeting (in Alaska). He doesn't trust no one. He doesn't trust him and he doesn't trust what's being said. It's a game. I hear, “Play the game, buy time. They want the whole thing. (The Russians don't want to share the world.) I just have to outlast you.” It's almost like you're playing poker, you're playing cards. You call my bluff. You all hear what I'm saying? You call my bluff. It's like, you're gonna move, you're gonna move things and you're gonna try to do things in this poker game on Friday. You hold your cards close, and you're playing; you're calling my bluff. That's what the Lord says. “You call my bluff.” It's just a card game. But the Lord warned me that Putin is not bluffing. Remember, I've tried to tell you all, Putin is not bluffing, but he will call Trump on what he calls his bluff of what Trump's saying; he's gonna do in the meetings ahead. Trump is strongarming the bear. The Lord said, “Handle the bear with care because Putin is not bluffing.” What he's doing in the background with Kim Jong Un, Cuba, Venezuela, he's creating alliances, strong alliances for a major war ahead. Remember this. The enemy within should be conquered before that war. Dumitru Duduman dreamed that the US would be busy with internal rebellion when Russia would use this to strike from without. In Dumitru Duduman's revelation below, he shares how Russia will hit the US when it is distracted with an internal revolution (As the Democrats are declaring now.) These communists have alliances with the American communists and Chinese communists.). Here is a portion of Dumitru's revelation called:   Russians Bomb the United States! The light surrounded me. Out of the light I heard the same voice (that was with me in jail and in my house in Italy). It said, "Dumitru, why are you so despaired?" I said, "Why did you punish me? What did I do that was so rotten that you brought me to the United States? I have nowhere to lie my head down upon. I can't understand anybody". He said, "Dumitru, didn't I tell you that I am here with you also? I brought you here to this country because this country will burn". "Then why did you bring me here to burn? Why didn't you let me die in my own country?" "Dumitru, have patience, and I will tell you. Get beside me". … I got beside the angel. He showed me all of California. He showed me all the cities of California. Then he showed me Las Vegas. "You see what I have shown you. This is Sodom and Gomorrah. In one day it will burn". He said, "Its sin has reached the Holy One". He showed me another great city. He said, "Do you know what city this is?" I said, "No". He said, "This is New York City. This is Sodom and Gomorrah. In one day it will burn". He showed me Florida. He said, "This is Florida. This is Sodom and Gomorrah. In one day it will burn". He didn't let me say a word until he brought me back to the place we had left. He said, "Now, Dumitru, you can talk to me". He said, "I brought you to this country, Dumitru. I want to wake up a lot of people. I love this country. I love the people. I want to save them. America will burn". And I said, "How can I save them? I can't even speak their language. Who knows me here? How will they call me?" He said, "Don't worry. I will be ahead of you. I will make great healings amongst the American people. You will go to television stations, radio stations, and churches. (And He did) Tell them everything I tell you. Don't hide anything. If you try to hide anything, I will punish you. America will burn". I said, "How will America burn? It is so powerful". He said, "The Russian spies have discovered where the most powerful nuclear missiles are in America. "It will start with the world calling for 'peace, peace'. (Like now.) Then there will be an internal revolution in America, started by the Communists. (Like now.) Some of the people will start fighting against the government. (Like now.) The government will be busy with internal problems. Then, from the oceans, Russia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Central America, Mexico, and two other countries (which I cannot remember) will attack! The Russians will bombard the nuclear missile silos in America. America will burn". I said, "What will you do with the church?" He said, "The church has left me". I said, "How? Don't you have people here?" He said, "People honor people. The honor that should be given to God, they give to other people. Americans think high of themselves. They say, 'I work', but they don't. In the church there is divorce. In the church there is adultery and fornication. In the church there is sodomy. In the church there is abortion and all kinds of sin. Jesus Christ doesn't live in sin. He lives in HOLINESS. I brought you here so you could cry out loud. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Tell them to stop sinning. God never stops forgiving. Tell them to repent. He will forgive them. Tell them to start preparing themselves so I can save them in the day of trouble". Brothers, these aren't fairy tales. I didn't come here to ask you for money. I didn't ask God for money. I came here to tell you the message of God. If you ask me, God loves you. That's what the angel of God told me. "Whoever I love, I want to wake up. I will put on their hearts to call you. Don't hide anything, or I will punish you". So stop sinning and repent. He will forgive us, and we will have salvation. I said, "How will you save the church if America will burn?" He said, "Tell them as I tell you. As he saved the three young men from the oven of fire and Daniel from the mouth of the lion, that is how I will save them. Tell them to stop sinning and repent. I have blessed this country because of the Jews that are here. I have seven million Jews here. (more now) They haven't tasted war or persecution. God blessed them more than anyone else. Instead of thanking God, they started sinning and doing wickedly. Their sins have reached the Holy One. God will punish them with fire". Israel doesn't recognize the Messiah because they place their trust on the power of the Jews in America. When God will hit America, all the nations will be terrified. God will raise up China, Japan, and many other nations, and they will beat the Russians. They will push them back to the gates of Paris. There they will make a peace treaty, but they will make the Russians their leader. All the nations with the Russians as their leader will go against Israel. It's not that they want to; God makes them. Israel doesn't have the help of the Jews in America anymore. In their terror, when they see what is coming, they call upon the Messiah. The Messiah will come to help Israel. Then the Church of God will meet him in the clouds". (1 Thes 4:16) Are you ready to meet Jesus Christ? Are your wedding clothes clean? If there are still spots on the clothes of your soul, then the blood of Jesus Christ still has power to cleanse sins. Jesus Christ will live with the church on the Mount of Olives. He himself will fight against all the nations. I said, "If you are the angel of God, everything you tell me has to be written in the Bible. If it is not, then I can't tell the Americans". "Tell them to read Jeremiah 51:8-15. He named it THE MYSTERY BABYLON, THE GREAT ADULTERESS. Also read Revelations Chapter 18, the whole chapter. There it says clearly what will happen to America". "Why did He name it THE MYSTERY BABYLON?" "Tell them because all the nations of the world immigrated into America, and America accepted them. America accepted Buddha, the Devil Church, the Sodomite church, the Mormon Church, and all kinds of wickedness. America was a Christian nation. Instead of stopping them, they went after their gods. Because of this, He named them THE MYSTERY BABYLON…   The Eagle and the Serpents Michael Boldea (notes in red) (The Angel said, "This has been revealed to you, that you may know, the first bite has been, the second is yet to come, and the third will be its destruction".) Psalm 34:7-8, "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him". Upon my return to the United States in late August, I had a very vivid and troubling dream. I dreamt I was walking through a sparsely wooded forest, and suddenly my attention was drawn to an eagle (the U.S.) flying high above the tree line. It was a beautiful sight to behold as the eagle rode the thermals, flying in slow lazy arks across the blue sky. I began to quicken my pace, and keep up with the eagle's flight, all the while keeping an eye on it, noticing that it was slowly descending toward the earth. (Becoming more corrupt)  I followed it for a long time, its descend not being sudden but very gradual. Finally I came upon a small clearing, where there were no trees, just some bushes on the edges of the green grass. The eagle landed in the clearing, and began to look around not seeming to notice me. As I began to wonder what the relevance of this was, a man dressed in white, hands clasped in front of him, appeared beside me, and said, "Be patient, in due time you will see the purpose". I was silent as I watched the eagle, and was beginning to grow somewhat impatient, when suddenly (9/11 happened suddenly), it seemed out of nowhere a brown snake (the Muslims are a brown people and the Nazis wore brown shirts) lunged at the eagle, and bit down on its left wing. (In effect, 9/11 devastated the left wing and brought about a short-lived swing to the right as this nation prayed out to their God to save them.) The snake's strike was very quick and very precise. The eagle reacted without delay, clawing and pecking at the snake cutting deep wounds in its underbelly, trying to defend itself and ward off the serpent. (USA, the great eagle of Babylon, is still over there pecking away at their enemies.) Just as it seemed the eagle was winning the battle, and the serpent was retreating, another serpent appeared, red and black diagonal stripes covering its body. (Red and white were the 0bama's colors of choice for the election victory speech. Why red and black? Obama's associate for 20 years and mentor was Bill Ayers, who is an unrepentant terrorist, anarchist and Marxist who bombed his own country to bring about "change", which is Obama's chief motto. Red and black are the colors of anarchists, socialists, left-wingers, communists, etc. Ayers told the New York Times on 9/11/01, "I don't regret setting bombs... I feel we didn't do enough".)  This serpent without hesitation struck out at the eagle's right wing, biting down, and refusing to release. (Many strikes have come from the left, false flags, plagues, assassinations, etc. These Satanists have never slowed down.) After a momentary tug of war the serpent tore off flesh and feathers, leaving a large wound on the eagle's right wing. (Obama is purely a left-wing socialist who will use anything to tear a huge wound in the religious right of this land. Cheri Watson saw a vision of the Statue of Liberty sliced in two by a huge knife from right to left and the top half, or government, began to slide to the left and fall into the water. A line of leftist governments did much damage that President Trump has worked to reverse.) The second bite was much worse than the first, and for an instant the eagle was stunned. Then a serpent much larger than the previous two, made up of many colors,(Leftist revolutionaries internally join with many nations led by Russia and China) slithered toward the eagle, opened its jaws and lunged, taking the whole of the eagle's head in its mouth before biting down. (The enemies take down the government and devastate the U.S. which brings revival.) The serpents retreated and the man (Jesus) who had been standing beside me, walked to the eagle, knelt down, picked it up, and held it in his cupped hands. The look of grief on his face was beyond any I have seen in my life. Just seeing the look on the man's face broke your heart. The man continued to look down at the eagle, and with a pained voice said, "The true tragedy, is that at any moment it could have sought the safety of the above, it could have soared toward the heavens and would have found its protection. This has been revealed to you, that you may know, the first bite has been (9/11), the second is yet to come (leftist governments), and the third will be its destruction". (Fall of the U.S. into wilderness tribulation.)   An Angry Bear Awakens Excerpt from Dumitru Duduman's Prophecies April 1997 I knelt by my bed to pray, as I do every night before going to sleep. After finishing my prayer, I opened my eyes, but I was no longer in my room. Instead, I found myself in a forest. I looked around, and to my right I saw a man dressed in white who pointed his finger and said, "See and remember". It took me a while to find what he was pointing at. It was a small bear who seemed half dead lying on the ground. As I continued to watch this bear, it began to breathe deeper. With every passing minute it seemed to revive itself, and, as I watched, it also became angrier. It then began to grow. Soon it was larger than the forest floor, and as it grew larger, it continued to become angrier. It then began to paw the ground, so that when its paw would hit the ground, the earth would shudder. The bear continued to devastate all that stood in its path until it came upon some men with sticks trying to fend it off. (Don't pay any attention to the lies, they have won this war in Ukraine but the DS needs a bigger war that hurts the US. The Russians have taken down the Nazi's, the bio-labs, the organ labs, the tunnels and dungeons with the captive children, and the evidence of DS crimes, etc.) By this time the bear had grown so large that it simply crushed the men underfoot and continued its rampage. I was stunned by what I saw and asked the man standing beside me, "What does this mean?" "At first they thought the great bear was dead,” the man said. (If you listen to MSM.) "As it will begin to stir once again, they will consider it harmless. Suddenly, it will grow strong once more with purpose and violence. (They have made tremendous advances in weaponry.) God will blind the eyes of those that continue to trample on the sacrifice of Christ's blood, until the day the bear will strike swiftly. This day will catch them unprepared, and it will be just as you saw". The man then said, "Tell my people the days are numbered and the sentence has been passed. If they will seek My face and walk in righteousness before Me, I will open their eyes that they may see the danger approach. If they only look to the approaching danger, they, too, will be caught up and trampled underfoot. Only in righteousness will they find safety". Suddenly, I was once again by myself in my room, on my knees, with sweat covering my face. Now let me share a few articles that have been in the recent news:   Artic Frost See: Grassley-Artic Frost BREAKING: Senator Chuck Grassley just announced that an FBI whistleblower revealed to him an FBI project called "Artic Frost" that targeted groups like Charlie Kirk's TPUSA and all republicans and their establihments! This is a BOMBSHELL! He says that they are releasing those documents TODAY! "In total, 92 Republican targets, including Republican groups and Republican linked individuals, were placed under investigative scope of Arctic Frost." (Obviously leftists are at the bottom of this.) "On that political list was one of Charlie Kirk‘s groups, Turning Point USA. In other words, Arctic Frost wasn‘t just a case to politically investigate Trump." "It was the vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors could achieve their partisan ends and improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus." "So, today Senator Johnson and I are making these records public for the entire country to see. I hope a lot of people are interested in seeing what government can do when various agencies have a political agenda." This isn't law enforcement. This is persecution. Arctic Frost revived the general warrants our Founders outlawed in the 4th Amendment. It weaponized the DOJ and FBI to punish political enemies, chill free speech, and destroy trust in government.   "Trump Faces World War III As Armed American Socialists Proclaim “The Revolution Is Here”" https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=259670 September 20, 2025, By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers.  Shown in part… A forewarning new Security Council (SC) report circulating in the Kremlin today first noting President Putin revealed yesterday: “Russia's military industry has enjoyed remarkable growth over the past two years...For certain types of weapons and some products, our production has increased not by a few percentage points, but almost 30-fold”, says this revelation was followed by President Donald Trump proclaiming about the Russia-Ukraine conflict: “We are actually making money on that war”—and was a proclamation joined by NATO-American Ambassador Matthew Whitaker declaring: “President Trump is going to continue to find the leverage and to find the conditions where he can bring both sides and mediate a resolution, but he's not going to set the conditions...Both sides are going to have to agree to a peace deal”. Contributing to the remarkable growth of the Russian military industrial complex, this report notes, Bloomberg revealed: “Indian refiners intend to continue purchasing Russian crude to meet rising fuel demand, even as New Delhi restarts trade talks with the US for a bilateral deal”—a revelation joined by the German Economic Institute announcing: “EU member states imported $10.2 billion worth of Russian goods in the first three months of 2025 alone”. The EU member states graciously contributing billions-of-dollars to support the Russian military industrial complex, this report continues, completely surround the Russian enclave Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea—… “In a vote that exposed the dark side of the majority of Democrats, the House on Friday passed a resolution honoring slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and rejecting the political violence of recent years...The vote was 310-58, with 95 Democrats joining all 215 Republicans in voting yes on the nonbinding resolution...The 58 no votes all came from Democrats, but another 38 Democrats voted present (would not take an open side) and another 22 Democrats did not vote...In other words, 118 Democrats in Congress refused to support the resolution”… As President Trump faces the fake news socialist narrative clamoring for World War III, this report concludes, he also faces growing leftists protests caused by the fake news socialist narrative branding him a fascist, and it was just warned: “The Socialist Rifle Association has 52 local chapters across 33 U.S. states, and claims to have 10,000 members...Considering they are the armed wing of the anti-American revolution, people should be more concerned about what is going on with the growing militant left...Earlier this year, the Democratic Socialist of America held a meeting to debate merging with the SRA, and afterward, many DSA members went online to voice their opinions about the decision not to do it...Regardless, the discourse was still highly alarming...Some DSA members tweeted that the revolution is here”.   Official Warnings: Threat to Large Crowds or Big Events, Multi-City Attack, Hospitals Targeted Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Gm5jd4wra9g Get Ready! NCTC Warns of Threat to Large Crowds or Big Events, Multi-City Attack, Hospitals Targeted Posted By: George Eaton - Sep 20, 2025 – in part https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=259682 The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center said on Friday that recent calls by al Qaeda for attacks against the United States showed the group's enduring threat to the country. A report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued late last year that evaluated different types of threats to the United States, said al Qaeda was committed to striking the U.S. and had "reinvigorated its outreach" to Western audiences. https://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=259690   World War III Is on the Horizon: As we all saw on the news, the first direct clash between NATO and Russia has already happened. This is how world wars begin—small sparks in places most Americans can't even find on a map. What's unfolding isn't a misunderstanding, and it sure isn't a string of “accidents.” It is deliberate. A methodical test. A calculated push to measure NATO's reflexes, its unity, its red lines—driven by Russia and China, both determined to corner the West until one mistake means annihilation... Intelligence whispers say China is preparing something massive. The war for Taiwan is already alive inside Beijing's planning rooms. This won't be a small conflict. The plan is simultaneous, far-reaching, meant to blind and cripple not only Taiwan but the entire U.S. Indo-Pacific command. They're not aiming only at Taipei. They're aiming straight into INDOPACOM itself—leadership, infrastructure, defenses—one lightning strike to take it all down. Beijing knows hesitation equals defeat. They won't hesitate. Meanwhile, Russia has wrapped up massive military drills—simulating missile strikes against NATO. This isn't theater. It's rehearsal. Each maneuver a message: “We are ready. Are you?” Putin doesn't bluff when he warns NATO won't intimidate Russia. (Truly they are no threat to Russia) The headlines grow darker every day...“Trump warns Ukraine could ignite a global war.” UK officials whisper that the West could collapse within days if nuclear war ignites. NATO generals warn the clock is running out—that war could come next month. These aren't fringe ravings. These are voices from the rooms where nuclear options are weighed. China and Russia aren't moving separately. They're moving in sync. Russia pushes NATO's borders while China gets ready to strike across the Pacific. Together they stretch the West thin, forcing it to fight in two theaters at once... Washington, arrogant and blind, still thinks it can dictate terms to both adversaries. But the truth is brutal. America no longer holds military or industrial supremacy. Its defense factories can barely keep up. Its arsenals are drained into Ukraine. Its people are fractured, distracted, unready for the storm that's gathering. … Do not imagine this will be a slow buildup like past wars. There will be no declaration. World War III will erupt with a flash, with a mushroom cloud. With satellites blinded, command centers silenced, and cities burning before dawn. And once the fire starts, it will not be contained. The fantasy of a “limited” nuclear war is the deadliest lie of all. Once the first strike lands, the chain is unbreakable. The world's armies are preparing for a war... …Face what's coming. Because World War III isn't far off anymore—it's already here, waiting for the single spark that will paint the sky red. (excerpts)       

The Sower And The Narrow PathLet your tongue be a tree of life!

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed

In this episode Fr. Des reflects on the parable of the Sower in Luke's Gospel and St Padre Pio L'articolo E53| Catechesis – Fr Des Farren – Gospel of Luke – Chapter 8 proviene da Radio Maria.

Jesus' first parable is the Sower and the Seed. We examine the meaning of this parable, including the four types of soil.

“Stories of an Alternative Reality: The Parable of the Sower”

A Regnum Christi Daily Meditation. Sign up to receive the text in your email daily at RegnumChristi.com

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the parable

Read Online“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” Luke 8:8This short line is, in a sense, a summary of the Parable of the Sower. This parable presents us with four different ways in which the Word of God is received. The seed that is sown is the Word of God. The four different categories of people are compared to seed sown on a path, rocky ground, among thorns and in good soil.Jesus explains that the seed sown on the path are those “who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts.” The seed sown on rocky ground are those who “receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.” The seed sown among thorns are those who have heard the Word and received it, but over time they are “choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.” Finally, those who are like rich soil are those who heard the Word and “embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”As you look at those categories of people, where do you fall? Most likely, for those who pray daily and try to follow our Lord, one of the last two categories is where they fall. Note that for those who are like seed sown in the thorns and those sown in rich soil, fruit is born from the Word of God. In other words, their lives do change and they do make a difference in the world on account of God's holy Word and presence in their lives. The difference, however, is that those who struggle with “the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life” will fail to produce “mature fruit.” This is a good teaching for faithful Christians to ponder.When you look at your life, what sort of fruit do you see? The “fruit” of which our Lord speaks can be identified with the fruits of the Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, forbearance, gentleness, faith, modesty, self-control, and chastity. Thus, if you want to discern whether you are more like one who bears mature fruit vs. immature fruit, look at those holy qualities carefully. How “mature” are each of these fruits of the Spirit alive in your life? They make a wonderful examination of conscience for those looking to go deeper than just the Ten Commandments or Seven Capital Sins. If these good fruits are born from your life in a truly mature way, you should be able to see how they affect others through you. For example, how has your kindness, patience, faith and self-control helped others in their Christian walk? Reflect, today, upon the fruits of the Spirit. Review them carefully and prayerfully as you examine your own life. Where you see them in abundance, rejoice and give thanks, and work to foster their growth. Where you see them lacking, rejoice also in that insight and consider the reason they are lacking. Are there worldly anxieties, desires for riches or pleasures that hinder their growth? Seek to be that truly rich soil, and our Lord will indeed bring forth much good fruit in you and through you. My divine Sower, You sow the perfect seeds of Your Word in abundance. Please help me to open my heart to receive that Word so that an abundance of good fruit can be born. Please free me from the anxieties and deceptions of life so that I can hear clearly Your holy Word and nurture that Word in my heart. I rejoice, dear Lord, in all that You have and continue to do in and through me. Jesus, I trust in You.Parable of the Sower by Lawrence OP, license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

#10MinuteswithJesus ** Put yourself in the presence of God. Try talking to Him. ** 10 minutes are 10 minutes. Even if you can get distracted, reach the end. ** Be constant. The Holy Spirit acts "on low heat" and requires perseverance. 10-Minute audio to help you pray. Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and the Lord, inviting you to share your intimacy with God. Find your moment, consider you are in His presence and click play.

Mark 4 I Nick Harsh I September 18, 2025In this series, “buried truths”, we are looking at 5 parables of Jesus — stories that haven't changed but have the power to change everything. The only problem is, we've buried them. So grab your shovel (or your headphones) and enjoy.@saltindiana I https://embassybtown.org/salt

How do I make sense of the seed, soil, rocky ground, and thorns? Dave explains the Parable of the Sower and shares how it can be applied to our lives. He also gives advice as to how we can plant seeds on good soil and how we can bear fruit in our own lives. We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your questions/comments Don't forget to text “EKSB” to 33-777 to get the shownotes right to your inbox! You can also find the full shownotes at www.ascensionpress.com/EveryKneeShallBow

Welcome to the Grace in Focus podcast. Today, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates are once again answering one of your questions. In the Parable of the Sower, Is Jesus presenting that once sown, there is only one chance for the seed to be effective? Please listen and never miss an episode of the Grace in

At the age of 26 Josiah began to utilise the faithful craftsmen to repair the temple. Hilkiah the High Priest finds the Book of the Law (possibly the very one written by Moses about eight and a half centuries earlier). That precious book is handed to Shaphan the scribe to take it to king Josiah. Shaphan reads it before the king who rends his clothes. Josiah knows how greatly Judah has sinned against their God. Josiah sends to Huldah the prophetess, who tells them that judgment is unavoidable, but that it would be postponed until after Josiah's death because of his humility before his Sovereign. 2 Kings 23 records the reforms of Josiah all of which had been declared earlier to Jeroboam 1 by the unnamed prophet who came from Judah. Josiah causes all Judah to listen to and comply with the words of the newly found Book of the Law. The king, Josiah, finds the tomb of that prophet who had foretold these events and leaves his bones to lie undisturbed - this being symbolic of resurrection (Psalm 34 verses 20-22). Josiah keeps a Passover like none throughout the 430 years of history of the two kingdoms - Israel and Judah. Josiah dies in a battle against Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt. God had warmed Josiah not to meddle with Pharaoh Neco. But this was a bad error of judgment from Josiah that led to his tragic and premature death verses referred to in Isaiah 57 verses 1. Eliakim was placed, as a vassal of Neco, on the throne for three months; and Judah is put under tribute. Eliakim is removed and replaced by Jehoiakim. In Ezekiel 12 we have an enacted parable telling of the extremities and sufferings occasioned by the siege. Ezekiel portrays by his actions the outcomes of Jerusalem's siege. A very small remnant of Judah would be saved. Ezekiel shows that the profligate and weak king Zedekiah is to be taken into captivity. The statement was made by the false prophets that it would be a long time before the Almighty would bring such judgment on His people. Not so says Jeremiah who is asked by Yahweh to show the people of Judah the hardships that were to come and the scarcity of food. Luke chapter 8 begins by naming some of the women who accompany our Lord and his Apostles. Among them was Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's nobleman (consider some of the difficulties this may have occasioned - perhaps very similar to Obadiah, the steward of Ahab, who had fed 100 of Yahweh's prophets during the great drought). The Parable of the Sower is taught, as the basis of understanding all of our Lord's parables. As we have seen it can be called the parable of the soils as the seed sown is the same - it was the response of the 4 soil types that differed. The chapter then records an explanation from Jesus as to why our Lord spoke in parables. It was to reveal the message to the seekers and to confound the self-righteous. The teaching by parables is a fulfilment of Christ's mission and is explained in Psalm 78 verses 1-4 and Isaiah 6 verses 1-13. Then follows the parable of the lamp on the table which outlines the disciple's responsibility to spread the Gospel. Jesus' mother and brothers, being concerned for him, seek to curtail his preaching. They are told to join the supporters rather than those who are slowing down God's work. Next Jesus calms a storm demonstrating that he is indeed the Son of God (see Psalm 107 verses 23-32). The chapter then says that he heals the man called Legion. Whose curing is proved by the destruction of the pigs. The Jews should not have been breeding these as the Law of Moses forbad it. The record follows with the curing of the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years (note Luke's ironic comments about his fellow doctors). Then Jesus raises the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus (whose name means 'enlightenment') and presents her alive to her parents. Christ shows that he is indeed the Good Shepherd of John 10 when he said to the child "little lamb arise".

In Part 2 of our GO Grow series, we unpacked the Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13 and explored God's heart for reaching those who are far from Him. Jesus shows us that the condition of the soil matters—some seed falls on rocky or thorny ground, but some lands on good soil and produces a great harvest.Pastor Doug reminded us that:People who are far from God are closer than we think and more open than we realize.God often sends us to unlikely people in unlikely places.The mission to reach the lost always involves people—God's plan to reach the lost is YOU.The message highlighted four groups God refuses to give up on:Nineveh – The people we're tempted to judge.The Ethiopian Eunuch – The one no one else sees.Cornelius – The one from the “wrong” culture.The Woman at the Well – The person everyone else avoids.The call to action is clear: take the Gospel beyond the walls of the church, sow generously, and trust God to bring the growth.

$97 Lifetime Deal – Nevillize Your Life with the "Unlock God Mode" Course: unlockgodmode.org  ✣ Join this 30-day life-changing program today.✣ Free Neville Goddard PDF: manifestwithneville.com----------------------Neville Goddard: The Sower (1965 Lecture) ***Download the free Neville Goddard PDF Guide at manifestwithneville.com - Discover the transformative power of Neville Goddard's wisdom with this FREE 60-page guide on his 12 timeless principles of manifestation and reality creation.★ Follow the podcast for daily lectures from the mystic Neville Goddard ★FREE RESOURCES:• Join the FREE Neville Goddard newsletter• Join the FREE Telegram Channel• Feeling is the Secret • Full Audiobook* * *The James Xander Trip Podcast:• Listen on Spotify• Listen on Apple Podcasts• Listen on YouTubeDIVE DEEPER:• The Unlock God Mode Course• The Infinite Wealth Guided Meditation* * *ABOUT NEVILLE GODDARD:Neville Goddard (1905-1972), was an English writer, speaker and mystic. He grew up in Barbados and moved to the United States of America as a young adult. Neville Goddard was perhaps the last century's most intellectually substantive and charismatic purveyor of the philosophy generally called New Thought. He wrote more than ten books under the solitary pen name Neville, and was a popular speaker on metaphysical themes from the late 1930s until his death in 1972.Possessed of a self-educated and uncommonly sharp intellect, Neville espoused a spiritual vision that was bold and total: Everything you see and experience, including other people, is the result of your own thoughts and emotional states. Each of us dreams into existence an infinitude of realities and outcomes. When you realize this, Neville taught, you will discover yourself to be a slumbering branch of the Creator clothed in human form, and at the helm of limitless possibilities.Neville's thought system influenced a wide range of spiritual thinkers and writers, from bestselling author Dr. Joseph Murphy to Rhonda Byrne and Wayne Dyer.He has inspired and continues to inspire millions of readers around the world.* * *SOCIALS:• Neville Goddard Newsletter• Neville Goddard Telegram• Neville Goddard Instagram• Neville Goddard Threads• Neville Goddard Twitter• Neville Goddard YouTube* * *ABOUT THE COURSEUnlock God Mode is a transformative 30-day course designed to accelerate your journey towards greater wealth, love, and success through a deeper understanding and manipulation of your reality.  Comprising of 30 audio lessons, this course unfolds as a self-paced, introspective expedition into reality creation, aiding you in elevating your consciousness to what's referred to as the God Mode. Throughout this journey, practical tools will be provided daily to help enrich your life with more love, money, and success by altering your mental models and perceptions. This course combines theory and hands-on experience to create a unique deep dive into manifestation, consciousness, and reality creation. Join me on an extraordinary, 30-day adventure (1 lesson per day) and watch your reality transform. Begin the Unlock God Mode experience today »* * *Follow Neville Goddard on Telegram, Instagram, Threads, Twitter, and YouTube.★ Join the FREE Neville Goddard newsletter ★» For the Neville Goddard listener: Access the 30-Day Unlock God Mode Program « 

Visit our website to learn more about The God Centered Concept. The God Centered Concept is designed to bring real discipleship and spreading the Gospel to help spark the Great Harvest, a revival in this generation. www.godcenteredconcept.comKingdom Cross Roads Podcast is a part of The God Centered Concept.In this episode, TS Wright delivers a powerful message on the Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13, focusing on the condition of the heart. He explores four types of hearts: the hard heart, the confused heart, the busy heart, and the fertile heart, emphasizing the importance of spiritual growth and perseverance in faith. The conversation culminates in a call to action, encouraging listeners to reflect on their own hearts and pursue their calling in alignment with God's will.TakeawaysThe condition of our hearts is crucial to God.God measures us by the intent of our hearts.A hard heart does not absorb the truth.A confused heart is overwhelmed by competing ideologies.A busy heart allows life's distractions to choke faith.You cannot pursue comfort and God simultaneously.A fertile heart produces a significant spiritual harvest.Pursuing God, promoting Him, and persevering are key.We are all called to make disciples in some capacity.Prayer is essential for spiritual growth and direction.

On this episode we sample Ledaig 18 Year while talking about making another large purchase, the ease in finding older scotch, peat as an accent, giving small bottleshops a shot, challenging yourself to read and right more, The Overstory, getting through a work that you're not in love with, Underworld, giving up on a book, books that everyone has a copy of but noone has read, reading outside of your norm, Dungeon Crawler Carl, a bit of frothy language, The Alchemist, Greenlights, entering into the mind of McConaughey, speculative fiction, Paarable of the Sower, Prophet Song, why do we read fiction?, Looking for Alaska, reading a book because it's banned, crazy Calvino, No Nonsense Spirituality, reading the book before seeing the movie, and the TBR pile.  Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DrepandStone We'd love to hear from you! https://linktr.ee/DrepandStone Don't forget to subscribe! Music by @joakimkarudmusic Episode #311

We're back! On this hostful episode, Lauren, Emily, and Dave dig into their approach to comfort reads. They also discuss engaging ideas in nonfiction and the need for intermissions in long movies and TV episodes. In the Last Chapter they spill some tea: What's a book you did not finish and what made you dump that book? Overdueing It is a project funded by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services and is produced by library staff around the Ocean State. We are proud to be a resident partner of theRhode Island Center for the Book. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own and do not represent those of the Overdueing It podcast, its sponsor organizations, or any participants' place of employment. The content of Overdueing It episodes are the property of the individual creators, with permission for Overdueing It to share the content on their podcast feed in perpetuity. Any of the content from the Overdueing It podcast can not be reproduced without express written permission. Our logo was designed by Sarah Bouvier and our theme music is by Neura-Flow. Books My Friends by Fredrik Backman The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman Democracy's Data by Dan Bouk The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi Browse books by Sarah Dessen The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Mi-ye Yi The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie  All Systems Red by Martha Wells Set My Heart to Five by Simon Stephenson Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz East of Eden by John Steinbeck A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman Media The Naked Gun (2025) Mickey 17 (2025) Anne with an E (2017-19) WondLa (2024- )

We're back! On this hostful episode, Lauren, Emily, and Dave dig into their approach to comfort reads. They also discuss engaging ideas in nonfiction and the need for intermissions in long movies and TV episodes. In the Last Chapter they spill some tea: What's a book you did not finish and what made you dump that book? Overdueing It is a project funded by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services and is produced by library staff around the Ocean State. We are proud to be a resident partner of theRhode Island Center for the Book. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own and do not represent those of the Overdueing It podcast, its sponsor organizations, or any participants' place of employment. The content of Overdueing It episodes are the property of the individual creators, with permission for Overdueing It to share the content on their podcast feed in perpetuity. Any of the content from the Overdueing It podcast can not be reproduced without express written permission. Our logo was designed by Sarah Bouvier and our theme music is by Neura-Flow. Books My Friends by Fredrik Backman The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman Democracy's Data by Dan Bouk The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi Browse books by Sarah Dessen The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Mi-ye Yi The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie  All Systems Red by Martha Wells Set My Heart to Five by Simon Stephenson Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz East of Eden by John Steinbeck A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman Media The Naked Gun (2025) Mickey 17 (2025) Anne with an E (2017-19) WondLa (2024- )

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Aaron LeDuc – Luke 8:4-15