Mar 4:3-8 “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path….Other seed fell on rocky ground…Other seed fell among thorns…And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Danielle and I are transitioning now out of our role with Hope Fellowship Church in reaching out to international students at the University of North Texas. It is kind of a bittersweet experience. As I think through each of the faces of friends I’ve made in the international population (including those mentioned in the previous post), I can’t help but think of the above verse and how God has been using it in my life these last several months.
Steve Smith and Ying Cai, in their book “T4T, a Discipleship Re-revolution” point out that either the sower represented here is the dumbest farmer you’ve ever met, or we’re supposed to glean something from this parable. He sowed EVERYWHERE – no “prejudging” the soil. The result? Many of the seeds did not sprout, BUT….some DID. And they bore much fruit. Minimally 30-fold.
The application? Well, the passage tells us (Mark. 4:14) that the seed is the Word of God. In another passage it refers to it as the “Gospel of the Kingdom.” So, I need to sow indiscriminately the Word of God and let God produce the results in whoever He wants.
Some WILL respond. As I look back on my service to Christ in reaching internationals, my only regret was that I didn’t sow more and without prejudging.
There is much to be encouraged about. We planted seeds among nations that are totally unreached. We saw a handful of folks come to Christ. We started the English Club which is serving to connect many international students to believers who will share the Word with them. And we learned a LOT. AND we know more about how to approach things in our transition to Japan.
We’re excited as we look ahead and what’s to come. And I pray that I will never forget the “law of the seed.”
Blessing Nations 
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