Again, I encourage you to spend more time in the Old Testament exploring all the seed planters, small and great, who by their lives and obedience to God, served His will and planted their seeds for millions to read about and absorb in God’s Holy Word. Likewise, I encourage you to jump into the New Testament. Come on in the water is fine. Here are just a few examples from the New Testament of seed planters in their day.
Jesus’ Dad (Matthew 1)
No, not HIM, but him. And a very important him, too, not just because he was a descendent of David (as was Mary) but because of the kind of person he was.
Here's a guy who is engaged to be married and then finds out his wife-to-be is pregnant – and not by him. By today’s standards, that’s pretty bad. But back then, it was even more serious. By being engaged, Joseph was already basically married to Mary. The marriage part would allow for the sexual relations to begin. But other than that, they were married and the only way the engagement could be broken was by death or divorce. Joseph, by the rules of the land, had every right to divorce but not only that, the Jewish authorities could have her stoned to death.
But Joseph, being a just man thought about it and was planning to quietly break the engagement and not disgrace her publicly. Wow. Think you could do the same thing, guys, or would you make a big stink about it and go cry on Oprah's and Dr. Phil's shoulder? Or worse yet, Jerry Springer's? Anyway, then Joseph has a visit from an angel who tells him the whole scoop about what happened and that he should still take Mary on as his wife and raise Jesus.
Okay, an angel is a big deal but remember ornery ol’ Jonah said "No" to God right to His face. Joseph could have chalked the vision up to a little indigestion from an over-cooked leg of lamb and taken his carpenter's tools and hit the road.
But he didn't. Joseph was a just man and he obeyed God’s will. Imagine if he hadn't? I mean, Jesus was coming anyway, no doubt about that, but this was God's will and Joseph was a man of strong faith and strong conviction. He wanted to do what was right even though it would be difficult and odds were he would probably endure the humiliation from society for sticking with Mary. Talk about self-discipline. Again, guys, how many of you would endure the ridicule and mockery from society because we go against what the culture of the day dictates? Listen up because that's exactly what a seed planter needs to do. No matter what talent, skill, or ability you have that can serve the Lord in being His witness, you'll be going against the grain of society with your message of salvation in Christ. And like Joseph, stick with it. Remain righteous. Be kind and sensitive to the needs of others. Listen and obey God’s calling. And practice self-discipline.
Be like Joseph – Jesus' earth dad.
Women of the New Testament
Though there may not be a lot written on the women in the New Testament, there is a lot to be learned.
Phoebe is mentioned briefly in the last chapter of Paul's monumental book of Romans (Chapter 16:1-2): "Our sister Phoebe, a deacon in the church in Cenchrea, will be coming to see you soon. Receive her in the Lord, as one worthy of high honor. Help her in every way you can, for she has helped many in their needs, including me."
Helped many in their needs.
Remember, this is God talking to us through Paul and here is God telling us Phoebe is one worthy of high honor. Highly regarded in the church (a deacon) and apparently wealthy in her support of the church, Paul’s ministry, and of many others. She served, not only by giving of her treasure, but also with her time and talents. Phoebe planted seeds simply by helping those in need.
Everyone Has Been Called by God
Lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Ephesians 4:2b
Much has been written about Mary Magdalene. I'm not going to get all DaVinci Code on you here, so don't worry. Mary was one of many women who followed Jesus. And Mary was certainly honored by God - not only did Jesus drive seven demons out of her, but she was the first person Christ revealed Himself to after the resurrection (and not one of the eleven remaining apostles). Wow. Mary could certainly be considered a disciple of Christ, one who planted seeds, like Phoebe, by giving of her treasures, her time, and her talents.
Luke 8:1-3 reads:
"Not long afterward, Jesus began a tour of the nearby cities and villages {the Jesus Tour, dig it}to announce the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God. He took His twelve disciples with Him, along with some women He had healed and from whom He had cast out evil spirits. Among them was Mary Magdalene, from who He had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and His disciples."
Quite the entourage, huh?
The point is that perhaps some of the followers weren’t speakers, or didn’t have specific talents to be a witness for Christ, but they were just as important, maybe even more so, for using what they did have to keep the Good News flowing. A trumpet player can make beautiful music but if he doesn't have a simple thing like air in his lungs to blow out those magical notes, it's just a shiny piece of metal in his hands.
In Jesus' day, women were generally treated as second-class citizens but Jesus wasn't part of society and its culture. Jesus treated all with equality and respect, especially women. All are important and all have a role to play.
You do, too.
Gospel Writers
Writing is a big part of what being a seed planter is to me. It's why I’m writing this blog. The written word is a wonderful tool to share the message of salvation in Christ, whether in fiction or non-fiction, novel or screenplay, poem or play.
The Gospel of Mark is considered to be the first gospel written of the four. It is the shortest of the gospels, one characterized by a fast-paced narrative emphasizing the miracles of Jesus.
But who is this Mark dude?
Known as John Mark, he wasn’t one of the twelve apostles, but he did accompany Paul on his first missionary journey as well as worked with Peter. He also probably knew Jesus personally. There is a verse or two in Mark 14 that talks about a young man who had been following Jesus and during the time of Jesus' betrayal, he ran away when the mob tried to grab him and only got his clothes as the young man ran away naked. Tradition says this young man was John Mark - maybe feeling a little guilty about running away so he did his penance by writing it down for all to see his shame. Too chicken to put his name there, though, huh? Hey, no one is perfect.
So why would this kid who ran away naked when the mob arrested Jesus be the first person for God to speak through to record the very words of Christ on paper for all to read? Even on one of the mission trips with Paul, John Mark had some kind of disagreement with Paul, so Paul basically told him to take a hike and took Silas instead (Acts 15:36-41). But they made up later, too. The point is, though, this John Mark guy has got some issues. So why him?
You know what? It doesn't matter. God uses every one of us, warts and all, frailties and all, dysfunctional issues and all, you get the picture. We are all sinners and fall short of God’s Kingdom but God still loves us, wants to help us, and seeks to build us up and use us in many ways (think the 3-Ts again). The main thing we have to be concerned about is not whether God will give up on us and turn away, but whether we will give up and turn away.
Don't let your fears, problems, and insecurities keep you from trusting God and jumping right into the water. God will always keep you afloat. Like He did John Mark. Probably even gave him a new swimsuit, too, since he’s not very good at keeping his clothes on.
In the Gospel of Luke, here we have another non-apostle writing a gospel that depicts the beauty of Christ’s birth more so than any other gospel. And Luke wasn't even a writer by trade. At least, it wasn't his main job. He was a doctor. Then he was an historian. The writer part came with the historian we can imagine, but here again is an example how God uses us in many different ways. Ways we might not even think. I'm sure Luke used his skills as a physician in God's service, but what Luke is known for of course, is the writing of one of the four gospels and the only historical record in the Bible showing the formation of God’s church in the book of Acts.
Another wow, please.
Wow.
Thank you.
Imagine if Luke just said, "No, I’m a doctor and will use my talents to serve God, thank you very much."
Nothing wrong with that of course but Luke is our example of why you should search deep within yourself for how God is calling you to serve. You may have a specific talent, but it just might be possible that God is calling you first to serve Him in a completely different way to plant new seeds.
Be open to God's voice, that gentle whisper on the wind and not the thundering clouds overhead. God is speaking to you. Practice listening.
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