“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Heb11:3
This entire world is built upon the principle of seed. There is nothing physical on the earth that does not exist as a result of seed. For whatever we see, a seed had to be planted. There is a seed for everything tangible and intangible on the earth. The seed for a person is sperm, the seed for a mango tree is a mango seed, the seed for a maize plant is a maize seed, the seed for a house is cement, bricks, water and rock, the seed for a wooden table/ chair is wood, the seed for cloth is cotton, linen, silk etc., the seed for a salary at the end of the month is work/ a job, the seed for a good relationship is love, communication etc. and so on and so forth. It does not matter how much a woman prays and fasts, if she does not sleep with a man, she cannot get pregnant and give birth. A seed has got to be planted first before she can have a child.
In the same way, everything in the spiritual world is born of a seed. That seed is the Word of God. We therefore need to thoroughly examine this concept of seed.
What is a seed and how does it work? Is it important to us as Christians to understand this?
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” 1Pet1:23
The word for seed here is ‘spora’ and it means parentage or by implication a seed from which a crop grows. This concept is emphasized again in another scripture
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his(God’s) seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” 1Jn3:9 (emphasis mine)
Here another word for seed (but connected to the word spora) is used. This word is ‘sperma’ and it is the word from which we get the English word sperm. This word means something sown, a male sperm, offspring, a seed from which a plant germinates, a grain which contains within itself the germ of a future plant, the product of semen.
UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF SEED
Imagine that I attend this year’s annual agricultural trade show at the source of the Nile in Jinja. While there I see one of the exhibitors showing off a very large and beautiful maize crop. This plant grows up to two meters and its fruit is very large and beautiful. I inquire about this crop and I am told it is the best variety of maize in the whole world and that has all these wonderful qualities. And the good news is there are seeds for sale of that exact variety.
As you can imagine, it is very expensive but I gather all the money I have and buy the seeds to plant in my farm at home. The next day I wake up very early and very excited and head for my garden to immediately plant this world class maize. I go ahead and prepare the ground and plant the seed following all the instructions and best practices.
All I have to do now is wait for the harvest. I am super excited and can’t wait for the 3 months to elapse and I get my world class harvest. I am so looking forward to this harvest. I have already made plans, life is good. This has always been my goal. Finally I have arrived as a farmer, my purpose is going to be fulfilled, and my vision is soon going to be realized. This is it!
After a long time of anxious waiting, something unusual starts to happen. I observe that everywhere I planted the seed, small mounds of soil are rising up. This is weird. These mounds continue growing bigger and taller and begin taking on the shape and appearance of a maize crop. The soil is mimicking the maize crop. It is mimicking the life and increase of the seed.
Instead of the seed growing, the soil is growing and trying to look and be like the seed which I planted. The soil misunderstood its purpose. It misunderstood my purpose. It misunderstood the harvest. It was not the soil I was after, it was the life in the seed that I was after. The purpose of the soil was to allow the seed to release its life and increase into it. At this point, I am not a happy farmer.
Jesus Christ is the only incorruptible seed of God. He it is that God is interested in increasing and harvesting.
“And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Jn12:23-24
Jesus is the Word that God the sower sows; “The sower soweth the word.” Mk4:14
We are God’s garden. Our hearts are the soil where this seed is sown; “…ye are God's husbandry” 1Cor3:9
God the Father is the farmer who is expecting His implanted seed (Jesus Christ) to fully express and increase His life unto the glory of God. “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God...” 1Cor3:6-9
The harvest of the farmer is the increase of the seed, not the increase of the soil. God wants Christ to increase, not us to increase. John the Baptist caught this revelation;
“He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Jn3:30-36
The Father’s expectation of us (the soil, garden) is to be the good ground that receives the seed and yields a crop some 30 fold, some 60 fold and some 100 fold. The soil is the habitation of the seed, the earthen vessel that both experiences and displays the increase of the life that is in the seed. We experience and manifest the increase of Christ in our lives, in whatever we do, in whatever assignment God gives us. Jesus is shown forth. God is glorified. Our calling is to be the good ground in which the very life of Jesus Christ is formed and made manifest.
We are called to be good stewards of the life of God. Containers of God. Ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven. Apart from bearing the increase of Christ the seed, we the soil can do no good thing. All our value and worth is tied into experiencing and manifesting Christ and His life. This is our purpose. Our destiny. To bear much fruit.
It is Jesus the seed that brings forth fruit, not us the ground. The life comes from Jesus the incorruptible seed. The ground is just the medium for this life to be released. Jesus the Word of God is the seed. It is He that produces fruit. Not the ground. We do not bring forth fruit of ourselves, it is the Word of the kingdom that brings forth fruit in us. The kingdom life comes from Jesus the seed. The seed is the container of the life. The Word of the kingdom contains the life of the kingdom. The ground is just a medium for this life to be released and revealed.
It is not me or my ability, experience, goodness, holy living, qualifications or pedigree that produces the success that God wants. It is Jesus the Word of the kingdom that produces success and greatness in me. Anybody and everybody can get great results as long as they have the seed of the kingdom, Jesus Christ living in them.
The seed has got to be planted in the ground for it to release its life and power. Jesus the Word of the kingdom has got to be planted in our heart in order for Him to produce fruit and release His life and power. The only way we can experience the life and power of the kingdom of heaven is by having the Word of the kingdom planted in our heart. By having Christ dwell in our hearts by faith.
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Eph3:17-19
All that God has to do to produce His kingdom life, power and influence in our life is to speak His Word into us. To sow the Word. God doesn’t have to touch us, or send revival or do something in order to produce His kingdom in our lives. All He does is sow the Word. The rest will happen as that Word grows and releases its power. This is how God operates.
He doesn’t get up and walk somewhere, He doesn’t have to use His hands, all He does is speak. His Word does whatever He wants. Understand this. God’s Word does whatever He wants. God uses His Word to get whatever He wants or to do whatever He wants. This is what Isaiah the prophet expressed;
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isa55:6-11
God’s Word is what will change our lives. It will create and produce our circumstances and opportunities. It will create for us a world of success according to the will of God. God’s Word will open doors and make things happen. It will cause success to happen to us. Good success. It will accomplish God’s will in our lives. God’s will done in our lives as it is in heaven. This is the power of the Word of the kingdom. Look at what God told Joshua;
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Josh1:8
God guaranteed Joshua that if He would meditate in His Word, He would succeed and be very prosperous and have good success. God guarantees you the same today.
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