What Now??

I would never deny that you can and should learn from the past, but let’s face it – Think of all the things you could do if you knew the future…

That fascinating idea has spawned countless books and movies. One that comes to my mind is Back to the Future 2. The movie’s villain, ‘Biff,’ travels into the future, and is able to bring back a sports almanac. By knowing for certain what will happen in sporting events, he places guaranteed bets and amasses a large fortune, along with the influence that comes with it.

It’s been said, “Knowledge is power.” That is exponentially true when it comes to knowledge of the future, of knowing what will happen, before it happens.

Well, I can’t help you when it comes to future sporting events, but I can tell you what will happen when you accept the gospel and become a follower of Christ. And this is not just a hunch, or even an educated guess. The things I’m going to describe, that you can expect, are as certain as the results of those sporting events that Biff bet on. Because this knowledge also comes from a book that can be totally trusted to know what will happen.

The book I’m talking about is the Bible. (I’m guessing that wasn’t a surprise.) The specific part is the Parable of the Sower. Which, can I be so bold as to propose a ‘nickname’ for the parable? It’s given name (by Jesus no less) is the “parable of the sower” (Matthew 13:18). And I get it, the ‘main character’ (the only human character) is the Sower. But the focus is on the soil. On the fact that there are different kinds of soil, and each receives the seed with different results. So I’m going to go ahead and call it the Parable of the Soils, to keep that thought in focus.

Maybe you know the basics, the Sower spreads seed. Some falls along the hard path, some on rocky soil, some on thorny soil and some on good soil. The different soils illustrate what happens when a person hears the Gospel – the obstacles they face, the ways they respond and the outcome of each.

Do you realize what that means?

We can know the future! A person who accepts the Gospel can know what to expect. (In fact, so can someone who hears the Gospel and rejects it.) They can know the pressures they will face as a new Christian. The way they need to respond to overcome those pressures. And the result of whatever response they choose.

What this also means is that not only can we know the future, but we can shape, even determine the future. Not entirely, of course. I can’t make my favorite football team win , but I can choose which type of soil I will be. I.e., how I will respond to the gospel, and as a result of that, what my life will look like, when it comes to having a relationship with Christ – or not.

Did you catch that? I want to make sure:

No one is inherently one type of soil or the other.

The different soils are not our predetermined nature.

They are the way we choose to respond.

Something else that deserves the ‘bold and centered’ treatment:

Only one of the four types of soils represents people

who continue in their relationship with Christ.

One of four. Think about that. Let it sink in. Now, the Parable of the Soils does not give us percentages. That doesn’t mean only 25% will remain committed. It also does not mean a full 25% will.

We do not know what amount of people who hear the gospel will reject it outright (the path), succumb to pressures (rocky soil), give in to worldly allurements (thorny soil) or live out a true faith-commitment (good soil).

But, it is certainly worth noting, there is a lot standing in the way, or more exactly, actively working against every person who hears the good news about Jesus.

And (time for another set off statement):

Unlike the soils in the parable, we can face more than one type

of pressure. In fact, I would say that most if not all people face most,

if not all three, types of pressure.

Even for those who make a “good soil” type of commitment, they face the pressures and temptations of all three kinds of unfruitful soil, to some degree. There can be an element of being tempted to reject it outright, for whatever reason. And certainly, anyone who does make such a commitment will face the perils of both the rocky and the thorny soil. For those who end up maintaining their commitment (the good soil), it is not because that decision was untested. It is because they faced the pressures of the different bad soils but maintained their commitment.

And isn’t that what you want? If you are reading this book because you recently made a decision to become a Christian, did you do so thinking, “I plan on falling away”? I’m guessing the answer is, No. (Even, NO!) Don’t you want to see and experience what happens when that initial seed multiplies and produces a harvest 100, 60 or 30 times what is sown? I’ve been a Christian for 40 years, and I still want to experience more and more of what God has in store for me!

So if you’re a new Believer – Awesome! I want to help prepare you for what is going to come. It is inevitable and unavoidable, but not insurmountable. You can be the good soil that produces (and experiences!) exponentially more than what is sown. It’s your choice. Through examining this parable, I want to help you make that choice.