Anybody go from being a bad seed to a good seed, parable of the sower

I just wanted to know about the parable of the sower. You here about the seed that fell on stony soil, got caught in thorns and bad soil, then the one who got caught in good soil and produced continual fruit. Now my interpretation of this scripture is that the ones who fell away were not truly saved but came close and then the one who is the good seed was truly saved and had true repentance. I have a brother like that, his name is Robert and this man reminds of the early christians from the scriptures even though i never saw them but what the scripture speaks of the fruits a christian should have he has it, i am being truthful about it, i never seen such a godly man, it is hard for me to be around him because he is real and i just feel so fake. But anyways my question is their anyone here on sermonindex who can openly confess that at one time they were a bad seed who would hear the word of God and rejoice and even obey it at times and loved the Lord but would be overcome and fall back. But then later on in their life they became truly a good seed and were assured of their salvation and repentance to true saving faith. Is their any here who knows that was them at one time, i am not talking about the false conversions of asking Jesus into your heart but those who experienced Christ and fell away but came back to truly be a good seed to produce thirtyfold, sixty etc. My brother with joy was able to tell me he was that good seed i am guessing because of his confidence of what the Lord did to him. Yes i am asking this to be encouraged by someone because i need it and i need more hope for myself.

The seed is the Word of God and not a human.

There are actually six types of ground, which represents the various areas of each persons heart: three fruitful zones, and three that are unfruitful. There is good soil and bad soil in each and every one of us, however, there is one soil type predominant in each individual.

It is good to identify them and find just what type of soil is most prevelant in our heart.

In ministry, when proclaiming and explaining the Word of God, these after effects, just as Jesus revealed, are seen clearly, very clearly. Every one who ministers in God's kingdom in the evangel message of Jesus Christ crucified and risen can expect no more or no less.

To get the best picture of what Jesus is telling, look at it synoptically: Mk. 4:1-20; Lk. 8:4-15; Mt. 13:1-23. Please pay special attention to what it says in Lk. 8:8, as this was exclaimed intermittently throughout the parable.
(Please note also:
In Matthew's account, the parable of the wheat and the tares follows right on the heels of this parable. In Luke Jesus follows with a key to friutfulness (Philemon 6 NIV ), and then who really is, or is not, in His family. In Mark, the parable is suceeded with Jesus casting out demons. All these things are quite important and relative to the parable preceeding these things.)

In ourselves, we can see how we either choke out, or prosper the Word through what we do after having recieved the Word of God.

In the middle-east at the time of this parable (and sometimes even now), the tilling of the soil was done after the sowing.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

If we think of the tilling in any other way, we contradict other passages relative to God's Word, such as Is. 55:11. Though we are to sow/scatter the Word of God everywhere, it is the sending and prospering of this that remains in His hands.

Our part in all this is quite simple, but very few of us uncompromisingly follow through---> Is. 55:6, 7, 8, 9

We humble ourselves and then God looks upon us. We pray continually to know His activity in our living (Lk. 18:1-8). We must forsake our own thoughts and ways, and rather seek God's face. We do the best we can in this one, and He takes care of the rest.

Let go, and let God be God, cause He sure ain't gonna' force Himself on ya'.

II Chron. 7:14-15

CIAO!
g
Acts 20:32

p.s. 'FRUITS' from our soil/heart stands in direct correlation to all we say and do. Though we cannot clearly see even into our own heart, because it's very nature is wicked deceit, we can also look at the fruit of our own lives and recognize them as checkpoints of how much of the life and nature of God manifests from them.

edit

They were thrown there, would to God that they were all thrown into good ground, but who's fault is this?

I mean really, the seed that is thrown into an area where thorns thrive, the seed hasn't got a chance. It's like planting corn under a canopy of trees, without the Sun they haven't got any hope of sprouting.

Where thorns grow is usually dry ground to begin with. The seed has no hope of getting into that ground unless it's trampled on.

I would have to conclude that it was the will of God that that seed be there and God will tend to that seed, whether it's salvation or judgement. See Romans 9:21

by snufalapagus on 2010/5/29 9:37:38

I would have to conclude that it was the will of God that that seed be there and God will tend to that seed, whether it's salvation or judgement. See Romans 9:21

------------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes i wonder about the thorn/stone/cares/habits/wayside/deceit/etc. issues myself.

i'll just scatter.

Where it falls shouldn't be my concern, but result from 'the wind' and the direction i am facing. i still can't seem to always remember this. i wonder what is going to happen.

It has been seen that at times, the results are not observable til' years later, or never at all.

No telling where the seed may fall; or whether God at the time of reception, gives mercy through grace, judgement, and/or righteousness.

It's recognized what will happen, but often it's so surprising with whom the Word of God takes root and grows and prospers, and to whom it does not.

Expect the unexpected it's supposed.

After the scattering, all that can be done is interceed by and in the Spirit.

...and even though these things are done, it's still wondered ...or why God at times puts a quick halt to sowing, pulling weeds, or picking fruit.

It's kinda' like, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

g
Acts 20:32

Love nothing more than Him - Hate nothing more than sin

I like that saying very much.

Crusader so you had some spiritual struggles through the years of being strong at one time and falling and then the Lord being gracious to lift you back up. I have always struggled with sexual sin and lust and some other sins. For me i have tried repenting and surrendering my will to Christ, i have tried believing like i once did but have found myself incapable of staying in that position and succumbing to my flesh and sinning being overpowered. I can be honest when I was strongest in the Lord i was still in sexual sin at the time, well my strongest days were actually before the sexual sin but that was only for about a month or two and then i fell in sexual sin for 3 and a half years. Maybe the Lord wasn't strong in my life as i thought but i had such a love for serving and his word and praying all the time. When i heard God or Jesus's name I had this great feeling i can't explain this joy. I have had times where i desired to live righteous more than anything to be a great example for the Lord but i have fallen and I don't know if the Lord will give that grace back to me, oh but I want him.

The parable of the sower cannot be properly understood unless one is seeing it through the lens of holiness theology.

If one doesn`t then a few things are problematic. Like the condition of the soil as the seed is planted. The heart of man is wicked above all things and when the first touch by the father comes, to open the heart with the message that one is a sinner and Christ died for sinners, there is no difference - the ground is hard and stony. There is no good soil for all have sinned and fallen short. To see the soil as having been prepared by man according to his will is to say that there is something man can do regarding his salvation whereas the scripture tells us there is nothing he can do. Seeing the parable as Christ being the sower, the seed being the scriptures and the soil the heart condition of various men moreover, does not lie within the experience of countless men.

What does lie within that experience is that one day they heard the message of salvation and they reacted with great joy and spent a period of time serving Him with gladness but slowly they found themselves falling away and becoming weary, discouraged and spiritually depressed and sometimes even backslidding into past sins, meanwhile with a great weight upon their shoulders.

According to the popular interpretation of the parable, this means that they were the type of soil with the thorns and therefore they were not converted at all or at least they have no choice but to be uncertain of their standing and they lose their ability to preserve hope as the parable gives none.

The truth is much more encouraging. The place they find themselves is still the pathway, they have not lost track or perhaps never got on the track. It is a time where they are being called up to a higher plane, to adulthood in the Christian life. This period is one of suffering but it needs to be so, as the pains of a woman in childbirth. It is a time of confusion and doubt and it is here that the soil is being prepared.

The seed is the news of the kingdom of God where man can be indwelt fully by the Holy Spirit whereas perviously he waxed and waned but gradually waned more and more. It is the preaching of the cross, but this time it is the time when man receives revelation that he has been striving in the flesh under the pretext of a gradual sanctification but his flesh is not meant to be improved upon but must be consigned to death. The war that goes on in his members must be put to rest and the kingdom established in him.

When men hear this message, this word of the kingdom which is Christ the Word of God, from the sower or rather the preacher, they react in the ways described in the parable. Some hear it but doubts come in straight away - it is not possible they say to be sanctified in an instant. Satan takes the truth away from them and they remain dry and lifeless. Some accept it but the ground has not been prepared by God, they have not suffered enough to be willing to pay the price because they still love their flesh too much. In others the truth is accepted but later they find that they were not prepared to lose all for His sake and so they will not stand during persecution.

This message is very fragile because it goes against the wisdom of men and against the majority of the teaching of the church from men who have not allowed the seed to establish and grow much fruit so that they can be a doctor to the souls of men when they have become sick and weary and liable to get lost on the way unless they receive the seed.

If we look through church history we can see which were the ones who bore fruit to his seed, men who gave their lives willingly and who were the great missionaries and those who led revival because they were sowing this seed.

"If any man thirsts and hungers for righteousness, come unto Me and I will give thee rest"

I wonder if the SEED is the Holy Ghost Baptism.

Just when we thought that this subject is laid to rest in another thread, I bring it back up here. lol

But no really, what does everyone else think about that thought?

There are grounds that are ready to receive the Holy Ghost while others are hardened to it.