Seed faith

Luke 8:11
Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.

I recently moved to a little town called Coarsegold in California.  I started going to a little church in the center of town.  I've never really counted the congregation, but I would guess that there are  maybe 30 who seem to attend regularly.   I don't  mind small congregational churches, in fact I prefer them, most of the time.  I've been to the great Calvary chapel in Costa Mesa where there are well over a thousand people attending per service.  I went to a church in Tucson that must have had 3,000 people attend the service.  Both churches were about the same,  everybody was herded in the doors like cattle, with an occasional smile here and there but no real interaction until after sitting down and the pastor asked everyone to turn and greet someone around you.  Everyone reaches out and shakes someones hand and says,"God bless you", sits down, listens to the sermon and then gets up and herds their way out  the same doors they came into, with most, never saying another word to one another.  At least with  the smaller churches, there is a little more interaction.
The interesting thing I've heard more than once in both big and small churches and is usually said when that proverbial offering plate is passed around.  It usually goes something like this," Brethren, let's not forget that God loves a cheerful giver as you give today, planting seeds for the Kingdom of God, God will bless you, some 30, some 60 and some an hundred fold."  It seems that it is always addressed as though God will turn your $1.00 you put in the plate into $30, $60, or $100.  You hear this type of preaching everywhere.  Televangelists, radio evangelists and preachers on Sunday morning all remind us of how God wants to give you 30, 60 or 100 times what you put in the plate. 
I'm not sure, but I think this type of preaching started with Oral Roberts.  I remember his telling everyone that God  showed him the miracle of seed faith.  That if you would have the faith to give to the ministry, God would bless your money problems, that God could multiply your earnings 30. 60 or 100 times.  I also remember him sobbing on national TV because he said God told him if he didn't raise hundreds of thousands of dollars by a certain date to expand Oral Roberts University and ministry, that God was going to call him home.  He got his money, built whatever it was God told him to build and I would like to think that all the loyal givers were smiling as they ran to the bank and deposited their 30, 60, or 100 times return for keeping Oral alive.  I also remember when I was working in Laguna Beach at the time Oral Roberts really was called home.  He died in his earthly home in Newport Beach Calif.,  not Tulsa Oklahoma.  He supposedly also owned a home in Laguna Beach in the prestigious Emerald Bay, where not one home is valued below seven million dollars.  To own two homes on the southern California coast must be a testimony to how God definitely blessed Oral in the 100 times bracket. 
But when Jesus told about the seed producing 30, 60 or 100 fold, was he telling us a spiritual secret to how we can become richer?  I never got that message out of the parable of the sower.  In fact, according to Luke 8:11, Jesus said the SEED is the WORD OF GOD, not that the seed is how much money you give and get.  He said that if we will plant seeds (the word of God), the seed would produce some 30, some 60 and some an 100 times.  In other words, the world would grow in Godliness, because the church would grow in believers who went out and planted more seeds (word of God). 
The little church I mentioned above, allowed me to speak and share my Tell a Soul ministry which helps churches to plant the word of God by using Gospel tracts.  I put out a request for any one person to step up and let me train them how to use tracts to share the Gospel and build their ministry.  Unfortunately, not one member of the congregation requested my services, not even one of the two pastors of that church.  But ironically, the pastor closed the service by passing the plate and reminding everyone about the parable of the seed faith. 

Brethren, if you are attending a church and you've put a bunch of money in the plate but don't feel that you are any closer to buying a home on the ocean, then study the word of God and then plant the word of God.  If your church is no bigger now than it was five years ago then study the word of God and plant the word of God.  There is a good chance that you won't ever drive a rolls royce or get your beach house, but God will reward you, it's a biblical promise.

If your church would like to learn how to start an effective tract and witnessing ministry, please get ahold of me at lagunabarberbill@gmail.com as the Lord provides, I would love to come and work with your ministry.

Also, if you or your church would like to receive Gospel tracts to pass out, please let me know and I will send you some free of charge.

Thank you and God bless you this week.

Brother Bill