Day 1

Good Seed, and Good Roots

Result In Good Fruit

Roger and Eileen Himes

www.ThePracticalGospel.com

The Christian life is not my responsibility, but my response to his ability.’ This is a cliché most of us have heard many times. It is total gospel truth, but, ‘familiarity breeds contempt.’ We often miss the truth and the power of these words because we hear them so often. Today we will see WHY these words are true — and HOW this cliché empowers us totally.

As a Bible counselor with NCCA, I have come to see that the ‘seed’ of what people allow into their minds and hearts produces the results in their lives. What we allow into us controls what we think, do and say. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov 23:7).

Jesus says no good root produces bad fruit, — and also, no bad root produces good fruit (Matt 7:18, 12:35). Our concern is often the ‘fruit’ we produce in life — which many call good deeds. We should be more concerned with the SEED that comes into us. This is because the fruit grows automatically — depending on the seed sown.

This is the oldest truth in the entire Bible. Genesis 1 talks several times about ‘things growing after their own kind.’ This tells us, right up front, that if you plant apple seeds you won’t raise pumpkins. Thus Paul says, “What you sow is what you will reap.”

Can you see how the focus of Jesus, of Paul, and of Genesis 1, is all on the seed — not on the fruit? Paul talks about 10,000 instructors in Christ (I Cor 4:15). Their focus is mainly on the fruit — on what we DO. They are jokingly called ‘fruit inspectors.’ They hardly ever mention the seed. All they care about is the fruit of our lives — how good we live by their instruction, and what results we obtain. Jesus would say their focus is the outside of the cup, not the inside.

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GOSPEL TRUTH #1

What is most important is the seed, not the fruit. The fruit grows automatically, depending on the seed that is planted. The principle of the seed, the root, and the fruit is very simple, and easy to apply. It is what this 40 Day Gospel Fast is all about: receiving gospel seed. If we receive good gospel seed, it takes root in us, and produces good fruit. The process is natural. All we do is receive gospel seed.

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The gospel is so easy to implement in our lives, which then allows it to empower our lives. We don’t even have to work it — but just let it to work IN us. It is the power of God (Rom 1:16). It is the simplicity of Christ (II Cor 11:3). Jesus says his way is easy (Matt 11:28).

The seed we receive into us is ‘the seed of the kingdom,’ as said in Jesus’ parable of the Sower. Our Lord talks about ‘the gospel of the kingdom’ many times — so the ‘seed’ is the gospel. The gospel is like the ‘Constitution of the Kingdom of God.’ It declares how God’s Kingdom works — and it begins with SEED.

In the Greek one interpretation of seed is ‘sperm.’ The process of sperm, like that of seed, cannot be interrupted except by trauma (for instance, abortion). Once the process of the seed or sperm has begun, the result is automatic. Genesis 1 says the process is, ‘after its own kind.’

The seed we receive into us sets God’s process into motion.

The gospel is so easy to understand.

Instructors most often help us MIS-understand it.

It’s also easy to live: “As you freely receive, so freely give.”

You don’t need a Harvard Divinity degree to understand it. In fact, such a degree may hurt more than help. The gospel is often too simple for complex minds. Jesus says to become as a child to enter the kingdom of God. Then we’re told to simply receive the word of his Kingdom. The seed is the righteousness of God. It is all the good gifts of God. God says he gives us ‘all things,’ including his very kingdom. We will look at this in scripture later.

Good gospel seed connects you to the person of God. But you must choose to RECEIVE good gospel seed, or by DEFAULT you receive something else! Recall the types of teachers: (1) fathers of the gospel, and (2) instructors in Christ. Instructors teach us to live by God’s Old Testament law, but the New Testament gospel says NOT to do this. Paul says minister the New Testament, not the Old (II Cor 3:6). Yet, 10,000 to one seem to minister more from the Old than the New.

Christian polls say we’re too sophisticated today to say we live by law — so the terminology has been changed to living by principles, rules, formulas, systems, methodologies, and the like. The polls say this is where 93% of Christians live. “Children live what they learn.” If they listen to instructors in Christ, it is how they’ll live. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Since the cross, the Bible speaks of only two types of seed:

(1) Gospel seed, and

(2) Non-gospel seed

These two seeds are traced back to the Garden of Eden. There are two trees in the Garden that were specifically named: (1) The Tree of Life, and (2) The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Gospel seed is the life of God himself (The Tree of Life). Non-gospel seed is the life of man, born from The Tree of Knowledge: “You shall be as God.”

Living by principles is easy to understand. They are also easy to teach, and easy to apply: “Don’t lie, steal, or commit adultery.” What’s hard to understand about that? This is why this is taught so readily in Bible schools and seminaries — and why instructors teach it. It is very objective, and visual. The gospel is much more subjective, and difficult to preach — especially if people’s minds have been instructed to live by principles, as is true of 93% of us.

The gospel requires revelation. Thus, Jesus revealed the scripture to the two men on the Road to Emmaus. They knew the written word of God much better than we do. They just didn’t know gospel truth. It says Jesus revealed to them how ALL the Old Testament law, prophets and Psalms had all been fulfilled IN HIM! This is the gospel: the finished work of Jesus, and what it means to us personally and practically.

This is what these 40 days are all about. As Jesus came alongside the men on the road, let me to come alongside you, and show you what Father has shown me about his manifold gospel of grace and peace.

Only good things grow from gospel seed. Good seed grows good roots in us, and Jesus says no good root produces bad fruit. Paul says this is Colossians 1:5-6: “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of truth of the GOSPEL… which brings forth FRUIT since the day you heard it and knew the grace of God in truth.” He says what you plant is what you reap. Paul is just paraphrasing Genesis 1. What is produced from us is what is received into us. What is reaped from us is what is planted into us. God knows the power of his truth much more than we do.

Instructors, who preach a humanistic form of religion, don’t agree with this. They say the Christian life is not about the seed, but about the fruit. They tell us our attention should be on the fruit — on what we do and don’t do — on what is visually produced from our lives. They claim it is our JOB to cultivate good fruit. God says the Christian life is a JOY if we will just allow gospel seed to do the work, and produce good fruit. Instructors say behavior is what is important. Jesus says belief is much more important. God’s way is a whole lot better.

You have to be careful about the preaching you listen to today. Most instructors preach what I call a 1 + 1 = 2 theology. This means you get saved in the New Testament, but then go back to living life by means of God’s law (living by principles) in the Old Testament. I call this ’tagging the cross of Jesus.’

Instructors mix the New Testament with the Old Testament. Jesus says don’t pour new wine into old bottles. Paul constantly compares the Old with the better New covenant. Don’t combine or integrate them. They must be separated. This is what Jesus came to accomplish. He came to ‘set aside the old, and to establish the new’ (Heb 10:9). Theology is man’s ideas about God, and religion is how we are meant to implement man’s ideas.

The gospel is about God’s ideas. Paul says, “Rightly DIVIDE the word of truth” — not combine it (II Tim 2:15).

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GOSPEL TRUTH #2

Gospel truth can only be received by grace. It was born at the cross. John 1:17 says, “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” This verse is a dividing line between two different and distinct realities: the Old Testament and the New. Thus Paul says to be able ministers of the New Testament (II Cor 3:6).

/The law existed before the cross. The seed the people received into them was the law. Since the cross, the law is no longer the seed that God wants us to be feeding on. This side of the cross, God wants us to feed on the truth of his gospel. He wants us to receive it like daily manna.

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Instructors in Christ focus on doing good, not on knowing God. This is what instruction is all about: knowing what to do, and what not to do. Fathers of the gospel focus on knowing God, not on doing good.

Instructors in Christ preach behavior much more than on belief. Fathers of the gospel preach belief, much more than on behavior. This was the first command of Jesus: “Repent and believe the gospel.” God knows a truth that he reveals to those of us who live in gospel reality, — but instructors in Christ will never see it:

Good behavior will never produce correct belief,
but correct belief will eventually produce good behavior.

Doing good, and not doing bad, is the fruit produced by The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is the tree instructors in Christ get their sermons from — from the FORBIDDEN tree — the tree of good and had. Fathers of the gospel get their sermons from The Tree of Life. Don’t miss this difference. In what I call modern day ‘Churchianity,’ GOOD has largely replaced GOD. God is the focus of the New Testament, good is the focus of the Old Testament. We must understand this distinction if we are to ‘rightly divide the word of truth.’ When we do this, the gospel truly begins to come alive in everyday life!

Jesus says we must understand the gospel truth.
If we don’t understand it, we will not understand much else.
(Matt 13:9 and Mark 4:13).

In understanding, our attitude should be that of Mary
when the angel told her she was pregnant with Jesus:
“Lord, be it done unto me according to your word.”

Are you living your life by rules, — by principles, formulas, methods and strategies that we think are imposed by GOD? Or are you living in daily, abiding relationship and intimacy with our loving FATHER? Do you trust yourself to bring forth good fruit from your life? — or do you trust God’s good gospel seed to bring forth that good fruit?

A 40 Day Gospel Fast will lead you into living life vitally connected with a loving Father, and trusting his gospel seed at work in you.