Pastor Powell's Column

May 2010

Spring Life

Yellow ones. Blue ones. Purple ones. Little flowers come peeping out of the ground to greet the spring. And to greet me on a spring day.

Where do they come from? Are they just hiding beneath the soil, waiting to kick the blankets off when the weather warms? No, for they are made out of that soil. And air, and water, and sunshine. But how does soil make itself into a flower? Or a tree? Or a carrot? Does the soil direct this process? No, but it is indispensable. Same for the air, water, and sun. All indispensable, none in charge.

The thing required to turn soil, air, water, and sun into a plant is a seed. As the seed absorbs the elements, it reconfigures them into living tissue. Amazing! Without the seed, you could form the soil into mud pies. Or perhaps even little figurines. But it is the seed that gives life. Black earth becomes a yellow daffodil. Or a red apple.

Which one?

It depends on which seed you plant.

God has designed this process that goes on all around us – how easily we walk by, taking it for granted – He designs it to picture an even greater spiritual miracle: “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (I Peter 1:23)

God’s Word is the seed that produces new spiritual life. When a person is born again, it is the beginning of a new kind of life. This new life comes when you hear and believe the message of God’s grace in Christ. The messenger, the hearing, the believing – they are all important. But it is Word alone that is the seed. Nothing but God’s Word can turn faith into Life.

That’s why we teach and preach the Word of God at The Fellowship.

If you have never been born again into new spiritual life, then you can do nothing better than to give attention to God’s Word. Let it sink down into your heart and take root.

If you have experienced God’s miracle of new life, then continue to give attention to His Word. That’s the spiritual DNA that will continue to build your spiritual life into strength, love and wisdom.

Don’t sow the wrong seed. Don’t sow weeds. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

What is the spiritual sowing that these verses talk about? I hear many people today saying, “I am a very spiritual person.” So I ask them what that means. Sometimes the answer leads me to think that spiritual means superstitious. When people start talking to me about crystals and pyramids and shrines and yoga and diets and brainwaves and amulets and ancient artifacts and prosperity and healing and horoscopes, I have to think, “Wait a minute! Those are physical, material things. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.”

We live in such a materialistic age, that many cannot conceive of spiritual realities unless there is some physical outcome, or some physical way to manipulate the spiritual. We have an Enemy that will use every device he can to turn our attention away from God’s Word. Beware.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:3-5)

“And this is the Word that was preached to you. Like newborn babes, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” (I Peter 2:2)

In other words, we can’t keep sowing fleshly seeds in our lives and expect that this will result in spiritual growth, anymore than you can plant dandelion seeds and expect to get tomatoes. Better to sow spiritually. Feed continually on God’s Word.

Then scatter that seed liberally in the lives of others – your family, neighbors, friends, co-workers, and schoolmates.

Then wait for the springtime of God’s grace, and see what pops up.