…the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity…
The above quotation, and what follows below belong to Francis Chan. I’m probably the last person in the world to finally get around to reading Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, but when a book finishes as the number one book for 2010 in most Christian bookstore markets, I think that we all need to sit up and take notice of what people are reading…
In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained that the seed is the truth (the word of God). When the seed is flung onto the path it is heard but quickly stolen away. When the seed is tossed onto the rocks, no roots take hold; there is an appearance of depth and growth because of the good soil, but it is only surface level. When the seed is spread among the thorns, it is received but soon sufficated by life’s worries, riches and pleasures. But when the seed is sown in good soil, it grows, takes root and produces fruit.
My caution to you is this: Do not assume you are good soil.
I think most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes the seed because of all thorns. Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and a bunch of other stuff then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions or commitments are piled on top of it.
Most of us, have too much in our lives. As David Goetz writes, “Too much of the good life ends up being toxic deforming us spiritually.” A lot of things are good by themselves but all of it together keeps us from living healthy, fruitful lives for God.
I will say it again: Do not assume you are good soil.
-Francis Chan
Christianity 201 