By Allen White
Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. Matthew 13:36-43
Once again, the disciples received the answer, because they asked the question. The crowd heard an entertaining story. They left entertained, but not informed and certainly not transformed. They were weeds standing in the field.
The Kingdom of God is serious business. Everyone’s eternity hinges on one decision made on earth: do I accept Christ as Savior or do I go my own way?
We live in a tolerant world. Well, at least it’s tolerant of everyone except evangelical Christians. But, much of this tolerance has seeped into the church. We assume that people are informed enough about the Gospel to make a decision. If they don’t want to follow Christ, if they don’t want to attend church, well, that’s their decision. We have to respect their decision. Right? Wrong.
If a person decided to kill himself, should we respect his decision? If someone decided to cheat his investors to become rich, should we respect his decision? If someone gets into yet another bad relationship, should we keep our mouths closed?
“Well, they’re adults and they did make their choice.” Seriously, you’re going to cop out like that.
The most powerful tool at your disposal to help others is prayer. They don’t need a sermon. They don’t need a lecture. They don’t need a judgmental attitude. They need the power that raised Jesus from the grave activated in their lives. Your friendship and your prayers will go a long way.
The last thing any of us want is a forced conversation about spiritual things. But, as Rick Warren says, “If the fruit is ripe, you don’t have to yank it.” The very last thing we want to see is folks we care about spend eternity in Hell. For many people, you may be the only person praying for them.
Who in your life needs prayer? Your spouse and kids? Your neighbors? Your terrible boss? Your co-workers? Put their names where you’ll see them and pray for them. Set a reminder on your calendar to pray for them. Then, pray! See what God can do.
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