The Sower - Part III: Implications

There are some implications of this parable we need to be clear about. We also need to make corrections to some common misconceptions. We can deal with both together.

1. Preaching is only 25% effective There are some who believe, quite sincerely, that we should only expect abut a 25% success rate on preaching. So, since that is the case, they feel justified in trying many other forms of spreading the Gospel, like drama, dance and concerts. This is a little like the joke about crows on a fence. "There are ten crows on a fence. One gets shot, how many are left?" Answer: "None. If you said nine, you know maths but you don't know anything about crows." If you think the sower threw 25% of the seed on each of the type of soil then your maths is good, but you don't know much about sowing.

A sower spreads most of the seed on the prepared soil. So, since this is a picture of the results of preaching it is fair to assume that preaching will have a greater success rate than 25% and that's before we find out that the Bible says: "God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

2. The Gospel is the sole message There are some who believe that "redemptive-historical" preaching is what the Church needs today. For some this means every sermon must, in some way or another be related back to Christ. The sower sows the majority of his seed on good soil. That means the rocks have to be removed, the ground turned over, the field watered, the crop protected from pests. Though these things are not mentioned directly in the text, the point of the sower's activity is to bring in the harvest. And we are told that some of the seed did germinate, grow and give a good return for the work done.

Preaching is designed as the means to accomplish all these tasks. It is vital to know what the Bible says about sin - or there will be no turning away from it. We need to know what the Bible says about God's justice - or we will not know the danger of being, as Jonathon Edwards said, "sinners in the hands of an angry God." Then we need the sincere milk of the Gospel in order to grow. We need to understand what are erroneous teachings and how we can properly show our gratitude to God in our daily lives in order to grow in sanctification. The Gospel is a part of all these things but the emphasis has to change according to need. Paul's letters give hints of how those things can be done.

3. Anyone can be a preacher There is truth in this statement. Anyone can be a sower. But to be an effective sower takes training and experience - otherwise a lot more of the seed will be wasted than is necessary.

God can (and sometimes does) choose people from every walk of life to become preachers. And he can, should he wish, give insight to the teaching of the Bible so that no further training is necessary. But God does not ordinarily do this. He gifts the preacher, calls him, prepares him and sends him. But the preparation is usually in terms of experiences which drive him to the Bible. Training in exegesis, Bible languages and so on are things that the young preacher has to learn, usually from older preachers. Paul encouraged such an attitude towards study in those he trained. He told Timothy for example that he should "study to show [himself] approved unto God, a workman who needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

The Bible reminds us that faith comes by hearing, hearing comes by preaching and that no one can preach unless he be sent. Since faith is the one essential for salvation and the world is in grave danger because of rebellion against God, it follows that the greatest need of the hour is for preachers. So therefore, we should be praying to the Lord of the Harvest to send forth workers into the fields. And be ready for him to choose to send us, not just expect that will mean someone else goes.