No, I’m not writing about using a sewing machine to make some garments, etc. I’m writing about what a farmer does, as he sows the seed in order to grow crops and then reap a harvest. Christ uses this image to make the point with reference to the harvest, not of crops, but of souls. 

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We know that Christ often spoke in parables, which is a method of using familiar matters to make spiritual applications. And there were times when he taught about the farmer that sowed seed, and the harvest that resulted.

 

After one such teaching in the gospel of Luke, as he spoke about seed which fell among thorns, rocky soil, and good soil, and what resulted from that, his disciples asked him what he meant by this parable. He answered, “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11) 

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So, what’s the point of what I have written? The point is that God has given us the seed of the Kingdom, the Bible, God’s Word. In the physical sense, what does a farmer do with the seed in his hand? He would plant it, so that it might bear fruit. Obviously, he would not keep it stored in his barn. He would never grow a crop by doing so. 

 

Now, let’s make a spiritual application. I am sitting here writing this, and as I look around, I can see several Bibles in my office. And what are those Bibles? They are the seed of the Kingdom. And what kind of a crop will they yield by sitting on my desk or on my shelves? You know the answer. 

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So, here’s the question for young people. Are you engaged in sowing the seed of the Kingdom? Or is the seed stored in your home/barn? Is it any less of a responsibility for you than it is for your parents, or older Christians, or the preacher who works with the congregation you attend? I find nothing in the Bible that makes a distinction with respect to age and responsibility in this matter. 

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Let me give you a few examples of young people who were “seed sowers.” 

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A schoolboy whose nickname was “Tiger” had some conversations with one of his classmates and invited her to visit the church he attended. Sure enough, Dorothy and her mother did make a visit, which resulted in 12-year-old Dorothy and her mother being baptized. 

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Nancy invited some of her school friends to visit the church she attended during a gospel meeting. This culminated in two of her 15-year-old friends, Candy and Robyn, becoming Christians. 

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Teenagers Jeff, Susan and Sharon invited some of their neighbor schoolmates to come to their home for the morning devotional the family had before going to school each day. This led to Janet and Glenn becoming Christians. Later Glenn’s brother was baptized. 

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I could go on, but I think you get the point. Young people, as well as the old, can be very effective in planting the seed of the kingdom. In fact, there may be an advantage that young people have. And what might that be? Perhaps you are sowing the seed in more fertile ground, before the thorns and thistles abound to choke out the Word. Christ spoke of those hindering elements in his parable. 

  

As we advance in years, we tend to become more firmly rooted in our practices and customs. Thus a 25-year-old or 50-year-old  may be more deeply committed to some denominational creed or worldly living than a 15-year-old may be. So young people may have an advantage with respect to their teaching opportunities.

 

The apostle John had some good words in III John 1:4: “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” Can you think of anything greater than helping to save a soul from the fires of hell and giving them the hope of eternal life in heaven?

 

In closing, let me remind my readers that those of us who are older are no less responsible for sowing the seed. Christ put no restrictions with respect to age in this matter. 

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Jefferson David Tant