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Words of Life: Weekly Christian Podcast with Testi... - Parables of Jesus: Trusting God With the Harvest · Life Changing Radio

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hi, from the Salvation Army, you're listening to
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  Speaker 1: Words of Life.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Hey, and welcome back to Words of Life. We are
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  Speaker 2: launching a brand new series today that will be a
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  Speaker 2: little bit different from the series we've had more recently.
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  Speaker 2: We wanted to have a deep teaching series focused on
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  Speaker 2: the parables of Jesus. So we invited our friend, Major
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  Speaker 2: Cam Henderson, to join us for the next five weeks
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  Speaker 2: as we dig a little deeper into these stories than
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  Speaker 2: maybe some of us are familiar with. If you don't
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  Speaker 2: know Major Henderson, he is currently the local Salvation Army
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  Speaker 2: pastor at Atlanta Temple Corps, a Salvation Army church here
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  Speaker 2: in Atlanta. He's also the one who made the Holiness
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: podcast possible with Lieutenant Colonel Vern Jewett, if you were
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: a fan of that show. I think you'll love his
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: spirit and his preaching style. And maybe we don't say
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: this often enough, but if you are enjoying Words of Life,
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: first of all, thank you so much for listening. It
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: would be a huge help if you would leave us
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: a rating and review on whatever platform you listen on.
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: That just helps more people find the show. And with that,
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  Speaker 2: here is Major Cam Henderson.
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  Speaker 3: Well, welcome you guys. It's great to be with you
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  Speaker 3: for this series. It's going to be a series on
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  Speaker 3: some parables of Jesus and try to seek and better
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  Speaker 3: understand the kingdom and our lives as his people. And
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  Speaker 3: I'm really looking forward to it. Glad to be with
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  Speaker 3: you and learn some of the mysteries that Jesus taught.
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  Speaker 3: It's interesting. He confused the crowds who didn't really want
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  Speaker 3: to know and he made glad the hearts of those
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  Speaker 3: who did want to know. They wanted to know God
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  Speaker 3: and how they could be part of his kingdom and
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  Speaker 3: his work. And so I pray that we're part of
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  Speaker 3: that second group. I pray that as we look through
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  Speaker 3: these parables, we will be the ones who truly do
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  Speaker 3: want to know and not ones who are confused or
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  Speaker 3: clouded by his teaching. Why in the world, first of all,
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  Speaker 3: why did Jesus teach in parables? Well, They were teaching tools.
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  Speaker 3: My mother always had a visual aid when she preached.
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  Speaker 3: I remember that. In fact, we would make fun of
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  Speaker 3: her a little bit. You always have a visual aid.
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  Speaker 3: You always have something in your hand, but it made
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  Speaker 3: us remember. So Jesus would use memorable stories about real
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  Speaker 3: life things or real life objects. And when he told
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  Speaker 3: about baking bread or planting seeds or building people in
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  Speaker 3: the crowd who were bakers or farmers or builders, and
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  Speaker 3: they do it every day, immediately they related to what
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  Speaker 3: he was saying and what he was doing. They'd stop
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  Speaker 3: maybe because they were related to their everyday lives. Maybe
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  Speaker 3: they weren't listening before, but all of a sudden he's
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  Speaker 3: talking about something I know about and now I'm listening.
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  Speaker 3: But then also later, every time a mother or a
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  Speaker 3: baker was adding yeast to the dough or each season
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  Speaker 3: a farmer or a gardener was planting seeds or picking
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  Speaker 3: fruit or a builder was laying a brick, they'd remember
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  Speaker 3: his stories and it would teach his lesson over and
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  Speaker 3: over again. Or maybe they would teach it to their
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  Speaker 3: children or to others nearby them. They were extremely useful
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  Speaker 3: tools for teaching. Jesus was revealing the mystery of God,
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  Speaker 3: but interestingly, not to everyone. Matthew 13 teaches that Jesus
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  Speaker 3: was asked why he speaks in parables. For those who
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  Speaker 3: want to know, he's revealing truth and answers. For those
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  Speaker 3: who don't want to know, and for his enemies, the
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  Speaker 3: full truth is somewhat disguised. And we read about it
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  Speaker 3: in Matthew 13, verse 34 and 35. Jesus always used
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  Speaker 3: stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds.
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  Speaker 3: In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.
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  Speaker 3: It fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet. I
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  Speaker 3: will speak to you in parables. I'll explain things hidden
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  Speaker 3: since the creation of the world. So let's study some
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  Speaker 3: of these parables and ask the Lord if we might
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  Speaker 3: be some of those who do seek to truly understand
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  Speaker 3: and obey what we learn from Jesus. Let me tell
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  Speaker 3: you a little bit about myself in college. I began
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  Speaker 3: to study physics because I really enjoyed it in high school.
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  Speaker 3: It was fun. We raced cars and launched them off
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  Speaker 3: of ramps. We shot fake darts at targets to watch
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  Speaker 3: the movement. It was about kinetic energy and it was
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  Speaker 3: so much fun. And we could figure out formulas and
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  Speaker 3: figure out where the car was going to land or
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  Speaker 3: how fast it was going. And we could figure out
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  Speaker 3: where to aim the dart depending on which things were falling.
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  Speaker 3: It was fun. So when I went to college, I
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  Speaker 3: went to do the same thing. And it was the
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  Speaker 3: same thing. I enjoyed it a lot. It was great.
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  Speaker 3: We added new things to it and learned more about
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  Speaker 3: why it was doing. In some ways, it was a refresher.
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  Speaker 3: But then I got to the second semester and we
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  Speaker 3: began to study thermodynamics, how energy moves, how heat energy
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  Speaker 3: moves and low and high pressures and how air conditioners
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  Speaker 3: work and refrigerants work. I have no idea how any
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  Speaker 3: of that works. And it wasn't any fun. I couldn't
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  Speaker 3: figure it out. It was there what I learned a
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  Speaker 3: valuable lesson from college. I should really be a preacher
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  Speaker 3: and not a scientist. I did not understand. And I
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  Speaker 3: didn't really want to understand. I was ready to move on. Well,
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  Speaker 3: in today's message, we'll see a farmer scattering seed. And
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  Speaker 3: kind of like me in college, he doesn't know how
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  Speaker 3: the seed really works. It's a mystery. But he's scattering,
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  Speaker 3: preparing for a harvest to come. So I'm going to
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  Speaker 3: look at Mark, chapter 4, verse 26 to 29. In
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  Speaker 3: this little passage, we see a powerful message. Again, Mark,
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  Speaker 3: chapter 4, verses 26 to 29. This is what it says.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus also said, The kingdom of God is like a
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  Speaker 3: farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day,
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  Speaker 3: while he's asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows,
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  Speaker 3: but he doesn't understand how it happens. The earth produces
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  Speaker 3: the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through,
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  Speaker 3: then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the
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  Speaker 3: grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready,
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  Speaker 3: the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for
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  Speaker 3: the harvest time has come. Harvest time has come. and
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  Speaker 3: it started with him scattering seed. The farmer has a
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  Speaker 3: job to do. Scatter seed. He doesn't really understand how
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  Speaker 3: the seeds work, but they grow, they produce fruit, and
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  Speaker 3: he knows when to reap the harvest when it's time.
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  Speaker 3: I find something really interesting about the scattering of the
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  Speaker 3: seed in this story, and another parable just prior to it,
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  Speaker 3: at the start of the chapter, chapter 4. In both
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  Speaker 3: of these, the spreading of the seed is all over
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  Speaker 3: the place. This is just a story to tell a message.
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  Speaker 3: It's not a lesson on how to be a farmer.
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  Speaker 3: The farmers I've seen have rows and spacing between the seeds.
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  Speaker 3: The planting is specific and only after preparing the soil
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  Speaker 3: just right. Maybe Jesus told it just to get the
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  Speaker 3: farmer's attention. And they're thinking, what in the world? That's
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  Speaker 3: not what you do. I don't know. What do I know?
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  Speaker 3: But here, this is a farmer seen throwing seed everywhere.
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  Speaker 3: He seems to have no idea how the seed works,
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  Speaker 3: what makes it work. Again, it's not a characterization of
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  Speaker 3: farmer's knowledge of how things grow. My wife's cousin married
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  Speaker 3: a farmer, and he knows everything there is to know
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  Speaker 3: about seeds and harvesting and soil and letting soil recoup
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  Speaker 3: after this plant and then that plant. But the important
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  Speaker 3: note here Jesus is making is that he knows that
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  Speaker 3: if he scatters this seed into the ground, the harvest
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  Speaker 3: will come. He has complete trust in that. And he
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  Speaker 3: knows that in that moment, it's his time to work
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  Speaker 3: again to reap the harvest. Why is he not concerned
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  Speaker 3: with anything but scattering and reaping? Well, because the Lord
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  Speaker 3: provides three things. The soil, the earth, and the seed.
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  Speaker 3: Many other things too. Water, sunlight, all those things. But
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  Speaker 3: in the story, soil, earth, and seed. They don't come
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  Speaker 3: from the farmer. They come from the Lord. These things
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  Speaker 3: do know what to do, interestingly enough. These things are
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  Speaker 3: just waiting for someone to use them in preparation for
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  Speaker 3: a harvest that's coming. And we can trust in that.
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  Speaker 3: How interesting. Those three things know what to do. They
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  Speaker 3: know how it works. And they're just waiting for someone
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  Speaker 3: to get them together, to make contact with each other
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  Speaker 3: and make the seed hit the soil. So, Why did
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  Speaker 3: Jesus tell this parable? The Lord calls us to scatter
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  Speaker 3: the seed of the good news. When planted, this seed
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  Speaker 3: grows deep into people's hearts and produces fruit, eternal fruit.
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  Speaker 3: And it's clear that the seed is to be scattered everywhere.
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  Speaker 3: We don't know which seed will strike where. We don't
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  Speaker 3: know which seed will take root and become fruitful. We
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  Speaker 3: can't see the future, and we cannot see into people's hearts.
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  Speaker 3: You ever heard somebody say, you've got one job? Or
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  Speaker 3: if you failed, they'll say, you had one job. Well,
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  Speaker 3: they've said that to me once before, too. I didn't
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  Speaker 3: like that. But anyway, the farmer has one job. scatter seed.
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  Speaker 3: Does this characterize you? How much seed have you scattered?
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  Speaker 3: Do you consider this part of your job as a
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  Speaker 3: believer or is that someone else's job? Maybe someone with
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  Speaker 3: that spiritual gift or someone who's more outgoing or whatever else.
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  Speaker 3: But if you were to hear Jesus' words and obey
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  Speaker 3: the teaching, what is he asking you to do today
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  Speaker 3: from this parable? Do you know all about the gospel?
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  Speaker 3: Do you understand exactly how it works and how grace
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  Speaker 3: works and how forgiveness and redemption works? Nope. And you
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  Speaker 3: don't have to. You're not even expected to know all
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  Speaker 3: of it. We can learn and grow, but we don't
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  Speaker 3: know all of it. We have one job. Scatter the seed.
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  Speaker 3: One last consideration. Who scattered seed on you as soil?
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  Speaker 3: when you were just barren soil. You were unsuspecting, waiting
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  Speaker 3: for the seed to fall on you, or maybe you
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  Speaker 3: were completely ignorant that something was happening to you, but
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  Speaker 3: somebody was planting seed in you. Thank God someone told
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  Speaker 3: you about Jesus and the good news, that God forgives
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  Speaker 3: your sin and makes us whole. Someone's waiting on you,
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  Speaker 3: and one day they'll thank God for you. Where will
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  Speaker 3: you go today? Maybe to the store. Maybe home. To
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  Speaker 3: your family.
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  Speaker 2: Work.
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  Speaker 3: School. Neighborhood. Walking the dog. You can scatter seed today.
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  Speaker 3: Telling people about the good news of the forgiveness of
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  Speaker 3: your sins. Of God's love and grace in your life.
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  Speaker 3: Of how He's changing your life as you learn to
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  Speaker 3: walk with Him. And how you have someone you can
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  Speaker 3: trust in for help and comfort. And don't forget about
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  Speaker 3: telling them about eternal life. Explain every bit of it. No.
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  Speaker 3: Just tell them what you've discovered. Just tell them about
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  Speaker 3: God in your life. Just scatter seed all over the
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  Speaker 3: place today. You can never waste it by scattering it.
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  Speaker 3: You can only waste it by letting it sit idle.
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  Speaker 3: God bless you as you scatter seed. And may the
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  Speaker 3: Lord bring the harvest. Praise God.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: The Salvation Army's mission, doing the most good, means helping
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  Speaker 1: people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part
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  Speaker 1: of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: Visit SalvationArmyUSA.org to offer your support. You can subscribe to
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit SalvationArmySoundcast.org.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: Join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life.
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  Speaker 2: We want to thank the team at Life Audio for
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeaudio.com where
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network.
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: They have shows about prayer, Bible studying, parenting, and more.
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time.