Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
-Matthew 13:24-30

The kingdom of heaven, make no mistake, is the church we are a part of today. Through this parable Jesus teaches us that when He began the church He did so with good seed. He sowed perfect seed that would grow healthy crops. The seed is the true gospel that gives hope to all those who believe, and the crops are those who are obedient to the message of Christ.

Almost immediately after the church was established, temptations began to cause us to sin, and false teaching began to ravage the church (1 Corinthians 1:11ff; 1 Corinthians 5:1-2; Galatians 1:6-7; Galatians 2:11-14). This was not the plan of Christ, but rather the influence of the enemy, Satan.

Through the parable in Matthew 13, Jesus shows us that He will allow the error and the weeds to live alongside the good crop from the good seed until the time of the harvest. The time of harvest has reference to the judgment day, when all will be judged according to the Words of Christ (John 12:47-50).

The question, then, is, “Which are you?” Are you growing as good crops from good seed, or are you a weed that will be burned up on the judgment day?

Good news comes to all who recognize themselves as weeds: humans aren’t the same as plants. We have the opportunity to change who we are and who we follow, and ultimately where we will be taken on the judgment day.

Let’s all become wheat, growing off the pure spiritual food found in God’s Word, because the barn Jesus speaks of in His parable is not truly a barn, but rather stands for the eternal rest and peace that we find with the Father when we are faithful to His Word. Grow off the true, pure food that God gives you, and refuse to eat the spoiled weed seeds the world throws at you.

Revenge. Entire screenplays have been written with this one central idea as their focus. Someone is wronged, and then we spend a couple hours or more watching them “get even” with everyone. In life it’s very tempting to take revenge, it’s very tempting to get even, and maybe just a little more. All too often when we set out to get even we end up going just a couple steps further, and we restart the cycle with the other person. Entire families have been ripped apart because two people couldn’t let go of their vengeful attitudes and their desire to get even. Often we see that play out in the divorce papers as, “irreconcilable differences”. If only there was someone we could turn to, an impartial party, who could give out justice, someone who could make everything right again...

• ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’ -Deuteronomy 32:35
• Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. -Romans 12:19
• For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. -Hebrews 10:30-31

Our world would be so much more peaceful if, instead of taking our own revenge, we waited for the judgment of God. God has promised to judge all people righteously on the last day, why not wait until He does? Wouldn’t life be so much less stressful if you weren’t always trying to plan how to get even with someone? Just let the Lord take care of it.

• Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. –Galatians 6:7

Paul understood this passage well, it seems, because even when much harm was done to him by Alexander the coppersmith, he only had this to say concerning vengeance or justice:

• Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching. -2 Timothy 4:14–15

How powerful is this passage? Paul, through one sentence, teaches us a great deal about how we should deal with people who wrong us. After this man had harmed him a great deal, Paul simply states, “the Lord will repay him according to his deeds”. Think about that for a minute. Is it within the power of God to forgive Alexander the coppersmith? If he turns to Jesus, absolutely it is. Is Paul ok with that? Absolutely he is. He says, “the Lord will repay him according to his deeds”. Paul had ultimate trust in the Lord as the only Righteous Judge, and he trusted Him to show mercy where mercy is due, and to exact punishment where punishment is due. Let us also trust in the Lord this much, that whatever anyone does to us, it is for the Lord to punish or forgive, and we will continue in His will, and allow vengeance to belong to Him.

Roseanne Barr, famous comedienne, recently had the revival of her namesake sitcom cancelled after an ill-considered tweet she sent in the middle of the night. Was she treated fairly? Many in our culture are pondering that very question.

The number of people whose careers have ended because of words spoken or written in haste continues to grow. For generations God has warned humanity of the dangers words pose to the reputation and the future success of every individual. Take a few moments and refresh your memory with a few proverbs:

"Where there are many words...

...transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” -Proverbs 10:19
“The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” -Proverbs 13:3
“In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back, But the lips of the wise will protect them.” -Proverbs 14:3
“He who guards his mouth and tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.” -Proverbs 21:23

God warns us continually that our mouths will get us in trouble if we do not actively consider and filter what comes out of them. Social media in every form has provided more avenues for more people to spout more words from their mouth-fountains than ever before. In an unguarded instant an entire career is destroyed. More troubling than the effects words have on the future of this earthly life are the effects they have on eternity after. Jesus said, “…every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36-37). Consider well the words that proceed from the tip of your tongue, and your fingers. Make your words wise, make them give grace to those who hear (Eph. 4:29) Make your words a blessing, rather than a retaliation (Rom. 12:14).

When these types of events transpire it is valuable to direct our thoughts to the Scriptures and learn from God’s wisdom rather than debate about whether others reacted fairly to an unwise choice. Make wise choices, use words wisely, and honor God.

A person's family experiences quickly form patterns and expectations which are difficult to change later in life. God teaches everyone to be especially concerned with whether family relationships mirror the spiritual relationship to Him. When family relationships become mirror images of the spiritual relationship to God, the family and every person connected to it benefits. Consider three of the principles God provides concerning family:

Serve each other (Eph. 5:21ff). Willing servitude to family members motivated by a healthy relationship with God is one of the pillars of God’s design for the family. Wives who follow the loving leadership of their husbands create a mirror image of Christ and the church for their children to see and grow to understand and appreciate. Children who obey compassionate and caring parents will find that they themselves are served well by the very instructions being given to them.

Give clear instruction (Eph. 6:1ff). Children who have rules, expectations, and consequences clearly communicated and maintained will find greater peace in life than those whose homes are filled with confusion and chaos. Parents who give clear instruction place their children in the advantageous position of understanding what they must do to please their father and mother. Through this type of relationship with their physical parents they will more easily understand the necessity of following their Heavenly Father’s commands to be pleasing in His sight as well.

Show Compassion (Mk. 7:9-13; 1 Tim. 5:4, 8). Parents who sow seeds of compassion in their children by genuinely caring about others ought to reap the harvest of their children’s care for them in their later years. A child who cares for their aged mother or father is doing what is pleasing in the sight of God and is displaying a Christlike spirit to those who are looking on.

These three principles only scratch the surface of God’s design for the family. On April 29, the Northwest church of Christ is holding a Family Sunday. On that day we will focus on several of the issues currently facing our families and will answer some of your questions concerning God’s design for families. Please plan to attend and bring a friend!

Click here to submit your question online!

The last four posts have centered on habits that will help Christians more effectively serve their Lord, the church, and the lost. We learned first to be responsible by taking even the smallest job seriously. Second, we learned to be honorable, maintaining our integrity even in the face of abuse. Third, we learned to be a servant, aggressively pursuing opportunities to be a blessing to others. Fourth, we learned to be selfless, genuinely caring for the needs of others with no thanks or praise required. This final post considers that the process of continuing to be effective for the Lord is not easy, and that being a Christian beyond the building requires our stubborn dedication to God.

Habit 5: Be Stubborn. If a Christian is not stubborn, they will fall away. Stubbornness is not necessarily a sinful quality. In Ezekiel 3:4-11, God spoke to Ezekiel and said, “Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.” God made Ezekiel stubborn, but not a sinful sort of stubborn. It was the sort of stubbornness that would be required to continue to share God’s word to people who hated hearing it and refused to obey it. That’s a good and righteous sort of stubbornness that we ought to adopt and habitually display. It makes Christians more effective in service to Christ.

Jesus was stubborn. Think about His prayer in the garden: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39). Jesus was stubbornly submissive to the will of the Father. He was grieved to the point of death (v.38) but still prayed the will of the Father be done, and still endured the suffering and humiliation so that His will would be carried out (v.67-68). If a Christian would be like Christ, they must adopt righteous stubbornness.

Paul spoke of all the sufferings of this earth in Romans 8:35-39 and claimed that none of them could separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. For those who stubbornly cling to the Lord there is nothing that can separate Him from them. God will not let go of those who cling stubbornly to Him. Make it your habit to cling to the Lord. Aim your stubbornness for God and against sin. Be stubbornly Christian. Refuse to compromise God’s standards. Refuse to alter His doctrines. Demand that your life bless others. Demand that those around you know that Jesus loves them. Demand that every lost soul have the opportunity to be saved by the blood of Christ. Make Christlike stubbornness your habit, and you will serve Him effectively both within and beyond the building.

May your life be blessed as you adopt these habits!