Good Afternoon Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Since The Garden of Eden, satan has been busy “stealing, killing, and destroying” (John 10:10). His attacks are against The Word of God in order to convince mankind God either doesn’t exist or God is a judgmental, fickle, ornery, deceiving Spirit that demands unattainable performance. satan works to represent himself as the benevolent one who will allow mankind to rule itself and enjoy the pleasures of this lifetime and this world. His goal has been to bring God’s most valuable creation, mankind, into bondage to his evil system and in doing so, stealing the souls of those who never believe and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior or to trap in his bondage those Believers whom he is able to deceive by stealing the revelation of God’s Word from them. Jesus identified satan as a thief and a destroyer.
satan has greatly deceived a large part of the Body of Believers, on this earth, to believe there should be no expectation of receiving from what you’ve sown into The Kingdom of God. In fact, the deception is so great, Believers have been made to believe God favors those Believers who give with no expectation of receiving anything in return. This mindset is seen as pious, humble, holy, without greed, and selfless. I can understand the deception because I, too, was once this Believer trapped in the bondage of satan’s lies. This mindset is not rooted in Scripture and is not of God. I know this may offend some of you. I’m not judging nor condemning. However, I am doing what The Holy Spirit has instructed me to do – attack and prove wrong the lies of satan and prove right The Truth of our loving Father, God. Let’s examine where satan has deceived many and what God actually has to say concerning reaping from what a Believer has sown.
The Holy Spirit, through Paul, spoke the following Word, “It is more blessed to give than receive” in Acts 20:35.
Acts 20:35
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Jesus also spoke The Words several times in making His point about how Believers are to operate in The Kingdom of God to fulfill God’s command for us to be a blessing to others in Genesis 12:2-3. The phrase is used by many in churches today as a cliche. It is spoken with head (carnal) knowledge and not heart (Spiritual) knowledge. Heart knowledge is a revelation from God about His Word, The Truth, so you know the Truth. These very Words are used by many Believers to support a misled belief that we are not to receive, that the blessing lies only in giving. Nothing could be further from The Truth. Let’s see what Jesus taught during His ministry on earth that would prove this misled belief to be wrong.
Jesus spoke a parable in Mark Chapter 4 which is a wonderful illustration of how The Kingdom of God works and proof God wants us to have an expectation of receiving a harvest for what has been given (sown).
Mark 4:26-29
26 And He [Jesus] said, So is The Kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
A seed is sown, it grows, and the fruit it produces is reaped. Jesus is using a natural analogy to explain a Spiritual law. He starts by saying, “So is The Kingdom of God…” In other words, The Kingdom of God works exactly like the natural law of sowing and reaping because the natural law was derived from The Spiritual Law. Notice the man casts or sows seed in the ground. The man of the parable knows exactly what seed he is planting and what fruit or produce will come from it. He doesn’t understand “how” the seed grows, he just knows it grows and produces what he sowed. When the harvest is ready, the man reaps what he has sown. And the man reaps MUCH more harvest than he sowed. We, as Believers, MUST have an expectation for every seed we sow – that it will produce one hundred-fold.
God established the Spiritual Law of Sowing and Reaping in the earth with Genesis 1:11-12, Genesis 1:29, and Genesis 8:22. The word “seed” in these three verses of Genesis refers to the “seed as a product” or “the seedling seed.” To help understand these two meanings, I’ll use my grandfather’s dairy farm as an example. He grew crops to sell, to eat, to feed the cattle, and to give to those less fortunate. One of the crops my grandfather grew was corn. At harvest, my grandfather separated the corn kernels into four bins: the best of the kernels was the “seed corn.” The second bin was eaten by the family. The third bin was divided into that which was sold at market and that which was fed to the dairy cattle. The fourth bin was for those families in the local community who had a bad crop(s) or were struggling financially. The seed corn, the best corn, was planted to ensure a strong line of corn continued to reproduce. When my grandfather planted the corn, he had every expectation, and spoke it, for a great harvest.
In following Jesus’ parable in Mark 4:26-29, what if a farmer planted a large field of seed, tended it, and when it was time to harvest the fruit of it (to receive), he left the harvest to rot. What would we, or others, think of this farmer? Would this farmer be considered a responsible farmer? Of course not. So, what happens when a Believer sows (gives) a seed and has no expectation of a harvest? Does the lack of expectation of a harvest by the Believer stop the harvest from occurring? No. If the Believer doesn’t reap the harvest, who does? You’re not going to like to hear this. satan does.
Matthew 25:29
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Just prior to Matthew 25:29 in the 25th chapter, Jesus has spoken the parable of the talents. Jesus starts the parable in verse 14 by saying, “For the Kingdom of Heaven is….” He is letting us know He is about to explain how things operate in The Kingdom of Heaven (also known as The Kingdom of God in Scripture). To sum it up, when God gives you seed, He expects you to sow it and reap a harvest. You are not just to give with no expectation of receiving. This is completely against The Word of God. In Matthew 25:29 Jesus tells us the man or woman that has God’s wisdom to understand how the Kingdom of Heaven works will have abundance, but the man or woman that doesn’t have God’s wisdom as to how The Kingdom of Heaven works will lose even that which they have. Does the man or woman that doesn’t have God’s wisdom about The Kingdom of Heaven sound like the servant who was given one talent and buried it? What happened to this servant when the master returned for an accounting? Even that which he had was taken away just like Matthew 25:29 states. He was left with nothing.
Jesus also relates the sowing and reaping or the giving and receiving in the parable of the sower, Mark 4:3-20. In this parable three types of soil (hearts) have their harvest stolen by satan. Only in Mark 4:20 do we see the outcome of the man or woman with God’s wisdom of His Word.
Mark 4:20
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear The Word, and receive It, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Jesus makes it perfectly clear Believers, with a right understanding of God’s Word, are to expect to “receive” a harvest – a manyfold harvest – when they “give.” It is a Spiritual Truth The Blessing is invoked by the giving, not the receiving. However, it is by receiving we are able to continue to be blessed by our giving. When we sow with expectation, The Blessing is released which empowers the seed to proper.
In closing, let’s look at what The Holy Spirit said through Paul in II Corinthians 9:10-11.
II Corinthians 9:10-11
10 Now He [God] that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
The Holy Spirit tells us God gives seed to the sower (you) both to sow seed for the sower’s bread (needs, desires) and to sow seed to bless others. God will multiply your seed which is sown to bless others to provide you with more bread and with more seed to sow. The Holy Spirit tells us God does this so you may be profitable to all good works (increase the fruits of your righteousness) and you will continually be enriched in EVERYTHING TO ALL BOUNTIFULNESS, which will cause you, those around you, and those blessed by you to praise and thank God.
We sow it, God grows it, we reap it, and we bless others. This is how the Spiritual Law of Sowing and Reaping works in The Kingdom of God. This same Spiritual Law upholds the natural law of seedtime and harvest of Genesis 1:11-12, 1:29, Genesis 8:22. So, when you tithe and when you give offerings, do so with the spoken expectation of a return as promised by God. Your sowing invokes The Blessing, and The Blessing ensures the return (your receiving). Don’t leave your harvest in the field for satan to steal believing religious hogwash. Speak that harvest, reap that harvest, and bless with the harvest in Jesus’ Matchless Name!!
In Christ,
Larry