The PATTERN of SPIRITUAL LIFE: It is implanted, sourced externally but conceived internally.

  • Biological PATTERN: SEED – LIFE - MULTIPLICATION
  • Spiritual PATTERN: TRUTH – LIFE – GOODNESS

The cultural view of LIFE is the INVERTED: Goodness – Life - Truth

  • Because I’m doing good things, I must be awake, enlightened, or alive.
  • Because my intentions are good, I can trust my inner compass to define truth.
  • Because I’m building something that “helps people,” I’m justified even when my methods are questionable.

The PRINCIPLE of SPIRITUAL LIFE: It is an ORGANIC process where growth is not…

  • Artificial: Man-made, performance-driven, image-focused, surface-level.
  • Mechanical: Programmed, transactional, lifeless routines.
  • Manufactured: Produced quickly, manipulated, efficient but unsustainable.
  • Synthetic: Imitation, lacking real roots, externally crafted.

The POSTURE of SPIRITUAL LIFE: The quality of LIFE is directly related to the CONDITION of the HEART…

  1. The PATH — Where Deception Hardens the Heart.
    The path is compacted and hardened, so the seed cannot penetrate the ground. Before it can take root, Satan snatches it away. What is Jesus revealing here? He wants us to understand that Satan’s primary weapon is lies. His strategy is deception — and deception kills life before it can begin.
  1. The ROCKS — Where the LIFE doesn’t have the DEPTH to survive THREAT
    There is some growth, but that growth is limited.  It doesn’t reach it’s full potential because it’s roots do not go deep. Moreover, the life is vulnerable to
  1. The THORNS – Where the LIFE is CHOKED by COMPETING DESIRES
    There is evidence of growth but without fruit.  The thorns compete for space within the heart “worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word.”
  1. The ARABLE – The heart that embraces TRUTH, allows GROWTH and results in FRUIT.
    The healthy soil produces steady growth. It receives the truth, welcomes its power and brings about the fruit of goodness.

If you have heard the truth of God’s love (as revealed in the death of Jesus) and the truth of God’s life (revealed in His resurrection) then the seed of the gospel has been planted in you.

That seed is not static. It is living and active. It carries the power of Christ’s own life and, if received in faith, it will bear fruit, producing goodness in you and through you.