[A testimony from a Korean college student:]

"I am in the second year of a college in Korea.

"When I was a little boy, my mother used to take me to a temple in Korea. There I was told not to eat any meat for some reason. Some time later, my mother started to go to church with me. My mother was searching for something, but she couldn't find it at the temple. She finally found her answer at this church.

"I found peace and salvation in Jesus, and began to become an active member of the church, praying and participating in their services. I also sang in the choir there (because I had always sang out of tune, I hoped this would improve my singing).

"After some years in this church, my mother, sister and I became committed Christians. We've been praying for my father now for ten years.

"One time, I was called to go abroad for God's sake! This visit is I'm sure, one of God's guidances for my life. I am looking forward to His great work through my life."

[End of testimony.]

I am sure that most of you know today's passage well; it's one of the parables that Jesus told us. Look at Verse 3: Jesus says "Listen!" In daily lives, we listen too well and too much actually. We even take in more information than we really need. Much of the information that we receive from television and radio influences us, especially young people, too much. Some information is very bad for us to take in. It is evil. But, here Jesus says "Listen!"

Verse 4. The farmer sows the word. I can imagine the very scene, reading this verse. It might be a huge pasture he is working. It may have been a huge pasture, or meadow, where Jesus was telling this story, and maybe in the distance some farmers were sowing. As you know, all farmers sow various kinds of seeds; potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. In this story, the farmer also had many kinds of seeds: many words. The farmer needed to scatter lots of seeds. We do need to do that! See James 1:21. This is who we need to sow salvation in: a couple who have problems to work out, people who are sick, and need to be cured. And, here, there are many people who need to receive eternal life! Only these words can save people; we need to scatter these words.

The holy verse that came to me, and saved me, was Matthew 11:28. Each one of you must have been saved through the words of your own special Bible verses, or have been called by God by holy verses. The way that farmers sowed seeds then is different then the way we do it today. They put a bag of seed on the back of a donkey, and the bag has many holes in it. While he is sowing, some of the seeds fell out of the holes and into the ground. Some of the seeds fell on good soil, but others were wasted on streets, or rocks, or in bad places. As you know, only the seeds that are sown on the good soil bear a good crop. They can produce thirty, sixty, or over a hundred times. How much I was encouraged by this passage in the Bible. I introduced Jesus to so many people, and our church people did too! We have seen so many new people come to our church. These people left their names and addresses at our church. The number of them is over one hundred. Some of them were so happy that they accepted Jesus right after they heard the Gospel. But they are not here now. However, the seed that falls in good soil bears lots of fruit. The people who are bound to Christ can strongly bear fruit. This comforts us, and encourages us so much. And we are to be wise enough to tell where to sow. It's hard to tell a good place to sow, and there are not so many good places for us to sow, probably. So we are to cultivate the soil; use our time properly, our money, our love. Read Psalm 126, and again, read Matthew 9:35-38.

Our passion of lost people is the energy and power that works evangelism. This passion AND the Holy Spirit, who gives us the strength we badly need. These Korean young people, who have shared with us this morning, have this passion, I am sure. Unless we have love for souls, it's impossible to go out into the world for the sake of God. Hasama town and Shonai town are our targets for this season's evangelism. These young people will be going out with us. In some places, we need to walk to homes. The roads are too narrow for cars. In this kind of work, we really need to have love for people. One time, in Shikoru, a carpenter was saved by this kind of evangelism; distributing tracts door-to-door. His friends were then saved, one by one, through his love and work. Let us go out and scatter the seeds of the Gospel.

Translated by Junko Okamoto - Edited for the Net by Shido
For another sermon see: Oita Evangelical Christ Church
For all sermon indicies see: cHaPeL nOaH sErMoN iNdEx