The Heart of Soil

The Heart of Soil

by

Rocky Fleming and Frank Khalil

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

Luke 8:15

  We have learned much in our Journey as Influencers and in leading men toward Intimacy with Christ.  As we continue to reach more men, we must remember that there will be challenges.  Jesus foretold of what we will encounter in is Parable of the Four Seeds. You remember His teachings about them.  The first seed was taken away by Satan.  This is very similar to the men who are asked to join with us with The Journey, and have little interest in going deeper with Christ.  So, they stay away.  The second seed are the men who read Inner Chamber, and get initially fired up.  But when the 9 month process becomes inconvenient or too challenging in other ways, they drop out.  Let's jump to the fourth seed.  These are men who invest their life into the pursuit of intimacy with Christ.  They work their way through the Banquet Table and to the Inner Chamber.  They want what's in there.  They are willing to abandon their life to Christ, and trust Him absolutely.  The result is fruit and life transformation. As Jesus promised with the fourth seed, abundant crops of fruit are born in and around their life. We have seen this truth in action.  These men are on a continued journey with Christ after The Journey is over, and they never ask the question "What's next," for they are in "What's next" for the rest of their life, and they know it.  Some lead new Journey Groups. Some invest their lives other ways.  But for sure, they are making a difference in their world, they are very fulfilled in their walk with Christ, and He is using them in a magnificent way.  Like Jesus said, this fourth seed man is bearing abundant fruit, and that is the result of abiding in Christ.  This is our objective with The Journey:  To get a man there. Now, let's return to the third seed.  These are the busy Christians who are looking for a quick remedy for their problems. Conceptually they want to be a disciple, if it can be a quick program and they can control the outcome, and it doesn't require too great of a commitment.  These guys go through The Journeylike any other program they have been part of.  They check it off as if they are in pursuit of a Degree in Discipleship, thinking that if they get enough knowledge, and enough discipline in their life, they will become a disciple.  Problem is, they want to stay in the spoon feeding phase.  They don't make it to the end of the banquet table, and they surely do not enter the Inner Chamber.  They can be easily identified by their perspective, and the words, "What's next?"  They never enter the fourth seed, and that is why they are still looking for an answer, for more food.  Another problem is that most discipleship programs out there never address this problem, and the men remain in the third seed.  That is why most believers, especially in this country are third seed Christians. For those of us who have entered the fourth seed category, we know that it was by one way.  It is by way of close proximity to Christ.  It is there that a disciple is formed.  It is there that a Laborer is raised up.  It is there that the question of "What's next?" is answered.  Some of our Guides, when hearing their men say, “What’s next?” have said,  "You need to go through The Journey again, for you didn't get it the first time!"  That is the truth, and we need to remember to encourage this man back to a Journey Group, instead of trying to cater to this lack of understanding about the true problem being shown.  We don't need to give them something else.  They need to find what they missed the first time.  We cannot help men with their need for true discipleship if we do not understand the greater problem going on.  If we cannot get them out of their third seed condition and to where fruit can be born in their life, we do not help them. Addendum by Frank Khalil: Fellow Influencers, as I have continued to soak in God's word in search for the treasures that He will give us as we abide in Him, I have found some more real exciting news to share with you and encourage you as Rocky has led us to understand the types of soil that seed can be planted on. You see, as I began to go deep and hear God's voice about what Jesus was saying in the Parable of the Sower, the Spirit spoke to me that this is also a matter of the heart.  Men, the greatest treasures of this intimacy with Christ and being on the journey for me has been dealing with my heart.  It has been about watching how God has changed so many men's hearts.  Now, we are seeing the men who are living out life as the Fourth type of soil, the one that produces fruit. Now, hear me out.  Jesus explained this parable to his disciples.  The seed represents God's Word and the Sower is the servant of God who shares that Word with others ( Influencers ).  The human heart is like soil: it must be prepared to receive the seed before that seed can take root and produce a harvest.  Like seed, the Word is alive and able to produce spiritual fruit, but the seed must be planted and cultivated before the harvest will come (Abiding in Him). Men, there are four kinds of hearts and they respond to God's message in four different ways. First is the hard heart: it resists the Word of God; the devil himself snatches the seed. Second is the shallow heart: it has no depth, whatever is planted cannot last because it has no roots. Third is the crowded heart: it does not truly repent and remove the "weeds" (hindrances) out of his heart and the good seed of the Word has no room in which to grow.  This is the heart that allows the things of the world to smother the growth and prevent a harvest. Fourth is the fruitful heart: this heart is that of a true disciple, a learner and imitator of Christ.  This heart represents a changed life.  This heart is the evidence of true follower of Jesus; it is the one who dies to himself daily and picks up his cross and follows Him. The first three types of hearts are fruitless hearts that are influenced by the Enemy. As Influencers, God is guiding us in search of men who have a heart to receive what God has entrusted to us.  We take this sacred responsibility of guiding men who have an opportunity to make a life and death choice to understand what it is to abide in the King of Kings and because of it, watch their lives be transformed like never before.  Brothers, I ask that you continue to search your hearts and seek Him in a radical way, for the battle will only get tougher as we Go and make disciples.  Let us all be in prayer for His will and His way to continue to move in the hearts of men as we move forward. To Him we give all glory.