In the Parable of the Soils in Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus talks about a sower, the seed, and four soils. The sower is anyone who sows the seed. The seed is the Word of God. The four soils represent four different kinds of people and their preparedness to receive the Word of God. The easy application for us today is that every disciple is a sower of the Word of God. Everyone who has yet to receive the Word is at one of the different levels of preparedness.
Every Christian knows about God’s Word and its importance in our lives. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Every Christian knows the Gospel. Paul gives us a simple summary in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “3 that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Every Christian knows how to respond to the Gospel. In Acts 2:38 the Apostle Peter told those who were ready to respond to the Gospel to, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
What most Christians don’t know is how to work soils. In other words, how to work with those “interested” in the Word of God. Like Jesus, we want to identify different people’s level of preparedness in order to be effective in sharing the Word of God. Unlike Jesus, the levels of preparedness I have are slightly different.
The first level of interest is someone who is Possibly Interested. An initial contact with this person has been made and our goal is to help them to become more interested. Some ways to do that are by letters, cards, invitations to church events, and placed on email/mailing lists.
The next level of interest is someone who is Responsive. This is when someone Possibly Interested requests information about Bible studies, or getting involved with a ministry or activity. We want to encourage those responsive to study with us and help us. This does not mean allowing them to teach or lead, but to allow them to help.
The third level of interest is someone who Continues Contact. This is someone who now is in regular attendance in the assembly and possibly even Bible class or other events. While this person is not yet a Christian, they desire to have regular contact with us. It’s at this point that multiple members should do their best to make regular contact with this person.
The fourth level of interest is someone who makes the Initial Commitment. This is when someone wants to be a part of the faith community. This is when they are baptized into Christ. This is when they become a Christian and a member of the family of God. It’s important for us to understand that this person is in their early faith stages and needs continued encouragement and spiritual nurturing. This is especially done by the church leadership, but also by every member of the Lord’s church. This is also true for everyone who is currently a member of the Lord’s church. We need to always be encouraging and edifying one another.
Another challenge Christians struggle with is finding those “interested.” Many times we rely on those who walk through the church building doors. Such opportunities are rare, which necessitates a more proactive approach. We should begin to view everyone we meet as someone on a different level of interest.
Here’s a suggestion that we all prayerfully commit to doing as individuals. Start making a list of those you meet outside of the church who are not Christians and identify their interest level. I would hope that you have at least 1 on your list, but no more than 5 to start. You want to invest time with these people, not just make a list. Pray about them, and then put your faith into action by working with them at their current level to help bring them to the next.
