Asia Conference 2008: Seeds And Weeds

Date: 23 November 2008
Speaker: A.R. Bernard
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Matthew 13:24-30
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Matthew 13:36-43
Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Good seeds = Children of God.
Field = World (Culture).
Weeds = Devil.
Harvest = End of the world.

God sowed us into culture to grow, to germinate, then to impact the culture. He is not afraid to leave us here. Infact, He wants us to grow side-by-side with the weeds.

We are to insulate so as to penetrate.

John 17:15-18
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

We are the Word of God in body, we are to relate His Word to other people. Relationship (the human relationship) preceeds ministry (the relating of the Word).

We cannot grow in isolation, we can only grow in community. We should support those Christians who are in the culture. However oftenly because of religion, churches become judgemental.

Jeremiah 29:4-7
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

Babylon symbolizes Culture.

God wants us to work for the peace and prosperity of the culture. But you got to have a strategy.

Characteristics of a culture:
- Beliefs
- Customs
- Language
- Arts and Music
- Literature
- Institutions (family, religious, political, educational, economical)

You must understand a culture fully only then can you go in and make a change to the culture.

Jesus was God at work in the culture. He was in the culture but He never threw away the Church. He understood the balance.