Sermon Central
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Staying In The Shallow End
Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jan 28, 2011 (message contributor)
STAYING IN THE SHALLOW END
He stays at the shallow end of the pool for a long time, refusing invitations to come out into the deeper water, even with his dad. But after a long time considering it, my grandson Zion Brave Bennett thrusts himself into the pool, swimming underwater and then dog-paddling across the deep end to the far edge. It took a while but he does it and the results are spectacular. He has the time of his life in the pool from that point on. He is an OVERCOMER!
Many of those who respond to the message of Christ have thrust themselves into the deep end of the pool and will be enfolded into the life of our Church and grow in their newfound faith. Some will even go through the Bible College. Yet it is also true that no matter how hardhitting and inspiring and deep the message is on Sunday, many stay at the shallow end and won’t continue with the faith that they profess. They are not so much the HARD SOIL Jesus speaks about in Matthew 13, but the SHALLOW SOIL.
She says that she is a Christian, but she hasn’t made any commitment to Christ other than an occasional prayer. Edna (not her real name) has no desire to let Christ lead her life, read her Bible or grow spiritually. I would never be able to tell that she is a Christian by listening to her speak or by how she responds to life. There is no discernable difference between her and anyone else. She looks, speaks and acts as any other person. Then again, how can you tell what faith LOOKS LIKE in someone’s life?
In Matthew 13:20-21 (NLT) Jesus gives us a PICTURE of what Edna looks like spiritually. He says “The seed on the rocky soil (shallow soil with underlying rocks) represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”
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