I can remember vividly the moment that I surrendered my life to JESUS CHRIST. I also remember a few important dates leading up to that moment that changed my life forever. Literally.
On September 2, 2021 I was in the ER not feeling well and found out that I had COVID.
I spent the next 9 days progressively getting worse and on September 11th I was admitted into the hospital and put directly in the ICU.
I dont remember of the next few days other than the fact that I couldn't even sit up without feeling like I was suffocating. I remember the Doctor coming into my room on September 18th and telling me that I would be put on the ventilator soon and I need to make preparations.
I remember the Facetime call with my family.
That night was probably the first time I prayed in a long time. I asked GOD for another chance. I tried bargaining with GOD and promising to do things differently.
I prayed for what felt like hours and I remember my last prayer that night.
I prayed that no matter what GOD decided to do, I trusted Him and I gave my life to JESUS.
I went to sleep that night not knowing if I would ever wake up again.
The next morning I woke up to a miracle. I was feeling better. I sat up for the first time since I was in the hospital. By lunchtime the nurses had me in a chair beside the bed. When I say miracle, I ain’t lying. Even the Doctors were baffled. They couldn’t explain it.
I know what happened. GOD gave me my second chance.
Recovery was long and hard and I still have some issues to this day, but GOD saved me. And even with the issues I still have, I thank Him everyday.
Now, we are going to read from Matthew 13 and you will probably be a bit confused. I promise that it will all make sense by the time I am done.
Matthew 13:1-9
13 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Jesus often used parables when he preached. A parable is a simple story that uses everyday situations to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.
Jesus did this to teach complex ideas about GOD’S Kingdom and how we should live in a way that was easy to understand, relatable to the listeners life and memorable.
In this parable we see the sower sowing seeds on all types of ground. He sows generously so that he may reap generously as we can see in 2Corinthians 9:6.
Who remembers the story of Zaccheus?
His story is found in the Gospel of Luke 19. Zaccheus was a rich and corrupt tax collector. He was the short man that wanted very badly to see Jesus, so he climbed a Sycamore tree to catch a glance of Jesus as He walked by. Zaccheus was surprised when Jesus called him by name to come down from the tree. That day, after hosting Jesus at his home and hearing the message of Salvation, Zaccheus turned his life over to Christ.
For that tree to have grown to give Zaccheus his opportunity, a seed had to be planted.
God calls each of us to plant seeds, to share the Gospel.
When we obey GOD, we have no idea at the impact He will make.
Take Edward Kimball, for an example. Never heard of him? Rest assured – most people have never heard of him.
Kimball was a Sunday school teacher who not only prayed for the hyper boys in his class but also sought to win each one to the Lord personally.
He decided he would be intentional with every single last one of them. I’m sure there were times he thought about throwing in the towel.
If you have ever taught the Bible to young boys, you know that the experience can often be like herding cats. Volunteering with the youth group has given me a whole new understanding of ministry.
Everyone here should thank Pastor Thomas…. And pray for him.
For Kimball one young man, in particular, didn’t seem to understand what the gospel was about so he went to the shoe store where the boy was stocking shelves and confronted him in the stock room with the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
In the stockroom on that Saturday, he believed the gospel and received Jesus Christ as his Savior. That young man was Dwight L. Moody.
In his lifetime, Moody touched two continents for God, with thousands professing Christ through his ministry.
But the story doesn’t end there. Actually that’s where it begins.
Under Moody, another man’s heart was touched for God, Wilbur Chapman. Chapman became the evangelist who preached to thousands.
One day, a professional ball player had a day off and attended one of Chapman’s meetings, and thus, Billy Sunday was converted.
Sunday quit baseball and became part of Chapman’s team. Then, Chapman accepted the pastorate of a large church and Billy Sunday began his own evangelistic crusades.
Another young man was converted whose name was Mordecai Ham. He was a scholarly, dignified gentleman who wasn’t above renting a hearse and parading it through the streets advertising his meetings.
When Ham came to Charlotte, North Carolina, a sandy-haired, lanky young man, then in high school, vowed that he wouldn’t go hear him preach, but Billy Frank, as he was called by his family, did eventually go.
Ham announced that he knew for a fact that a house of ill repute was located across the street from the local high school and that male students were skipping lunch to visit the house across the street.
When students decided to go to interrupt the meetings of Mordecai Ham, Billy Frank decided to go see what would happen.
That night Billy Frank went and was intrigued by what he heard. Returning another night, he responded to the invitation and was converted.
Billy Frank eventually became known as Billy Graham, the evangelist who preached to more people than any other person who ever lived, including the Apostle Paul.
(Source: The Chain of Events Leading to Billy Graham’s Conversion, By Travis Agnew)
I may never fill a stadium or preach a message as powerful as Billy Graham, but in GOD'S eyes, I matter. In the lives of my wife, kids and grandchildren, my second chance at life matters.
You are probably wondering how all of this fits together, and I promised that all of this would make sense by the time I finished.
You see, my testimony started before I even knew that GOD was going to call on me. Seeds were being planted to lay the foundation for my encounter with GOD.
Just as GOD knew to plant the seed that became the tree that was in the exact spot that Zaccheus needed to see Jesus, He also knew when and where to plant the seed that changed the life of me and my family.
On August 5, 2021 my daughter was invited to HopeCity by a young lady who was obeying GOD’S call to plant a seed. She didn’t know what type of ground the seed would fall upon. She had the faith and love to invite a friend to learn about JESUS.
When we look at how GOD works in such amazing ways, it is a humbling experience. I can’t attribute my miracle to any single thing that I have done personally. When I learned about all of the things that happened behind the scenes in my life, I see a big picture and GOD is the one with the paintbrush.
Before I was ever even sick, GOD began His work in my life and my family. On August 15,2021 my daughter visited this church for the first time, And I am not talking about the building.
I am talking about the people sitting in these chairs in front of me. The people who prayed for me when they had no idea who I was.
The people who watched as my 2 daughters and middle son were baptized right here. That day just so happened to be September 19th. The day after I laid myself before GOD and the first day of my second chance to live for Him. Hearing that my children had given their lives to Jesus in that exact time was truly a message from GOD. He was telling me that He knows exactly what I need and all I had to do was trust in Him.
My family was saved because of the love and obedience of the people in this family of CHRIST.
I know that only GOD can draw us to Him (John 6:44) but he often times uses the people in our lives to do it. And He uses people in our lives to help guide us. This is the purpose for the church.
I may not know every person that comes to HopeCity but I know that every time I walk through these doors, someone is going to smile and greet me. I know that I will feel welcome and that I belong. And that is a wonderful feeling.
When we obey GOD, we never know how big the impact can be on the people around us.
When I hear Pastor Scott say that we aren’t meant to do life alone, I think of the people who haven’t experienced JESUS. The people who live in our neighborhoods, the people our kids go to school with and sometimes even those in our family.
I want to be like the young lady who had the courage to invite my daughter to church. I want to plant some seeds in my encounters with others.
Billy Graham once said "You can count the apples on the tree, but only GOD can count the apples in a seed.”
When we plant the seeds that GOD leads us to plant, the fruit that come from it could last for generations.
And I love the way JESUS explains things, both through His parables and His great creation. If you look at the center or the heart of the fruit, what will you find?
Seeds.
My message today is a challenge to everyone who hears it. A challenge for each of you to be a sower of seeds. As you go out and do life this week, listen to GOD’S calling and plant a seed.
It could be something as small as a smile and telling someone that Jesus loves them or it could be an act of kindness to a stranger. GOD may even present you with an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone. Just remember that not all sermons are preached from a pulpit. How we live for GOD each and every day preaches louder than any words.
As I close my message, I want you to ask yourself, "What seed is GOD calling me to plant?"
