The Vision of Fire Lilies

“Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” – Matthew 13:8

The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1–23 (Luke 8:4–15; Mark 4:1–20)

¹ Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. ² A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. ³ He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. ⁴ As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. ⁸ Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! ⁹ Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” ¹⁰ His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” ¹¹ He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. ¹² To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. ¹³ That is why I use these parables, Forthey look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. ¹⁴ This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. ¹⁵ For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ ¹⁶ “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. ¹⁷ I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. ¹⁸ “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: ¹⁹ The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. ²⁰ The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. ²¹ 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. ²² The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. ²³ The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Introduction

At the beginning of the year, we made a few short videos explaining WHY (data showing that fewer than 5% of evangelical pastors in Africa had any formal theological training) we want to provide basic, sound theology to church leaders in the toughest places we could reach. We also briefly outlined How we would conduct the training. The trainer is only a facilitator, and instead of a classroom setup, it is more of a circle where everyone actively participates (those who speak the most learn the most). Lastly, we outlined that training without application (which is a MAJOR issue in the majority of theological training programmes) is a complete waste of time and bears no fruit. A key outcome is that we do not move to a new topic until we all agree on how the truth we just learned in God’s Word should be applied in our churches and communities. This is a HUGE paradigm shift in focus; we are NOT interested in transferring information if it doesn’t lead to transformation. This concept is deeply rooted in the Hebrew word Shema, “hearing and obeying.” Hearing is not enough; in Hebrew, the word “hearing” is connected to “hearing and obeying.”

But there is another side to the coin in the Fire Lilies’ vision. The question that begs to be answered is, if research must be done on us, who have received so much theological input and discipleship, what would it show about the fruitfulness of our lives? As noble and right as it may seem to help those church leaders who have never received any training, we have to consider our own lives and the fruit of our lives. We also want to ensure our own spiritual growth into mature believers. Even though the main focus is on bringing training “outside the group”, we are committed to our own active growth.

We understand there are three maturity levels for believers: 

- New believers, like newborn babies, receive only constant spiritual milk to grow as fast and as healthy as possible.

- Young believers, who are taught and trained, mostly receive.      

- The third group comprises believers who are feeding others. This is the goal of maturity we all aspire to: to be able to feed other believers around us, regardless of our own circumstances.      

We face a challenge on both sides of the coin. Providing sound, simple and practical training to churches is of paramount importance. The other challenge is moving believers from merely receiving week after week in the Sunday service, without growth, to actively feeding others. The first group might be identified as untrained, while the second as spiritually retarded. Surely some harsh words, but how would one describe it any other way?

What does this parable tell us?

The Parable of the Sower concerns a Sower who scatters seed, which falls on four types of soil.

- The hard ground “by the wayside” prevents the seed from sprouting, leaving it nothing more than bird food.

- The stony ground provides enough soil for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow, but because there is “no deepness of earth,” the plants do not take root and soon wither in the sun.

- The thorny ground allows the seed to grow, but the competing thorns choke the beneficial plants.

- The good ground receives the seed and yields much fruit.

Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower highlights four responses to the gospel. The seed is “the word of the kingdom.” The hard ground represents someone hardened by sin; he hears but does not understand the Word, and Satan plucks the message away, leaving the heart dull and preventing the Word from making an impression. The stony ground pictures a man who professes delight in the Word; however, his heart is not changed, and when trouble arises, his so-called faith quickly disappears. The thorny ground depicts one who seems to receive the Word, but whose heart is full of riches, pleasures, and lusts; the things of this world take his time and attention away from the Word, and he ends up having no time for it. The good ground portrays the one who hears, understands, and receives the Word—and then allows the Word to accomplish its purpose in his life.

Reading the four responses from Jesus brings a sobering thought: “Where do I stand RIGHT NOW?” Again, it is easy to see “the problem” in the deep rural churches, where heresy is so rampant, but it is much harder to see our own condition unless we hold ourselves and each other accountable. Is it possible that each one of the four soils could also represent our lives and our spiritual well-being? How do we practically activate our hearts to be good soil, and how do we stay out of the other types of soil?

Here are a few modern-day thorns keeping our hearts from being good soil:

- Digital Distraction and Screen Addiction

- The Trap of Materialism and Lifestyle Creep

- Hyper-Busyness and Efficiency Culture

- Modern Anxieties and Control Mechanisms

When a Vision like Fire Lilies, which supports and trains churches that desperately need it, brings like-minded people together, it also creates a platform for this group to develop and sharpen their walk with Jesus. Reaching out to serve others always opens the door to spiritual growth.  

Conclusion

Spurgeon (who spearheaded over 60 different parachurch organisations, ministries, and charities during his lifetime) put it more practically for his London audience. Anyone who looks will “find great crops of thistles springing up in their hearts,” he said, “and they have to keep the sickle of sacred mortification going to cut them down.”

It is also important for us to consider the parables of the Sower and of the wheat and the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). One stark contrast between wheat and weeds is how they appear when mature. Wheat, once the kernel is full and ripe, bows down in a humble position. The weeds, however, once they are ripe, remain upright, looking up, in a position of pride and power. Much can be learned from these two pictures. May our faith and lives exemplify the good soil. 

In conclusion, we are passionate and committed to providing sound theological training to church leaders who have never had the opportunity to receive it. We will actively support them in their communities to be the Body of Jesus. We also accept full responsibility for our own spiritual growth towards maturity, so that we might feed those around us.  

 George Snyman