Author: Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

My dear friend, I would like you to think how you could use your times of special celebration, parties and other opportunities for bringing the gospel to your unsaved relatives, friends and acquaintances.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31 the bible reminds us that whatever we do, we must do it for the glory of the Lord:

“So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”

Let’s talk about another quality Jethro possessed: he did not pressure Moses to accept his advice. We can see in the Scripture, which I would like us to look at:

«If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace» (Exodus, 18:23).

We can see here that Jethro did not demand Moses to accept his advice, but gave him a chance to make a choice himself. The phrase “if you do this thing” means that even if Moses did not listen to Jethro, he would not be upset. So he knew he could not take it personally if Moses chooses a different way.

One of the ways we make ourselves qualified is to learn to listen to people, listen to their hearts and feelings; only then we can really help them.

Besides, we must be ready to show the problem from a different perspective. It is not satisfactory to point out person’s problem or his or her mistakes; we must be able to highlight how his or her present lifestyle or approach to life has caused the problem.

Today I would like us to look at another passage of Scripture.

Every one of us tries to help people by giving advice or recommendations. There are moments in life when we want to reveal certain truths to people so that they could make right choices. Every one of us needs counsel and guidance. It says in the Bible: «Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counsellors they are established» (Proverbs, 15:22).

I would like to start talking about how to not give up in the midst of problems and trials. It is not a secret that our whole life is filled with problems and tests, but we have to learn to overcome them, if we want to move forward in this life.

If we have seed and sow it in good ground, then we will definitely see a harvest. Seed will grow.
Sown seed first gives blade, then head and then grain in the head. Multiplication and growth always imply process. It is unavoidable if we want to receive harvest. We just have to do our part.
First, that we have to understand in order to receive harvest is that we need some seed. The truth is that we already have seed. If you want to see multiplication in some area of your life you should know that you already have seed from God.

What does fruitfulness depend on? On the level of understanding of the mysteries of God’s Kingdom. As we mentioned, if a person listens to the Word of God but does not understand it, then Satan comes and steals the Word. Those who understand the Word bring forth fruit – thirtyfold, sixtyfold and hundredfold.

That is why the first requirement for being fruitful in His kingdom is an understanding of the mysteries of God’s Kingdom. Today I would like you to see to whom God reveals the mysteries of His Kingdom.

I want you to notice that it is required of us to accept the Word if we want it to bear fruit. People with stony hearts also accept the Word, but there is a difference between them and those whose heart is identified as being good ground. People with stone hearts receive the Word on the emotional level, on the surface; besides, they are not consistent, and as a result the Word cannot take root in their hearts.

«…and they have no root in themselves…» (Мark 4:17)

«Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.» (Mark 4:3-8)

As a base we will use a passage from Mark chapter 4, where Jesus Himself was speaking in parables.
In this chapter there are three parables, through which Jesus explains the power and the potential hidden in a small seed.
First I would like to simply recount these parables, but later we will look at each of them in more detail.
The first parable that Jesus talked about is the parable of the sower. This parable shows that there is a whole list of obstacles that make it difficult for seeds to grow and bear fruit. In this parable, Jesus went ahead to show us three types of obstacles which can impede the growth of the seeds that we sow. (Mark 4:3-20)