Collinsville-Troy CHURCH OF CHRIST

Plant Don't Pick

Jason Wright

One of the concepts we try to practice in seed sowing is Plant Don't Pick. As Paul commanded in I Corinthians 3, we are to plant and water the seed and leave the rest to God.

Throughout the ministry of Jesus, He shared His message with some interesting characters who tried to trick and test Him. He always planted instead of picking. Maybe you remember that awkward feeling when you were a kid waiting for captains to pick you to be on their team. They would look at you, make a judgement and then move on to someone else.

Do we pick and don't plant? Does Evangelistic Prejudice exist in the church? Sometimes Christians can be heard saying, he will never convert. She will never become a Christian. He is not a good candidate for the gospel; lives on the wrong side of the tracks. Not scary Gary or mean Gene…nope, no way, no how. The decision has been made. That's it; it's a wrap. In other words, do we pick people who we think will obey and cast aside those who won't? If so, for some, the seed goes unplanted. Unfortunately, we make these decisions based on our own negative thoughts about someone who may or may not be searching for something better.

A lesson I have learned over the years is I do not know who will or who will not obey the Gospel. What I do know is they won't obey what they haven't heard. That is where you and me come into play. Who needs the seed and how do we sow it in their hearts? We should PLANT and not PICK.

James 2 reminds us not to hold the Gospel with partiality. We are not to show attention to the rich man and then direct the poor man to sit at our footstool. Notice, if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin.

We should not care more about man's outward appearance than the inner man (I Sam. 16:7). Jesus said in Matthew 11:5, the poor have the Gospel preached to them. We also know it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:23). Either way, rich or poor, family or friend or coworker, we should not withhold the Gospel based on our own judgements about them.

Thankfully, Jesus sees us all as souls worth saving. He sees you and me as valuable. In fact, so treasured that He left heaven, lived the perfect example, and died a horrible death so we can have forgiveness of sins. We should be thankful Jesus was not a respecter of persons, but a Savior for all mankind. Jesus lived a life modelling how we should plant and not pick!

The Manifold Wisdom of God

Renn Ferguson

The church occupies a very important position in the life of a christian. It is the body of christ to which we were added when we obeyed the gospel (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:27). While the church may be important to us as individuals, its importance extends far beyond this world.

We read in Ephesians 3:10, "So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." (ESV) Here we see that is the through the church the wisdom of God is made known. What is this wisdom and to whom is it revealed?

The wisdom under consideration here is discussed from 2:11 to 3:6. Ephesians 3:6 adequately summarizes the point, "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in christ Jesus through the gospel." God had always intended on bringing Jews and Gentiles together in Christ. It was not until the time of Jesus and the Apostles that this was fully revealed. This is why it is here referred to as a mystery. The church is the instrument God used to demonstrate His plan of salvation for all mankind.

To whom does the church reveal such things? It is true that through the preaching of the gospel this great mystery is revealed to men by the church today. However, another point seems to be made here. The church is said to make known the wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. The phrase "heavenly places" is used in reference to the spiritual and spiritual beings throughout this letter (compare 1:3, 2:6, 6:12, etc.) This then brings to mind 1 Peter 1:12, "it was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look." When the prophets prophesied of the coming Messiah, they did not understand how or when God would accomplish His plan. The angels, as we see here, did not understand either. That is, until the coming of Jesus and the establishment of His church. God taught the angels of His infinite wisdom through His people, the church.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! (Romans 11:33) Let us praise God for allowing us to be a part of His great plan!

https://bulletingoldextra.blogspot.com/2026/08/living-in-now.html