Unfortunately, not all soil can be
changed. If this were possible, we’d have built cities in
the Sahara Desert. But on the positive side, Los Angeles is
a case of soil being changed. It is one of the largest
cities in the world and is in an area that receives less
than 10” of rain a year, making it a desert.
Hard soil – People who are hard
soil are the ones we least want to share the gospel with
often. They can be openly antagonistic and scornful.
Whatever the case, just like actual hard soil, there is a
barrier that prevents the seed from taking root. In this
case, there is likely an emotional or intellectual barrier.
It isn’t that these people don’t want
to go to heaven, they just don’t believe in it. It is either
because they don’t have proof that God and/or heaven exist,
or they don’t believe in the “narrow road” that Christians
consider the way. We must overcome this barrier by first
discovering what it is and then addressing the issue. If it
is because of scientific evidence contrary to Christianity,
we need to show scientific evidence of our own. If it is
because all the Christians they know aren’t any better than
the rest of the world, we need to show them that we are
different from the rest of the world.
Whatever the barrier or question, we
should do our best to address it. If we need help, we should
consult a more knowledgeable Christian or the pastor.
Rocky soil – Shallow soil
wouldn’t be a problem if bad things didn’t happen. But
accidents happen, people get sick, and others may lose their
jobs. It is in these cases that we realize a person’s faith
has no depth. Shallow soil will appear to be spiritual. They
might say they go to church – at Christmas and Easter. They
may even regularly attend church and be fully convinced that
they are a Christian.
Rock soil has no place for roots. They
don’t waste their time praying or studying God’s word. They
probably won’t be interested in doing anything to help with
the church either. They don’t want to be considered
“ultra-conservative” or a “Bible nut.” This makes our job
difficult but there are some things we can do.
Rocky soil will often place some
relevance in God’s word even if they don’t study it on their
own. You can use passages such as 2 Tim 2:15 “Study to show
yourself approved unto God.” Or 2 Pet 3:18 “But grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
And sharing God’s plan of salvation isn’t out of order. They
will likely profess to be a Christian but it is obvious
there is no life change.
Finally, when the storms of life occur
– as they undoubtedly will – you can be there to help and
share words of encouragement.
