By David P. Sanzo
The Kingdom in a Seed (full article)
The Kingdom in a Seed ( Outline)
The Kingdom in a seed (PowerPoint)
Seeds Reproduce Their Own Kind
When God created the earth, He commanded the herbs and trees to bring forth fruit. He specified that each type of herb would yield “seed after his kind,” and that each tree would yield “fruit, whose seed was in itself” (Genesis 1:11-12). Each did exactly as He commanded: the seed of any plant is within the plant (or the fruit) itself. That seed will produce exactly the same fruit from which it came.
When He created the fish of the sea and the fowl of the air, they also were made to bring forth “after their kind” (Genesis 1:21). Every type of bird reproduces only its own kind and every fish reproduces only itself. Even with mutations, they will not produce other kinds of birds or fish.
When He created all the animals, they were all made to bring forth “after his kind” (Genesis 1:25). They all reproduce after their own kind. They do not even reproduce other related kinds. Your German shepherd will not produce a red fox; your Labrador retriever will not produce a timber wolf.
Their seed is found in themselves. It is easy to understand how we can find the seed of any living thing in itself. The watermelon plant produces the watermelon seed; the giraffes produce more giraffes.
Whether plant or animal, the seed of any particular one of them is found in themselves. So, if you want beans, you must plant bean seeds; if you want corn, you must plant corn seeds.
Again, the natural world is a picture of the spiritual world; the natural order of things is a picture of the spiritual order of things. If we want to see the results of faith, we must plant the seed of faith.
Many want to see the harvest of faith. They want the yield of miracles. They hope and wish and fantasize about it, but they never plant the seed of faith.
They claim to believe in all the power of God, but they never act on it. I could say to everyone that I meet, “I believe in spinach. Everybody should have spinach every day. Everybody should raise spinach in their gardens. It is the cure-all for all of our illnesses. It works wonders for Popeye, and it will work wonders for the rest of us. And besides, the price of spinach is about to rise to such a degree, that it is the best investment you could possibly make at this time.”
However, if I do not plant spinach seed, I will never reap a spinach harvest. It will not matter if I have three warehouses full of spinach seed, I will not gain any spinach from it if I do not plant it. As a result, I will never reap the results of spinach for my body, or my wallet.
Many Christians do just that. They believe God can work miracles of healings in their bodies. They believe God can help them to prosper spiritually, physically, and financially. But they never plant any seeds for this to happen. They do not claim the promises of God. They do not release their faith.
“A Bit Much”
Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).
I was preaching in Wisconsin where, during the revival, I went to do some visitation with the assistant pastor. We were going to visit a woman who had never attended the church, but whose 12-year-old son had started attending, by way of the Sunday School bus route.
On the way, I began to tell the young minister friend of mine about some of the miracles that had happened in the last series of revival meetings where I had been. One miracle in particular was concerning a woman who, among other things, had difficulty walking because her nerves had died, from her waist down to her feet. She lost all feeling in her legs. But God had healed her.
When we arrived and began speaking with the woman, it turned out that she had the same exact condition as the prior woman. This sparked the faith of the assistant pastor. He told her about what I had just finished telling him in the car. He told her that if she would allow us to pray for her, he believed God would heal her.
She responded by telling us that she was a Lutheran, and that Lutherans believed in faith. She had great faith. In fact, she was noted for her faith. But to ask God to do this was “a bit much.”
He then told her that we were perhaps a little bit different. We believed the Bible, including the passages where it says that nothing is too hard for God (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Mark 10:27). She replied that she too believed that God could do anything but to ask Him to do this was still “a bit much.”
I stood back and watched the two interact. He kept trying to convince her that God could, and would, heal her. She kept insisting that it was “a bit much.” Well, she won the debate. But she lost her chance for a miracle.
You can have a barn full of corn seed, but if you do not plant it, you will never gain a harvest of corn. You can have a barn full of the seed of faith, but if you do not plant it, you will never reap the harvest that should grow out of faith. You can have all the faith in the world, but if you never use it, it will profit you nothing.
The Seed of God
The Word of God is our seed. In the interpretation of the parable of the sower, Jesus said, “The sower soweth the word” (Mark 4:14). So the Word is our seed.
That word, if it falls on good ground, will produce fruit. What is the fruit that it will produce? Well, the Word of God is, in a crude sense, the seed of God, or the seed of His kingdom. Again, since the word is an extension of the spirit, the Word of God is an “extension” of Himself. So the fruit that it produces will be after His kind. We will become like Him.
The fruit of His seed or His Word is, among other things, the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23. But even here, what is mentioned (love, joy, peace, etc.) is used to describe characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. The meaning of the fruit of the Spirit surpasses all of these.
We understand that the natural world teaches us about the spiritual world. All things reproduce “after their own kind.” So it is with the Word of God, which is the seed of the kingdom. When we are born of the Spirit, we are born of God. We are born into His kingdom.
Being born of God, we become called the “sons of God” (I John 3:1). Jesus also said that “the good seed are the children of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:38).
Kingdoms have to do with the exercise of authority and power. When we talk about the kingdom of Alexander the Great, we are talking about the area over which he exercised his authority and power. When we talk about the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, we are talking about the exercise of his authority and power. Likewise, when we are talking about the kingdom of God, we are talking about the exercise of His authority and power. We are talking about the domain of God.
We can understand how there is not much difference between the bean and the bean seed, or between the corn and the corn seed; it is simply a matter of the different stages of growth. So it is with the seed of the Word: first it is planted in us, and the result of our growth is our becoming children of the kingdom.
The seed of God is in himself, in His Word. Remember that the seed of every living thing is in itself. That seed will reproduce after His own kind. So His Word will reproduce after His own kind.
Again, it is not that we become gods, as in the “New Age” sense. We are talking about becoming like God in the Christian sense:
…we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (I John 3:2, emphasis added).
Remember, there is only one true God who is the Creator of all. And the distinction between Him and all others must never be lost. Yet, His seed will reproduce after His own kind.
Simply stated, the Word of God is the seed of God. So if we want the fruit of God, we must plant the seed of God. If we want the harvest or the results of God (and God is, by definition, supernatural), we must utilize the seed. Paul said,
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7).
He went on to say that if we sowed to the flesh, we would reap corruption; but if we sowed to the Spirit, we would reap life everlasting (v.8).
So how do you sow spiritual seed? Again, the sower sows the word (Mark 4:14). You sow by what you say. You sow by what comes out of your mouth.
The Success of the Seed
Jesus said, “So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground” (Mark 4:26).
In the natural world, you sow your seed into the earth. You plant the seed into the ground. In the spiritual world, you sow your seed into spiritual earth. What is spiritual ground?
When God created man, He made man out of the earth, out of the ground. The difference between man and other creation was that man was the only one made with a soul and spirit. The other creatures reside in the natural world only. Human beings, though, dwell in both the natural and the spiritual worlds.
In the natural world, Jesus said that “the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mark 4:28). The earth will bring forth plenty of fruit, if one will sow seed into it. So we will bring forth fruit, if we plant seed into our hearts. Plant the seed; get the word into your heart.
The type of ground upon which the seed falls will determine the degree of the harvest’s success. Some seeds may fall by the wayside. Others will fall on stony ground. Still others will fall on thorny ground. But some will fall on good ground.
The good ground will bring forth either thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or one hundredfold. The earth will determine to what degree the seed will multiply. The seed determines what will be produced, but the earth determines how productive the crop will be.
As man was made from the earth, so man is the soil of the spirit. The name “Adam” means “earth.” The heart of man is the spiritual earth. Whatever type of harvest we want, we can get if we will plant the right seed. The earth will bring forth of herself the harvest (Mark 4:28), if the seed is planted.
Likewise, man, as the spiritual earth, will produce spiritual harvest if we will but plant the seed. This will work whether we plant the seed in ourselves or others.
The type of soil into which the seed falls determines the productiveness of the seed. If we will open ourselves to the seed (which is the Word of God), then we will make it productive in our lives.
Good ground does not usually just appear magically, though, as if it came out of nowhere. It is true that some ground will be finer than others, more suited to growing crops by its very composition: some is purer, richer, darker soil, whereas other soil may be full of sand, clay, shale, rocks, etc.
More often, though, we may have to do something to the soil to get it into a profitable condition, one that will yield results. It may need to be (allowed, or “broken up, harrowed, or plowed without seeding to destroy weeds and conserve soil moisture.”
Fallow may also refer to the period of time after the land is tilled, during the growing season.” In this time, the soil is allowed to recuperated, or replenish its supply of nutrients. Let us cultivate such fallow ground for the Lord, then, either by plowing it to break up areas of aridity or hardheartedness, or by allowing it to remain still for a while, so that it may be nurtured with refreshing rains and energizing minerals. In due season, it will then be ready to be plowed, and will produce a rich harvest.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time [lift you up in due season] (I Peter 5:6).
Samuel told the people of Israel to prepare their hearts unto the Lord (I Samuel 7:3). A prophet told Jehoshaphat that there were some good things found in him; namely, that he had prepared his heart to seek God (II Chronicles 19:3). Ezra was able to be used by God because he had:
…prepared his heart, to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it (Ezra 7:6,10, emphasis added).
Our hearts ought to be prepared beforehand, willing to receive the Lord when He comes. If our house (or soil), is set in order, cleared of confusion, the Master (the sower) can dwell in it (sow the seed, the Word) all the more readily, effectively, and even joyfully—His work will become a pleasure. Does it not feel good to have our house clean, i.e, live in a state of friendship with God?
For the seed to be planted in good ground, we must hear, or receive, the Word of God, and obey it fully. Remember, we receive hearing by the Word of God.
Faith [which is what activates God] cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).
As we physically receive the Word of God, we receive spiritual hearing, which causes us to receive faith. If we harden our hearts to the Word of God, we will be like stony ground, which is unprofitable. If we neglect to focus on it, the cares of this world will choke it out. But if we will mix faith with the Word of God, then it (the seed) becomes profitable to us (Hebrews 4:2).
The seed determines what is produced, but only if it is cast into the ground:
Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (John 12:24).
When Jesus came, He came as the Word made flesh (John 1:14a). He was Life wrapped in a shell of humanity. As the seed made flesh, He was cast into the ground. Man is the earth into which He was cast: He left His throne of glory and dwelt among us (John 1:14b). And that seed died; Jesus died on the cross.
And so the Word of the Lord was fulfilled. The seed fell into the ground and died, bringing forth much fruit. What kind of fruit does it produce? It brings forth more of the same kind of fruit that it is. Paul wrote,
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren (Romans 8:29, emphasis added).
In the plan of God, He destined us to be conformed to the very image or likeness of His Son. This plan would make Him the first of many brothers. We become like Him.
The seed of the Word of God was designed to bring forth much fruit. It will be as effective as the rain or snow is in watering the earth (Isaiah 55:10-11). If we will believe the Word of God, it will be profitable to us (Hebrews 4:2). If we will believe, the Word will work effectually (with definite results) in us (I Thessalonians 2:13).
What Are You Sowing?
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7).
If a farmer does not want to reap corn, he does not plant corn. If he wants to change his harvest from beans to peas, he needs only to change his seed. Likewise, if you do not like the harvest you are reaping, and then change the seeds you are sowing.
Learn to speak words of life, not death. Learn to speak words of health rather than sickness. Our words should minister salvation, not condemnation. They should work restoration instead of destruction. Remember you will reap whatever you learn to say with your mouth. The seeds you sow are your words; the words you speak are your seeds.
Discipline your words to be words of success, not failure. Let your words speak wealth and prosperity, rather than poverty and destitution. Learn to look for great rewards, instead of expecting disappointment.
Let your words call for deliverance, instead of bondage. Sow seeds of words that minister freedom, rather than slavery. Speak words of liberty in place of words of captivity. Make your words those of truth, not of error.
Learn to speak of winning rather than losing. Speak of triumphing instead of declining. Instead of murmuring of defeat, let your words be filled with reports of victory!
Speak of rising rather than falling; find words that do not “fall.” Talk not of ruin, but of building. Speak words that build up the people of God rather than words that tear them down; let your words edify, not destroy. Choose the side of life: with your words, build up the kingdom. Choose to vivify, create, preserve, establish, raise, amplify, magnify, grow, and produce. Do not use words that ravage, raze, quash, crush, eradicate, annihilate, obliterate, devastate, and demolish. In the things of God, gather, rather than scatter (Luke 11:23).
So, do not discourage, dishearten, or deflate others. Seek to encourage, hearten, embolden, spur, inspire, rally, reassure, root for, fortify, support, buoy, cheer.
Tell others to have confidence, placing trust in God, for “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” (Romans 8:31). God is greater than whatever, or whoever, comes against us.
No weapon formed against us shall prosper; and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord (Isaiah 54:17, NKJV).
Nothing “can separate us from the love of Christ” (Romans 8:35¬38). We proclaim the love of Christ, and support His cause 100% – not that of the “principalities and powers” of the world which live only for division, to separate believers from God. We should speak what is good or profitable, or nothing at all (“If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all”). If we cannot do someone good, than we should not do them wrong (“If I can’t do you right, I will not do you any wrong”).
More than refraining from burdening our neighbors, we are to ease their burdens and encourage them also to say and do what is right:
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among your-selves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the spirit. Despise not prophesying (I Thessalonians 5:14-19).
In all things, speak words that do not quench the spirit, but lift it. Prophesy words that work towards edification, exhortation (encouragement), and comfort (I Corinthians 14:3). Let your words speak healings and miracles. Do not let your words be fraught with doubt and unbelief; rather, speak words filled with faith. Learn to speak words that work wonders. Learn to speak the Word of God.
If we do so, we will find our unbelief vanish, and faith will fill the place made by its leaving. In this way we can be filled, more and more, with faith. Instead of being imploded or impaled by our own words, lingering in the shadow of death, we will live by words of faith, in the fullness of life.
Your tongue is the rudder to your ship. It is like the bit to the horse’s mouth. Where you go in life depends on what you say.
If you allow your flesh or carnal nature to dictate what you sow, then you will of your flesh reap corruption. You will self-destruct. If instead you allow the Spirit of God to dictate what you sow, you will of the Spirit reap life everlasting. It will produce life on a much higher level. This is life that is “out of this world.”
If we want to reap life everlasting, we must sow seeds of life. We must learn to speak the powerful Word of God, for it is life-giving (Hebrews 4:12).
Concerning the words of God, Solomon said that “they are life unto those that find them, and health to all the flesh” (Proverbs 4:22). Yes, His words produce life and health, even to our fleshly bodies. If that is what you want to reap, then start sowing the right type of seeds.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:22-25).
What Are You Preaching?
A friend of mine once told me what a seasoned and successful minister had said to him: that he would get whatever he preached. If he preached the gospel in a weak fashion, he would get weak results; if he preached it powerfully, as the gospel truly is powerful, his results would be powerful.
Right then and there, I made up my mind: if that was the case, then I would preach God as powerfully as I could imagine Him to be. I wanted to get the greatest results I possibly could.
You also will get what you preach; you will get what you speak. If you preach a great falling away, you will reap a great falling away. If you preach that things can only get worse, they will.
If you preach fear, people will live in fear. If you preach trials and tribulations rather than overcoming the world, you will get loads of trials and tribulations. You will get what you preach.
If you preach revival and growth, you will see it. If you preach unity, you will gain unity in the body. If you preach God as a God of miracles, you will receive miracles. If you preach Him as a healer, you will see healings. If you preach God’s promise to pour His Spirit out on all flesh, you will see an outpouring of the Holy Ghost.
If you preach Him as a deliverer, you will see deliverances. If you preach Him as a Savior, you will see salvation come. If you preach Him as a restorer of relationships, you will see Him restore relationships.
God will honor your faith. He will not be mocked or discredited. He will give the increase to what you sow, so that you will reap the benefits or the curses, depending on what seed you used. The Bible tells us that “a man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth” (Proverbs 13:2a).
At this point, some may want to accuse me of being a “word of faith guy.” I must tell you that this is far better than being a “word of doubt guy.” And I surely do not want to be known as a “word of fear guy;” this is not what God wants for us. Zacharias praised God in his prophesy, saying:
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life (Luke 1:74-75).
In spite of everything, the apostles were word of faith preachers. Paul referred to “the word of faith, which we preach” (Romans 10:8). If they can be “word of faith men” then I can be a “word of faith man.”
Fear ought not stop us from entering the promised land, as it did the children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt. Fear should not prevent us from reigning in the kingdom of God. He told us to fear not, but that He would give us the words to say (Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11). All we need to do is speak His words in faith; He will do the rest.
I want the words that I speak to minister grace to the hearers. I want my words to be useful to edify or build up the Body of Christ. I know that I can be useful in building up the Body of Christ – if I speak words of faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). I can build the things I hope for with faith.
Remember, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Sow words of faith.
Learn to Speak Words That Do Not Fall
Returning to I Samuel 3:19, we find that as Samuel grew, “The LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” When Samuel spoke a word from God, not once did he ever “miss it.” He was always “right on the money.” His words had powerful effects. They never fell to the ground, which is contrary to many “prophets” that we have among us now.
It is not that I want to develop an atmosphere of intolerance concerning people trying to be in tune with God and being used by. Him. But I do believe that we can get to a point in our walk with God where He will not allow a single word we speak to fall to the ground. The words we speak can become so sure that it would seem as if they came directly from the mouth of God Himself (II Samuel 16:23).
Because we know in part, we prophesy in part (I Corinthians 13:9). We can only prophesy to the degree that we know, or to the degree that we can see. We prophesy according to our knowledge. To the extent that we know God, we can truly prophesy.
That is why Paul prayed, “that I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). Oh that we may know Him! Perhaps then we would not see so many of our words fall to the ground, and the power of grace thwarted.
If we would know Him as He longs to be known, so many ineffective, idle words would not be spoken; our words would then carry great power, and accomplish great things.
As we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18), we will learn to speak His words, which do not fall. In fact, Solomon proclaimed:
…There hath not failed one word of all his good pleasure, which he promised (I Kings 8:56).
The above article, “The Kingdom in a Seed,” is written by David P. Sanzo. The article was excerpted from chapter 14 of Sanzo’s book The Key to the Kingdom: Beginning Your Reign in the Spirit.
The material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
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