Seed, Soil, Souls Pt. 2
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.
Hosea 10:12 NIV
The journey of a seed, from planting to harvest, is a powerful metaphor for the Christian journey. In Genesis 8:22, God himself promises that “as long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest…will never cease.” Throughout scripture, we see God redeem soil (places) and souls (people) using righteous seed. Whether it is warnings of the prophets preaching to a distracted nation or the parables of Jesus spoken in city after city, God consistently uses the words and actions of obedient, praying people to begin the work of restoration.
Scripture also shows us that the seeds we plant directly determine the fruits we reap, regardless of how much time passes between sowing and harvest. As we step into the final week of preparing ground for the new location of City Church Chicago, we must understand that this is more than a building project. We are establishing a house of prayer for all people, in line with Jesus' own words. Let’s commit to sowing according to biblical principles so that we may see a bountiful harvest:
Sow seeds of Obedience: Obedience means receiving God's instructions and following through completely. It requires that we seek God for specific direction about what and how much we’re called to give. We trust that the God who sees all things will not ask us to give beyond what we’re able. He will replenish what we pour out, meeting our needs even as He uses us to meet the needs of the Church.
Sow seeds of Prayer: God inhabits the prayers of His people. The Bible tells us that the prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective. While we cannot qualify by ourselves, Jesus’s death on the cross has covered us in His own righteousness, giving us full access to pray to God with the expectation that He will answer. In this season, we must be praying consistently, asking God to move miraculously and powerfully. Prayer is not just a support act. It is a seed that changes everything.
Sow seeds of Faith: Faith is an honest belief in what we cannot see, even when what we do see seems overwhelming. We must genuinely believe that the vision set before our Church is in line with God’s will, even if we do not know how the needs will be met. Our faith moves us to act with confidence, speaking and living as if God’s promise is already fulfilled. That could mean sharing that City Church will have a new home, or walking the land at 128 South Paulina and imagining your future commute. What we are doing is too big for us alone. It’s God-sized. And we are, without question, in the middle of a miracle.
128 South Paulina is the place.
We are the people.
Now is the time.
Prayer: God, thank You for allowing us to be part of the good work You’re doing in Chicago. We ask that You would move in a mighty and undeniable way to complete what You started at 128 South Paulina. Empower us to sow in obedience, prayer, and faith so that in this time and place, we may witness Your miraculous work and tell the story for generations to come.