Sharecroppers for the Kingdom!

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Feb. 24, 2014 Monday Message:

Luke 20:9-19, the Parable of the Evil Farmers, is a story about sharecroppers. Let me encourage you to take a minute and read it. I’ll be speaking on this text next Sunday. Sharecropping is one of the best analogies for our relationship with God in His Kingdom, so let’s dig in with a short, “Cliff’s Notes,” version.

God owns all the land, all the earth. We are only tenants for a brief time. No matter how hard we work, we will not get to own the land, which is to say, we will not become equals with God. God allows us to plant and harvest, but we need to give back a portion to the Kingdom. The evil farmers in the parable were reluctant to do that. We should strive to do better.

We also have shares, as in “sharecropper,” in God’s eternal Kingdom. God has given us knowledge of himself through His Word, the Bible, and through His Son Jesus, who walked on earth with us, and we are to plant seeds of faith into those who are far from God, so that they can come to know God more and more. If you’re working WITH God on this, He will truly fill your agenda with those He has chosen.

So the Kingdom is God’s “land,” we’re the workers, and we’ll all receive our portion when God says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matt. 25:21)

Isn’t it great being a sharecropper-worker when your Kingdom-land owner is God Almighty?

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday, at 10:30am, in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week we’ll learn all about being “Sharecroppers for the Kingdom!” See you at church!