THE TRUE AND FLASE

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; "but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. "But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. "So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ "He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ "But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ‘Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ’ " Mtt. 13:24-30

I want to point out what the Lord says about gathering the harvest... they are together UNTIL the HARVEST. And then the tares are gathered in to bundles and burned and then the wheat (fruit) is gathered.

God says also that the 'full measure must come for the sin to be filled' and such. Of this I spoke before. But I have made an interesting discovery about harvest in my own garden here at home.

Are you aware, that before the intended crop is ready for harvest, the "weeds come in head first"? If soybean - cockle bur are ripe first? If field corn - Johnson Grass and Horse Weeds are seeded and blowing across the field first? And so it is with gardens also! If tomatoes (hehe- I thought of you Dave) then this clover like stuff with stickers ripens first and die, then tomatoes turn red for picking. Thus the observation - first
the weeds are weighed in "full measure" - and then the Great Farmer moves to His Crop of Harvest.

I kinda played this by a saint or two before deciding to post and a brother sent this to me in response...

JIM wrote: "Does this mean - in every season - we see tares going forth w/ great gusto in spread... and then Christ Jesus gathers His fruit from among this "spiritual evil.as well as spiritual good" growth? Are we seeing this even today, as church building programs flourish w/ great gusto? Because every month we hear from more and more brethren that become fed up w/ this obvious misdirection of the true faith? Building programs to which their is never "enough"... Bigger and bigger storehouses - and could they be "bundles"?

Who can then say - they have experienced this same pattern of truth, "inwardly"? I have observed in my own walk something very similar... Sometimes <often>, as I would be seeking Him in spirit and truth - and in a real desire for more of Him - I would suddenly be plagued, troubled, under
distress from inward "mal-contents"... Anger might rise up - maybe I couldn't even give it name or identity - but I was stirred and distressed... Bundling my malcontents together - and Him removing them - and then and only then - suddenly then came the fruit / Light / Love / Life --- the sweetness
of the walk w/ Him... He moved on my "weeds first" - then came the harvest of fruit...

Can anyone identify w/ this - or am I just being silly? But I must tell ya, I use to run and hide from troubling weeds... No more - I have learned to trust Him in greater measure... He is faithful, even when I am NOT... When I am troubled and in weakness, then comes His strength...

I have become less concerned w/ bundles outwardly... they really haven't much impact... it's those inward weeds that choke me..."

I found his pondering really enlightening especially in the light of Terry's recent dream about the old man and women. Let us take this dream personally and as a body.

In honest reply to my brother I had to yes to his question about bundling my personal tares first... then the fruit of the Spirit. I replied with the following:

"We are such outward thinkers. And since we are that, we perceive everything we come into contact with thru that particular lens.

For instance...
The wheat and the tares parable... we have heard it said that it is written (been taught) that this passage of scripture is about harvesting the unsaved and saved. And all the while Jesus is saying the kingdom of God is within...
i.e. invisible to the human eye. And this takes us back to the parable of the Sower and His Seed...

The Sower is Father and the seed His Son- the Word of God... that is why Paul says I travail in birth pains until Christ is formed in you. And Jesus says an interesting and arresting thing in all 3 of the gospel accounts of this parable... It has been given to us to understand the mysteries of
parables but to them who are outside get everything in parables & nothing is hidden except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. What has been given to us? that is the $64 question...

As I saw written the other day- "the OT is the NT concealed and the NT is the OT revealed" - the outward (OT) could not accomplish (it was and is able to show us outward inability and our glaring need for an inward work and therefore spiritual) what God was after in men and so Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit made way for the perfect to come- inward (NT) fulfillment.

If His work in me personal is invisible then it goes to common sense that the work of the real church is also invisible. I am reminded here first the spiritual then the natural... while all that God does is spiritual I am carnal... so by virtue of my staying connected to the Spirit do I have any spiritual discernment or understanding.

Why oh why do we look for a sign or wonder or try to apprehend the inward by outward reasoning and wisdom. It is as the scriptures are written - the way of the cross is an offense to those perishing but life to those who have
been apprehended themselves by the Author of the Gospel.

My prayer brother has been, is and will be that I have ears to hear and eyes to see and that those only come by the Holy Spirit."

So Troy... this is what I would ask about ridding ourselves of the false prophets...

Could it be the 'false prophets' are some of our own false beliefs i.e. = rapture discussions, tithe teachings, covering teachings, end times nonsense... the list is so long I could on for ever. And that ain't even countin' the personal false beliefs about God we all walk around with- you know the stuff like 'did God really say?'.

I think that as in the natural as the false shepherds, profits, and teachers are shown fallen down we will see the tares gathered and bundled and burned- both personally and as a body. There are many seasons in a year and many years of harvest.

Something to ponder I must say.

Love to you all... Pepper singin'~ That I Would Walk In Your Ways oh Lord!

pepper_aka_vw@yahoo.com