Subversion

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 (Matthew 13:24).

Like The Parable of the Sower, The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds has a singular point and purpose, but there are also several other truths that can be learned from it. In this parable, Jesus reveals the strategy of Satan in his attempts to thwart the work of God’s Kingdom on earth. This strategy is only one of the strategies used by Satan today.

Jesus said, 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. The man who sows the seeds is Jesus Christ. The seeds are Christian leaders. His field is the Kingdom on earth. The enemy is Satan. The tares are the servants of Satan. Who are the men? The churches, young churches, new churches. What is the strategy?

When it can be done without being noticed, Satan sends his emissaries into the Christian churches to disrupt the ministry of the Kingdom. How do they do that? Through false doctrine, dissension, factions, blatant disobedience, etc. Paul faced and refuted the Judaizers who spread the lie that Christians had to obey Mosaic Law. Peter and John faced and refuted the Gnostics. Jesus warned the seven churches of the Revelation of other such works of Satan.

The church in Smyrna was prey to false Christians who worked to have true believers thrown into prison. The church in Pergamum permitted the doctrine of Balaam (idolatry and sexual immorality) to be taught, and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (legalism) to be practiced. The church in Thyatira allowed a false prophetess (Jezebel) to ply her trade - sexual immorality and idolatry. The church in Sardis had become spiritually immature, weak in the faith, and ready to falter. The church in Philadelphia had members who had committed apostasy. The church in Laodicea was arrogant, independent of the Lord, and playing both sides of the Gospel. These infiltrations and corruptions came from within the church - Satan’s seeds sown among the saints.

Satan sows false preachers and teachers in churches where the hearts of people are open to receive them. How? By stealth. In revivals and evangelistic crusades. In times when churches are desperate for ‘converts’ or when attempting to become acceptable to the culture. Multitudes are persuaded that they are Christians, but are not. They are awakened, alarmed, and convicted, but not converted. Their guilt of sin is assuaged by comforting words, but not by God’s truth. The Bible is taken out of context, convincing them they are saved, but they never meet Jesus. They never experience the new birth. They pray a prayer, walk and aisle, fill out a card, are baptized, join a church, but there is no love for Jesus, no repentance of sin, no obedience to the Lord.   

“Father, how deceptive is the enemy of Your Kingdom and the Christian church. I pray that as a church we will not be found ‘asleep’ and allow Satan to infiltrate our ranks any more than he already has. Keep us spiritually alert and disciplined to ward off any attacks of the enemy from inside our fellowship. To Your glory I ask, Amen.”

Pastor