by Joe Slater<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/garden-300x200.jpg\")
I presume you have your garden in by now. If you’re like me, you’re looking forward to harvesting those nutritious veggies! Somehow, the store-bought variety doesn’t measure up. If you planted okra, what do you expect to harvest? It’s a weird question, but you probably know already what I’m driving at. Okra seed won’t produce sweet corn or cabbage, no matter how much you desire them. God designed living things to reproduce after their own kind (Genesis 1:11-25).<\/p>\n
That biological principle applies to spiritual concerns, too. God’s word is spiritual seed (Luke 8:11). When it is planted into good soil (honest hearts), it produces a harvest. In Acts 2, Peter planted that seed into the hearts of a multitude of people. Many believed and asked what they should do (Acts 2:37). Peter told them to repent and be immersed in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Some 3000 souls did just that, becoming disciples of Jesus. God gave the name “Christian” to such disciples (Acts 11:26).<\/p>\n
When that same gospel seed is planted into honest hearts today, what harvest should we expect? It brought forth Christians about 2000 years ago. Would it produce something different today? No, because seed still brings forth fruit after its kind! The confusion in the religious world isn’t the result of the pure seed being sown. Rather, it exists because some other “seed” has been planted (traditions of men, creeds, opinions, dogmas). Those things have produced all manner of division, confusion, and hostility.<\/p>\n
God’s word needs no improvement (as if there were such a thing)! Our need is not to add to it, take from it, or modify it in any way, but simply to believe it, obey it, and live by it. May God help us to do just that.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Joe Slater I presume you have your garden in by now. If you’re like me, you’re looking forward to harvesting those nutritious veggies! Somehow, the store-bought variety doesn’t measure up. If you planted okra, what do you expect to harvest? It’s a weird question, but you probably know already what I’m driving at. Okra…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[99,383],"class_list":["post-89401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-becoming-a-christian","tag-growth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62873,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-seed-still-in-the-barn\/","url_meta":{"origin":89401,"position":0},"title":"Is the Seed Still in the Barn?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Haggai 2:10-19 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0After the people returned from captivity, work began in rebuilding Israel. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The people quickly laid the foundation of the temple, but the work stagnated. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The people were distracted with rebuilding their own homes and efforts to produce a living. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Over time they became apathetic. For 16\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38824,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/its-own-body\/","url_meta":{"origin":89401,"position":1},"title":"Its Own Body","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Some brethren have gotten caught up in the AD 70 doctrine that the resurrection and only judgment happened in AD 70. They argue that the resurrection of \"the body\" is just a spiritual resurrection of the collective body of Christ (the church). So, they do some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/seedlings-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21719,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-mustard-seed-the-smallest-of-all-seeds\/","url_meta":{"origin":89401,"position":2},"title":"Is the mustard seed the smallest of all seeds?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a Bible question, sir. In Matthew 13:31-32 and in Mark 4:30-32, does Jesus say that the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds? I have read that the orchid seed is the smallest seed. I'm a little confused. Can you please tell me what Jesus meant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/mustard-seeds.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60141,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-we-just-be-christians\/","url_meta":{"origin":89401,"position":3},"title":"Can We Just Be Christians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Craig Thomas In a world filled with religious traditions and denominational churches, the concept of being simply Just a Christian is difficult to communicate. Yet a careful reader of the New Testament will realize Jesus did not die so His followers could be divided into sects and parties (John\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30355,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/apostolic-succession\/","url_meta":{"origin":89401,"position":4},"title":"Apostolic Succession (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Acts 20:17-36 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How do you prove that your brand of Christianity is real? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For some, the argument is based on who was around the longest. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A religion that just recently started is declared to be suspect. If the church has been around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54699,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-preachers-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":89401,"position":5},"title":"The Preacher\u2019s Work","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Andy Sochor When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, one of the matters he addressed was the support of preachers (I Corinthians 9:3-14). He explained that although he did not take wages from them (I Corinthians 9:15; cf. II Corinthians 11:8), he had a right to receive such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}