Going to Jesus

Gospel Tracts

 Select a tract to read:

• Tracts 1-50

  1. How I Received the Holy Ghost 2. Jesus Is Coming Again 3. You Must Be Born Again 4. Stir Up the Gift of God 5. The World’s Most Dreaded Hour 6. What is Salvation? 7. Stand Still in Jordan 9. Grieved Hearts 10. The Second Death 11. The Father and the Son 12. Suffering and the Saints 13. Cancer Conquered 14. The Church? 15. How Shall They Preach, Except They Be Sent? 16. Have You Received the Holy Ghost Since You Believed? 17. Patience 18. Alone With God 19. Tithes and Offerings 20. Prayer 21. The True Sabbath 22. The Besetting Sin 23. The Cry of the Righteous 24. What Will the Harvest Be? 25. Marriage and Divorce 26. Taking the Name of the Lord 27. The Keys of the Kingdom 28. Works 29. Politics and Believers 30. Unequally Yoked in Marriage 31. Coming Out of Babylon 32. The Forgiven Woman 33. The New Earth 34. The Sin of Silence 35. Freedom 36. Gods of the Gentiles 37. Why Some Are Not Healed 38. The Seven Pillars 39. Life, More Abundantly 40. Fear 41. The Comforter’s Testimony 42. This is My Friend 43. Conversion 44. The Time Is Drawing Near? 45. Songs in the Night 46. The Master’s Net 47. Trials are Opportunities 48. Receiving the Messenger 49. Seven Messages to the Seven Pastors 50. Keep Yourself Pure

• Tracts 51-100

  51. The New Birth 52. John the Baptist and Jesus 53. Denying Jesus 54. Bruised Reeds 56. The Wise and the Foolish 57. Holiness 58. Is Jesus God? 59. Christ or Christianity 60. Have Faith In God 61. Worthy to Suffer 63. Four Kinds of Soil 64. Communion 65. The Fullness of Time 66. Baptism 68. No Room 69. Crucified With Christ 70. Homosexuality and the Bible 71. The Kingdom of God 72. The Gospel of Christ 74. Perseverance 75. The Resurrection 76. Salvation 77. Sanctification 78. New Commandments 79. The Sacrifice of Christ 81. The Sound of the Spirit 82. The Wrath of God 84. God’s Compass 85. Perfection 86. The Abomination of Desolation 87. Antichrist 88. The Way of Grace 90. Relationships 91. The Vineyard of God 93. Subdued 94. The Spirit of Christ 95. The Blood of Christ 96. Spirit of a Serpent, Spirit of a Dove 97. Gluttony 98. The Lost Lamb 99. Scripture Burners 100. Bleating and Lowing

 

“That same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea, and such large crowds were gathered around him that he boarded a boat to sit in, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, ‘The sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and gobbled them up. But other seed fell on rocky places where they didn’t have much soil, and they immediately sprang up, since they had no depth of soil. But after the sun arose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered. Then, other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. But others fell onto good soil and bore fruit, some a hundredfold, but some sixty, and some thirty.’ ”
Matthew 13:1–8

From the preceding parable, we see that all who are privileged to hear the Word of God are divided into four groups. This being true, each one of us should ask the question, “Which group am I in?” or “What kind of soil am I?” First, let us look at

(1) The Wayside Soil (Mt. 13:19)

“Everyone who hears the word of the kingdom and doesn’t understand, the Evil One comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one who was sown along the path.”

From the millions in this group often comes the question, “Is it our fault that we do not understand? Are we to be blamed for that?” Jesus gave the answer (Mt. 13:15):

“For the heart of this people is hardened, and they hear with dull ears and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand in their heart, and repent, and I heal them.”

We might say, people do not understand the Word of God because they prefer sin and worldly pleasure. Anyone who wishes may easily understand enough of God’s Word to repent. Now, we move on to

(2) The Stony Soil (Mt. 13:20–21)

“But the one who was sown on rocky places, he is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself. He endures but for a while, but when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he’s offended.”

In the stony soil, we find someone who hears the Word of God and, may we say, bubbles over with joy as he receives it. His experience in the Lord is genuine and wonderful. It leaves him shouting the victory and rejoicing; yet, he fails to stand for what he knows to be true; consequently, he is soon overwhelmed by the doubting spirits around him. Next, the Lord speaks of

(3) The Thorny Soil (Mt. 13:22)

“As for the one that was sown among the thorns, he is the one who hears the word, but the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

The striking difference between these believers and those in group two is the time element. Those in group two lasted only a short time. Here in group three, the believer runs well for quite a while; but as time passes, he grows weaker. This, of course, is due to the fact that he allowed thorns to remain, and they choked out the seed of God. The thorns represent “the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches,” and these two evils make a believer unfruitful if they are allowed to grow in the heart.

Yes, Reader, those in this third group go much further than believers in the second group, who, as we are told, “last for a short while.” The truth is, those who are the thorny soil do not give up and walk away. Rather, they remain among the assembly of saints, even though they become unfruitful. In high moments of ecstasy, they may even be inspired to speak boldly against evil or to praise the Lord to the extent that they leave the impression that they are better soil than they actually are. Such believers reflect the biblical picture that is drawn in Matthew 15:8:

“This people draws near to me with their mouth, and with their lips they honor me, but their heart is far from me.”

This thorny soil group equals in number the good soil group, for in one famous parable, Jesus compared God’s kingdom with ten spiritual “virgins”, five of them wise and five of them foolish (Mt. 25:1–13). They all had oil, you will remember, but the foolish did not bring enough of it. Likewise, all believers have the oil of the Spirit, but half of them do not have enough of it, and they will be cast out of the kingdom when they are judged. Finally, Jesus tells us of

(4) The Good Soil (Mt. 13:23)

“But as for the one who was sown onto good soil, he is the one who hears the word and understands, who indeed bears fruit and produces, this one a hundredfold, that one sixty, but another thirty.”

Thank God for these holy and faithful believers, who not only receive the Word of God but also obey it to the end. They have oil enough to take them all the way to the great marriage supper of the Lamb. Each one produces fruit according to his ability, “this one a hundredfold, that one sixty, but another thirty.”

So, now, can you answer my question, friend? In which of these four groups are you? It helps us to answer that question honestly once we acknowledge that not only the Lord sees where we really are, but every true saint of God does, too.

Reader, stay in “the good soil,” for the time is short “when he will come to be glorified in his saints.” Amen!

Four Kinds of Soil