The Bamboo Tree

Good morning and welcome in. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

There is a tree that can be found throughout Southeast Asia, and central and South America. It is the Chinese bamboo, which is a very important natural resource for many people.  It has many uses, including furniture, building material, biofuel and even charcoal.  They claim that bamboo produces 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. In Northern Minnesota when loggers clear a field of mature timber, many trees will naturally grow back quickly the next year, but this is not the case with the Chinese bamboo.  It has been said that they won’t break through the ground for the first 4 years.  Each day, It needs to be diligently watered and fertilized where it was planted.  But finally in the fifth year, it begins to grow at an incredible rate.  Although it takes a long time to break through the soil, bamboo is known as the fastest growing plant on the Earth, some of them growing more than one meter a day.  They can grow over 90 ft tall in just 5 weeks!

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

It takes diligence and persistence if you are going to attempt to grow a bamboo tree. You cannot quit, or give up. You need to make a daily commitment to keep watering and fertilizing it if you want to eventually see it grow into fruition.  In order to have spiritual fruit, you are going to have to keep at it until that seed of truth germinates inside someone’s heart.

2 Timothy 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Many of us have had pets at one time or another, but in order for them to grow they must be fed and watered.  It’s the same with an infant.  You need to provide them with daily milk.  To grow physically we each need food, but to grow Spiritually, we need spiritual food. We need the daily bread of God’s Holy Word, and someone needs to take the responsibility to feed the church.

1 Peter 5:2  Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

To eventually bear fruit, we must persevere and continue to preach daily, waiting patiently for someone to hear God’s Word, believe it, and be converted through it.  If you want to lead people to salvation, like caring for a bamboo seed, you need to keep watering it by sowing God’s Word into their hearts.  The Lord Jesus and His disciples preached the Word daily.

Matthew 26:55 …. I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.

Luke 19:47  And he taught daily in the temple…..

Acts 2:46

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple…..

Acts 5:42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day;…….

We are not responsible for the growth, we are responsible to plant and to water, and you will be rewarded according to your own labor. 

1 Corinthians 3:6-8  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

For example, If you work at a greenhouse, someone might plant the seeds, while another employee comes behind them and takes care of watering the plants.  This is what Apollos did. This is what Timothy did. They faithfully watered God’s flock every day, so that the sheep could grow into spiritual maturity. But many times when a person begins preaching, they can easily become frustrated and discouraged because they don’t see immediate results. They can also become disheartened because of someone’s negative response to the truth.  But you need to understand that certain people, even some from within the church, will deny and reject the teachings of Christ.  When this happens, we are not supposed to carry their pessimistic attitude in our spirit.  We are supposed to shake the dust off, and continue to preach, using God’s Word to correct, rebuke, and to discipline as needed.  When we are harassed, persecuted or evil spoken of, which most certainly will happen, we must learn to accept hardness as a good soldier of Christ and keep at it, because your labor is not purposeless.  Somewhere out there is another soul who will believe and become converted to the truth.  

1 Corinthians 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Granted, not every seed that a preacher plants will find its way into the soil of a good and obedient heart, but it is our responsibility to continue to feed the sheep.   It is only by continuing to preach the truth, that we can eventually bear fruit through the lives of others that you have discipled.  One year, Andrew wanted to plant some tomato plants in our small garden, so we built a greenhouse.  Instead of planting a few seeds, I planted thousands. The entire family asked me why I planted so many, but I told them that not all of the seeds would eventually go on to produce fruit.  They must be planted in the right kind of soil, and be watered regularly to go on unto maturity.

Luke 8:11-15  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Feeding the Church of God is a great responsibility. 

Acts 20:28   Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Sometimes, like a bamboo tree, you won’t see the fruit of your labor for many years.  Sometimes I don’t think that we will see our fruit in our own lifetime.  Look at what the disciples started 2,000 years ago, and look at the fruit that they have today.  It is because they dedicated their lives to preaching the truth, and others eventually converted, picked up the torch and continued what they were doing.

So if you want fruit someday you need to be diligent.  You must persevere and keep planting those seeds of faith into people’s hearts.  If it hits the fertile soil of a good and obedient heart, it can eventually grow into something huge,  just like….

…. The Bamboo Tree

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.

tlkjbc.com♥️

https://tlkjbc.com/written-sermons/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2055335/episodes
https://www.facebook.com/share/14RHGVBBHbG/

Note: Any copies may be printed and freely distributed among those who have no internet service. There is no AI creative involvement in my writings, and must be left intact because they are very personal to me. These are not to be sold, and are made public only for the free benefit of Spiritual knowledge to those who are genuinely seeking the will of God.