Soil & Seed – The Keys to the Kingdom
Pastor Chad Everett – The Roads Church
Introduction: A Word From the Lord on Discipleship
I felt like God was speaking to me about discipleship in the body of Christ and the importance of taking time to emphasize certain principles that are basic and foundational to our relationship with Jesus. Two of them stood out—both foundational truths that the Church needs to revisit.
The first is the authority of the believer. I actually taught on this back in 2010 or 2011 in a message called The Authority Revolution. It was only on CD—no YouTube back then! (For anyone wondering, a CD is a little silver disc you used to put into a player… some people don’t even know what that is anymore!)
The second topic is the power of seed and harvest—how the system of sowing and reaping works in God’s Kingdom. And I believe this is something we’ve misunderstood in the body of Christ.
We’ve Been Taught Church, But Not the Kingdom
Many Christians have been taught how to attend church—but not how the Kingdom of Heaven actually works. That’s not a put-down; it’s a reality. I was taught wrong myself. I was taught that if God wants you to have something, He’ll just give it to you. And I don’t believe that lines up with the Bible.
We’ve missed that in order for God to do something in our lives, He may require us to sow something. We may need to partner with Him to bring it to pass.
So we’re going to start there—with the principle of soil and seed.
Back to the Beginning: Foundational Truth in Genesis
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1
Let’s go all the way back to Genesis. I want to break down this verse into four foundational truths:
- When – “In the beginning…”
The Hebrew word here implies the first in time, order, or rank. God created time. That means He exists outside of time. Before the beginning, there was nothing but the eternal, infinite God. - Who – “In the beginning, God…”
The Hebrew word for “God” is Elohim, which is both singular and plural—referring to the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is one, and yet three in one. - How – “God created…”
The Hebrew word bara means to bring into existence something that did not previously exist—creation out of nothing. This is crucial: God didn’t form the world from preexisting materials. He created it from nothing. - What – “The heavens and the earth…”
“Earth” in Hebrew refers specifically to land, ground, or soil. God created the dirt. He spoke it into existence, which means the soil is creative—it has creative properties because it came from God.
The Creative Power of Dirt
Genesis 1:11:
“Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass…’”
The Hebrew for “bring forth” means to cause something to rise up or come out. It’s saying that the earth itself caused the grass to come forth.
Think about that. The dirt is creative. God designed it that way. The earth wasn’t just a passive surface. It had the ability to cause something to grow. You can put a seed on a counter and it won’t do anything. But put it in soil—and the soil starts doing what it was created to do.
Every Living Thing Came From the Earth
Genesis 1:24:
“Let the earth bring forth the living creature…”
God didn’t just speak animals into existence and drop them on the earth. He spoke to the earth—and it brought them forth. Every animal, every living thing you see—came out of the dirt.
That tells us how powerful the soil is. And it prepares us to understand something even deeper about you.
Formed and Created: What Makes Humanity Different
Genesis 2:7:
“The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
You were formed from the dirt—your body, your organs, your nervous system, all of it came from the ground.
But in Genesis 1:26, God said:
“Let Us make man in Our image…”
That wasn’t just forming—that was creating. Your spirit—the real you—was created by God. It didn’t come from dirt. It was breathed into you by the Holy Spirit.
So every human has:
- A formed part – the body, made from dirt
- A created part – the spirit, made in the image of God
This is why you are not an animal. Animals were formed, but not created in God’s image. Only mankind was created in spirit and formed in body.
Engaging the Created and the Formed Parts
Your body (the formed part) operates in the physical realm—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell.
But your spirit (the created part) can access things outside of time, things in the heavenly realm. Your spirit is not limited to your five senses.
There are things your body cannot grasp, but your spirit can receive revelation from God and bring it into reality.
The Kingdom Works by Seed and Soil
Mark 4:26:
“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground…”
The ground in the natural is the dirt. But in the spiritual, your spirit is the ground. That’s the creative part of you.
You can’t just hear a sermon and think you’ve got it. You have to get the word into your spirit, not just your mind. That’s the only way it will multiply 30, 60, 100-fold.
Memorizing scripture is great—but that’s just part of the process. The goal is to get the word into your spirit—your creative seedbed—so it can grow and bear fruit.
The Process of Spiritual Growth
Mark 4:28:
“For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.”
There’s a process to harvest. It doesn’t happen all at once.
You don’t plant a seed and get a tomato the next day. It starts as a sprout. But that sprout is a sign—it’s the beginning of your harvest.
Too often, we’re discouraged when we don’t see the full fruit. But God is saying: Get excited about the sprouts. Celebrate what’s starting. Trust the process.
Limitations of the Formed Mind
Sometimes, your brain (your formed part) can’t comprehend what God is doing. And when you rely only on that part, you’ll hit a lid.
But your spirit is limitless—because it’s created by God and filled with the Holy Spirit.
That’s where revelation comes—things not seen, heard, or understood by man, but revealed by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9–10).
Watch Out for Subtle Pride
During a recent conference, I heard a message that deeply convicted me. It was about limiting God through small thinking.
The speaker said, “Pride isn’t just arrogance. Pride can also be fear of what others think. It’s still self-focused.”
And I realized—I was limiting God. I wasn’t saying “no” to Him with my words, but I was holding back in my thinking. I had to repent. I had to start sowing a new seed.
Conclusion: Change the Image in Your Spirit
You don’t need more external fixes. You need to change the internal image.
And the seed that changes you is Jesus. You’re not sowing seed to get something from Him—you’re sowing seed to become like Him.
Start planting the word of God in your heart. Let it change the image on the inside. And watch what God will bring forth—not from your formed part, but from your created part.