Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

Jesus spoke of having faith “like a mustard seed” (Mark 4:31). A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds in the world. In its early stage it can be as small as a grain of salt or pepper. Yet when it matures, it becomes a tree large enough for the birds to make nests in its branches. The story of the mustard seed illustrates that a person does not need a large amount of faith to receive from the Lord, but he can begin with a small seed that will grow into a mighty tree! 4. The word seed is used when alluding to the Word of God. The fourth and premier example from the New Testament reveals that the seed is the Word of God. This example is found in the parable of the sower in Mark 4. In this reference a man called a sower is planting seeds in the ground. Jesus taught that the word He was preaching was the seed of the Word of God. Not all of the seed fell on good soil. Some of the seeds were devoured by the birds. Some terrain was too rocky to produce a harvest. In other locations, thorns and weeds grew and began choking the root, thus killing the wheat before it could mature. According to the parable, only about 25 percent (or one fourth) of the seed actually brought forth fruit (results). When the disciples asked for an interpretation to this parable, Jesus said:

The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.