Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

brings results to those who are saved, blessed, or healed by God’s Word. Yet as I reread the parable of the sower in Mark’s Gospel, I realized that the four conditions of soil were the attitudes and conditions of the hearts of those hearing the Word of God, and the amount of return (or harvest) from the seed (Word in their heart) was contingent upon the spiritual condition of the heart. Some hear the Word, and the message goes in one ear and comes out the other . Others experience a powerful message from the Scripture and become offended at the teaching, thus what is being taught produces resentment instead of revival. In my own ministry I have seen people walk out of a service when they disagreed with a point in the message. Others became excited for a short period, and eventually worldly distractions and the cares of life overwhelm them to the point of choking the strength from their spiritual progress. Soon they are working overtime to pay bills, attend church very little, and seldom if ever support God’s work through tithes or offerings. The fourth group hears, receives, and acts upon the Word in faith. These 25 percent (or one in four, according to the parable) are the believers who will receive a return on their spiritual investment, some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred. In the seed-money principle, emphasis is often on the place where the offering is planted. We are told to “recognize those who labor among you” (1 Thess. 5:12). It