The Seeds We Sow: Creating a Kingdom Culture

There's an ancient principle woven throughout Scripture that governs both our individual lives and our collective societies: we reap what we sow. This isn't merely agricultural wisdom—it's a fundamental truth about how life works, how character develops, and how cultures are shaped.

Two Soils, Two Harvests

The apostle Paul presents us with a stark reality in his letter to the Galatians: "Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from their flesh will reap destruction. Whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."

Within each of us exists two competing natures—the flesh and the Spirit. Our flesh desires immediate gratification, selfish pursuits, and whatever feels good in the moment. The Holy Spirit, however, cultivates something entirely different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Every day, with every decision, we're sowing seeds into one of these two soils. The question isn't whether we're planting—we're always planting something. The question is: what kind of harvest are we cultivating?

The Delayed Harvest

Here's what makes this principle particularly challenging: the harvest doesn't come immediately. When farmers in Pennsylvania plant wheat in their fields, those fields don't become wheat fields at harvest time—they became wheat fields the moment the seed went into the ground. The reaping simply reveals what was sown months earlier.

Your life today is the harvest of seeds you planted five or ten years ago. The relationships you have, the peace you experience (or don't), the character you've developed—all of it traces back to decisions made long ago. Those small choices that seemed insignificant at the time—the lustful indulgence you entertained, the unforgiveness you buried, the Sunday mornings you chose yard work over worship—they weren't small at all. They were seeds that would produce a bumper crop of either blessing or pain.

And here's the sobering truth: the person you'll be five years from now is being determined by the choices you're making today. You're becoming right now the being you will be for all eternity.

Sow Culture: The Collective Harvest

What's true for individuals becomes true for societies. Culture is simply all of us doing our thing together. When Paul describes what happens when people sow to the flesh, he lists sexual immorality, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, and more. When people sow to the Spirit, the fruit is love, joy, peace, and self-control.

A culture, then, is the visible manifestation of what a people worship. Culture has always been inherently religious. Travel to Syria and you experience a Muslim culture. Visit Beijing and you encounter a communist culture (yes, communism is a religion—the worship of the state). Go to India and you'll find yourself in a Hindu culture.

Western civilization, including America, was founded by people attempting to establish a Christian culture. You can debate how well they succeeded, but no honest historian denies that was the goal. Today, however, our dominant religion is secular humanism—the worship of self, the exaltation of personal autonomy, the creed of "I do whatever I want."

Paul's words in Romans 1 paint a sobering picture of what happens when a culture turns from worshiping the Creator to worshiping created things. God gives them over to shameful lusts, depraved minds, and every kind of wickedness. They become filled with envy, murder, strife, and deceit. They invent new ways of doing evil. And perhaps most telling: "Although they know God's righteous decrees that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

Sound familiar? We've moved beyond tolerance to celebration, creating entire months on the calendar to commemorate what God calls sin.

Culture is never neutral. It's either oriented toward God or toward idolatry. And a culture built on idolatry will ultimately decay and die.

Transforming Culture: Good Seed and Good Soil

If we want to transform culture, we need two things: good seed and good soil.

The good seed is the Word of God. When God created the world, He spoke it into existence. But He didn't stop there—He gave cultivating words, instructions on how to live. The Ten Commandments weren't just religious rules; they were the foundation for building a thriving society.

God's law shapes culture. Laws that protect the unborn create a culture of life. Laws that honor marriage create strong families. Laws that require accountability create prosperous, responsible citizens. Conversely, laws that celebrate death, destroy marriage, and incentivize dependency create cultures of chaos and eventual tyranny.

But good seed needs good soil. The Word of God requires hearts prepared to receive it. This is where the Church has failed spectacularly in recent generations. We've allowed secular humanism to become the default setting for every area of life except Sunday morning. And when faith only shows up inside church walls, it becomes completely irrelevant to what happens outside them.

For decades, the enemy has been tilling the soil of our culture through sitcoms, movies, universities, and public schools. By the time destructive legislation arrives, the ground has been prepared to receive it.

The Upper Deck Delusion

Christians have created a double-decker approach to life. We love the upper deck—church programs, worship bands, Bible studies, conferences with great graphics and excellent coffee. It's fun up there with our "helium holiness," detached from the messy realities below.

But on the lower deck? That's where you find politics, tax rates, foreign policy, school board meetings, and building codes. Who wants to deal with that?

Here's the problem: the bus driver is on the lower deck. And while we're having heavenly fellowship on the upper deck, he's driving the culture to hell—and we're along for the ride.

The Long Obedience

Transforming culture isn't about winning a few elections or experiencing a dramatic revival (though both would be wonderful). It requires a long obedience in the same direction. It means Christians engaging every sphere of influence—media, education, science, medicine, politics, business, arts, and entertainment.

We need Christians who write compelling novels and beautiful poetry. We need believers who design stunning architecture and create laughter without vulgarity. We need followers of Christ who build successful businesses and bring biblical worldviews to their professions.

We must avoid two temptations: thinking elections will save us and believing revivals alone will transform society. Elections matter, but winning them isn't the goal—advancing the Kingdom is. Revival is wonderful, but it's useless without reformation—changed people who return to their communities and live differently.

Break Up the Unplowed Ground

The prophet Hosea gives us clear direction: "Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord."

Where have you not allowed the Spirit of God to work in your heart? What thoughts have you entertained that you shouldn't? What truths have you refused to consider?

The harvest is coming. The question is: what will it reveal about the seeds you've been sowing?