​As we discussed in Part 1, many modern American churches have become a weak representation of the Almighty God serving flesh and sin rather than God.  Let us examine the modern American church according to the Bible.  Characteristic number 3 is there is more focus on the community rather than God.  A community is defined as a socially connected group of any size whose members share government, common cultural and historical heritage, public, or society.  While Christians should share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their community in evangelism, many modern churches only focus on being a part of the community with social activities and little to no Gospel being shared.  Acts 2:41-47 displays that many people that were part of the early church gladly received Peter’s preaching of Jesus Christ, were baptized, and were continuing in the doctrine of the apostles that were originally taught by Jesus to His disciples.  Many modern American churches focus on the doctrine of “good” as opposed to the Gospel.  This gives the false sense of feeling good without the Good News of Jesus Christ.  As faithfulness to doctrine, prayer, and fellowship (aka church attendance) was found among the people signs and wonders were evident through the biblical leaders as confirmation of God’s Word.  These verses also describe as having all things in common, but this was a voluntary assisting to believers in a time of persecution as opposed to an attitude of making everyone equal much like the socialist agenda found not only in America but within many modern American churches.  “As every man had need” found in verse 45 is not equality or reliance on the wealth of everyone else but the help for those that needed temporary assistance.  Vocabulary used by many of these churches is a key element to discern which churches fall into this category.  Colossians 2:4 warns that Christians should not allow others to use deceiving or empty words to persuade them into things.  Using words of flattery or words that originate from a doctrine that opposes the Christian faith is a common practice within many modern American churches.  Let us examine some of these vocabulary words used by modern churches and see what they really mean in the context of true Christian faith.  Let’s be authentic in our fake Christianity.  Let’s do good in the community while ignoring the opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission for God.  Let’s have a conversation to convince others that sin is acceptable.  Let’s be compassionate to those in the community to feel good about ourselves.  Let’s be casual to create the right atmosphere to relax in during the entertainment created to be the church.  Let’s engage in a lifestyle that pleases flesh and opposes God.  Let’s go on a faith journey to travel the roads we desire and declare it is God’s plan.  Let’s be relevant to modern culture to please our flesh and fulfill youthful lusts while labeling it as God.  Let’s be intentional in the perversion of the Gospel by being a friend to the sinful world.  Christians and the church should be more focused on the things of God as opposed to being a copy of things or people of the world (Colossians 3:1-2).  Churches are to reflect the culture of God not the culture of the age.  Being a friend to the world makes that person or church an enemy of God (James 4:4).  May churches everywhere begin to get back to the Word of God as well as the culture of God to get people born again and make disciples of Jesus Christ. 
 

​In these last days, many modern American churches have become a weak representation of the Almighty God serving flesh and sin rather than God.  Let us examine the modern American church according to the Bible.  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:1-2).  The Holy Spirit says that in the last days, some Christians will depart the faith because of seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.  This reflects the same sin that tempted Adam and Eve to be in charge of their own lives and not submit to God.  Here are some of the characteristics of the modern American church that do not align with the Word of God: Number 1 is a vision of creating comfortable churches with no conviction.  John 8:1-11 displays that being around Jesus Christ convicts sinners but there is a choice to be forgiven and to sin no more OR to stay in sin.  This choice is up to the hearer.  John 16:7-13 reflects the Holy Spirit is assigned to convict in areas a person is wrong.  The Holy Spirit cannot reveal all things at one time due to being too much to process.  This applies to revelations including sin/wrong.  The word reprove is defined as to convince, convict, expose, and rebuke.  To convict a person evidence must be presented.  Many modern American churches do not present evidence to convict of sin creating a lack of spiritual growth. Without biblical evidence, the hearers will not see the errors of their lives and make the proper changes to live holier for God.  2 Timothy 4:1-4 reveals a biblical pastor is to be used by the Holy Spirit to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with the Word of God.  When the pastor of a church fails to fulfill this calling he is being a useless gift from Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12) that is supposed to be helping perfect the saints by making mature Christians.  Characteristic number 2 is a lack of biblical doctrine or biblical truths in their entirety.  Psalm 119:105-106 says the Word of God is a lamp that should illuminate the path for Christians to walk.  Churches should give the Word of God in doctrine and truth for people to see the evil and sinful things around them.  Just as it is light, the Bible and doctrine also give the instructions of a life pleasing to God.  Without seeing the whole picture, a person could be misled by those that cherry-pick scriptures to allow their favorite sins.  2 Timothy 3:1-17 says in the last days, people will fall into this list of sinful attitudes.  Biblical pastors should be an example to the congregation of the Word of God lived out.  Without biblical doctrine how can anyone live holy and upright before God?  2 Timothy 4:1-4 explains that pastors are commissioned to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with doctrine.  This doctrine is the act of teaching and instruction.  Doctrine is the Bible itself but also the teaching of it by the pastor to the people.  James 1:13-22 states that the church should be a place that confronts sin and lust, not be conformed by sin and lust.  A biblical church is a place to find the Word of God that can save souls.  Even the Bible itself discusses that although the Word has the ability to save souls, not everyone will choose to allow it access within their lives to do so.  

​At first, reading this title a person may quickly say, “I’m a disciple”. Then the question is who or what are you a disciple of?  Throughout the Bible, Jesus had many followers but not many disciples.  Discipleship does not take place by sitting in a seat while the pastor preaches on Sunday morning or during the midweek service.  Discipleship takes place in the one-on-one or private small group setting in teaching and training what a biblical life looks like, what God says about various topics within the Bible and other training that is vital to Christian living.  Jesus spoke and taught the multitude but He expounded to His disciples in private (Matthew 13:10, Matthew 24:3, Mark 4:34, Mark 7:17, Mark 10:10).  Being a disciple reflects submitting to a local pastor to be discipled in the Word of God and godly living.  This does NOT mean that each disciple should be miniature versions of their pastor in clothing, hobbies, or other forms.  Discipleship does imply that disciples are submitted to hearing what the disciple-maker says and to the training to look more like Jesus Christ and less like the culture of the world.  When submitting to a local pastor, the heart and mind of the disciple must understand that the pastor is a gift from Jesus Christ to equip, mature, and train the disciple in the things of God (Ephesians 4:11-12).  One can accurately judge themselves if they are a disciple or part of the multitude by the level of obedience within their life.  This includes obedience to the local pastor (Hebrews 13:17, 1 Timothy 5:17, 1 Peter 5:5, Romans 13:1-2), the Word of God (Luke 11:28, James 1:22-25, 1 John 2:3-4, John 14:21), and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14, John 14:26, Galatians 5:16).  When a person is part of the multitude there is more focus on oneself being the guide and little to no submission to a leader.  This is reflected by those who go to church and do nothing the local pastor, the Word of God, or the Holy Spirit says.  A person that is part of the multitude allows their sinful nature or laziness to rule them making the Word of God of no effect in their life especially when that is their tradition of being a nonparticipant (Mark 7:13).  The battle within them is the desires of the flesh that war against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17).  Sadly, the flesh wins even though their mind believes they are right with God because they have marked off attending church on their chore list.  Christians should desire to be a disciple of Jesus Christ by being in the Word of God, praying, and being around their spiritual gift, the local pastor.  Each of these elements helps to train believers in the things of God.  With these Bible verses in mind, let’s reexamine the question.  Are you a disciple or a part of the multitude?  You’ll need to answer honestly because God already knows the correct answer, do you?  If you need to make adjustments to your walk with God, it is not too late.  Make the proper changes (Romans 12:1-2) and submit to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and your local pastor to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Come join us in being discipled and worshipping God each week at Abundant Grace Church in Sparta, TN.  For more information, visit abundantgracesparta.org.  

​Merry Christmas!  As everyone begins, if not already, celebrating Christmas it is important to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.  Many will quote the cliché of Jesus is the reason for the season which is true but some think more highly of the baby Jesus and disregard Who Jesus really is.  Even at His birth, Jesus was changing lives.  Some shepherds were living their lives and doing their job of taking care of sheep when the Gospel, the Good News, of the Savior presented to them (Luke 2:8-14).  This news intrigued the shepherds to go and see who this Savior is (Luke 2:15).  The baby was found in a manger, also known as a feeding trough.  To shepherds, they understood the atmosphere of the animals but this symbol became deeper as Jesus is the Bread of Life for all to partake of (John 6:48).  Meeting Jesus gave the shepherds a testimony of seeing the promised one of the Old Testament and there was a change within these men.  After meeting Jesus the shepherds began praising God for all that they had seen and heard because everything they were told by the angels was true (Luke 2:20).  The shepherds were not the only ones that were changed by meeting Jesus.  The Magi, also known as Wise Men, had been looking for the coming Messiah for a long time.  These men followed the star unto where Jesus was (Matthew 2:7-9).  Fulfilling their calling as the men to find the King of the Jews, these magi rejoiced traveling to meet the Savior (Matthew 2:10).  When these men find Jesus they begin to worship Him and presented their gifts unto Him (Matthew 2:11).  Not only did this change these magi from those looking for the Messiah into the men who found Jesus but they were warned to not go back to the one who had evil in his heart, King Herod, and participate in his evil lifestyle and plans (Matthew 2:11-12).  Jesus had this effect on people who were looking for Him.  Jesus still has this effect on those who are looking for Him as the Shepherd of their life and as the King of Kings.  Has meeting Jesus changed you?  Have you met Him and started a personal relationship with Him?  Jesus can change you by forgiving you of your sins IF you submit to Him.  Jesus can change you by becoming the Lord of your life IF you obey Him.  These changes include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  These changes may sound elementary, but there is nothing that compares to these elements working in a person’s life when they are produced by walking with the Holy Spirit in submission to Jesus Christ.  There is nothing the world can give that compares to the things of God.  The world brings temporary emotions but permanent death due to sin.  The wages of sin is death but Jesus can change you by offering you the free gift of life from God (Romans 6:23).  Are you willing to accept this free gift of life?  Are you willing to be changed by meeting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?  The process is simple by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins, resurrected, and now sits at the right hand of the Father (Romans 10:9-13; 1 John 1:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21).  

​As Thanksgiving has once again come upon the calendar this year, this is a wonderful season to reflect on the things of life and how many blessings there are in our lives.  Having a family is a blessing.  Having a job is a blessing.  Having a home or place to live is a blessing.  Having a church to attend is a blessing.  Having a pastor is a blessing.  Having brothers and sisters in Christ is a blessing.  Having bills that are paid is a blessing.  People should remember there are things that they have that many other people do not have.  If individuals are not careful they may begin to see what they are missing more than how blessed they are with what they do have within their lives.  This can be a deception that begins to breed discontentment.  One of the best methods to overcome this problem is to be thankful.  Christians, especially, should be thankful and give thanks unto God (Ephesians 5:20).  During this time of year many people use the Thanksgiving holiday as a reminder to be thankful, but there should be a constant attitude within the hearts of the people to be thankful all year long.  Even with this mindset, a person does not have to be thankful “for” bad situations or bad things but be thankful “in” those situations (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  What is there to be thankful for “in” those situations?  If a person is a Christian, they have Jesus as their Savior (John 3:36), God as their Father (1 Corinthians 8:6), and the Holy Spirit as their Comforter (John 14:26) and Guide (Romans 8:14).  The will of Jesus Christ for His people is to be thankful by rejoicing and praying every day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  As Christians serve God and are faithful to Him they begin to remember His benefits (Psalm 103:2).  This should be a motivation to serve God throughout the whole year and be thankful for Who He is as opposed to only having this attitude one day on Thanksgiving.  When God’s people have the fruit of the Holy Spirit of peace (Galatians 5:22) and the peace of Christ rules their hearts there is a thankful attitude (Colossians 3:15).  Thanksgiving should not only be a time of gathering with family and friends to be thankful for them but also a time for those gathered to recount or testify of what God has done within their lives that they are thankful for (Psalm 9:1).  The best testimony that any person can have is to be thankful that God sent His Son Jesus to be beaten so His people could have healing in their bodies (1 Peter 2:24), gave His life as the Supreme Sacrifice for salvation (1 John 2:2), resurrected having dominion over death (Romans 6:9), and now sits at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12).  With a life that is not perfect by their actions, but given power to overcome sin (1 John 5:4) and spiritual enemies (James 4:7), Christians have so much to be thankful for.  

​The betrayal of Jesus Christ within the Garden of Gethsemane has been discussed since it’s happening.  In writing the Gospels, each writer took their turn making sure that Judas Iscariot was marked as the traitor to Jesus and His teachings of enduring to the end to be saved (Matthew 24:13).  Judas carried out his betrayal plan marking Jesus by kissing Him on the cheek, a symbol of a close relationship, so He would be arrested (Matthew 26:48).  As Judas comes to Jesus in the garden accompanied with armed men Judas kisses Him, calls Him master and allows the army of men to take Jesus away (Matthew 26:49).  When speaking to Judas, Jesus calls him friend (Matthew 26:50).  Even Jesus reminding Judas of their relationship did not stop the betrayal within Judas’ heart or actions.  Some Christians want to base their relationship on being a friend to Jesus.  Although this sentiment is good for someone who feels they are alone and Jesus is too far away from them to be personal, many others use this “friendship” to demote Jesus as less than the Son of God and more of a sin buddy.  The betrayal seen most within the Christian faith in modern times is those that declare their allegiance and love for Jesus Christ, declaring a close relationship with Him, and then selling Him for a desire that has more meaning to them than the desire to be with Jesus.  How many Christians betray Jesus by choosing to live life for themselves rather than Him?  How many preachers or pastors betray Jesus by allowing culture or business to guide them rather than being led by the Bible or Jesus Christ?  How many Christians betray Jesus by not obeying His commands?  The solution to each of these questions is truly knowing Jesus in a deeper relationship than a friend.  Knowing Jesus as friend is good but knowing Him as Savior (John 1:29), Master (Philippians 2:10), Lord (John 20:28), and fellow heir (Romans 8:17) are the best ways to know Him.  Knowing Jesus in these intimate roles should help any Christian keep a correct heart and relationship with Him and prevent betrayal.  Christians must maintain an accurate view of Who Jesus is and what He means to them.  Knowing Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) allows Christians to come to the Father.  Knowing Jesus as Savior and the giver of the free gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23) helps Christians have a greater appreciation for Who He is.  Knowing Jesus as the Bread of Life (John 6:35) reminds Christians He is the supply for anything needed within life.  Knowing Jesus as the Word of God (John 1:1) keeps Him as an important authority to obey His commands.  Knowing that Jesus cares for His people (1 Peter 5:7) should keep an appreciation of His love and care within the hearts of Christians.  Knowing Jesus as the head of the church (Colossians 1:8) should keep the proper perspective of obeying Him as the commanding officer in the army of God.  Christians should be the last people on earth to betray anyone, especially Jesus Christ.  May Christians display their love and loyalty to Jesus by keeping His commandments (John 14:23, 1 John 5:3), knowing Him as their Savior (John 3:3), enduring as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3), and following Him as their Shepherd (John 10:11, Psalm 23).  

​Many Christians have the habit of saying that Jesus is Lord.  This is a correct statement due to Him being the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).  With this being said, what do Christians mean when they say Jesus is Lord?  Some of those that declare this have a heart-felt embrace of Jesus being the Lord and master of their life.  This requires Jesus to be the head of that Christian’s life (Ephesians 1:22-23) without any reservations or areas that He is not allowed to command.  Other Christians say this from a religious mouth that does not mean what it says from the heart (Matthew 15:8).  This is a dangerous routine that many Christians fall prey to.  All Christians should serve God, be led by the Holy Spirit, and have Jesus as not only their Savior but the Lord of their life.  Every Christian is purchased with a price and does not belong to themselves to do as they please (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  To even become a Christian a person must confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9).  Why does His Lordship stop within the lives of so many Christians?  Why do some Christians believe it is okay to take so much control of their own lives that they essentially push Jesus out of any authority and turn Him into a hippie feel-good friend?  The answer is compromise.  Compromising the Word of God, the holiness of God, and the authority Jesus is supposed to have within the life of each Christian.  All authority was given to Jesus in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), there is no salvation in anyone else (Acts 4:12), and He became the intercessor for Christians before God the Father (1 Timothy 2:5).  This is only a small percentage of the power, dominion, and authority given unto Jesus yet some Christians still feel they make a better lord of their life than He would.  Jesus is the teacher, leader, and guide in helping those that believe in Him in the way they should go (Isaiah 48:17).  Jesus should have enough authority in the life of each believer that they obey His commandments to reflect the love they have for Him all the days of their life (John 14:15).  Every Christian first has a connection with Jesus Christ as the true vine (John 15:1-2).  Sadly, some disconnect themselves thinking they can live life without being submitted to the true vine, the provider of life.  This brings withering and death (John 15:2, 4-6).  It is vital to remain submitted to Jesus as not only Savior but also Lord so He can direct His people to serve and live for God.  Living a life that is away from the authority of Jesus being Lord leads to an eternity away from Jesus (2 Thessalonians 1:9).  Jesus even rebuked those that called Him Lord but did not follow through with living what He said to do (Luke 6:46).  This is the definition of being Lord is to have authority and rule over someone or something.  Christians must receive Jesus as their Savior, submit to Him to be their Lord, and stay submitted to His Lordship all the days of their lives to be saved (Matthew 24:13).  The real question is, is Jesus the Lord of your life?  

​Many churches this month are honoring their pastor and pastor’s wife by showering gifts, giving cards, and other ideas that are a wonderful blessing to each pastor and his family.  Honoring pastors, their wives, and their children is biblical and correct to display appreciation for those that serve within the kingdom of God.  The word honor is defined as having a good opinion about, revering, fixing a value upon, to esteem.  Although October is the month that churches dedicate this time each year, a much better gift that can be given throughout the year is hearing the Word of God being preached by the pastor and living out the Word.  Knowing that a pastor, including his family, is a gift from Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:11) helps Christians to understand the blessing it is to have a pastor within their lives.  Even as a pastor, I have a pastor to perfect, mature, and equip me as a Christian for everything God has called me to do.  While some Christians will honor their pastor with only lip service this is not the honor God desires to be displayed toward the gifts Jesus has given to His people (Matthew 15:8, Mark 7:6).  God desires His people to hear the messages, see the lifestyles, and submit to the discipleship of the pastors He has established within each church that He has built.  One of the best methods of honoring a pastor is to walk with God by applying the teachings they teach (James 1:21), imitate their holy lifestyle (1 Corinthians 11:1), and allow them to disciple biblical principles within that person’s life (Matthew 28:19-20).  Having biblical pastors is an extreme rarity in these days.  There may be many pastors, none perfect by any means, but only some will stand on the Word of God and not bow to the people’s emotions, money, or desires.  Pastors are to mature the people of God (Ephesians 4:12) and not be their best friend.  That leads to the next point of pastors being holy and worthy of honor.  Pastors that look no different from the world or are controlled by the people are not maturing the body of Christ but giving in to the anti-Christ spirit of flesh being god as opposed to God being the One who is obeyed.  King Saul was stripped of his kingship due to disobeying God and obeying the people (1 Samuel 15).  If a pastor is holy, sanctified, and preaches the whole truth of God then he is worthy of honor because he is used by the Master (2 Timothy 2:21).  It is vital that pastors are messengers of the entirety of the Word of God because even the Bible discusses a famine of the Word (Amos 8:11).  This does not include a famine of preachers, churches, or the Bible, but a famine of ministers preaching the fullness of the Word of God creating a lack of equipping Christians as believers to be soldiers of the Living God.  If your pastor preaches the full truth, he is worthy of not only honor but double honor (1 Timothy 5:17).  May pastors throughout our region preach, teach, and live the entirety of the Word of God.  May Christians everywhere truly appreciate and honor the gifts of Jesus Christ found within their pastors.  

​In recent years, many churches have focused on the aspect of inclusion to the degree of taking out everything that might offend anyone in attendance.  No church or Christian should ever purposefully offend another person (2 Corinthians 6:3) or be a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 8:9) to other people.  Even with the best intentions of not wanting to offend, every church and Christian must not compromise the truth of God or God’s Word.  The truth of God draws a line in the sand (so to speak) and separates the people who submit to God’s Word and those who rebel against His truth by not living it.  Submitting to God requires studying the Bible AND living the Word of God out through character by doing what it says.  Living out the Word of God will create a separation between those that apply God’s truth to be holy people of God while those that choose to oppose His truth will desire the separation out of conviction.  Many people view Jesus as the Messiah to bring everyone from everywhere together but even He describes Himself as a divider (Matthew 10:34-36).  Jesus goes a step further to say that anyone who loves family more than Him is not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37).  It is not hatred within a family that Jesus wants or encourages, but Jesus is reflecting on the separation of those who reject Jesus in their lives as opposed to those of the same family that has given their lives to serve Him.  This reality should be a motivation to encourage Christians to witness to people within their lives of the salvation that can be found in Jesus Christ.  Separation is not an easy situation no matter the origin.  To have the truth of God bring this separation displays the heart of each person.  Serving God is to be conducted with the very best effort or also known as heartily (Colossians 3:23).  Once a Christian realizes the blessings that come from being faithful to God they should be immovable from the truth of God no matter the cost (1 Corinthians 15:58).  The truth of God forces people to look at their lifestyle and compare it to how the Bible says to live.  Those that desire God and His presence within their lives will submit and obey.  During this submission and obedience, others that have chosen to not obey or submit to the truth of God may be convicted of their own sin and mock God or at the very least attempt to plant the idea of having a lower standard of Christianity within the person that is dedicating their life to God’s truth.  It takes a strong Christian to stand and not compromise the truth of God and the things of God.  A great motivation for not compromising the things of God is remembering that one day Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32-34).  This is an analogy of sheep that reflects the submitted and obedient people of God while goats are a reflection of those who do what they desire and do not submit to the truth of God.  Again, this separation comes as Jesus is doing the separating although it is by choice of each individual that determines if a person is a sheep or goat.  Where do you stand regarding the truth of God?  Do you stand in submission and obedience to the truth of God?  Or are you standing in opposition living life how you desire and neglecting the truth of God?  Which side do you choose?   

​In the field of the world, many different seeds are sown both good and bad.  Jesus described this scenario within the parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30).  Jesus speaks about a man sowing good seed, which is wheat in his field.  Just as wheat is the good seed that is planted some tares are also planted but from a different source.  Tares are dangerous weeds that can cause issues for the wheat’s growth and health.  These tares are also known as bearded darnels.  Bearded darnels are poisonous grass that is almost indistinguishable from wheat from the outside.  The darnels are also known as “false wheat”.  On the inside, the tares have black grains.  These darnels can only be distinguished from the wheat as both begin to mature.  Applying this parable to today one could notice that wheat represents the true Christians that seek to be harvested for God and have Godly character.  The wheat is produced from good seed planted by the man who owns the field.  While the servants of the good man slept the enemy sowed tares with the wheat.  While Christians have slept and not been on guard throughout time, spiritual enemies have sown tares among them to be distractions and even hindrances to the growth and health of true Christians.  The lack of responsibility to maintain the field gave the enemy enough opportunity to plant the tares.  Christians must awaken and shine the light of Christ (Ephesians 5:14).  Being spiritually awake is vital to enduring these last days as a Christian.  As the days get darker spiritually, Christians cannot afford to sleep but be people of the day (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8).  God’s people must be on guard against the wiles or schemes of the enemy (Ephesians 6:11).  As discussed regarding the difference between wheat and tares there is much more to be said.  As wheat grows it begins to bow as if bowing to the good man, a reflection of Jesus Christ.  In stark comparison, the tares are a stiff-necked people that refuse to bow.  The black within the tares represents the sin and death that is present in the heart of those that serve themselves or the enemy of God.  Wheat grows higher than tares, which makes the harvest easier for the reaper.  Christians can rise in favor and bow in honor.  The enemies of God cannot arise as tall as Christians but do not bow because of pride.  In their botanical make-up, darnels have only a single glume, or leaf, that covers the darnel which represents the desire to be independent with no help or guidance.  Wheat has two glumes, or leaves, that cover the wheat representing not only themselves as cover but the coverage from the Holy Spirit in guidance and protection.  God is a believer’s rear guard (Isaiah 52:12).  This only happens with wheat as a believer.  The tare does not have the extra protection.  May Christians allow the things of God to be sown into their lives.  God is not mocked and whatever is sown is the harvest to be reaped (Galatians 6:7-9).  Christians must sow righteousness and break up the uncultivated ground of their heart (Hosea 10:12).  Standing for the things of God and being the wheat is the harvest that God is looking for when He sends Jesus to gather His people.  Be the wheat that is ready to harvest and not the tare of the world.