The second stage of the three types of life (grass, seeding herbs, and fruit-bearing trees) which appear on the third day of Creation is the herb which yields seed. Grass spreads through its roots and therefore is limited to where the grass itself lives. Herbs, on the other hand, have seeds. Seeds can be carried away to other plots of land by insects, the wind, or birds.
When we love the Lord for a short period of time, we would develop from a grass into an herb. Our reproduction will grow from mainly our root to our seed. The gospel can be spread by us not only just where we are, but also to nearby places.
– Titus Chu. Marvelous Signs of the Divine Growth. p.17
Every Christian who has begun to consolidate the things of the world to have Christ’s life lived out of them is like grass, able to impact those already close to them. But those who desire to live for the Lord should begin to develop from a blade of grass into an herb. In other words, the impact of the gospel you preach should begin to expand beyond simply ones in your own social circle to friends of friends, or even to acquaintances or strangers. This broadening of the gospel can take form in two ways: with you as the seed of an herb, or with you yielding seeds.
To be like a seed indicates a willingness to move as the Lord moves you. Even if he should call you to move to a different city, to a different state, or even to a different country, you are able to go. Furthermore, wherever you land, the gospel can begin to develop there. Why? Because it is a part of you. Wherever the Lord leads you to move to, whatever environment He carries you to, and whoever He moves you to speak with, the gospel can go out. While grass is rooted, unable to be moved from its place, the seed of the herb is able to travel some distance, take root, and spread its inner life wherever it lands.
You should be an herb. Then the seeds which come out from you can either fall and surround the herb, so that more herb can grow locally, but they can also be carried to nearby places. Take Cleveland as an example. From Cleveland there’s Buffalo, NY. From Cleveland there’s also Detroit. From Cleveland there’s Toledo. From Cleveland there’s Pittsburgh. From Cleveland there’s even Columbus. These are some churches that are the result of Cleveland’s spreading.
– Titus Chu. 2017 Winter Conference. Message 5.
More significantly, herbs yield seeds. These seeds may fall close to their parents or be carried to a different land because of insects, the wind, or the birds. In principle, this relates to the relationship between Christians who love the Lord and those whom they care for. A Christian who loves the Lord and cares for some younger Christians is, in a certain sense, yielding seeds. These younger Christians may soon be carried away to different cities due to work, family, or any number of reasons. A Jesus-lover who has developed into an herb helps raise up fellow Christians to be seeds for the gospel. The result is that the labor of one believer can spread near and far to cause the gospel to spread to many different places and to many different peoples. It is through herbs that the gospel is able to effectively reach a great many lost souls. It is through herbs that the Father calls many children back to himself. We should all strive to be like herbs in our local churches, both open to be moved by the Lord’s calling, and able to shepherd other believers to be ready for the gospel wherever the Lord, or the world, takes them.
