He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. Mark 4:11
Jesus said this to his disciples and the others around him after teaching the parable of the sower. This parable explains how His kingdom will either manifest or not manifest in your life. Jesus said we must understand this parable to understand the others. Therefore, this parable is the master parable. Everything having to do with His kingdom revolves around this teaching. The parable of the sower explains why some people get saved and others do not; why some people receive healing and others do not; why some people receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit and others do not; why some people have power in their ministry and others do not. These experiences comprise the kingdom. This parable also explains why some people (and churches) enjoy more kingdom blessings and others receive less. Amazingly, Jesus called his private explanation a secret.
The Secret
Most people read the explanation of the parable of the sower and still miss the secret. We must understand what the secret is and put it into practice. The degree to which we experience the kingdom depends on the secret. The operation of the supernatural power of God in your life depends on the secret. Teachers and books through the centuries have touted their particular “secret” and hype it as the key to success. Recently, a well-known celebrity today uses the word in the title of her book about success. The only secret that governs the operation of the most powerful kingdom in the universe is the one that Jesus describes in the parable of the sower.
The Kingdom Defined
To appreciate the parable of the sower, we must understand what the kingdom is. Most Christians think the kingdom consists of heaven, which is to be experienced after we physically die. This is part of the truth. However, Jesus said in Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (emphasis mine). Jesus wants the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom makes heaven what it is. If Jesus wants the kingdom on earth, then He wants heaven on earth. “On earth as it is in heaven.”
Think about heaven for a minute. What is heaven like? Is there any cancer in heaven? Is there depression, sadness, pain, fear, danger, poverty, or mental breakdown in heaven? No. Heaven is full of God’s presence, love, life, and joy. There is no lack or deficiency in heaven. God wants us to get people to heaven, but He also wants to get heaven to people! Jesus tells us that knowing the secret of the kingdom releases heaven on the earth. Releasing heaven is releasing the kingdom.
Bringing Heaven to Earth
The secret reveals how the kingdom will happen in your life, how it will not happen, and the degree to which it happens. This secret not only applies to our personal lives, but also our ability to impart the kingdom to others as well. He said, “thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus did this through His ministry by healing the sick, cleansing the leper, raising the dead, and casting out demons. A study of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John reveals how frequently Jesus connected the kingdom with His supernatural ministry. For example, Jesus said in Luke 11:20: “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Heaven to earth is all the blessings purchased by Jesus on the cross: eternal life, divine health, prosperity, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, wisdom, the ability to duplicate the ministry of Jesus, and much more. By giving us the secret of the kingdom, Jesus wants us to broker heaven on earth in the same way that He did in His earthly walk.
According to the Measure You Use
Most Christians believe that the measure of heaven they experience on earth is up to God If so, why did Jesus show us what hinders it, what promotes it, and how to get it in a hundredfold measure? No, He wants you and me to receive and give out the kingdom. The parable of the sower teaches that the Word of God produces results when planted in the right soil. Jesus defines the gospel (the Word) as the “message of the kingdom of God” (Matthew 13:19). We know therefore that the goal of this teaching is to show us how the kingdom can manifest on earth in a greater measure.
Our measure depends on how well we tend the garden of our heart for the Word so it can grow and produce results. That’s the secret. Success depends on the degree of focus and openness of heart we have toward God and His Word. How much of the kingdom do you want: thirty, sixty, or a hundred-fold? The secret is that we can focus on the Word and the things of God to activate the kingdom in our own lives and deliver it to others as Jesus did. The more we focus on the Word, the more our hearts become good soil and the greater the level of kingdom we experience.
Conclusion
The degree of heaven on earth you can receive and give out to others depends on how much you apply the secret of the kingdom. How much results do you want? Do you want a thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold level? Study Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8 carefully. In a teaching series called The Secret of the Kingdom I share additional revelations and insights about this central, pivotal truth.