Cultivating the Seed in Others by Bob Mumford

Cultivating the Seed in Others

Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself!^[1]

The Seed is eternal and incorruptible when it is inseminated into our person at our new birth in Christ. When the Seed permeates our deepest person and personality, something begins to happen because the Eternal Seed contains the Mystery of the Kingdom.  We do not know how God does it—that is mystery—but something begins to grow. Our confidence is in the fact that He is the One Who causes the Seed to sprout in each one of us.  Remember, the nature of the Seed is that it produces after its kind.  The Seed is eternal and it produces eternal life.

We have a responsibility as Kingdom Gardeners to bring forth God’s inheritance. One evening after several days of intense ministry, I got on a plane to come home and did not want to talk to anybody, not even God. As I sat there, I felt mean, tired, and exhausted. It was a three-hour flight and the plane was half-empty so I prayed, “Please don’t let anybody sit next to me.”  Down the aisle comes a young woman who chooses to sit right next to me. After we took off, I turned to her and said somewhat prophetically, “You used to know the Lord, but you’re not walking with Him now.” She burst into tears!  We talked a long time and I was able to minister to the Seed that had been inseminated into her person. When we see the incorruptible, imperishable, and Eternal Seed, confidence begins to rise because we are called to be cultivators or farmers. We have been given the responsibility and capacity to water, nourish, guard, and speak edification and comfort to the person in whom the Seed has been inseminated.

Jesus, in His priestly prayer,^[2] knew the importance of praying for the Seed as part of personal care. He was earnestly praying for the disciples because everything was resting on them.  Judith and I have four children. Although we were far from perfect parents, all of our children, their mates, and our grandchildren are serving God. The sole reason is that we learned early how to pray for the Seed in them. We would pray over our children while they were sleeping, “There is a Seed in this daughter of ours. In Jesus’ name, let it live!”  And we would water it with our tears knowing that it was eternal and incorruptible. 

It is important to understand that all ministry is Seed cultivation. It roots back into the opportunity for God to reveal Himself as He is through you. We are cultivatable and can be cultivated to fruitfulness. Learn to cultivate the Seed in your rebellious son, your wayward daughter, a business deal, or the elder in your church who is such a pain. Tears are good fertilizer!  Before long, the concrete sidewalk over the Seed begins to crack and you will see the signs of it in your son or daughter. Suddenly the plant sprouts up and your daughter says, “Mom, I feel like I’ve really been unkind lately.  Forgive me?” and we can say, “You’re forgiven!” Take your eyes off the person and start interceding for and cultivating the Seed. When it starts to break through, they may not know what’s happening, but we do because the power is in the Seed, not in the person!  

Thoughts & Questions

v  Why does something begin to happen in us when the Eternal Seed is implanted?

v  Explain the importance of praying for the Seed as part personal care and edification.

v  What are some ways we can cultivate the Seed in our children?

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[1] 1 Peter 1:23 MSG

[2] John 17