Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE
THE WAYSIDE: THE INDIFFERENT CHRISTIAN

“And when he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside.” Matthew 13:4, 19

The wayside was a simple road or path traveled upon by many to neighboring towns in Biblical times. Jesus began his discourse, declaring the mission of the sower as he scattered the seed upon the ground while passing by. Often in the teaching of Jesus, he would gain the attention of the people by saying, “He that hath ears to hear let him hear.” He knew of the necessity of hearing God’s word and desired those who would hear it to take the earnest heed to receive it.
Jesus gives the natural illustration of the birds coming to devour the seed and later interprets the meaning to his disciples. The character described by Jesus hears the word but doesn’t understand it, and Satan immediately comes to take away the word out of his heart. Hearing the word of God is of no benefit to the person who lacks understanding. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding,” (Proverbs 4:7).
To the Christian who fails to consider the need of the word to sustain his life, he becomes an easy prey for the devil to deceive and destroy. When Satan loses a soul to God, he is determined to bring that soul back under his control. If he sees an individual going slack in his faith to believe God’s word, then Satan seizes the moment to take advantage of him (2nd Corinthians 2:11). The devil doesn’t care how much you shout, praise, or dance in the church.
If he can keep you from knowing the word of God, then he’s accomplished his purpose. I believe several factors are causes that afflict one to become a wayside type of character. The first is indifference; this has become one of Satan’s greatest weapons in modern Christendom today. Showing apathy and a lack of concern reflects this attitude in some believers. Such believers take little time studying the Bible or in prayer, and remain for most of their lives spiritually immature.
“For when the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. Everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe,” (Hebrews 5:12-13).
With no real interest in learning about God’s word, the wayside saint approaches issues in life lackadaisically. They can be found in church, probably in the back, sitting with their legs crossed, arms folded, and looking bored as worship service is going on. From time to time, they’re watching the clock on the wall or their wristwatch wondering when service is over. Some may be sleeping, slouched down in the pew, or involved in the popular distraction among members, such as the ubiquitous cell phone. The wayside believer is a “fringe” member of a church whose commitment is trivial at best and unreliable to participate in the activities of a church.
Their attendance tends to be sporadic, relegated to once a week or every other week, and relationships with fellow members are lukewarm and limited. Usually, these persons gravitate to other members of like attitude and form a mutual bond of unconcern that can be problematic in the church. Often, they’re the last to arrive while worship services are in progress and the first to leave when the service has ended. Attending church is reduced to a recreational experience instead of a spiritual one.