An acorn germinates next to a large two story house. As the years go by the roots eventually work their way into the foundation, eventually displacing the house. Maple seed helicopters float down into a bare field of grass and scrub pine. Turn the clock up 50 years and the field is no longer a field, but a woodland whose rich autumn reds and oranges burn with color and life. A kudzu seed drops on the side of a steep, eroding bank. As the vine spreads and multiplies, the entire bank is engulfed in dark green vine, whose deep root fixes nutrient and whose leaves drop rich decaying mulch. The eroding bank is eventually healed, with raw clay replaced with dark rich topsoil. In an hour, a farmer drills 100 pounds of wheat seed into a freshly plowed and fertilized field. In 180 days over 4000 pounds of seed is harvested, feeding dozens of people for the next year with bread, pancakes, biscuits and gravy. The timeless principle: 

Seed + Time = Change

Look at how Paul describes the “gospel” – the seed of God’s Word planted into lives – in Romans 1:14-17

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

What is Paul’s attitude toward dispensing the gospel? Comment on the following words he uses:

Obligated:

Eager:

Not Ashamed:

What is significant about Paul being obligated to share the gospel with the “wise and the foolish”?

What makes the gospel so powerful?

What one human activity, mindset, or action unlocks the power of the gospel according to this passage?