Hebrews 6:7-8

"Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned over" (Hebrews 6:7-8, NRSV).
These verses hit me today during my devotional time and I believe that they have some strong implications for us today. While I'm sure that the interpretation of the text that I'm going to be applying may have some exegetical stretching applied to it, as in the verses themselves don't directly apply to the church - however, I do believe that the verses can be used to apply to the modern believer's experience in churches today. With that caveat aside, let's begin.
The first part of verse 7 seems to be alluding to a person, most likely a believer, who represented as ground receives rain on multiple occasions. That rain may take many different forms. The rain might be a poignant sermon or lesson. It may be the direct unction of the Holy Spirit. It may also be an exhortation or word of encouragement offered from another believer. The rain may even be all of the above from time to time. The point is that rain is nourishing and sustaining. In fact, without rain falling on the life of a believer, that life can wither and die. On the flipside, however, I don't believe that ground can be flooded out from exposure to too much of this kind of allegorical and spiritual rain.
What can be said though, is that ground must be exposed to rain. Not only exposed, but exposed repeatedly. How does this occur? In a number of ways. First, by spending quality individual time with the Lord, the rain of the Holy Spirit will fall. Second, quality corporate time is necessary. Yes, this means church time. This may an antiquated statement in some circles, but with all respect to Barna, church attendance is vital. Just because some are not attending doesn't mean that the current debunking of the church is right. We are called to gather together on a regular basis for support and edification. I'm not here to pontificate on the right denomination or church, but I would urge you to attend a church of your choice that both challenges and supports you spiritually.
Notice in the second part of verse 7 that the writer implies that some action will be taken by the ground itself, the believer. What comes next is not some theological tip of the hat to Pelagianism, a belief that we as humans are essentially capable of moving ourselves towards salvation. To state that we must act doesn't lessen the impact of God's grace on our lives. This is more in line with the costly grace that was spoken of by Bonhoeffer and mentioned in previous posts. The believer is called to produce a crop, and even more specific, a crop that is useful to us.
Verse 8 seems to indicate that this crop may be negative and damaging to the ground. But how? The writer of Hebrews seems to be saying that exposure to rain WILL produce a crop when acted upon in concert with the ground. Yet, that crop isn't always good. For instance, have you ever wondered how a person may attend church for years with no apparent signs of moving closer to the Lord? Or furthermore, how a person might attend church for years but act more like someone who has never darkened the doors?
I believe that the motives of the heart of a person and the desire for reception of that aforementioned rain plays a large role in governing the actions of a person. The Lord doesn't force a person to receive or act upon the rain that the rain that they receive in a positive way. In fact, he doesn't force any interaction or crop growth period. He exhorts, challenges and calls us to grow, but that ultimate choice, with all respect to my Calvinist brothers and sisters, for receptivity seems to lie within the person, or ground in this case, themselves.
It is interesting to note that mere reception of rain isn't enough to ensure a good and useful crop. In fact, exposure to this rain might in turn cause a person to be in worse shape than they were before hearing. Why? I believe this is due to the fact that exposure to the good things of God naturally causes some type of decision to be made. A person may choose to focus upon the glory of god and the beauty and sanctity, despite its imperfections, of the assembly that is called the church. Now another person who may be exposed to much of the same things might choose to become bitter because of their own pain or perception of hypocrisy in the church. In other words, and I may be stretching the exegesis of this passage here, these verses seem to be implying the ability of the ground to choose what kind of crop they will grow. Whether this choice is conscious or unconscious really is irrelevant. The point remains that we have some say as to what kind of crop may be produced.
While this freedom of expression exists, notice that the writer clearly demonstrates what the results of each ground will cause. If the crop is useful, there will be a blessing from God. If that crop is thorny, it is worthless and will be burned up. I don't think it takes much imagination and certainly no literary license to notice what is being stated here. The very crop that is produced from reception of the rain will very well impact the disposition of that person and the very eternal fate of the person themselves.
So what does all of this mean to you and me? I believe that these verses mean that we play a large role in our own lives and destinies. In other words, when people make a statement like, How can a loving God send someone to hell, we must be aware that frankly, he doesn't. That choice is made throughout our own lives. I apologize for that tangent but it is a point that I feel must be made.
In either case, we must be willing to not just become ground that receives rain, but ground that desires to produce a positive and blessed crop. I believe that this best accomplished through supplication of our own wills to the good and perfect will of the father. This isn't because we're too weak or not good or smart enough to handle life on our own. On the contrary, it takes a stronger person to admit that they don't have everything figured out and that someone else does. I urge you to today make that conscious choice to grow a good crop. Make sure that you put yourself in a position to receive that rain which grows a crop of blessing. Read the Bible daily. Pray daily for others and for yourself. Attend church at least once a week. Become a part of a small group, be it Sunday School, a home Bible study or something that encourages accountability. These things, as we have seen, don't guarantee a good crop. No one is saved because of them. However, I would argue that it is next to impossible to be saved without them.
As humans, we are created to be and live both individually and communally. You really can't ignore either aspect and live a healthy and growing life. Furthermore, you can't fully receive the rain that we have talked about without being exposed to other believers. With that thought in mind, I urge you to not give up on your church and to support it with your prayers, your finances and your attendance. This isn't a self-serving statement but one that has our best in mind. So seek that good and perfect rain, drink up, soak it up and be prepared to grow the crop that receives a blessing from God!