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Forward In Faith
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Pastor Gary
Gilpin, Olympia Washington
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http://
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A FRUITFUL HARVEST
REQUIRES A FAITHFUL WITNESS
Read 1 Cor 3:5-9 and you will
learn that a fruitful harvest requires a faithful witness. Paul writes, “What
then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as
the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was
causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters
is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters
are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For
we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
Let’s reflect on several principles in this text.
First, we are servants. We are nothing in and of ourselves. We are simply God’s
mouthpieces through whom people come to believe.
Second, we all have different roles and responsibilities in God’s
garden. Some plant, some water, some have up-front gifts, and some serve behind
the scenes. However, all servants are equally significant.
Third, God is the One who causes the growth. Twice in 3:6-7, Paul
states, “…but God was causing the growth.” We are the means by which people
believe, but God is the cause. He alone determines if and when a person
believes in Jesus Christ.
Fourth, we are all one in God’s program. We are not to compete
against each other; instead, we are to complement each other. We all need one
another to fulfill God’s work. To the degree that we are faithful garden tools,
God will grant us eternal rewards (3:8).
Finally, we work for God. In (3:9 ) Paul calls us “God’s fellow workers.”
We do not work for ourselves or even for one another; we work for God.
With the above understanding, we are able to move forward and
consider four gardening tips. Before doing so, I must ask, “Are you a
gardener?” I’m not, but I appreciate those who are. I like to watch
“Gardening with Ciscoe”on TV. Ciscoe Morris is an avid gardener who goes
bezerk over gardening! He says things like “Ou-la-la!” Even if you’re like me
and don’t like gardening, you’ll find Ciscoe fascinating. The man is so
passionate about gardening that he can inspire almost anyone to become a
gardener. Similarly, my hope and prayer is that the Holy Spirit will inspire
you and me to have the same zeal for soul gardening that Ciscoe has for soil
gardening. With that goal in mind, we will consider the four steps of spiritual
gardening: (1) prepare the soil, (2) sow the seed, (3) cultivate the soil, and
(4) reap the harvest. First…
1. Prepare the Soil. We are not living in a result-oriented
society. We are living in an instant result-oriented society. Nearly every
store carries instant coffee, instant oatmeal, instamatic cameras, and instant
breakfasts. We use instant messenger, drive-up windows, automatic teller
machines, credit cards, and fax machines. If we have to wait more than five
minutes, it’s considered a travesty of justice! However, in the spiritual realm
patience is a part of God’s program. In gardening crops do not simply
“happen”—reaping a harvest is the outcome of a lengthy series of events that
cannot be bypassed or overlooked. Unless the ground is cleared and plowed it
will not be ready to receive the seed.
Likewise, in the spiritual realm, before people are ready to
receive the seed of the Word their souls must be prepared. Often God uses
trials and tragedies to tear down any illusions of autonomy so people can begin
to see their true condition of spiritual need. Divorce, the death of a loved
one, the loss of a job, and a major move all prepare souls for Christ. These
trials and transitions in life are often what God uses to draw people to
Christ.
Although God is the One who ultimately does the work of
transforming a person’s soul, He invites each one of us to participate with
Him. Notice, the key word is participate. In any area of life and ministry we
should understand that we contribute nothing to the purposes of God. He has no
lack or deficiency, and for us to make a contribution would mean that we bring
something to the table that He does not already possess. However, God does
invites us to participate in His purposes by being a part of what His Spirit is
accomplishing in the lives of people.
There are a number of ways that we can participate with God in His
work of preparing the soil. First, we can and must pray. In 1 Thess 5:17,
Paul commands us to pray without ceasing. This is a present imperative, which
means that we are commanded to pray continually. Thus, God’s heart is that
prayer becomes as natural to us as breathing. What does God want us to pray
for? In Matt 9:37-38, Jesus urged His disciples to pray that the Lord of
the harvest would send out workers into His harvest. The greatest way to see
God’s kingdom advance in our sphere of influence is to pray that the Lord would
raise up other Christians to impact our family members, friends, coworkers, and
neighbors. In 1 Tim 2:1-4, Paul commands Timothy (and us) to pray for all
people because God desires all men to be saved.
I know a number of people in our congregation who have prayed for
unsaved spouses and relatives for years. This is where the real work is
found—preparing the soil through prayer. The Lord uses His servants in each of
these phases as they pray for people without Christ. Prayer is part and parcel
of seeing individuals believe in Christ. We must never forget or neglect this
critical step.
The second human element of preparing the soil is: we must have a
presence. We must go to sinners if we expect sinners to come to the Savior.
Many Christians assume that it is the job of the pastoral staff to save the
lost when in reality, it is the job of the body to go out into the world and
share Christ and then bring those that they have led to Christ to the church
for growth and discipleship. This means we must love lost people enough to go
after them. Loving the lost is the first step in leading the lost to
Christ. Sheep bare sheep.
[After the soil is harrowed and furrowed, the second phase is to…]
2. Sow the Seed. After preparing the soil, it is imperative to sow
the seed. This is simply putting the Word before people. It may be leaving a
gospel of John booklet or tract at a restaurant. It may be giving a person a
Christian book that has been especially meaningful to you. Often, it is simply
sharing your personal testimony and the gospel. Is this easy? No, it is not. It
can be downright scary, but the rewards of witnessing are worth the risks.
[We have been called to prepare the soil and sow the seed of God’s
Word. The third stage is to…]
3. Cultivate the Soil. Cultivation is the lengthiest part of the
agricultural process since it involves irrigation, fertilization, and weed
control. The cultivation phase is illustrated in the fact that Jesus was called
“a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matt 11:19) and in Paul’s desire to
find areas of common ground in order to win Jews and Gentiles to Christ (1 Cor
9:19-23). Again, if we are to be faithful witnesses we must learn to love lost
people. We must not see lost people as trophies to be won. If this is our
mindset we will find ourselves quickly and easily discouraged. Most people do
not believe in Christ instantaneously. The average person requires 7-14
presentations of the gospel before they are finally persuaded. Therefore, we
need to be content with being number five in a process of ten or number eleven
in a process of fourteen. This is a reminder that reaching out is for every one
of us. Remember that a fruitful harvest requires a faithful witness. We
sometimes don't see immediate results, but be a faithful witness, be ready to
take advantage of any open doors and you will become that person that causes a
sinner to make a decision to receive salvation.
We have looked at three stages: preparing the soil, sowing the
seed, and cultivating the soil. We have learned that we must pray for laborers
and specific lost people. We have also learned that we must spread the Word
through any available means. We have also been reminded that evangelism is a
process that often takes years. Yet we must be patient and persevere in each of
these stages, for a fruitful harvest requires a faithful witness.
[We have considered three stages of gardening; we are now ready to
undergo the brief fourth phase.]
4. Reap the Harvest. Crops go through three stages: green, ripe,
rotten. Harvest is effective only at one stage. If we prematurely harvest the
fruit before it is ripe, we run the risk of ruining the fruit. However, if we
wait too long to harvest the fruit it may be too late. The key is sensitivity
to the Spirit and timely intervention. Many of us need to simply remove the
pressure and guilt that we feel under. God expects for sharing our faith with
others to be fun and natural. He also wants us to know that it is His work. I
have yet to convert a single soul; the only conversion that takes place is
through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. This is helping me to relax
and not take so much personal responsibility. If I accept the blame when a
person rejects Christ, quite naturally, I would need to accept some of the
credit when a person believed Christ.
The key concept to be gleaned from this process principle is the
liberating truth that if we are involved in any one of these four phases, we
are doing evangelism. Believers who prepare the soil, sow the seed, or
cultivate the planted soil are as much a part of the evangelistic process as
those who are given the privilege of reaping the harvest. In addition, when we
are sensitive and responsive to the opportunities God places in our path, we
will find ourselves participating in different phases of the process, depending
on the individual and the purposes of God. With one person we may be given an
opportunity to participate in the seed-planting phase by sharing truths from
Scripture. In another case, we may have an opportunity to water or fertilize
the spiritual truth that has already been sown. While our desire is to see our
friends come to Christ (the harvest), we can be assured that whether we are
involved in preparing, sowing, watering, or reaping, we are part of that
process.
So how do these four stages of gardening work in action? Jesus
will show us in John 4. Jesus “prepared the soil” when He asked the
Samaritan woman for a drink of well water (4:7-10). Even in speaking to her,
Jesus overcame three barriers: first, the racial barrier (Jews had no dealings
with Samaritans), second, the gender barrier (Jewish rabbis would not address
women as Jesus did), and third, the social barrier (this woman had a poor
reputation among her own people). Jesus sowed the seed. Jesus knew everything
she had done, and yet He gently and lovingly offered her the living water of
eternal life (4:10). Jesus cultivated the seed by getting intimately involved
in this woman’s personal circumstances and then answering her theological
questions (4:16-26). Finally, Jesus reaped the harvest. After telling this
woman that He was the Christ (4:26), the woman left Him. The disciples then
approached Jesus and urged Him to eat (4:31). Jesus responded with these
powerful words in John 4:34-39:
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish
His work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the
harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that
they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is
gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may
rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another
reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have
labored and you have entered into their labor.’ From that city many of the
Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He
told me all the things that I have done.’”
We are tools in the hand of the master Gardener. God is using many
of us in remarkable ways, but God is anxious for a greater harvest because the fields
of this world and right there in your neighborhood are white unto
harvest. This is the season -these last days, God wants to do an incredible
work in our churches. He wants to use you and me to participate with Him in
bringing about a bumper crop! Are you praying for a harvest? I
pray for each and every one of us to enter into the work of soul
gardening. Remember, a fruitful harvest requires a faithful witness.
