Monday, December 19, 2005

Focus on Planting Not Harvesting

Focus on planting not harvesting. Plant the seed of the kingdom and God will make it grow where he wills. It may not grow where you expect it to grow. It may grow in strange places. When it does not grow don’t feel bad, just move on. God may not be drawing that particular person at this time. When you see it spring to life, spend time cultivating it because God is at work. It’s easy to recognize because the person will be asking important questions of life. They will be motivated and interested to hear what you have to say about Jesus. Think differently. Know that evangelism is God’s work. You cannot make it happen if he’s not in it. Salvation is God’s work from start to finish. People cannot come to Jesus unless the Father draws them (John 6.44). God gives faith (Romans 12.3) and grants repentance (2 Timothy 2.25). The Holy Spirit is the true evangelist. The Spirit convicts people of their sin (John 16.8) and prompts them to confess Christ as Lord. This is impossible with the Spirit’s involvement. They cannot reason their way to Jesus. They cannot will it to happen and neither can you. No one can confess Jesus or even understand the things of God without the Holy Spirit because the gospel is spiritually discerned (2 Corinthians 2.6-16). So don’t feel pressure to convict people of sin or convince them of Jesus – that’s not your job. That’s God’s job. This puts a whole new perspective on sharing Christ. It's exciting. It heightens your sensitivity to God. Just plant the seed wherever you go and asked questions like "Where is God moving? Where is God working?" and then step into the flow of his power and do what he's doing. Join him in his work. He's always at work so you must always be looking.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Recognition of the Spirit's work in drawing the lost to Jesus takes a load off a guy's back, who thinks he has to intellectually communicate everything he knows to the lost soul.