Mark 4:26-29 (NIV): (Jesus) also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Many people work at growing their congregation through the same means that one uses to grow a business or an organization. They use advertising techniques, new and improved programs, phone marketing, and “customer” follow-up. You can indeed grow a congregation that way, but growing the kingdom of God takes different techniques.
First of all, the seed, God’s word, must be intentionally sown into the lives of the people (the soil). It must then be provided good conditions to grow. For a farmer, the soil must be keep moist. Appropriate fertilizers must be applied. For the seed of the gospel, the water and fertilizer are prayer and the love of God working through the lives of His people, liberally applied to the lives and hearts of those being targeted.
But the mystery is that, even though the farmer provides the best possible circumstances and surroundings, he is powerless to actually make the seed germinate and grow. That potential is in the seed itself. Each seed, having been planted, watered, and warmed by the sun, will automatically germinate, put out roots, and reach upward toward the source of life-giving energy until it breaks the ground. And then it will continue to grow, developing the leaf, stalk, and stem. Finally it will produce the head, which ripens into the wheat, the desired end. At that point, the farmer puts the sickle to it and brings in the harvest.
In the same way, when we are working to grow the harvest for the kingdom of God, there are certain steps that we need to take. We need to be conscientious about planting the right seed for the crop that we want to harvest. Our goal must always be soul’s for God’s kingdom. Souls that will ultimately grow into strong, Christlike, reproducing disciples of Jesus. We need to make sure that we don’t sow the seed of programs, or light shows, or carnivals, which are the seeds of consumerism, and will only grow a crop of consumers. The seed that we have been given is the good seed of the gospel, the truth of Jesus Himself. We also need to make sure that we don’t use the genetically modified seed of Jesus according to this person or that person, or Jesus plus this program or that activity. Just the pure, unadulterated seed of Jesus Himself, as clearly presented in the gospels. Next, we need to keep the soil watered through prayer and love. But we always need to remember that the growth into a harvestable soul is not something that we can program or speed up. God has put into the good gospel seed all that is needed to produce salvation. As He said through Isaiah, His word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 NIV)
Some might think that this exonerates them from the need to tell people about Jesus, or help them to find Him. “After all,” they think, “I can’t save anyone; only God can.” But seed that is never sown into receptive soil will never produce a crop. Each of God’s people must constantly be telling others the good news of the gospel. Sown seed that is not watered will never grow. God’s people must bathe the souls of those we have told in constant prayer and loving interaction. And if the farmer doesn’t keep a sharp eye on the crop, he won’t see that it is ripe, the harvest will never happen, and all of the previous work will be lost. God’s people must stay engaged with those we are “farming,” always looking for the softness of heart that shows that the harvest is near. And then we must put in the sickle. Right at that moment, we need to pray with that person to bring the harvest into God’s kingdom.
Only God can make the seed of the gospel grow. But without steadfast commitment on the part of us, His people, to do the work of sowing, tending, and, ultimately, harvesting, He will have nothing to work with.
Father, it is so easy to excuse ourselves, or to exempt ourselves from the real work of the kingdom. But, Lord, that’s what we are here for! That’s the job You left for us to do! For us to hope and pray that You will just drop someone on our path who wants to be led to You is like a farmer who wants to just happen upon a field of wheat, already grown and ripe, that he did no work on. It would be nice if it happened, but he will never feed his family or make a living praying that kind of prayer and hoping it will happen. Lord, the work is too important to hope that others will do the hard work of telling others so that we can just happen to show up to do the harvest, or maybe just to cheer when someone else does the reaping. Help us, Lord, to be diligent in sowing, tending, and harvesting, the real work of the kingdom that You have given to us. Amen.