Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
February 20, 2002 Randall Caselman
The Hidden Harvest
When a farmer was asked what time he got up to go to work, he replied "I wake up in the middle of it." There may be a lot of things an honest farmer may not understand about planting and reaping, but one thing that he does understand is that God gives the increase. Indeed, a farmer wakes up in the middle of his work.
There are a lot of things we may not understand about sowing the seed of the kingdom and reaping a soul harvest, but Scripture tells us that it is God who gives the harvest. "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God gave the increase."
God's harvest can be found in the most unexpected places. Traveling to Samaria, Jesus stopped at Jacob's well for a drink where He encountered the Samaritan woman and sowed the kingdom seed resulting in the conversion of an entire village. While praying, Ananias received directions leading to the conversion of Paul. Philip, the evangelist was told, "Go south to the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza" and His sowing resulted in the conversion of an Ethiopian governmental official. Peter found an unexpected open door to the Gentiles when he responded to a vision in his sleep. Following the Jerusalem council, Paul passed through the lower regions of Asia Minor, establishing churches as he went. The providence of God drew Paul and Silas to a riverside in Philippi, where a group of women had gathered for prayer; The Lord opened her heart with marvelous results. What are some things we can learn from these narratives?
1. We must not be afraid to go where others have never gone. Jesus, Philip, Peter and Paul were planting on virgin ground. Farmers know virgin soil is the most productive.
2. We must be ready to go regardless of what we are doing. Philip was involved in a great work in Samaria, yet he left it in favor of reaching one man on a lonely dusty road. Isn't it time we stop making excuses and just give in to the opportunities which God places in front of us? Our prayer should be: "Lord, open the door and help me have enough faith to walk through it. Use me where you want me today."
3. We must never fear because God is with us. Ananias was paralyzed when asked to go seek out Saul of Tarsus. He knew who Saul was, yet God said, "Go, this man is my chosen instrument." We never know what God has planned for those we may touch with the message, a helping hand, or a word of encouragement, a prayer or a smile or hug.
4. We must not allow prejudice to stop us. Jesus was not deterred by the color of the woman's skin, her religious preconception, or the depth of her sin (married five times and living with another man). Peter was told, "don't call unclean that which God has made clean." Jesus said, I came to call sinners. This is our call; black ones, red ones, yellow ones, religious ones, and sinner ones.
5. We must understand that the providence of God is always at work. Jesus, Paul and Silas were in the right place at the right time. God knows when the soil is right, when the grain is ripe for harvesting. He needs us to plant and water. Paul says it is as if we are His ambassadors. Indeed we are, if we are willing to be sent and used.
6. Evangelism can take place any time, any place, not just in our church buildings. We plant and water at the grocery store, in the bank, on the golf course, at work, and around our neighborhoods. It's called marketplace evangelism. George McCloud points out that Jesus was crucified, not "in a cathedral between two candles," but out in public; "that is where he died, and that is what he is about, and that is where Christ's church ought to be and what the church of Christ ought to be about."
Some may sow and reap by the hundreds or thousands. Others, like Ruth of old, may glean a handful at a time, but every soul is precious in His eyes. Know that God has placed each of us at a strategic place in his field to plant and water.
Randall Caselman
