In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus shares The Parable of the Growing Seed. Here's his story:
“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.” (Emphasis mine)
It's a parable that highlights the intrinsic power of God's Word. Namely, that it has the power in and of itself to grow and produce a great harvest of spiritually reborn followers of Jesus. The question arises: Does this mean I, as a follower of Jesus, don't need to share Jesus because his Word is already out there, unleashed so-to-speak, and doing its work?
Yes, God is sovereign (Psalm 68:20). Yes, the Gospel is "the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). Yes, God will save whom he will save (Romans 9:10-18). But he welcomes us into his life-saving work in others' lives. If it were not so, Jesus himself would not have commissioned his followers to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). The truth is, while the Word of God has power to produce a harvest of transformed lives in Christ, we do the continual work of letting that Word loose. Paul said it this way: "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow" (1 Corinthians 3:6).
The simple answer is, "Yes, I still need to share Jesus." Or, to use Paul's analogy, our role in Jesus' "automatically" growing kingdom is simply to plant and water seeds. That's it. We don't worry about the growth (God takes care of that), but we do "scatter seeds on the ground" just like the farmer in Jesus' parable. This week, be encouraged to scatter (Or water) seeds. Who's someone in your life who needs to see Jesus through you, both with your works and your words? Who's your one?
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