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Just this week I was thinking about farming as I watched our neighbors plowing the back part of our property here in Cerrillos. Even though we live in the 21st Century, in our part of the world, many people plough and plant just like they did at the beginning of the 20th Century.
As you can see, this is not an easy job. It's dry, dusty and takes a lot of effort before it's time to harvest. Only God knows if enough rain will fall or if we'll have enough irrigation water for all of this hard work to pay off!
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Have you ever thought about how often the Bible uses farming as an illustration of evangelism? Here are a couple of passages to consider and an exciting current story to help illustrate them.
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Paul used "harvest" imagery when he dealt with a major problem in the Corinthian church. It seems some people there were trying to play Paul against Apollos. Some were thinking that they were more important than others, based on who had led them to faith in Christ.
Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 3:6-10 is simple. Leading people to Christ is often a team effort. In their case, Paul planted, Apollos watered, but the key factor is Who caused the harvest of their souls. Paul makes it clear that he and Apollos did the groundwork, but the harvest belongs to God.
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One of the biggest differences between the living in North America or Europe and living in the rest of the world has to do with how we view things. In the "first world" (the "primer mundo" is how we say it in Spanish), if we can't do it with less work, using new technology and have it done in record time, we're not interested in the effort. Everything is based on bigger, faster, better, newer, etc. We often view Evangelism in technical terms, instead of thinking of how we can share Christ through relationships. As a result, we tend to "market" Christianity, looking for the easy way to do God's work. True Christianity is much deeper than media marketing.
In countries that value relationships above productivity, Evangelism is slow, hard work. Often, Evangelism is like plowing dry soil with a handheld plow and an old horse. It takes time, energy, sweat and a lot of dedication. We never know when God will provide the harvest, but that shouldn't deter us from our job.
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When Christ was teaching Evangelism to His disciples, He also used a "farm" illustration. In Matthew 13:1-23 we read the parable of the 4 soils. It's interesting to note that the purpose of the parable isn't to make fun of the farmer who plants the seeds in less than ideal ground.
Christ isn't teaching us to only sow seeds in fertile soil in this lesson on faith. Instead, He explains what happens when we share our faith with unbelievers. Sometimes, there's no growth at all, sometimes we see an instant response to the Gospel, but it's not genuine and doesn't last.
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Other times, people don't even want to hear the Good News. But sometimes, the seed falls on good soil and God produces great results. When this happens, it's not due to the "farmer," because he has no control over the growth. But it sure is sweet when a bumper crop comes in!
Several years ago, Celso Lozano and Alejandro Aguilar, two Seminary students were struggling with the leadership in their home church. They felt the need to reach out to a new neighborhood, but their pastor said it would never work. According to him and several other leaders, this new "ground" was just too hard. They told Celso and Alejandro; "why work so hard to scratch the surface there when other areas are more fertile?"
Celso and Alejandro kept visiting the area, especially Celso, because he had a burden for the people, many of whom are immigrants from Bolivia. Two years ago, the Circle church was born. (It's called the "Circle" Church because it is in the Barrio "El Circulo." It grew from their two families to 25 members, almost all of whom were new Believers. This year, in a step of faith, they are participating in an evangelistic crusade taking place in our national churches here in Argentina. Each church member has been praying for 10 friends or coworkers. Then, they were expected to invite these people to a special service just for unbelievers at the church on August 7th. God worked wonders and over 100 unsaved people showed up at the little church. 23 made decisions to follow Christ! All the years of plowing, sowing and watering finally brought the harvest!
But you know there's always another facet to a story like this. A harvest of new Believers is not the same as a harvest of corn, wheat or grapes. Imagine having 23 new babies in your house! While many farmers finally get to rest after the harvest, "spiritual farmers" have more work to do. Celso and Alejandro (and all the brothers and sisters in the Circle Church) are busy giving Bibles to the new Christians. Now we need to disciple these new babes in Christ which will involve a lot more work. We're still not sure what type of soil they are, but we're doing all we can with God's help to give them the chance to produce more Believers.
Think about this the next time you buy fruits and vegetables. It takes work to produce them. In the same way, true church growth doesn't come through gimmicks and marketing. It involves a lot of hard work and the willingness to keep evangelizing the lost, even when the responses seem slow. How much work have you put into your spiritual "field?"
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