Seeking and Sowing... Anywhere, Everywhere.

Maybe you know a missionary couple who have toiled for decades in a far away country and ended up with precious little to show for their labors.

You know them to be be hard working and faithful in their efforts to evangelize the gospel. They've preached faithfully and passionately for years but hardly anyone came to hear and even fewer gave their lives to Christ.

Some church people will think such a couple could have spent their lives in more productive places. With few results to show for their efforts, many will say they were wasting valuable time and they could have moved on to another, more fruitful field. For a dedicated couple in lifelong mission work, “each day” of their lives is a day of renewal and hopeful expectation for the people they minister to... that today, or tomorrow, or the next day will be the day they accept Jesus as Savior.

What would say to such a missionary couple? What would you tell them to do? All Christians are evangelists and missionaries. There is no “observer” section in this stadium, we are all on the field charged with preaching the gospel. How are we as ambassadors of Christ to take His gospel to the world? Just how and where should we sow the seed of God's Word?

According to the gospels, the Parable of the Sower recorded in the synoptic gospels at Mark 4:1-20, Matthew 13:1-23, and Luke 8:1-15 was an important story told by Jesus that defines our role and actions as His ambassadors.

Clearly at the time of the telling, like so many of Jesus parables, not everybody who heard it understood its meaning. Not even the apostles, whom we should view as the world's first missionaries understood its meaning. Like them, we tend to think this story is all about the different “soils.” There are different kinds of hearts who hear the gospel, Jesus explains, and the gospel grows best in fertile, receptive fields. So, as some have argued, this parable invites us to cast the seed of God's word on good soil... to preach the word to people who are most likely to be receptive and believe.

Church growth experts, church planters and missiologists say we should be looking for the most fruitful fields... places that are most likely to yield the best harvest, to give us the best return on our investment of kingdom resources. Sounds like a very sound strategy doesn’t it?

However, it is interesting to note that Jesus does not call this the “parable of the soils”. He calls it the “Parable of the Sower ”. Rather than just focusing on the different types of ground that receive the seed of the Word, Jesus invites us to pay special attention to the one who sows it.

When we do this we are confronted by a surprising, even somewhat scandalous perception. The sower is hardly a conventional farmer. Instead of carefully choosing only the best soil and meticulously preparing it for the planting process, the sower in the parable just randomly and recklessly begins to cast seed. Anywhere and everywhere. He casts it as if he had a never-ending supply, as if he didn't care where it fell. He casts it on the sidewalk, he casts it in the weed-infested vacant lot, he casts it in the sight of hungry birds. Now here’s the key to the parable... the sower does it intentionally, purposefully, knowing full well that most of his precious seed is falling on unreceptive soil. Who is this Sower and what it the world could he be thinking?

Ask any experienced farmer and they will tell you that no one would plant seed in that way. In the time of Jesus, seed was expensive and the pressure to produce a good harvest was great for these poor Judean families. Good seed should never be “wasted” on “bad soil” would have been the first reaction to hearing this parable by any Jewish farmer of that day. Probably a lot of head scratching was going on trying to figure out what Jesus was talking about. Most probably thought this “sower” to be a foolish farmer with little or no experience. But... is he?

Maybe the sower knows something about the seed and the soils that we simply have a hard time comprehending and accepting. Even today, with our sophisticated church planting and evangelical strategies, we often ignore an important aspect of what we’re doing and for whom we are doing it. The power of God, the power of the gospel message and the hearts of men can coalesce to overpower any of our slick strategies and techniques.

Conventional farming, the kind that we are inclined to do, saves the seed for the best fields–-the good, receptive soil that promises to yield the biggest crop. But it seems that in kingdom planting the seed is extravagantly scattered on everyone, regardless of how shallow, hard or weed-infested the recipient lives may be. In conventional farming the soil is carefully selected and cultivated using the best, most proven methods to guarantee a harvest. But in kingdom farming the sowing is done with loving, non-discriminating abandon, knowing that the harvest is guaranteed by a God who promised that his word would not return to him empty. (Isaiah 55:11)

When we understand this, our evangelism is driven by a totally new and different dynamic. Rather than depending upon ourselves and the genius of our own strategies, we learn to depend upon our God and the irrevocable guarantee of his promises.

Rather than worrying about being successful and living up to human expectations, we are free to be sacrificial and thereby meet the expectations of God. Rather than deferring to the path of least resistance, we are free to pursue the path of the greatest need. Rather than focusing on where we can find the most good, we can focus on where we can do the most good.

It's not easy sowing seed on hard soil. That's why so few people attempt it today. It's risky business for churches to support such ventures. Those who are willing to do it are often misunderstood and even criticized, most of that criticism ironically coming from within the body or community of Christ they depend on for support and encouragement. Supporters want to see results... souls saved. The visible indicators expressed in a growing number of baptisms, year after year. Mission minded Christians after all, should go where the opportunities are and stay away from hard soil. We are concerned about how we look to the watching world. It's hard to look “holy” when you are up to your elbows in hard soil–rubbing shoulders with people living in sin who care for nothing about Jesus and the Gospel. Good people, holy people, just don't hang out with folk like that. This might sound harsh and critical, but one only needs to look at the work of evangelism in the world today to see such attitudes.

By now you might be thinking, “How idealistic, how wonderfully theoretical. But it just doesn't work like that in the real world.” Are you certain about that... or have you forgotten the stories from the Bible? Oh, and don’t forget Church History. Some of the gospel's greatest harvests have come out of the hardest, most unreceptive soil.

We know ONE who trusted that seed cast anywhere and everywhere would produce fruit. Jesus, the Christ. He was the holiest person who ever lived. In fact this Sower went out of his way to sow seed on hard soil and in the process showed us what true holiness is... not the holiness of religious propriety, but the holiness of unqualified devotion to God's calling and unconditional love for all people. Even Jesus trusted in God the Father to bring forth the harvest. He did... and He is.

And that's what evangelism is really all about. Missions is not about the good taking the gospel to the worthy. It is about the loving taking the gospel to the lost. The world will not be won by the holiness of the church. It will be won by the love of the church... the people of God willing to sow the seeds of truth anywhere and everywhere. It will be won when the church learns to love people like Jesus loved them, when like this Sower, we passionately cast the seed of God's word on all kinds of soil... all the time.

All the great missionaries, whose lives and ministries inspire us, understood this basic principle. They knew that there was no heart so hard, no culture so resistant that it could not be penetrated by the supernatural seed of God's word. So rather than avoiding hard soil, they sought it out and spent their lives casting seed. It’s a really good thing to think and act like an unconventional sower. There are no boundaries, no barriers, no resistance that should ever hold us back from casting the seeds of salvation to a lost and suffering world. Our job is to sow the seed. God will make it grow and bear fruit.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life.”

He who has ears, let him hear.

GIVING in Hard Times... and the Power of One

"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.... Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." (Deuteronomy 15:7-15 NIV)

" ... But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving ... " 2 Corinthians 8:7, 13-14 (NIV)

Surviving these hard economic times is what most of us are concerned about these days. Hanging on to our jobs, learning to adjust to salary cuts and unpaid leave, holding on to enough of our resources so we can pay our bills has become our obsession.

In many ways these are good times for America and much of the industrialized world, because all of us are rethinking excessive life-styles we have lived for so long. Excess and self-indulgence was considered normal everyday life in America. Two of everything, more of that, lavish vacations, personal spending, pursuit of things and stuff... was the everyday expectation for most Americans.

Times have changed and with change comes an opportunity to recalibrate our minds and hearts. Now we see the simple things growing in value. Time for each other, personal reflection, family and friends, and it seems everyone is spending less by necessity and saving more. These are good things for everyone.

What about those in need? The needy of our world are still with us... there needs today are as real and urgent as they were one or two years ago in our time of abundance.

None of us need to be told that we're living in tough economic times. And if these are hard times for us, it’s even harder for those who depend upon charitable giving to survive. Christian missions are fueled by contributions from western nations like America. For decades we have been supporting the Great Commission through our giving and we’ve seen remarkable results created for God’s Kingdom out of our dollars.

Christians are called on by command of our Lord... to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, set free the oppressed to care for widows and orphans and support the missionaries who we have sent around the globe to preach the gospel.
People on the margins face empty shelves at food pantries and the feeding kitchens in hard hit regions across America and around the globe are trying to make do with sharply decreased donations. In difficult times as we are experiencing, we tend to horde our resources driven by fear and the uncertainty of our own financial well-being.

Hoarding what we can give to hedge against an uncertain future won’t help those in need. Without the fuel of money in the form of our contributions, missions efforts around the world will grind to a halt. How does our faith speak to this dilemma? How can our faith help us?

Rethink the way we give in support of missions. It’s really a one-part solution. Start and end by trusting God. God actually challenges us to give in times like this. In Malachi chapter 3 God says, "You are robbing me . . . with your tithes and offerings! . . . Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, . . . see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down an overflowing blessing."

Imagine putting God to the test by giving even more, especially in these hard economic times. God's promises that we will receive an overflowing of blessing. How hard it is to give with only the promise of a blessing. And what kind of a blessing will it be? I know... this is where fear enters our minds in the form of “reality” and helps us build the excuses and justifications for why we can’t give anymore or any at all, until the economy improves.

One to Many? God is the “one” who can cause blessings to pour forth upon his faithful followers. He expects us to try and find sustainable ways to help those in need. He knows our burdens and understands our fears in uncertain times. For us, we need to accept that His blessings may not accrue to us in the form we hope for. Blessings might be something as simple, and yet spiritually powerful, as knowing that you and everyone else found a way to meet the needs of those in need. Participation motivated from a cheerful heart is pleasing to God. We might not see it as the blessing we desired, but as God continues to mold and transform us –– sacrificial giving is cornerstone of building character and a rich blessing.

Many to One? It is very challenging for a small number of givers to carry the burdens of mission giving. Sometimes, giving to missions is shouldered by as few as two or three families in a congregation. Local charitable outreach, whether through money or volunteering of time is also supported by very few. We Christians are many. A congregation of 100, 200 or 300 members is far more powerful in potential giving than one, two or three people. Let me illustrate what I mean.

Let’s say that a missionary your congregation supports needs $3,000.00 immediately for repairs to an essential vehicle. If a few contribute to this need in a congregation of 200, the burden might be several hundred or thousands of dollars from the small group of giving families. In a tight economy that is likely a financial burden. However, if the congregation is presented the need with encouragement for every family to share in the “mission of God”, then the burden can be distributed across more families. A per family share might be $50 or less based on the number of member families who can give. I know this may sound unrealistic based on your prior experience with such initiatives, but have you really used the Bible to teach the principles God has given us to share in the support of His Great Commission? You probably have. Well don’t give up teaching the principles. The Great Commission is our prime directive from Christ... the local and global mission of the gospel belongs to Him. Keep admonishing the body of believers to accept responsibility for their share of this urgent Kingdom work. In time, with prayer and the urging by the Holy Spirit people will open up and give to meet the needs of God’s work. Many to one, everyone participating in caring for the needs of the needy is a rich blessing from God.

Trust will conquer our Fear
The typical response to giving from many Christians today is anchored in our fear of the unknown. It really is trust in God... who knows what we can’t see and don’t know... our fear of those future events and circumstances yet to happen in our lives.

Make giving a spiritual exercise. I know that’s hard to do because by nature we are cowards. We normally give out of our abundance - the leftovers, after all the bills and "wants and needs" are paid and satisfied. Statistics validate that we rarely put church or charitable giving first in our family budgets. Why? Because we don't trust God.

Giving in hard times is not something we have had to face very often. Abundance has been our shelter. We have personal expectations about our needs and wants and they rarely match God’s. We don’t have the faith that God will provide enough to satisfy what we want. He has promised to meet our needs. But there is a big difference between what we perceive as our needs and what we want. So we mitigate our fear by hanging on to what we think will be the difference, hoarding our money so what God provides... short of our expectations, will be made up by our hoarded cash.

That attitude is a perfect foundation for putting God to the test. Remember, God’s blessing might not be what you expect. Money is not going to mysterious appear in your bank account... you won’t be finding envelopes full of cash on the sidewalk.

But... if you trust God, if you participate with your brothers in providing for the needs of others, God can change your attitudes about what you think is important to you. In fact, rather quickly in your “test of God” you will begin to see how those treasured desires, hobbies, vacations or whatever passion you pursue, is not all that important anymore. Your passion shifts to the “things of God”. You will be more curious about finding ways to help others advance the gospel and meet the needs of the less fortunate. Surprisingly, your money goes further than you ever though it could! That’s because you trusted God to reorient your priorities and recalibrate your values and now you see clearly through eyes of trust and faith in God’s promises. This might be the one time you can truly say... I have may cake and can eat it too!

Trust God. Test His promise. You will soon discover that the boat you thought you had to have, or the cabin by the lake, or the hordes of cash to cushion you through the economic hard times are not all that important anymore.

Don’t be afraid to give to the Mission of God. He will richly bless you and your life will never be the same.
Until next time.