Do not be weary or discouraged when you have been working for the Lord day and night, for what seems like ages, spreading the seeds of life and light to anyone who will listen. You may not see fruit from your labor at first, but it will come. Kingdom work takes time to come to fruition.
Remember the old saying, “good things come to those who wait.” I will add, “Good things come to those who work hard, endure, and dedicate themselves to produce a good harvest for the Lord, the Master of the field.”
And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that, the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29
Think of what it takes a farmer to farm his land. First, he chooses the crop he intends to grow. Then he cultivates the ground, plowing the weeds and softening the soil to prepare it for the seed, throwing out the rocks that hinder growth. After that, he sows good seeds in prepared soil. Then there is a waiting period when the rains must come, and the sun must shine to cause the seed to grow. A period of time has to go by for it to germinate and grow roots.
The stake grows up and puts out leaves and branches. As well as, the summer storms come and blow as the plant continues to grow. Then the flowers appear where the fruit will eventually be. Over a whole season, the plant must develop properly so the fruit can mature until ripe. It is a long process that takes hard work, time, and patience. Only after all the steps are completed can you harvest the fruit.
So what seed should we use to save the souls of mankind? That has the power to germinate in the heart and grow to salvation in the soul. That would be the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has the ability to save.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, Romans 1:16
We should all be sowing the seed of the Gospel in the hearts of man. When Jesus spoke of sowing the seed of the Gospel, He used a parable about a farmer sowing seed on the earth. There are always good reasons why He uses such practical illustrations so that we may clearly understand what we should be doing.
Jesus said, “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:3-9
Did you notice that only the seed that fell on the good soil came up and yielded a crop? We must learn a lesson here. If the ground is not plowed up first, we will not get a harvest; if God’s Law does not humble the sinner’s heart, they will not turn and repent of sin. But what will humble the soil of the heart of man? The Apostle Paul told us. It is the Moral Law, the Ten Commandments, and the precepts of God.
Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24
It is quite simple. Unless someone understands that before God, they are a lying, thieving, murderous adulterer at heart and will be judged by God and found guilty of all their sins, the seed will not grow to maturity. They will never humble themselves and see the need for a Savior if they don’t know that they are a sinner and deserve God’s Wrath. They will not fear Him and fall at His feet, repenting for their sins.
Let’s get back to the seed. Once we plant the seed of the Gospel, time has to pass for it to take full effect in the unbeliever’s heart. Conviction must be brought by the Holy Spirit, watered by the Word of God, and perhaps another preaching of the truth of Jesus.
This period might take years and is accompanied by shame, guilt, remorse, sorrow for sin, and more. Nevertheless, the roots of the Gospel must grow deep into the soul and be firmly grounded before the green plumage of a Christian can rise high and robust.
Now the believer is growing and sending out branches and leaves to soak up the instruction of the Lord. They have begun to learn lessons to do right instead of wrong, and the structure of their soul begins to get stronger, holding them up as the temptations and trials come against them.
Once they are more mature, the scorching sun, winds, and storms of persecution begin to test and refine them. Tribulations blow and press down on the believer, but this only strengthens their roots in the Lord, and because of this, they grow ever stronger. Those who endure become firmly grounded in the Lord and will not break under strain.
These hardships only cause a believer to cling that much tighter to their Lord Jesus and learn the lessons that He desires them to know. Through this phase, God purifies His chosen people into His image and prepares them for what comes next.
And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people, and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God. Zechariah 13:9
Finally, they are ready to produce fruit, the evidence of a true believer in Jesus Christ. They will produce the good fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Then through those fruits, they will produce seeds of the Gospel and scatter them out to bring many more to the Lord. A mature believer will bare much fruit, just as Jesus described.
You see, it takes a long time from choosing to sow the seed of the Gospel until there is proof of the harvest. So don’t look at your work for the Lord and think it is not producing a crop. But remember God’s promise, in time, “you will reap what you sow.”
Just like a stake of wheat starts with a single seed but produces many more. As the Lord has said, you can produce thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. The seeds you sow can multiply into a future harvest far beyond what you could have imagined. The more you sow the seed of the Gospel, the more you will reap when it is time for the harvest of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38
The Soul Sower 