Friday, June 16, 2017

It’s God’s Work

eDevotion
Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Have you ever felt discouraged after talking with people about Christ and it seems that no one listens? I’ve had people say they have given up trying to witness because it’s like “casting pearls before swine.” I don’t think that is the best application of that verse, but I get it. 

I took several classes on Personal Evangelism in Bible College and Seminary. The professors would often invite gifted evangelists to speak to the class. To hear them talk about it, evangelism is easy. They’re the kind of people who get on an airplane and, after take-off, everyone on board accepts Christ before the plane touches the ground. When they get on an elevator on the 25th floor of a building, everyone in the elevator accepts Christ before getting to the ground floor. It’s just not like that with me.

If a farmer quit farming after a crop failure, there’d be little food on our tables. Thankfully, he has enough bumper crops to make it worth the effort, so, he plants again. We must do the same. Just keep planting the seed. One day, someone will get it and believe. Then you’ll see the joy of someone coming to faith in Christ. That’s rejoicing time, right there [see Luke 15.7].

Conversion is not our job. Conversion doesn’t come through our persuasive words or clever arguments. Conversion comes when the Lord has prepared the heart of a person to receive the Gospel. Sometimes, our part is to sow the seed of the Gospel. Sometimes, we water what has already been planted. Sometimes, we do a little weeding. And sometimes, we get to reap where others have sown and watered and weeded. Still, it is God who does the work of conversion.

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 1 Corinthians 3.7

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