Make Way Ministries

Top Menu

Main Menu

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Resources
    • Deeper in Christ
    • EvangeLIVING
    • Ministry Updates
  • Videos
    • The Pile of Masks Teaching Series
    • The God of Moses Sermon Series
    • The Crucified Life Teaching Series
    • Other Videos
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Contact
0

Cart

logo

Make Way Ministries

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Resources
    • Deeper in Christ
    • EvangeLIVING
    • Ministry Updates
  • Videos
    • The Pile of Masks Teaching Series
    • The God of Moses Sermon Series
    • The Crucified Life Teaching Series
    • Other Videos
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Contact
EvangeLIVINGPhilosophy
Home›EvangeLIVING›THE SOWING AND REAPING PRINCIPLE

THE SOWING AND REAPING PRINCIPLE

By dustinrenz
May 7, 2022
252
0
Share:

Evangelism… Just that word makes many of us nervous. It conjures up memories of when we stuck our necks out in faith and tried to share the Gospel with someone, but they rejected it. It brings to mind the many awkward conversations that we have walked away from and thought, “Why did I even bother trying?” It does not take too many of these types of situations for some believers to conclude that evangelism is just not for them. So they stop reaching out.

I have been in that place many times personally. What often happens in evangelism is that our expectations do not line up with our experience, so we get discouraged and want to give up. I have been to evangelism trainings and been a part of many types of evangelistic efforts. And sometimes, we go into these experiences with an expectation that everyone we bump into is going to be so excited to hear what we have to share that they will hang on to every word we say. We expect to see everyone in the city get radically saved.

And then we approach the first person and do our best to minister to them, and nothing seems to happen. And the wind gets let out of our sails a little bit. Depending on the culture of the group you are with, there might even be a lot of pressure to see results. You meet back up with the other teams and they immediately ask, “How many people got saved?” Perhaps others have some amazing stories to share, and leave you thinking, “I guess I’m not called to do this.”

There was a time in my life when I would feel incredibly ashamed if I spent time sharing the Gospel, and no one prayed with me to receive Christ. There was almost a temptation to lie to cover up for the fact that I saw no tangible results. But something happened in my perspective of evangelism that set me free from this results-driven mentality. It completely changed my viewpoint about all of the encounters that felt like a waste of time. And that was a principle that Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 3.

Something happened in my perspective of evangelism that set me free from a results-driven mentality. It completely changed my viewpoint about all of the encounters that felt like a waste of time. Click To Tweet

At the time of Paul’s writing, the Corinthian church was dealing with division. One aspect of that involved their leadership. Basically, the church was breaking into cliques based on who had originally shared the Gospel with them when they came to Christ. So there was a group of people who claimed to follow Paul, another who followed Peter, and a third who followed Apollos. In order to address the issue, Paul wrote them the following words:

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

In this passage, we find a principle that erased the pressure and need to see immediate results that was once such a stumbling block for me in evangelism. Paul explains the process by using agricultural terms that any of us can understand. He explains the Gospel as a seed. There is a process that must take place in order for a seed to germinate. First, the seed must be planted in the ground. Then, it needs to be watered. And finally, the harvest comes.

All of us have the desire to see the harvest. We all want to be a part of seeing someone truly repent and surrender their life to Christ. Of course, that is the most exciting part about sharing the Gospel. But, if you view the harvest as the only valuable part of evangelism, you will be very disappointed when you have an encounter with someone, and you do not see an immediate desire to be saved. In fact, too many of these in a row and you will start coming up with reasons why evangelism is not for you.

If you view the harvest as the only valuable part of evangelism, you will be very disappointed when you have an encounter with someone, and you do not see an immediate desire to be saved. Click To Tweet

But if you realize that there are other aspects of the process that are equally important, even if not as exciting, you will begin to see value in every encounter you have, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

I walked into a glass store the other day to buy a product for my home church. I struck up a conversation with the man behind the counter, just asking him about how his business has fared through the pandemic. He confessed to me that his business had not suffered, but the only big change for him was that the bars were closing early. As I was heading out, he said, “You’ve got to get drunk earlier these days if you are going to get drunk.” I responded, “I don’t do that anymore. Jesus set me free from that. In fact, I used to be a drug addict, and He changed my life.” I was almost to the front door when he commented, “Quite a turn around.” I said, “Man, Jesus can do it.”

As I walked back to my car, rather than feeling disappointed that we did not have a long conversation leading to his conversion, I was encouraged to plant a seed in this man’s heart. I told him what church I was from and I will be looking for an excuse to see him again as well as praying for him. But sharing the Gospel is both the big picture moments when people come into the Kingdom and the smaller seeds you plant when you go throughout your day.

When I realized that my job was simply to be a seed-planter or seed-waterer, and to make sure that I’m prepared for the harvest if it came- it made sharing the Gospel such a joy. Suddenly, I could walk away from even the most belligerent or uninterested person and not feel like it was a waste. Want to grow in evangeLIVING? Grab your seed packets and your watering can and go share the love of Jesus with those you come in contact with! It is never a waste of time.

dustinrenz
Website | + posts

DUSTIN RENZ is the President of Make Way Ministries, a non-profit organization that exists to see the world changed one Christian at a time. He has a passion to see the Body of Christ find rich intimacy in their relationship with Jesus and step out in faith to share the Gospel with the world around them. He is the author of Pile of Masks: Exposing Christian Hypocrisy and Something Better. He resides in Dayton, Ohio with his wife and three daughters.

  • dustinrenz
    https://makewayministries.com/author/dustinpaulrenz/
    INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY: NICARAGUA TRIP- MAR 2023
  • dustinrenz
    https://makewayministries.com/author/dustinpaulrenz/
    SPEAKING MINISTRY: ILLINOIS CHRISTIAN HOME EDUCATORS - MAR 2023
  • dustinrenz
    https://makewayministries.com/author/dustinpaulrenz/
    SPEAKING MINISTRY: THE RIVER CHURCH OF KANSAS CITY- FEB 2023
  • dustinrenz
    https://makewayministries.com/author/dustinpaulrenz/
    SPEAKING MINISTRY: PURE LIFE MINISTRIES- KY FEB 2023
Tagsevangelismoutreachwitnessing
Previous Article

YOUR RECONCILIATION MINISTRY

Next Article

TAKING A WALK ON THE ROMANS ROAD

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • EvangeLIVINGPractical Tips

    THE POWER OF YOUR STORY

    May 15, 2022
    By dustinrenz
  • EvangeLIVINGPhilosophy

    LEADING PEOPLE TOWARD JESUS

    May 4, 2022
    By dustinrenz
  • EvangeLIVINGPractical Tips

    JUST STEP OUT!

    May 7, 2022
    By dustinrenz
  • EvangeLIVINGPractical Tips

    WHAT TO DO WITH REJECTION

    May 7, 2022
    By dustinrenz
  • EvangeLIVINGPractical Tips

    FOUR PRINCIPLES FOR OVERCOMING FEAR

    May 6, 2022
    By dustinrenz
  • EvangeLIVINGPhilosophy

    YOUR RECONCILIATION MINISTRY

    May 7, 2022
    By dustinrenz

Leave a reply Cancel reply

I accept the Privacy Policy

0

Make Way Ministries is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that exists to see the world changed one Christian at a time. We seek to inspire the Body of Christ to awaken, mature and arise as we make way for our soon-coming King, Jesus Christ.

Make Way Ministries

PO Box 292914

Kettering, OH  45429

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY: NICARAGUA TRIP- MAR 2023

    By dustinrenz
    May 4, 2023
  • SPEAKING MINISTRY: ILLINOIS CHRISTIAN HOME EDUCATORS – MAR 2023

    By dustinrenz
    March 14, 2023
  • SPEAKING MINISTRY: THE RIVER CHURCH OF KANSAS CITY- FEB 2023

    By dustinrenz
    March 10, 2023
  • SPEAKING MINISTRY: PURE LIFE MINISTRIES- KY FEB 2023

    By dustinrenz
    February 22, 2023
  • SPEAKING MINISTRY: LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH- KY JAN 2023

    By dustinrenz
    February 22, 2023
  • INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY: NETHERLANDS 2019

    By dustinrenz
    December 15, 2019
  • SPEAKING MINISTRY: PURE LIFE MINISTRIES- FEB 2020

    By dustinrenz
    February 12, 2020
  • INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2020

    By dustinrenz
    March 11, 2020
  • SPEAKING MINISTRY: DAYTON CHI ALPHA- APR 2020

    By dustinrenz
    May 8, 2020
  • SPEAKING MINISTRY: PURE LIFE MINISTRIES CONFERENCE 2020

    By dustinrenz
    May 11, 2020

Follow us

© Copyright Make Way Ministries. All rights reserved.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT