Luke 8:5-8, “A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
- The sower goes out. The word go in the Great Commission carries with it a meaning of continuing action. We are to go and to keep on going. The farmer depends upon the Lord for a crop, but he also understands that faith alone does not get the seed out of the barn. He has a responsibility to go! He is to be “instant in season and out of season” (II Tim. 4:2): in the heat and in the cold, when he feels like it and when he doesn’t, he goes and he sows. “It’s hard nowadays” is no excuse for cancelling our soulwinning endeavors. We still must go.
- The sower has a field to reach. John Wesley said, “The world is my parish!” I must ask myself what portion of that parish can I reach? What area can my church and I reach by door-to-door soulwinning? And who are the specific people God has put in my life for the purpose of witnessing? The farmer has a specific field in which to sow.
- The sower has something to sow. (Luke 8:11) “…The seed is the word of God.” Don’t let the fear of man and a lack of faith keep you from telling others about Christ. Have faith in the Word of God and share it. “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so” (Psalms 107:2a).
Let’s say with the Apostle Paul, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
- The sower keeps on sowing. A person who will have a plentiful harvest doesn’t stop at the wayside, the stony ground, or the thorny ground but continues going until he finds that good ground and later reaps its rewards. It took Adoniram Judson, the first missionary from North America, seven years to win a Burmese soul to Christ. It took William Carey, missionary to India and “The Father of Modern Missions,” seven years to win his first convert. It took Robert Morrison, missionary to China, seven years to win his first disciple as well. Stories like this often make me wonder how many sowers have given up before reaping a harvest? Just keep on sowing!
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)