Sowing the Good Seed

November 15, 2022
by Steven Orner

Evangelism is such a big word. It is something that can feel so weighty that the average person might even avoid it for fear that they are not qualified.

However, I cling to a few examples from Scripture that guide me and encourage me as we seek to do just this to people in Madagascar who have never heard the Good News of Salvation. The first example is to do it together. Sharing the Good News can be challenging work. In Luke 10, one of the first examples of mission work, Jesus sends out His team two by two. He has them go and directly engage and build relationships as they share the Good News. So, we work to partner with and train up Malagasy missionaries who can go with us.

Evangelism is about sharing with people, and as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 that he was willing to share not only the Gospel of God but also himself. So, the second lesson is to remember it is about people. Sharing life and struggle and the gospel with them. It is not a “hit and run” but rather a stay and build. Find a community that needs Jesus and live with them and share life with them.

Finally, when it comes to evangelism, we need to remember who develops and grows the Harvest. God is the Lord of the Harvest and the one whose very words caused all of creation to come into being. In that, the pressure is off of us to produce results. I love Matthew 13:24 where Jesus tells a parable of a man who sowed good seeds and then the enemy came and sowed weeds in the same field. His servants wanted to try to fix the problem right away and at the risk of pulling up the good seed. The Master of the field told them to wait and in due time the harvest would show the grain from the weeds. This revelation takes so much pressure off of me to be a “Soul Saver.” God changes hearts and brings salvation. My job is to be faithful—go out with other fellow believers, build relationships, sow the seeds of salvation, and work the Harvest in due time. I can trust that God will bring the Harvest and He will change lives, and I just need to be available and faithful.

Steve and Bekah Orner and their 4 children serve with Africa Inland Mission in Madagascar. They work with unreached people groups and in training Malagasy missionaries.