Seed for the Harvest

By Alan Demos

As Jesus spoke to both the multitudes and His own disciples, He knew that the Jewish people, however sincere or faithful, had no understanding of growth and harvest for their synagogues or the temple. They were people of tradition and Old Testament law. He had to prepare them to receive other sheep into His worldwide flock of believers. Several of His parables brought forth principles of the kingdom pertaining to evangelism, growth and the eventual harvest.

In the Sermon on the Mount, He taught that they would be “the salt of the earth,” and “the light of the world.” His plan was for them to influence more than one nation, one city and one religious group. All three Synoptic Gospels later record the parable of the sower. “A sower went forth to sow…” (Matt. 13:3.) In Matthew, Jesus pointed us to the ground when He said, “The field is the world.” Luke reveals what the seed should be. “The seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11) However humble the packaging, whatever the size or method of dispersion, the seed must be the Word of God and it must be planted in the ground! There we have it! God wants us to find a field, have the right seed in our hands, and sow! It doesn’t take an extensive knowledge of agriculture to be a sower – just willingness, time, a plot of ground, and some seed.

Have you found a field where you can labor faithfully for Him?

Finally, we must be patient. The seed we sow will rarely bring an instant harvest. Our love will be the sunshine; our tears in prayer will be the water. Yet, the regenerating power of the Word has to work through burial, germination, plant growth, flowers and, finally, in due season, the harvest. The faithful sower understands the principles of the harvest. He labors with purpose, beginning by preparing the seed. He knows that no two crops reach harvest in the same time period – the timing is ordered by God. Our Creator insured in the beginning (Genesis 1:11-12) that there would be future natural harvests when He created the plants and the trees with seed within. We learn what we need to know about spiritual harvesting by studying natural harvesting.

Has the seed been placed within you that will bring forth a harvest?

We live with fields all around us – big cities, small towns, and villages. The people into whose hearts we must plant the seed are not hard to find. They’re at home, at work, at school, on the streets and in our neighborhoods. How do we turn barren, unprepared soil into a harvest field? People who don’t believe in God or know who He is are not candidates for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Faith in Jesus Christ comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! The seed must be sown to bring forth faith! Jesus prepared for Pentecost by adding knowledge and understanding that would lead them to New Testament salvation. For three years He ministered through miracles and healings, taught and preached, rebuked the wayward and comforted the suffering. Why was He taking so much time to lay the groundwork?

He was preparing the ground even as He was preparing the seed.

None of us will ever be as effective as Jesus Christ, but He expects us to be both sowers and harvesters! Each of us can hide the Word in our hearts and minds, find a field, and decide how to plant, using our own chosen method. Some will pass out tracts to strangers or distribute literature in a neighborhood; some will preach from a pulpit; some will teach children in a Sunday School class; some will teach others in a home; others will just speak gently and persistently with a friend. No method is more important than another! No venue is off-limits!

The only requirement is that we sow His Word!

The written Word of God in a condensed version, a summary or an introduction, is called a tract, whether evangelistic for the unbeliever or doctrinal for the believer. Let’s supply ourselves with Gospel literature to use wherever we walk in our fields. Let us pray to be led by the Holy Ghost in our sowing. It is not for us to inspect the soil. We are called to sow on all kinds of ground - good ground and poor ground. Literature is a time and cost effective means of connecting God with believers needing more truth or sinners needing salvation. Literature should go out to those who don’t know about, or, are not yet ready for, our churches.

A literature evangelist can easily distribute more than a hundred tracts

in the same time that it takes to give a one-hour Bible study!

Literature ministry fulfills the purpose of God revealed in the parable of the marriage. The king said, “Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.” (Matthew 22:9). We can’t wait for them to come into our churches; we must go out to invite them. Without a doubt, we will not be wasting our time. “Cast thy bread upon the waters… for thou shalt find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6) SOW faithfully in faith, and in God’s time, the Harvest will come.

Why not begin to utilize the wonderful tool of literature in your daily life

as you seek to win souls and lay a harvest at Jesus’ feet in eternity?

Editor's Note: Bro. Alan Demos and his wife Valerie have served as UPCI missionaries to the nation of Germany for many years. Bro. Demos skills and experience in literature ministry are legendary. In this article, he presents the concept of a literature ministry. Next month, we will feature a more in-depth look at what sowing the seed of the Word entails and the rewards it brings.

.