ONLY GOD, WHO
MAKES THINGS GROW
In 1949, George and Elizabeth Wood,
an American missionary couple serving in northwest China and Tibet, were forced
to leave the area. A local leader named Pastor Mung took over the Church of 200
people. The Woods returned to America, and by 1985 both of them had passed away
without ever knowing what had happened to the Church they started.
In 1988 the Wood’s son George
returned to China and met with Pastor Mung and his wife, who were now in their
80’s. For 28 years, the Communist government had done its best to extinguish
the Church. Pastor Mung wasn’t allowed to preach, and he spent nine years in
prison for his faith. It was illegal to baptize or “indoctrinate” anyone under
18.
When the government finally allowed
Pastor Mung to reopen the Church in 1983, only 30 (mostly older) people were in
attendance. Assuming that the Church was on its last leg, George Wood asked, “Pastor
Mung, how many believers do you have today?”
Pastor Mung’s wife brought them a
cardboard roll held together by yarn. The first page was filled with five
columns: name, age, gender, address, occupation. There were around 20 names.
George Wood continued turning over page after page with the names of the
baptized. Finally, he asked the
Mungs, “How many believers do you have now?” He said, “One thousand five
hundred baptized believers.” In disbelief, George Wood asked, “How did this
happen?” Pastor Mung smiled as he shared his secret for church growth. It wasn’t
a technique or a program. He said, “Oh! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today, and forever.
And we pray a lot!” He went on to
describe what the Lord had done. Pastor Mung died in 2006 at 96. But when he
passed, the number of baptized believers stood at over 15,000![1] If we want to see Hope
Church grow, we work and rely on Only God, Who Makes Things Grow. Continuing from last week’s
sermon, Paul and Apollos humbly acknowledged that they were only God’s servants
and faithfully doing what they were assigned to do. Let us look at the works
that God’s servants are to do and the one who makes plants and churches grow.
I.
PLANTING & WATERING
Vs. 5-6, “After all, who is Apollos?
Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good
News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your
hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.”
We have endured a long winter
season. Now spring season is here. It is a season of planting and growth. The
Apostle Paul uses two agricultural metaphors to indicate two tasks that God’s
servants are to do. Vs. 6. “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos
watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” To see how they carried out these
tasks, let’s turn to Acts 18.
PLANTING: After being
stripped and beaten by wooden rods and imprisoned in Philippi, run out of
Thessalonica and Berea, and scoffed at Athens, Paul came to Corinth. He labored
in Corinth for eighteen months planting the gospel seeds in the hearts of both Jews
and Gentiles. As a result, a small church was established in Corinth.
After some time, taking Priscilla
and Aquila, he sailed off to Syria and then on to a port in Ephesus. There
again, he began the labor of planting the Gospel seeds in the hearts of Jews in
the Synagogues. He kept planting seeds as he traveled back and forth to
Jerusalem and Antioch.
WATERING: As Paul moved on
from Corinth after planting the gospel seeds, Apollos, an eloquent speaker who
knew the scripture well, began to water the seeds planted by Paul.
The watering took place in the form
of teaching of the scriptures. What can we compare with the planting and
watering of the gospel seeds in the context of ministry? Paul was a pioneer
missionary, preaching the gospel (evangelism) where it had not been preached
before.
Apollos was a Bible teacher who taught
the new converts (discipleship) in the Church that Paul had established. As the
servants of Christ, we are commanded to plant the gospel seeds in people’s
hearts and water them through our teaching of God’s word. God will do the rest.
II
ONLY GOD, WHO MAKES THINGS GROW
Vs. 7 “So neither the one who plants
nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (NIV)
This verse tells us what our and God’s parts are in part is in His harvest
field. Our job is to plant and water the gospel seeds faithfully, leaving the
growth to God.
Only God, who makes things grow, is
a reassuring reality for the discouraged Christians worldwide. Especially in
the American Churches, success is often measured by the number of people who
attend their churches. Smaller churches like Hope Church finds it hard to
compete with Churches that are seemingly successful numbers-wise. Let’s not be
deceived by numbers.
If only we understand who is behind
the growth of anything, including churches, we can avoid unnecessary
frustration, anxiety and keep our blood pressure under control. Let us look at
how God is involved in growing and sustaining the natural world and His
worldwide Church.
Though the Bible teaches us that God
created the universe, some skeptics question His involvement with it. Consider
these scriptures: Genesis 1:11, “Then God said, “Let the land sprout with
vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing
fruit.
These seeds will then produce the
kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened.”
Psalm 14:13-15, “You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and
you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth, wine
to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them
strength.” The whole world and the forces of nature are in control of the Lord.
Jeremiah 31:35, It is the Lord who
provides the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night, and
who stirs the sea into roaring waves. His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
The Apostle Paul directed the men of Athens to God’s sustaining power.
Acts 17:24-25 “He is the God who
made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he
doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he
has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies
every need.” If for one moment God stopped giving life, the whole universe would
disintegrate.
These scriptures teach us that everything
depends on Him, whether it be the change of seasons, the growth of plant and
animal life, or the movement of the earth and stars. But interestingly, when it
comes to changing human lives, God chooses to work with His people.
III
WORKING TOGETHER
Vs., 8-9, The one who plants and the
one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded
for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s
field. You are God’s building.” After recognizing that they were merely God’s
servants and God is the only one who produces fruit, Paul draws these
conclusions.
Firstly, planting gospel seeds
(Evangelism) and watering (discipleship) go together. Secondly, though the
servants all called for individual tasks, they are united in God’s work.
Thirdly the purpose of gospel seeding and watering is the same so that
humankind will come to believe the Good News. Fourthly, God will reward our
hard work of labor in His vineyard. Fifthly, all Christians are co-workers of
God. The Church is God’s field and building.
Finally, God uses people of
different talents and temperaments to help Him cause the Church to grow. What
does this all mean for us today? At Hope Church, we are called to spread the
gospel seeds in people’s hearts and disciple those who are being saved by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
How does the planting of gospel
seeds and discipling, which amounts to watering, work at Hope Church? We pray
and share the good news of the gospel through acts of love, kindness, and
preaching of the word during Sunday service and one on one. We disciple the
saved during Sunday Bible times, connect groups, and other social and
fellowship events.
Though we are a small church, we
have a BIG heart for world missions. We support eight missionaries and ministries
in various unreached parts of the world through our generous giving. As we are
led by the Holy Spirit, we get involved in pre-evangelistic events such as
Christmas Child outreach, student outreach, ministering to the homeless, and
other community activities.
As God’s faithful servants, we do
these and many other things with one purpose in mind so that many people will
come to know Jesus as their Lord and savior and be discipled. Like the Apostle,
Paul and Apollos, we are co-workers in God’s field. We work together as teams.
We recognize that we are in
partnership with Jesus Christ, our Lord, to save the world. Listen to the words
of Jesus regarding the end-time harvest. John 4:35, “wake up and look around.
The fields are already ripe for harvest.” Our mission is not to grow Hope
Church but to Glorify God by becoming devoted followers of Christ. In the end,
God gets all the glory. Amen!
[1] Source:
Adapted from Dr. George Wood, The Assemblies of God Minister's Newsletter
(January 2012)
