God Gives The Increase
May 8, 2010 by Administrator
Filed under Blog, By Jane Harvester, Featured
I saw this video by Penn Jillette on YouTube about a month ago. For those of you who don’t know who he is, he is one half of Penn and Teller, a pair of talented magicians who also happen to be very openly and adamantly atheist. I was surprised to see in this video that Penn was given a Bible from a sincere Christian fan who cared about his spiritual life and instead of arguing with the fan or telling him how wrong he is for believing in God, instead it seemed to touch him to think that someone actually cared about him enough to tell him about eternal life even if he would never believe in it and most likely would get berated for even trying. Penn is still very much an atheist but I have to admit it was a wake up call to me about my own practices and laziness in sharing God’s Word.
Penn said “How much do you have to hate somebody to NOT proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and NOT tell them that?” and I have to agree with that statement. Those of us who believe that God is very real and Jesus Christ is indeed His son who made eternal life and salvation available to all who ask, have to get off of our lazy butts and LET PEOPLE KNOW, otherwise we are not serving God and other people in love, we are allowing ourselves to be lulled into the safety and convenience of remaining silent – and therefore hating our potential brothers and sisters who may otherwise be saved. Yes, it is certainly more comfortable, safe and peaceable to remain silent, but at what cost? How sad and confronting it is that it takes an atheist’s statement to motivate a Christian to witness!
Let me say two very important things: beating unbelievers over the head with your faith is generally not a good witnessing tool – and we are not responsible for their response. Believing and acting on both of these statements demands wisdom and courage, to both be loving in our approach, if and when we take that approach, as well as knowing when to let go and move on.
Recently I have been posting to an atheist board in response to a set of questions they posed. I went there because they stated they wanted Christians to tell them about the miracles and so forth in their lives. Perhaps I am naive or just dumb, but I go with the assumption that this is truth vs. them just wanting someone to argue with. I felt that telling someone who firmly didn’t believe in God or about the Bible would be pointless and frustrating, and at times I still do feel that way, but that doesn’t matter – because Christ said to his disciples after his resurrection:
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
It doesn’t even say preach the gospel to every person, it says preach the gospel “to every creature” – the Greek word is ktisis, translating as “the product of creation”. Everything. Obviously trees and rocks are not going to get holy spirit, but the figure of speech is to preach to any and everything.
This verse should be noted as it occurs at the end of the book of Mark. If you only had so many things you could say to someone before you were leaving them, what would you communicate? Christ said “preach the gospel to every creature” during that time, so obviously he felt it was important.
He did not say “…because you are the one who is personally going to get every one of them them saved”. He also did not say “…and condemn yourself if they choose not to believe”. It is God’s responsibility to give the increase, not ours. Our responsibility is to put it out there for people to choose one way or the other.
Paul said the following in I Corinthians 3 to believers who were falling back on their old ways and could only be fed milk (basic principles) vs. meat (mature principles) of God because they were thinking carnally, not spiritually. People were divisively claiming they followed Paul or Apollos, instead of recognizing that both of them were sowing the gospel and that God Himself was causing the growth in the Church (v. 6, repeating in v. 7), no matter who had put forth the Word:
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
He continues with the fact that Jesus Christ is the one who set the first foundation down to begin with and that our works should be crafted as a master builder so in the time to come, our works shall not be burned as refuse and instead we will be rewarded for those whose quality stands as gold or precious stones:
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
The most important work we can do is to give the news of eternal life to those who need it. We are literally preaching life to the eternally dead, raising the eternally dead to eternal life through the holy spirit Christ made available via his sacrifice, for all who will accept him. Good works on this Earth are nice; we will receive rewards in Heaven for doing them and certainly Christ preached peace, love, and compassion, and God wants us to love Him and our neighbor as ourselves, but the ultimate brotherly love, the most important thing we can do for another person, is to at least give someone the opportunity to make that choice to accept eternal life or not. Whether or not our function or ministry is of an evangelist, we should endeavor to reconcile people to God whenever and wherever possible.
Paul called together the “chief of the Jews” to preach to them, and initially they wanted to hear what he had to say. Some believed, some didn’t.
Acts 28:21 And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. 22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, [Christianity] we know that every where it is spoken against.
23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. 24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. 25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: 27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
In Acts 19:8-9, Paul preaches and again some don’t believe – so he moves on.
8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
In the parable of the sower and the seed, Christ said that some wouldn’t believe because the devil steals the Word from their hearts.
Luke 8:5 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. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 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.
…11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
When Christ told people plainly that he was the Redeemer, they still didn’t believe.
John 10:23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
None of these records says anything about Christ, Paul, or any other believer condemning or doubting themselves because someone didn’t believe. They simply preached, encouraged the ones that did believe, and moved on when someone didn’t – because it wasn’t their job to make them believe. It was their job to speak the gospel about salvation. It also says very plainly that some, no matter what, will not believe. This lifted a great burden from me when I finally realized that it was not due to some fault of my own that I wasn’t getting throngs saved or people didn’t want to listen!
When we preach the truth, we need to do it with a loving heart and guidance from God. Many people that I have “witnessed” to have come to Him because I tried to live a peaceable, honest life and “do the right thing” as a good example, not because I’ve smacked them down with Bible verses every time I talk to them. I’m certainly flawed but I dust myself off and try again when I screw up. God knows what He’s working with, so He can handle it if we don’t do things perfectly – He just wants us to try our best, be brave and open our mouths. If that involves serving someone a meal, great; if that involves teaching them from the New Testament, great; if that involves just giving them a hug when they’re in pain, great. We have to offer our lives in service to Him, wherever that leads us, and one size doesn’t fit all.
I can’t tell you who God will have cross your path who is tailored to your particular witnessing style, or what audience he has lined up for you. What I can tell you is that the message is important, no matter how you deliver it or to whom you deliver it to. It is up to you to walk and talk with God to figure out if someone needs a serious Bible thumping or just someone who honestly needs His love and forgiveness embodied in you during a bad situation. The result is not yours to force, it is God’s own harvest. Let Him do His job as you do yours, and move on when appropriate to do so. It may take years, it may take an hour. Even if no one you speak to accepts holy spirit, you have at least done your part to try, which is all He asks.
Luke 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
…v. 16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. 17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 21 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Ask God to help you accomplish what He wants you to accomplish, and He will. Remember, signs, miracles and wonders follow them that believe! Be loving and brave, expect the best, but don’t be discouraged or feel personally responsible if few or nobody seems to believe – it is going to happen, but even so, there will be some who do believe, if only hidden away in their hearts and darned if they’re going to show you! Since we do not know who they are, preach “to every creature” and help God collect His harvest.
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