When I look at an empty campus, I am reminded of Jesus’ parable found in Mark 4:26-29:
And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Summer months for college ministry are often slow, but during this time I am reminded of the purpose of such seasons. In the parable above, the man scatters seed on the ground. Jesus is fond of using agricultural metaphors to describe how his kingdom grows. In essence, the “ground” is wherever the gospel has not been proclaimed. So when I look at an empty campus, all I see is room for the gospel to be proclaimed. I see an empty field ready to be filled with seed.
Now, that may not make much sense given there aren’t many students here over the Summer. Yet, this is precisely my point. Ground cannot simply be sown into without cultivation. In other words, there has to be some pre-work done by the farmer to prepare for the coming days of scattering seed.
In the same way, I would be much a fool to stumble onto this campus mid-August believing I have fertile soil on which to scatter seed. When I look at this beautiful campus and imagine students hanging out on the lawn, walking to classes, or catching shade under the trees—now, while these things aren’t happening—now is when I am reminded to cultivate the ground.
But how does one cultivate an empty field? Again, Jesus gives us the answer with another agricultural metaphor. In Matthew 9:37, after he has “compassion on the crowds,” he turns to his disciples—his farmers!—and says, “therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest” (emphasis mine). What is the verb of this sentence? What is the action? Prayer. Prayer alone. Who does the “sending,” according to this verse? The Lord. The Lord alone.
What then is the role of the gospel worker in cultivating the ground? Prayer is the role. Praying to the One who is Lord over the harvest is much like “tilling” the ground, aerating it, making sure it has the proper nutrients before the seed is dumped into it. Perhaps then these Summer months should be given to intense, earnest prayer before the Lord to prepare for the Fall—to prepare for the harvest.
Sowing Freely
When a farmer first plants the seed, it can be difficult to keep the finished crop in mind. In fact, it takes such a long time that if the farmer isn’t persistent, the crop will be lost. When I look at the empty field, I must remember what the end result will be: a harvest. This takes persistence, prayer, and focus.
Truly, I believe we in the Church have become so disillusioned with the “slowness” of the growth process that we give up altogether on discipleship and evangelism. We have become accustomed to such fast-paced results—an instant “like” as soon as you post, a one-day delivery for the item you need, a less-than-one-day response for a text message. It is quite unusual that if we don’t get these things quickly, we become disappointed, or even worse, insecure. “He didn’t reply to me… is he mad at me?” “I got 10 less likes on that post than the last one…maybe I should delete it.”
In the same way, we have become so results-oriented in our ministry efforts. If we share the gospel just once, we immediately expect a result. When someone turns us away, we throw up our hands and resign, saying, “I tried…but it doesn’t seem to work!” But did we really try, or were we just looking for an immediate result?
I wonder what would happen if a farmer had the same attitude! What if he went out into this massive, empty field, clutching in his hand only one tiny seed, barely crossing the corner of the field—just far enough to find a convenient spot to plant—and then he proceeded by rapidly digging up the soil, throwing the seed in there carelessly, putting the soil back, and running away, never to return? What should he expect with so frivolous a method? A full, golden field of crop? By no means! But my, isn’t this exactly how we tend to treat the seed of the gospel?
Indeed, we think just one little seed is enough to produce a result. We are so timid with it too, thinking we only have one shot at the matter. We get uncomfortable going too far into the harvest field. We are afraid of getting “dirty” by interacting with lost people. We would much rather stay inside our insulated walls. And if we even have a gospel conversation, we rapidly dig up the “soil” of the sinner’s heart, throw in one tiny comment about Jesus, then close the soil for good. We clap our hands, running away so giddily: “I did it! I sowed a seed!” And then we wonder why that person never seemed interested in our message in the first place.
Oh, Church, what should we expect with so sorry a method! This is not the farmer we see in the parable. He goes out to the field and sows freely. The seed is always ready in his hands, looking for a fertile entryway into tender soil. Do you weave the gospel into the soil you walk on throughout your day? Are your feet readied with the “gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15)? Do you see your neighborhood as a place to engage people with the good news, or is it simply your destination of comfort after a long day? Is your work simply where you make a paycheck, or are you burdened for the eternal state of your coworkers? What if, instead of just one little seed, we always carried around with us a basket-full of good news—ready to share whenever the opportunity may present itself?
Pray the Uncomfortable Prayer
“Oh, but how do I even begin?” You may ask. What did Jesus recommend? That we pray. Do you have a list of 10 family members, friends, coworkers or neighbors whom you know are far from God that you pray for daily? This would be a good starting place. As you pray earnestly over these people, the Lord will begin to break your heart for them. As you ask the Lord for opportunities to evangelize, don’t be surprised when the Lord gives them to you throughout your day. If we are honest, the reason we don’t pray this prayer is because we love one thing: comfort. It will always be awkward to bring up the gospel with someone, whether you’ve known them for your entire life or you just met them in a coffee shop. These are eternal matters. But they matter eternally. Will you sow seed? Will you see empty fields as a way to pray? Will you take the time to map out and pray over people whom you know are far from God?
As I become increasingly burdened for this campus, ready for the Fall, I long to see just one student walk across it. Something tells me that if I am burdened over the one, then when the campus is full, that burden will be unbearable. And it is when the burden is unbearable that the good news of Jesus bears miraculous weight. I will communicate what I cherish, and break over what burdens me. If I cherish the gospel and break over the brokenness of the student, then I will share the gospel. It is that plain and simple. Oh, Lord, don’t let me be a one-seed sower. May I spread the gospel freely as if I am in love for the first time, for it was the gospel which first told me of your love for me. I desire that others know of such good news, so may my lips be ready to speak it to anyone you put in my way. Amen.
Practical Tools For How to Share Your Faith:
- Oikos Map: Draw and pray for your circle of influence
- 15 Second Testimony: Transition everyday conversations to the gospel
- Three Cirlces: share the gospel