I was once planted what is called a three sisters garden. Instead of tilling up the ground, you create a series of small mounds of dirt. In that mound corn is planted first. After the corn starts growing you plant beans and squash. These three plants work together to produce the crop. The corn grows tall, the bean plants run up the corn stalks, and the squash plants serve to provide ground cover to minimize weeds and keep moisture in the soil. All was working well until we had an abundance of rain and our property flooded. My hard work had come to nothing. There was something bigger at play here and a good lesson was learned. The Apostle Paul wrote that some plant, others water, but it is ultimately God who gives the increase.
Since Paul was speaking of the Gospel and the growth of the church, lets apply it this way as well. Scripture is clear that we all have responsibilities in the church. My responsibility as a pastor is prayer and the ministry of the Word. I teach the Bible regularly in the weekly church worship services, in Bible study, and in personal application during counseling or visits. Paul told Timothy to dedicate himself to this task and every pastor since should be doing the same.
The members of the church have responsibilities as well. Church members should strive to live a life of Christian integrity before a watching world. There is also the duty to learn the Scriptures personally applying them to our lives and seeking by God’s help to be obedient to what we learn. Just like my three sisters garden, Christians are called by God to grow and mature in the faith. The normal results of this growth will be fruit. That fruit is often opportunities to share our faith with those who are not part of a Christian community.
There are three New Testament passages that help us understand and apply these truths. The Great Commission states that Christ’s ministers are to take the Gospel into all the world. The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15 that all believers have the responsibility to be prepared to give an answer to those who ask about the hope we have in Jesus. But we must not forget the third passages. In Matthew 9:38, Jesus Christ instructs us to pray earnestly that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers into his field.
In our preparation, zeal, and work, how often do we forget about prayer? The most intelligent pastor’s words are powerless apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. The most faithful church member’s works are fruitless without the power of the Holy Spirit. The most zealous missionary can accomplish nothing apart from the Spirit of God giving spiritual life to those who have yet to believe.
How often are we guilty of forgetting to pray? Many times we believe the work we do is far more important than prayer. Without prayer which asks for and expects the work of the Spirit, our greatest efforts will yield no real, lasting, spiritual fruit. Here is the good news. God delights in keeping His promises to His people. Jesus told us to pray. He told us to ask, seek, and knock. That means we spend time asking the Lord for those things most needful for us. What is hindering your work? Could it be you are seeking to do this all in your own strength instead of the power of the Holy Spirit? Maybe you do not have because you do not ask.
Joe Tolin pastors the Kingman Presbyterian Church.
