The Journey, part 16: Far-Reaching Influence

And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening... (Luke 9:2,6, 7a NASB)

We have touched on this before, but perhaps a little closer look at this amazing truth would be helpful. When Jesus sent the disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal the sick, He did not send them to Tiberias or Jerusalem. They were not in the largest cities. They traveled from village to village, doing their work. They were not speaking to thousands of people at a time. They were likely speaking to individuals and, sometimes, to dozens. They stayed in one village until the work was done, then moved on to the next. 

It was not a flashy, media-extravaganza kind of crusade. This was an on-foot, word-of-mouth journey. It is remarkable, then, that the news of their journey traveled all the way to the court of Herod Antipas. Perhaps it indicates how well informed the Tetrarch was, but the spreading of the news more likely indicates the impact of their journey. As they went, the people whose lives were changed by the news of the Savior shared that news with friends and family. The people who were healed shared the news with all who would listen. It was a little like one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, and the news spread far and wide, including to the highest levels of society and those with the greatest authority. 

While the disciples were faithfully proclaiming and healing in remote villages, quietly obeying their Master, news was spreading throughout the Roman government. That news went all the way to the Tetrarch, who was the ruling authority over Galilee, but the disciples in the villages had no way of knowing the impact of their obedience. The only fruit of their efforts they saw was that which was at hand, not that happening as the news spread throughout Galilee. 

One of the beautiful things about obedience to God is the way He multiples the results from the simplest of efforts and the smallest acts of faithfulness. Just as He multiplied the results of those twelve in the villages, He can multiply results from our obedience as well. While we serve obediently, quietly, in what seems to be the most insignificant way, our Lord can take that effort and multiply the result in ways we could never imagine. He can take it to the highest rulers in the land as well as the tiniest village, and we may never know it. 

We are not called to results but to obedience. If our calling is to obedience, and it is, we must ask ourselves how faithfully do we obey? How willing are we to do the work of God in the most unobtrusive ways while allowing God to deal with the results? When we keep the tally of success, there is a tendency to work for the tally rather than for the pleasure of God. As we approach the work God has given us, let us keep our focus on the One we serve and let Him deal with results. 

As Paul wrote, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." (1 Corinthians 3:6 KJV)

Our job is to serve, and to do it faithfully. The increase is God's job alone. 

The Good Soil: Part Five (Luke 8:8,15)

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.

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8:8, 15 KJV)

For disciples of Christ, their great desire should be fruitfulness, fulfilling that last command of our Lord to make disciples. In this pasage, Jesus explained how to become fruitful. It is not a byproduct of a fancy degree or untiring work, although both may be important parts of the process. Fruitfulness comes only as a result of the Sower's Seed, the Word of God, planted in the fertile soil of our hearts. 

Before we go further, it is vital to recognize that our hearts are the receptacle for the Seed, but it is the Seed that brings the fruit. Without it, there can be no fruit. Hearts that long to be productive must allow that vital Seed to be planted and grow, and that requires time spent in Bible study and contemplation. It requires obedience to the Word. 

There is one more very important characteristic of the disciple that is fruitful. Patience. The word translated as patience is hypomonē, and it comes from two root words that, taken together, mean "to abide under".  The word indicates constancy in the face of trials and incredible opposition. This is the kind of perseverance that endures all ills, all manner of bad treatment and discouraging circumstances, yet never gives up. 

It is the same patience with which missionaries serve and work for years without seeing a convert. This passage indicates that the Seed that finds a home in fertile soil and is nurtured consistently will bear fruit in time, if we are willing to persevere. It does not suggest that the waiting will be easy. 

The problem with waiting is that we do not like it, and we do not want to do it. I well remember overly-enthusiastic evangelistic acquaintances who were so aggressive with their tracts that I was delayed in finding a vital relationship with Christ. Impatience for fruit is common, and I confess to a tendency toward impatience myself, but it is counterproductive to the cause of Christ. 

If we are to bring forth fruit with patience, then patience is what we must have!  There is nothing in Scripture to indicate that the Seed of the Word can be rushed. In fact, 2 Peter makes it clear that God will not be hurried, and He is, Himself, waiting to allow more hearts to turn toward Him. 

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 NASB)

Have you planted seeds of truth that have not yet borne fruit? Wait. Wait prayerfully, but wait, just as our Lord does. In due time, He will bring the harvest. 

Today, pray that we and our loved ones will have fertile soil that welcomes the Seed of the Word of God and nurtures it until the harvest comes.

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Link to last night's post:  http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/07/shopping-for-rings.html

Digging, Ditches, and Water

I finally bought a greenhouse. Well, it's going to be a greenhouse. Thanks to Charles Wood who told me where to look, I have a very affordable kit that is pretty close to my dream greenhouse. I think. I won't know for sure, of course, until it is assembled. 

I picked it up today and, naturally, had visions of moving into it this afternoon. Ryan opened the boxes and spied some white paper. "Oh good! Instructions!" He said. I was busy walking off my site and pulling up some weeds that were in my way. "Mom, you might want to look at this first step here," he said. "Why?" I asked. "Well," he said, "It starts with a hole and moves to filling the hole with gravel. It looks like kind of a lot of gravel."  He was exactly right. We needed a 10 ft x 12 ft x 5 inch hole that was smooth and level in the bottom, with a significant amount of pea gravel, before the first piece could be assembled. I grabbed two shovels and we got started. 

After 30 minutes or so, I was beginning to whine, and to see that I could very well still be digging the hole when Spring arrived. I had an almost-respectable hole started when Ryan said, "Where is the door on this thing?" I indicated the end closest to my house. "How are you going to get your water hose in there from the hydrant?" he asked. "Oh, Ryan, I'm just going to run it under the back wall."  I had everything planned. "Umm. I hate to tell you this, but that's not going to work. The back wall is going to be down in the ground.  We can run the water hose around to the front and through the greenhouse I guess." Immediately, I saw the problem. I had positioned the greenhouse as close to the water source as possible, but without any way to get the water inside. 

I wanted to cry. Well, actually I did, but just a little. That canyon we had just dug was in the wrong place! There was nothing to do but move twelve feet back and start over. After a few shovelfuls of dirt, I realized I was not going to make it. I would have to have help. I called my hay man, who pretty much knows everything about farm stuff, and he told me what piece of equipment I needed and who owned it. Help is coming at 7am tomorrow! 

Here's where my problem began. For beautiful plants in the greenhouse, access to water is critical. I understood that, and wanted to be close to the hydrant. My first site was very close to the water. The problem was that I wanted the water source to be unobtrusive. My solution was to hide it in the back where no one would see it. Unfortunately, the only way to access the water was to give it a priority position. 

It sounds a lot like the Christian life, doesn't it? Access to Living Water is not optional, but we certainly have a tendency to keep our faith "out of sight" if possible, don't we? Can you see Jesus willingly accepting the "back of the greenhouse" position? Me either. Living water, the Spirit flowing through us, is so vital that we need to be sure we position ourselves for easy access and availability to His Spirit, so that He can flow unimpeded through our lives. As we approach this new year, let's commit to getting our Christian life in order. The most important things need to be in first place, especially the Living Water of the Spirit.  Forget about being unobtrusive. Where's the fun (or fruit) in that? Place Him in the priority position, where His effect on your life will be obvious to everyone you encounter. Allow Him to work through you as He desires. He might just surprise you with a more productive life. You won't believe how good the fruit will look when the Spirit flows!