30 Days of Prayer: Day 11 Scattering the Seed

Jesus  also said, 

“This is what the kingdom of God is like.

A man scatters seed on the ground.

Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.

As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Mark 4:26-29

The Role of the Christian Witness

1.  Scatter the seed

All of us are called to share our faith and be a witness.

Some are called and gifted to a more specialized work of evangelists.

But all are called to be a faithful witness.

Part of our task is to take the word of God and scatter it in the field.

Some examples:

• How can we raise our friends spiritual thirst or curiosity with parables?
• How can we help our friends examine the stories and claims of Jesus?
• How can we engage people in meaningful spiritual conversation?

In our friend’s spiritual journey, do we dump the 50 lb bag of seed on them when they express their first question about Jesus to us? 

Or do we scatter the seed carefully?

Can our conversations be seasoned with stories of God’s activity in our life, God’s calling on our life, and God’s blessing and presence? 

Can we challenge people to look into the Scriptures for themselves?

2.  Wait and Watch

A seed doesn’t bloom to harvest instantly.

There is no “on-off” switch.

The seed needs time to germinate, grow, and mature through a natural organic progression.

The job of the farmer is not to rush it.

Our job as a witness is to watch for markers of the journey that our friends are on to faith in Christ and nurture them along into the next phase of growth.

When one believes in the urgency of the gospel message, this kind of waiting is hard.  We want people to know about

• the grace we have found,
• the transforming love of Jesus
• the joy of following Jesus with our whole heart, mind, and strength.

But, the seed takes time to nurture, grow, and develop.

3.  Harvest

The farmer knows when the harvest is ready.  The farmer sees all the evidence that says, now is the time.

As witnesses, we can learn to notice

• when the Holy Spirit is bringing conviction of sin,
• when a person is ready to surrender to Christ
• when it’s God’s kairos moment to bring conversion to a person.

The farmer doesn’t rush the process.  The witness doesn’t race to the finish line.

But an effective witness can watch and observe for the moment of harvest and comfortably help a person place their faith in Christ.

Today’s Prayer

Jesus, Lord of the Harvest, you have called me to be a witness in the areas where I live, in my community, and in my workplace.

I confess that at times, I have not watched for

• times and places to scatter the seed
• my friends spiritual journey
• evidence that the harvest is ready.

Today, as I go about life, give me the eyes to see

• places to talk about your work in my life
• places to raise spiritual curiosity
• the current stage of my friend’s spiritual journey
• how I can help them in their growth.

Jesus, Lord of the Harvest, use me today.  Amen.

Today’s Action

Look specifically for an opportunity to plant a seed in a conversation today.

If you need some conversation starters, see some of these links:

• 14 Helpful Questions for the Evangelist
• 44 Spiritual Conversation Starter Questions
• 20 Evangelism Questions To Start a Conversation
• Evangelistic Conversation Starter Questions