"Whatever one sows, that will he also reap" -Galatians 6:7
Christianity is not exactly popular, and it's certainly not growing a whole lot. While this is devastating, it's hardly news. Unfortunately, the world is winning over more and more souls. So what is the problem? It's the same Bible, and the same God, so what happened? Why are so many leaving, and so few coming? How can we prevent this from happening any more?
I haven't been around for very long at all. I don't know everything, and I never will. However, I do know that there is a problem in the church, and that that problem is growing. The issue is that we keep expecting to reap, when we never sowed to begin with. Farming is a common analogy used in the Bible, as pretty much everyone knows about it. You put stuff in the ground, then other stuff comes out, then you take some of that stuff and put it in the ground, and the cycle continues! It's a pretty simple concept. However, sometimes we get so excited about the reaping part, that we forget the first step. We have to plant the seed first! Now I understand that Galatians 6:7 is speaking about being kind to others that they'll be kind to you, and if you do good for others then God will do good to you. But isn't that what spreading God's Word is? Doing good? Also, it definitely applies here as well. If you sow nothing, you will reap nothing. It's important that, in order to solve this problem, we stop trying to reap, and we start sowing instead.
So how do we solve this problem? How do we sow the seed? Well, do you have any friends who aren't Christians? Chances are, you do. So invite them to worship! Ask them to go with you to a youth devo, or Bible camp. Tell them that you're praying for them whenever they have a hard time, or bring up something that you learned in Bible class. And if you don't have a youth group that really does a lot, host a Bible study at your house and tell everyone that there will be brownies and ice-cream. Seriously, everyone loves brownies and ice-cream. It's the perfect combination of amazing, and fantastic, mixed into a perfect concoction of glory and wonder (especially if you put chocolate chips in the brownies). If you have an opportunity to plant, go for it. I'm sure we're all familiar with Matthew 28:18-20 which talks about going into all the world and making disciples. It's crucial that we follow this, and that we start with what's right in front of us. I mean, how would you feel if when we were going to heaven and everyone was being parted right and left, that you looked over and you had told almost the whole world about the Lord, and there were so many people there because of you, but then you look over, and you forgot to talk to your closest friends about it? How devastating that would be!
It's important that we never stop spreading God's Word, and that we continually encourage one another to go out and sow the seed of the Kingdom. I would also like to encourage you to think of someone who you know that isn't saved, and invite them to church. Ask them to a Bible study, talk to them about God. You never know who's looking, but you also never know whether or not you're going to be the one that points the way to them.
