It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. 

—1 Corinthians 3:7–9

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 3:7–9 

Jesus used the parable of the farmer scattering seed to illustrate different reactions to the gospel message. In the parable, which is found in Matthew 13:1–23, a farmer scatters seed across his field. The seed lands on four different surfaces. The farming methods of Jesus’ day were quite different from the methods of today. Modern farmers prepare the ground, carefully lay the seed, and then use irrigation systems and sophisticated technology to nurture the resulting crop. In Jesus’ day, the process was a little more primitive.

Essentially, a farmer would reach into a sack, grab a handful of seed, and then throw it—to his left, to his right, in front of him, and behind him. Wherever the seed landed, it stayed. In Jesus’ parable, some of the seed fell on a footpath. Some of the seed fell on shallow, rocky soil. Some of the seed fell among thorns. And some of the seed fell on fertile soil. The plowing was done later. After the seed produced its yield, the farmer would harvest his crop.

Jesus compared the scattering of the seeds to the spreading of the gospel. “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (verse 23 NLT).

His words hit home with us and with all who engage in crusade or proclamation evangelism. At Harvest Ministries, we throw out the seed of the gospel in stadiums at our Harvest Crusades. We throw it out online. We throw it out over the radio. In other words, the seed gets scattered in countless areas. We have very little say in what happens to the seed after it’s scattered. God is the One who ultimately does the work of conversion. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44 NKJV).

Some people are critical of our type of evangelism. But my question is, why wouldn’t we want to reach as many people as possible, using every form of media available? Our job is to reach as many as we can.

The apostle Paul wrote, “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:7–9 NLT).

There’s important work to be done. Let’s do it in the best way we know.

Reflection question: What means are available to you to reach people with the gospel? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, ‘The two are united into one. 

—1 Corinthians 6:15–16

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 6:15–16 

In this week’s devotions, we’re going to focus on passages from the apostle Paul’s first letter to the believers in Corinth. And we’re going to start with his words of wisdom to married couples in 1 Corinthians 6.

Can you imagine what our culture would be like if we obeyed the single commandment, “You must not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14 NLT)? Can you imagine how different our world would be? How many divorces would have been avoided? How many families would still be together? How many fathers would be home to raise their children?

Many social ills can be traced to the breakdown of the family and specifically to the absence of the father in the home. And often marriages fall apart because of the sin of adultery—that is, sex with someone besides your spouse.

God established marriage as a union and oneness between a man and a woman. Sex is not some toy that we play with to satisfy our desires. The Bible says, “Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery” (Hebrews 13:4 NLT).

Yet that warning often falls on deaf ears. Some people try to excuse adultery by arguing that anything that happens between two consenting adults is okay. Or by pointing out that spouses aren’t always sexually compatible, which makes it necessary to go outside the marriage. Or by claiming that if no one else ever finds out, it’s a victimless crime.

But the biblical reality is that when a man and a woman come together sexually, a oneness takes place. We are told in 1 Corinthians 6:15–16, “Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, ‘The two are united into one’” (NLT).

Jesus identified the roots of adultery in His Sermon on the Mount. “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:27–29 NLT).

Lust, left unchecked, can lead to adultery. That’s why it’s important to separate ourselves from people, scenarios, and settings that can trigger lust. As Jesus points out, no sacrifice is too great to preserve the unity of marriage.

Reflection question: What practical steps can reduce the risk of adultery in a marriage? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie