“For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’”
John 4:37 ESV

When it comes to church life, we know it’s a corporate effort. Paul calls us a body made of many parts, arms, feet, legs, mouth, nose, etc., right? We all work together to achieve Kingdom goals for the sake of the Father and to glorify His Name. We do this through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us by sharing the good news of the Word of God, Jesus. It’s pretty straightforward. We know that the church isn’t about the guy behind the pulpit, it’s not some cult of personality where we all gather there just to listen to the compelling voice of that perfect saint who stands clad in perfection behind that mighty pulpit. That would be wrong on so I any counts, and that type of behavior/attitude usually ends with the church selling everything, moving to an island or South America, setting up a compound and chaos ensues.

No. Our daily lives in Christ are definitely not about the preacher. They are about what is being preached (hopefully) and that is the truth of the Gospel of Christ. Alongside the fullness of the Scriptures, we take the gospel out with us to share with anyone and everyone that God gives us occasion to share with and we do it joyfully.

But this scripture today is very true, ‘one sows and another reaps.’ We know about the community life of the church, but we often feel like everything else is on our shoulders when we are in between gatherings. We feel like we are a solo act, trying to be a spiritual Superman or Wonder Woman when it comes to evangelism and witnessing. But we must have faith, and we must absolutely remember that even if we are the only Christian in our home or workplace or school, we are never a solo act.

God is always our partner in ministry. He always goes before, and He is always the One who works on hearts and minds when we aren’t even present. It isn’t about us. It isn’t about our personality. It isn’t about our skill in speaking or our power to persuade. It’s all about Jesus, always has been, always will be…

And so, when it comes to our efforts in evangelism, we get concerned because we we feel sometimes like we are a solitary warrior going up against the gates of hell in our workplace, like it’s just really us on our own.
But be encouraged. ‘One sows and another reaps’ is our reminder today that no one is a solo act. That our seemingly unsuccessful efforts just may not be over yet. Our part in sharing with someone may end, but God may be picking up later with someone else in a different place and time. We never have any idea what our impact will be, we just need to be available to God to make one with Him.

So, GoLove in confidence today. Share Christ, plant seeds, water others. Let God work in you and through you and trust that He is the One working behind the scenes even when you aren’t around to see it. Just be available to love, share, serve, teach and equip. Leave the heavy lifting to Him.