By Stephen McDowell
The Bible teaches that some plant, some water, but God brings the increase.[1] In a 1522 sermon addressing the means for bringing transformation in society, Martin Luther noted:
I stood against the Pope, indulgences, and all papists, but without violence or uproar. I only urged, preached, and declared God’s Word, nothing else. And yet while I was asleep, or drinking Wittenberg beer with Philip Melanchthon and Amsdorf, the Word inflicted greater injury on popery than prince or emperor ever did. I did nothing, the Word did everything.[2]
God’s Word is good seed that He uses to transform men and nations. We cannot bring the change via our own efforts. He calls us to work with Him by planting and watering, but only God can cause the seed to grow and produce fruit.
I recently received a letter from a man, John O, in Nigeria who wrote:
I am a Muslim and a student. Someone gave me your wonderful biblical booklet last year to read it. I was touched and realized that I am a lost sinner. I am in darkness. I need to become a Christian so that I can be saved. Then I prayed and right now I am convinced and converted to a living church where Bible is being preached. Sincerely I can now see the true light, which is Jesus, the Saviour of the world. I have received Him as my only Lord and Saviour, praise the Lord. I can now see my life changed and the Lord is so good to me. He has put a smile on my face and my name is now John.
I did not keep this testimonies within me but I passed it to my other Muslim friends, brothers, and sisters, telling them about the goodness and the saving grace of God. Sincerely 103 Muslim brothers and sisters have now been convinced and are now Christians; here goes their names.
He listed their names and then asked for help.
We all need you wonderful help for our spiritual growth. We want you to teach us more things and we also want you to help us get Bibles. We sincerely don’t have Bibles to read God’s words. Your Biblical leaflet has leaded us all to Christ. Please help us for our spiritual need. We all are poor and don’t have money to buy.
He then asked if we could send Bibles and other materials to help them and the growing number of new believers. We did help them get some Bibles so they can continue to plant and water the good seed of God’s Word, and God can in turn bring forth fruit as He desires.[3]
The booklet that I wrote that God used to change John’s life was Crime and Punishment: A Biblical Perspective. From the title you can probably tell that this was not intended to be an evangelistic work. It was not written to specifically present the message of salvation,[4] yet God used it to transform many lives. God is the one who brings the increase. He makes His Word alive to those who read it with an open heart.
Realizing that we cannot change the heart of man nor bring forth fruit by our own efforts is liberating. It releases us from our own strivings and feelings of guilt for failure. Yes, we must labor and follow the call of God upon our lives, and yes, God uses our efforts to advance His Kingdom in the earth, but, like Luther, we must understand that “I did nothing, the Word did everything.”
God can use our work in ways we never expect. I have shared the message of Crime and Punishment with hundreds of law-makers and church leaders. My hope and prayer is that God will use it to change justice systems in America and the nations. He may use it to effect such a change, yet while this is possibly occurring, He chose, while I was sleeping or carrying on daily affairs, to use it to change a Nigerian Muslim’s heart and then use that man to bring change in more than 100 other people. Understanding the seed principle and how God brings forth fruit will give us great confidence that God will not fail to fulfill His purposes in history. He can and does bring great transformation through our meager efforts.
*John and his growing number of Christian friends still need Bibles and other materials. Click here to help them!
**Click to Order Crime and Punishment: A Biblical Perspective
[1] See for example, 1 Cor. 3:6-7.
[2] Gene Edward Veith, Jr., A Place to Stand, the Word of God in the Life of Martin Luther, Nashville: Cumberland House, 2005, p. 84.
[3] John and his growing number of Christian friends still need Bibles and other materials. Let us know if you wish to help them. They also need our prayers for protection. John wrote that he and friends were recently evangelizing door to door when “a group of Boko Haram Muslims attacked us with cutlass and rod; we have to run for our dear life. Only 3 people were wounded but no body died. Please, we need your prayers. They cannot stop us from spreading the gospel of Christ. We are not ashamed.”
[4] The booklet does identify that the cause of crime is sin in the heart of man and that God provides a way to deal with that sin via internal salvation by God’s grace operating through our faith in Christ’s atoning work.
