“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)
Though we may not experience Spring like many in warmer climates, it is an exciting time of year. The empty trees begin to bud, the heavily-brownish fields start to green, and the dreary grey skies open up into a bright blue and white marbled canvas with brilliant beams of sun light shining through. In some ways, because we endure such a long winter, the longing of warmer days to come fills us with even more enthusiasm, like we too are budding back to life. However, before God’s perfect creation allows us to fully enjoy the vivid greens, and all of the other colours that come with Summer, there is a necessary first step: rain.
Zugs is the first to try our new inflatable baptismal!
There are different kinds of rain. I’m reminded of the 1994 film, Forrest Gump, where Forrest named a few types he experienced in Vietnam. He said, “We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stinging rain, big ‘ol fat rain, rain that flew in sideways, and sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night.” Believe it or not, there are actually scientific names for all of those types of rain. What’s important, though, is not what they are called but what they do. Without the rain “watering the earth and making it bud and flourish” there would be no “seed for the sower and bread for the eater.” The uncomfortable, undesirable, and mostly unpredictable weather is a necessary mechanism for bringing about all that we desire. Like rain, God’s word is also a necessary mechanism for bringing about all that He desires.
Different than rain, however, where mankind is without control, and God dictates when and where the rain will fall, (Job 37:6) it is man that dictates where God’s word will be spread. Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthian Church: “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (I Corinthians 3:5-7) Paul understood that ultimately the miracle of growth belonged to God. Who could ever duplicate, or even explain in laymen’s terms, the science of what makes things grow? But that is not to say that man does not play an important part.
The task of planting and watering was given to us by God. Paul even goes on to say, “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their labour.” (I Corinthians 3:8) Labour? Yes, there’s work involved in planting and watering. There’s immense effort involved in spreading God’s word, and each one will be rewarded according to it. Therefore, like there are different types of rain sent down to earth by God, there are different human moistures that need to be spilled out of us if we are to produce a great harvest of fruit. They are the bodily fluids of blood, sweat, and tears.
(L) Shireen enters the chilly waters of baptism! (R) Shaneek and Shireen are finally united as sisters in Christ!
It was Jesus’ blood that was first poured out to bear fruit. (Mark 14:24) His blood was a symbol of His physical death and self-sacrifice. We can never duplicate His sacrifice, and are not called to. We are simply called to be living sacrifices. (Romans 12:1) In other words, we are not necessarily called to die physically but we are called to sacrifice. A sacrifice is defined by loss. If something is not given up by us, we cannot claim that we have sacrificed. Likewise, a sacrifice is not something that is taken from us. It must be freely given. Though the same amount of pain may be involved with something being taken from us, the loss itself is not enough to characterize something as a sacrifice. Take Abraham for example. He was willing to give up his son because God asked. But if Isaac tragically died on the way up the mountain, could he claim that as a sacrifice? Definitely not.
So what kinds of sacrifices must be made? Time? Money? Our own desires? Yes! These things must be given, not taken, if we want to bear fruit. These are the types of blood we shed, giving them up freely so that others may be saved. And if God should call us to shed blood physically, we would do that as well!
Though sacrifice is necessary to produce a great harvest, it alone would be hollow. Imagine if every Christian went to Worship Services every week and donated everything they could week after week, but never actually went out and shared their faith. Would sacrifice alone bear fruit? Certainly not! Not only must there be blood, but sweat as well. The great inventor, Thomas Edison, once said, “Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” No matter what field, whether religious or secular, “All hard work brings a profit.” (Proverbs 14:23) This is sometimes the hardest part of bearing fruit because hard work is hard! There’s no easy way to do it; and if there were, everyone would.
Wentao gets baptized by the awesome York University brothers!
Finally, the last human moisture that must be used to water the soil of precious souls are tears. As the Psalmist said, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” (Psalm 126:4-5) That is to say that not only is there a physical toll required to make disciples, but an emotional investment as well. One can’t simply transfer information to another person without giving their heart and expect that they will become a Christian. As Paul said, “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” (I Thessalonians 2:8) This calling from God can be challenging since as we give our hearts to people it creates an opportunity for rejection and heartache. What we hope to be tears of joy cried at someone’s baptism can just as easily become tears of sorrow cried when someone walks away. But what chance does anyone have unless we are willing to cry both types of tears?
Ultimately it is our blood, our sweat, and our tears that are the April showers needed to bring about those precious May flowers, as we strive to plant the word of God in each and every person throughout our city! Let us embrace this most noble task, and let us rejoice in the harvest that is sure to come! And to God be all the glory!
Evan Bartholomew