Acts 8:5-6 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
There is a great challenge given to the 21st century church. It refers to the seed of the Word. Paul referred to himself as a soul-winner when he wrote: “I planted.” Jesus’ parable of the Sower focused on the Seed and the Soil. Even before the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2, Jesus proclaimed that He would give them “power to be witnesses” Acts 1:8. The purpose was to plant seeds and be a witness.
In John 4, Jesus went to Samaria to visit a woman of influence. For the sake of time, and to remove all confusion, Jesus sent the disciples into the city to buy food. Then, at Jacob’s well, Jesus began to plant seeds of faith. He spoke to a woman who had been married five times. The end result was a host of people believing that Jesus was the Messiah.
History tells us that this occurred in the earlier part of the Lord’s 3 1/2 years of ministry. John 4 and Acts 8 are approximately ten years apart. Acts 8 features Philip going to Samaria and baptizing many in Jesus name. Philip was reaping the seeds planted by Jesus all those years prior.
The point here is that unless we plant, there will be no harvest. Unless we are witnessing, sharing the Gospel, and speaking God’s Word, there will be no seed planted and no harvest to reap. A Holy Ghost revival will only occur if the entire church takes on the responsibility of sharing the Gospel.
Please note that Act 1:8 was not meant for people with outgoing personalities! It was not reserved for a select group with confident dispositions. The message of the Gospel was meant to be shared by everyone!
We must plant seeds! You and I are commanded to spread the Gospel. We cannot simply enjoy the confines of the church or feast on sermons and songs. We must be about the Father’s business. This is the critical message for the church today. The world is lost. Hell hath enlarged her mouth to receive the people. The spirit of complacency is fighting against the commandment of the Lord. We must pray for a heart of urgency and then follow that up with action. When the Lord returns we must be busy with the work of the Kingdom: planting, watering, preaching, teaching, witnessing, praying, giving, and serving.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole