God Gives the Increase

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

A person need not be a farmer by trade to know acres of desirable crops do not spring up on their own.  A bountiful harvest is enjoyed only after much labour and expense.  The ground must be cleared, tilled, and irrigated.  Good seed must be planted at the appropriate time and spaced according to each kind.  Vigilance is required to protect the growing plants from insects and rodents.  After the planting and watering, then a fruitful harvest may result.  There is no guarantee offered the farmer his efforts will be rewarded with the same degree of fruitfulness every year.  But his faithful labour greatly affects the end result.

No farmer could lay claim to creating seeds, plants, or fruit.  God is the Creator, and skilled farmers have learned methods, devised equipment, pest control measures, and nutritious feed to maximise the potential of a crop.  Paul did not have a fancy presentation or use manipulative techniques when he shared the Gospel.  Yet people responded to the message of salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  Paul could not lay claim to the salvation of a single soul.  He had sowed the good seed of God's word which fell on various hearts:  some hard, others had thin and rocky soil, some choked with thorns, and others fell on good soil.  It was not his seed, and it was not even his labour which brought forth a harvest of souls.  Apollos nurtured the young believers, but he only did what was his calling and duty to do.  It was God who caused souls to be saved.  It was God who continued to mature and cause people's lives to be fruitful.  God, by His grace, made the efforts of Paul and Apollos effective in His time and divine way.

We can make the mistake of looking for a harvest before we have been faithful to plant or water!  We can perform the equivalent of planting a single seed or watering for a day, but when growth or fruit is not immediately evident we can lose heart and see our efforts as wasted.  This reveals a lack of faith in God's Word and His everlasting promises.  God has promised His Word will always accomplish what He pleases and prosper in the purpose for which it was sent (Is. 55:11).  Christians ought to keep planting, keep watering, and be led by the Spirit in obedience to His will regardless if we see the harvest we set our hearts upon and long to see.  If we set our hearts upon the harvest, we are focused on the wrong thing.  Disillusionment, weariness, and despair will be the fruit of this error.  Our eyes are to be fixed on Christ, and our hearts founded on His Word.  We are God's fellow labourers, and He will bring the increase.  Our eyes may never see it, but it's good to remember the harvest is not for us.  It is for Him and Christ's eternal glory.

Do no lose heart, Christian labourer!  Do not be fooled into thinking you should stop planting or watering because you have not perceived increase.  It is folly to quit planting or watering because you do not yet have fruit.  The fruit of your efforts is not for you to consume for the satisfaction of your flesh, but to plant again so there will be even more eventual fruit.  God is faithful to supply all our needs.  When we realise we are nothings God has chosen, called, and equipped to serve Him, what joy floods the soul.  He does not put the burden of a fruitfulness quota on us like the Egyptians did on the Hebrews, but to plant, water, or to faithfully do whatever it is God has called us to do.  Are you planting?  Are you watering?  If not, then don't expect to see much fruit.  Though we are nothing, God gives the increase!

Don't Settle for the Suit!

This morning I read a most insightful, instructive passage in the book of Esther.  After Haman felt slighted by Mordecai, he inquired and discovered his Jewish ancestry.  Haman decided the punishment of Mordecai was insufficient, and treacherously schemed to destroy all Jewish people.  He influenced the king to give him permission to destroy this "certain people scattered among the provinces" who refused to keep the king's commands, and this permission was granted.  Mordecai and all the Jews mourned this grave injustice, clothed themselves with sackcloth, and wailed bitterly.  Queen Esther, though a Jewess, was ignorant of Haman's plans to destroy the Jewish people because she lived in relative isolation in the palace.

When I read chapter four, the living Word sprang to life before my eyes.  Esther 4:1-4 reads, "When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. ² He went as far as the front of the king's gate, for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. ³ And in every province where the king's command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ So Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them."  Esther heard of how bitterly her cousin mourned, and she was "deeply distressed."  In every province the Jews made a great mourning, but it was not until her family was directly affected that Esther was moved.  This is no fault of her own, but a common response among all people.  Her next move was one I found particularly interesting.

Without inquiring at all about the cause of Mordecai's mourning, Esther sent garments to clothe Moredecai and to take his sackcloth away from him.  Mordecai refused.  New clothes would not solve the problem which faced him and the Jewish people.  Esther's offer, though she meant well, missed the point.  She did the same thing many of us can do.  We are not as concerned about the cause of mourning as how we can stop it.  Mordecai's distress caused Esther distress and it did not please her at all.  It was only after he refused her gift she did what she should have done at the beginning:  ask concerning the cause of Mordecai's suffering.  Esther 4:5 says, "Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was."  Subsequently she received a copy of the edict against her people and discovered her own life hung in the balance.

The thing which stuck me was, what if Mordecai had been content to receive the clothes from the hand of his royal cousin?  What if he had put off his sackcloth to please her, and never informed her of the purpose for mourning?  It could have meant the death of Mordecai, Esther, and all the Jews!  Here is a question for personal consideration:  how would you respond if you were in Mordedai's position and your death was imminent?  Imagine you had been sick for a while and went to the doctor for a diagnosis.  How would you feel if the doctor sat down grimly and said, "Permit me to be blunt:  you are going to die."  After communicating the severity of your condition, he continued:  "The good thing is you are not beyond hope.  If you will make some major adjustments to your diet and lifestyle, in time your condition could be completely reversed."  What do you do?  Would you value your life to faithfully practice all the doctor ordered and avoid all the foods and practices forbidden?  There are few with such self-control and resolve.  Humans are a curious, difficult bunch.  We want to live, but for some life is only worth living on our terms - even if it means our destruction.

One of the takeaways for me from the passage is that I should never be satisfied with a new suit when it is salvation I need.  Mordecai was not content to be comforted when he and his people needed an advocate.  Churches are growing old and dying all over the world.  Should a dying church be content with more congregants, new buildings, better sound systems, and increased offerings when it is the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit we need?  If God is not in our midst, can we be comforted with anything less?  Should we be pleased with position, authority, or accolades when we have ceased to walk in love or do not experience peace that passes understanding?  How foolish it would be to substitute knowledge of God instead of a relationship with God He freely offers by His grace.  Don't settle, believer.  God has given us exceedingly great and precious promises.  We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ.  We are invited to come boldly ourselves into His throne room of grace ourselves so we might have mercy and grace in time of need.  Mordecai was not permitted to wear his sackcloth inside the gate of the King - but we can!  Are you burdened, troubled, or mourning?  Enter into His presence now by faith, for He will by no means cast out any who come to Him.

The Necessary Piece of the Puzzle

Yesterday our family returned safely from a visit to the United States.  It was a refreshing and encouraging time of meeting with friends and family.  I was also able to attend a pastor's conference hosted at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and to teach at Jericho Road Christian Fellowship.  As I reflect back upon the things the LORD showed me during the trip, one that has been useful for me is an illustration God provided me to share for the fellowship at Jericho Road.

As we live out our days on earth, we face situations and circumstances we cannot explain or understand.  With our limited vision, it is impossible for us to see how fiery trials can work for good.  Before assembling a jigsaw puzzle, the complete picture has already been printed clearly on the front of the box.  Should you come across a strange or oddly coloured piece, an inspection of the picture provides clues where the piece fits in the big picture.  But when it comes to our lives on earth, God does not reveal the big picture all at once.  Our vision for our lives could be better compared with the bare brown cardboard of the lower box!

The amazing thing about that odd-shaped piece we can't seem to fit into our big picture - that trial, attack, illness, injury, or circumstance we can't understand or explain - is that in His love, wisdom, and sovereignty God has seen fit to use that particular piece to bring our lives to ultimate completion in accordance to His will.  God allows things that are not according to His will to accomplish His will.  For instance, God allowed His own Son Jesus Christ to die - something that is not God's will - to accomplish His perfect will, that all who trust in Him through the Gospel would be born again and never die!  God is not willing any should perish, but He allowed Jesus to be crucified so all could live.  This is a remarkable, wondrous aspect of God.  Paul knew it to be true and all Christians can affirm what is written in Romans 8:28:  "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

We should receive joyfully the exhortation in 1 Peter 4:12-13:  "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."  We are not always able to receive such words, but their truth remains despite our misgivings and current pain.  Trials are not strange events unknown to God, void of divine purpose.  Indeed, they are among the most instructive, refining, and sure tokens of God's presence, power, and faithfulness.  We may never understand how an artist paints a masterpiece  or why the sculptor formed a curious vessel:  can we explain the thoughts or plans of God whose ways are past finding out?

Our call is not to understand or explain but to believe and trust.  We can be glad despite pain and difficulties, for Christ has promised never to leave or forsake us.  As the song goes, "When darkness veils His loving face, we rest on His unchanging grace."  Corrie Ten Boom used to say that we only see the back of the embroidery.  God sees the big picture, and He will work all things for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose!

The Precious Blood

During a communion service today, I held a small cup of juice in my hand.  The grape juice represented the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross for the sins of the world - and mine too.  Christians have not been redeemed by corruptible things, but as it is written on 1 Peter 1:19:  "...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."  It amazed me to think God would allow the precious blood of His Son to be poured out for any reason, much less to atone for cursed sinners.

We count precious things we own as treasures, treasures to be guarded, preserved, and cherished.  Yet so great was God's love for fallen men, He poured out the blood of Jesus on the dust of the earth.  The riches of God's glorious love and grace were displayed in God's sacrifice.  It boggles the wildest imagination!  Jesus Christ is in very nature God, and made in the fashion of a man - doubly precious!  In light of God's expense, how highly should Christ and His blood be regarded.

I stared at the cup of juice in wonder.  Marvelous, God's love!  Romans 5:5 says, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  Life is in our blood, yet God has given the souls of Christians new life through the indwelling Spirit of God.  Whilst in the wilderness David wrote in Psalm 63:3, "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You."  We cannot repay God for His demonstration of love through the precious blood of Jesus being poured out, but we can praise Him.  We can trust Him and believe His Word.  We are forever indebted to God for such love and acceptance.  Glorify Him, you who have tasted and seen that God is good.  He has taken away the bitterness of the curse of sin and replaced it with the sweetness of love and eternal life!