1 Corinthians 3

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. (1 Cor 3:5-7)

I love this passage because it encapsulates the heart of conversion which, in turn, encourages us in our evangelism. There are four things that are true in a person’s conversion. A person comes to faith gradually, communally, variously and supernaturally. All of these we see in this passage.

A) Gradually – Paul and Apollos, as servants of Jesus, were used by God to help with the conversion of the people in Corinth. It is clear from Acts 18 and 19 that Paul was in Corinth first, with Apollos visiting later on.

In evangelism we don’t know if we are the first person to share the gospel with someone or if they have heard it before in a different context. Yet we can often be confident that we are part of a person’s gradual understanding of the gospel. We may be the sower or the water. Remarkably, this frees us from worrying about how well we have shared the gospel because we can trust that we are part of God’s overall plan to bring someone to faith.

B) Communally – Paul and Apollos are both servants of the Lord and both used by God to bring the gospel to Corinth. God is using more than one person to join Him in His work to spread His glorious name around the globe!

In evangelism, we can sometimes freeze when we think of the enormous task on winning people for the Lord. We think that, ‘If we don’t share the gospel, that person will not become a Christian’. Instead of this spurring us on, we become overwhelmed and freeze. Amazingly, knowing we are part of God’s team means we can break the shackles of pressure we put on ourselves, trusting that a person’s conversion does not fall solely on us. Instead of making us lazy, we can joyfully talk about Jesus without feeling overcome, or overwhelmed, with responsibility.

C) Variously – This is where I stretch things a little, but bear with me. Paul, in using a farming illustration is, I think, saying the same thing a slightly different way. To plant the seed and water the seed is to share the gospel. However, for the sake of making my point, let’s consider them as different. Did Paul share the gospel in a one-to-one setting whilst Apollos shared it preaching to hundreds? Honestly, the text doesn’t tell us the answer to this, but what we do know, from hearing people’s testimonies, is people come to faith in a variety of ways.

In evangelism, the message of the gospel is unchanging, but the method can be flexible. Someone might prefer answering apologetic questions. Some might like sharing the gospel over a coffee. Others might share their story or what they heard at Church. God can, and does, use a variety of ways to convert people. The encouraging reality for us is there is no ‘onesize fits all’ approach when it comes to being an “evangelist.” God has wired us uniquely with the purpose of using us to share Jesus with others. God has made us in a specific way so we can reach specific people. We don’t know who these people are but in sharing the gospel our own individual way, with our unique character and qualities, we can be confident that God will reach people.

Let me give you a recent example of The Evangelism  Team at work. Recently, I was asked to visit someone who is close to dying. They wanted to discuss having their funeral at ECC. It was clear that their journey to Jesus had been a gradual one, spread over many years. They had encountered a wonderful community of Christians who had spoken about Jesus. These conversations happened in a variety of contexts: Toddler Group, Christianity Explored, Parenting class, informal chats, etc. It was a real privilege, and encouragement, for me to hear of how God had been using ECC’s Evangelism Team to great effect!

Whoever you are, you can be certain that God’s purpose for your life is to be a witness for Him in the contexts and communities He has placed you in. God uses His people, sometimes reluctant people, to do His work in this world. We are all part of God’s Evangelism Team! The power for the Team is seen in point D.

D) Supernaturally – God makes the seed grow. What wonderful news! God, in His grace, converts people. God gives life to those dead in their sins. God, out of great love for the lost, brings them home. God, in coming to the earth and dying for sins, brings light to those walking in darkness. Salvation is God’s work.

In evangelism, our top priority should be praying to the Lord of the harvest to grow the seed of the gospel in people’s hearts. Without God, our efforts are futile. This is a real challenge to me when I consider how much time I spend praying for dead souls to receive life. What about you?

Two suggestions:

• Can we get into a habit of praying in our Growth Groups for lost people? If we do, not only will we see God answer those prayers but, in answering them, we will be encouraged in our evangelism.

• Can you sign up to help out at Reddfest (July 4th) or our Fun Day (August 22nd)? We need ECC’s Evangelism Team to be in full force that day! Remember, if you are a Christian, you are on that Team!

One thing to do now:

• Why not stop now and pray for God to grow the gospel seed in the hearts of some people you know.

God bless