I praise God that I live in a country where we have the liberty to gather together and study God’s word. It is during the Sunday morning service or Bible Study that the Holy Spirit will draw my attention to a certain verse or even a phrase and I will continue to mediate upon that verse or phrase until God’s message for me has been revealed.
This week the Holy Spirit laid on my heart the phrase “Plowing the Field”.
What was quicken to my heart was that throughout Paul's journey the church was back in Antioch praying and fasting; sending prayers before them, plowing the way?
I began to ponder in my heart who is plowing the way for us.
Before my Grandmother went home to be with the Lord, she plowed the way for her family daily by praying continuously; asking God's protection. She planted so many seeds of prayer that they are still in affect today.
I equate “plowing the field” to preparedness.
This message is about preparedness. There are two types of preparedness.
1. Preparedness of the heart to receive the message (Mark 4:13-20)
2. Preparedness for the messengers; those who are commissioned to preach the gospel. (Mark 16:15}
We are going to focus on the second type of preparedness.
When I speak of preparedness I am not talking about ensuring that there is food, clothes or money in your pockets; although, that is a part of preparedness but not the major part.
Preparedness refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable events or situations. Preparedness is an important quality when you trying to avoid and/or mitigate negative outcomes.
Note that I said mitigate negative outcomes. I did not say mitigate negative situation.
Often we think that in our attempt to be prepared if we pray, fast and spend time with God that we will not have to go through the fire. But sometimes we have to go through the fire to burn off the chains that bind us in this life; whether it be our friends, family or our carnel ways.
The Psalmist said in Psalms 66:10 – For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou has tried us, as silver is tried. (Mark 14:32-41)
The question I am asking today is who is plowing the way?
Who is sitting forth the plow, tilling the soil, breaking the furrow, fertilizing and weeding the soil, purging it and making it clean?
God did not give us the Gospel just to save us. He did not give us the Gospel so that we could horde it up, keep it to ourselves and shout about the blessing we have.
Every farmer knows that it is only as he plows the field and tends the growing crop, keeping out the thorns and weeds, that the tender plants will have a chance to grow.
Who is plowing the way for the lost?
Who is plowing the way for the sick?
Who is plowing the way for the afflicted?
God has a purpose and plan for this world. He has elected to use us; human instruments.
However, the human instrument must also elect to be used;
In Isaiah 6:1-8 God asked who I will send.
Here am I, send me.
This is a true story about a church in Somerville, New Jersey. John Vredenburg was the preacher there for many years. He felt his ministry was a failure, and so did others, although he faithfully preached the Gospel. He died discouraged. A little while after his death, there was a great spiritual awakening in that town. One Sunday, two hundred came forward to the altar to accept Jesus as their Savior. What was notable was that nearly all of those people dated their own birth in Christ from the ministry of John Vredenburgh, the man who thought his ministry a failure. Nothing that we do in God's name and spirit is too small to be used in his kingdom.
Everyone can be part of helping the kingdom to grow. From the least to the greatest, we can all make a conscious effort to do what we can to plow the way for the kingdom of God.
I Corinthians 12:12 –
For as the body is one and has many.
v.intr.
1. To break and turn up earth with a plow.
2. To move or progress with driving force: The attackers formed a wedge and plowed through the enemy line.
3. To proceed laboriously
Let proceed laboriously to plow the way for God's Kingdom
