Some gardening

I spent some time this morning reading through the book of Acts and the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelation just focusing on the church. I encourage all of you to take that little reading journey. But there was something that jumped out at me as I read over the church planting adventures in Acts.

When Paul would go into a city he would start meeting with and talking with people. He planted seeds and then he would water those seeds. Right after Pentecost Peter preached a sermon (planted a seed) and then 3000 people were saved in one day. All the apostles did, all Paul did was plant seed and water.

That's really all I know to do too. I can't make something grow. I can just do what I can to plant seeds, to water seeds, to invest in relationships with the unchurched, to invite unchurched. God has to do the growing.

I forget that. I feel as if I need to force stuff, but the growing is God's responsibility. I don't know why he allows some things to grow faster than others. Why does the green bean plant that my kids planted a few weeks ago grow faster than an oak tree? Why does one church plant shoot to over 1000 in a year and another struggle to make it to 35 folks?

I don't have answers, but I do know what I'm supposed to do: Plant and water. Anybody interested in doing some gardening in Spartanburg?