Seed Germinator is Gatekeeper to eternity

Using an image borrowed from agriculture, the Apostle Paul explained that those who plant and water the seeds of salvation aspire to enlarge church membership, but it is Almighty God who brings the increase. I Corinthians 3:6 parallels this thought: “I (Paul) planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God brought the increase.”

Paul had labored in establishing the church at Corinth, Greece. After the apostle departed on his missionary journeys, a scholar named Apollos continued to teach and edify the Corinthian church. Developing churches is similar to growing crops. No amount of planting and watering can make a seed grow unless God causes the seed to germinate. Farmers would waste their time planting and watering seeds unless they trusted God to make them sprout and grow.

Church leaders and pastors become disenchanted when they spend much time and effort in witnessing and bringing new members into the fold, yet the church doesn’t grow. In reality, most churches are in a state of decline. Years ago, I witnessed a church reverse a decline in attendance. A new minister, a strong homilist, was brought in. You could hardly get a seat. The church was prompted to install two Sunday morning services. The sermons never exceeded 20 minutes. People visited from far and wide. The church grew and prospered.

Today, conflicts exist among religions. Synagogue worshippers do not accept the New Testament as Scripture. Mosque worshippers believe that Jesus was a great prophet, but not the Son of God. Two-thirds of world’s population rejects Christianity. Closer to home, our constitutional republic is being severely tested. With looting, burning and killing rampant in American cities, many wonder how long our constitutional republic can stand.

So what can we do? When we gaze at the planets and stars on a clear night or ponder the wonders of a simple blade of grass, we realize there exists a Supreme Creator who made everything in our universe, including all human and animal life on earth. No one knows what the future holds, but we certainly know “Who” holds the future. Regardless of what you believe or don’t believe, there is “Something” out there bigger than we are. Indelibly etched into the mind of mortal man is a universal “Moral Law” (Romans 2:14-15) established by God. This law tells us right from wrong. To get the most out of this life, Jesus instructed us to “love our God with all of our mind, all our heart, and all our soul,” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Draw close right now to the Seed Germinator who is also the Gatekeeper to Eternity!

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