If you sow a seed and see no immediate results, don't get discouraged. A farmer doesn't get discouraged after he sows his field. He rejoices because he knows that as surely as he put that seed in the ground, a harvest is coming!

If you share Christ with people and no one responds, you are not a failure! You are doing what is necessary to bring a harvest. There is power in the seed, but that power is not unlocked until you put the seed in the ground. If no one plants the seed, a harvest is impossible!

Think about the words of Jesus in Mark 4:14, 30-32:

The sower sows the word…To what shall we like the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth, but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.

When it is sown, it grows! Contained in a tiny mustard seed is the entire blueprint for the plant. Its shape, color, and fragrance are all locked inside the seed. But when it is sown, that power is unleashed. As it begins to grow, it even pushes rocks out of the way that stand between it and the light of day. It pushes towards the sky, stretches out its branches, and says, "Here I am!"

In the same way, the power of a changed life is locked in the seed of the gospel, and once it hits the soil of a human heart, it goes to work. It pushes sin out of the way and turns a person into a new creature in Christ. And this new creation rises up and says, "Look out, world, here I am! But it's not really me—it's Christ living in me!"

The Power Is In The Seed
It doesn't matter if you are eloquent when you share the gospel or if you stumble over every word you say. Why? Because the power is in the incorruptible seed, not in your presentation!

My wife's dad is a farmer. He grew up working on a farm, and he eventually raised a family of nine children on his own farm. So he really knows how to make things grow! One might say he is an expert at farming. But do you know what? The seeds he plants will just as surely grow for me as they will for him.

Why? Because seeds are no respecter of persons. They will grow for me just as they will grow for the career farmer.

Plant Some Seeds
The same is true of spiritual farming. You don't have to be a career pastor, evangelist, prophet, apostle, or teacher to sow and grow God's spiritual seed. So share the gospel with someone. In your own way and with your own personality, plant some seeds. You may not be as polished or as eloquent in your presentation as someone else, but by all means, get some seeds in the ground.

I was doing some meetings recently in Australia, and one morning during some free time, I walked over to a local beach to do some jogging. As I was running along the water's edge, I passed a young man who looked as if he had spent the night on the beach, and I had a distinct impression that I needed to talk to him.

As I turned back, I noticed that his hair was matted and full of sand and that he most likely had passed out from too much drinking the previous night. I had no speech prepared—nothing was premeditated. I simply walked up to him, introduced myself, and told him of my impression to talk to him.

I spent about five minutes sharing my testimony. I told him how Jesus could change his life and what he needed to do in order to be saved. He was open and respectful, but he wasn't ready at that time to give his life to Christ. So off I went. Seed planted. Mission accomplished.

God will send another to water and another to harvest, and who knows? That young man with the matted, sand-filled hair may turn out to be a "nation shaker" for Christ. After all, who would have thought that when a 12-year-old boy shared Christ in a park one day with a longhaired, drugged-out hippie he would end up being a pastor? But here I am!

First Things First
The first step in being a spiritual father is sowing seeds. So share with your family and relatives. Share with your neighbors. Share with our co-workers. Share with strangers. Don't wait for conditions to be perfect. Many don't plant the seeds of the gospel because they are waiting for "perfect conditions."

Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 talks about this:

He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

These verses paint the picture of an incredible truth that we must understand. First, we must sow our seed at all times, whether or not conditions seem favorable. Wind or no wind, clouds or no clouds, morning, afternoon, or evening—don't withhold your hand.

Sow the gospel seeds that have been entrusted to you. The result will be new births! Spiritual children!

Ecclesiastes 11:5 says,

As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

This is the verse Jesus was referring to when He spoke to Nicodemus about being born again in John 3:8. We may not know the way of the wind—where it comes from or where it goes—but we will see the work of regeneration accomplished by God's Spirit when we sow our seed and share with others!

Spiritual fathers sow. The more seed you sow and the more often you sow, the greater the harvest will be. "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6).

Carry tracts and pass them out. In your own way, share your personal story of how you came to faith in Christ. Share a Bible verse with someone. Invite people to come to church so they can hear the gospel.

With some, you will "sow and go." You'll sow the seed, go your way, and God will have others tend to the results. But with others, you'll "sow and grow." You'll stay with them and help them to grow in Christ. You will be spiritual father or mother to them.

Source: The Miracle of Mentoring by Bayless Conley
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers