Arming The Saints Blog

Salvation Seed Planting

I apologize for my lengthy absence, but I just emerged from a one-year “valley of grief” in which six of my loved ones left this world to be with the Lord. A couple of times I felt a little nervous when my loved ones passed on, and I realized that I may not have done a good job of sharing the good news of the saving grace of our Lord. But, praise God, in both cases I found out from other people that those who had died had definitely come to the Lord before their journey. I was so relieved to know that each one had their heavenly ticket in hand on the day of their departure! I feel like I really dodged a spiritual bullet, so to speak, because I personally hadn’t made sure that they were ready to go. So I was convicted that I had better step up my game because I can’t live with the idea that someone might miss out on heaven just because of some petty excuses I had not to share. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and so here are a few tips that I found helpful for getting past those excuses and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with other people simply by planting seeds.

Seed planting for the Lord is very easy, and when we do it with love and diligence it’s very effective! There are some who might say that you should just get to the point, lay out the Gospel, and ask for the commitment. But I’ve been in sales for many years and I learned that the first principle of sales is this: people love to buy but hate to be sold. People like to mull information over, make their own decisions, and feel like those decisions are their ideas. That’s why I like seed planting. It might not be as quick for getting overt results, but I feel like it presents information with love, lets God do His work in each person, and lets that person come to God in his or her own time. This method is especially good for friends and family because your credibility with them might not be as sound as with new friends and acquaintances. Remember that friends and family have seen you at your fleshly worst and knew you before you were seriously born again (and remember “a prophet in his own home . . .”).

Seed planting for salvation mirrors seed planting in your garden because first you prepare the ground, then you plant the seed, and finally you nurture and water the seed for harvest. Actually planting the seed can be as simple and indirect as saying, “God bless you,” or “I’ll pray for you,” but can be a bit more direct, such as mentioning how God led you in something you have just done. Still, the planting itself will go a lot further when you’ve prepared the person to whom you’re going to speak. In every case, always pray about each word, encounter, and opportunity to share.

1. Preparing the ground. This step is very important and involves developing a bit of a relationship and trust, which can take some time. Mainly, preparing the ground is letting people know who you are and that you stand for the Truth of our Lord. It’s developing a friendly and loving relationship with people. Just think about it – this step might take a lifetime with some people. But if it takes that long to get a person to hear the seed without recoiling, then the time is worth it. People will listen to what you’re doing only when they don’t feel criticized, convicted, or force-fed, so take your time. If you sense resistance or the person closing up, then back off immediately and change the subject.

2. Planting the seeds involve prayer, patience, and love.

Prayer – I always ask the Lord what He would like me to say and when to speak – remember that His timing is always perfect. I try to be mindful of His promptings and act accordingly. Remember to pray to cover the people you talk to from the lies the enemy will try to plant during your time with them.

Patience – Sometimes I find that it’s best to let the other people vent their objections or show me their wounds before I plant any seeds. Remember that Paul gained a common ground with the people he encountered before he presented the good news. There’s no need to refute every word they say at this beginning point. People in the world are naturally skeptical – thinking that you will be pushy and unkind – so you’ll automatically build rapport with them when you are quiet, kind, and listening.

Love – I guard my words and attitude so that I don’t provoke some argument. Honestly, arguing is like putting superglue on the pinhole of opportunity, and one little argument might mean that you won’t get another chance to show God’s love. I try to remember that I might be the only ambassador of our Lord that this person meets. I might be their only hope to hear the Gospel and know Jesus. So I try to be respectful, polite, loving.

Here’s how I plant seeds with different people in my life!

A. Family members and close friends – I like to sprinkle the Word and the work of the Lord in my life into conversations any chance I get. I allow my family to be who they are, and I also try not to shock them by always showing them I’m the Jesus freak that I am. For example, I have one family member who I have been praying about for salvation for quite some time. I try to mention how the Lord is working in my life – especially when there are miracles happening that the world might label as “lucky.” People like my family member usually have a woundedness that you might never even know about. They need to know that the Lord loves them and is interested in their success and wellbeing. So I often pray about difficulties that they might be having and ask the Lord for a result. I tell them that the Lord is going to take care of this problem so that when it gets solved easily, inexpensively, etc they will know that the Lord is at work. This allows me to let them see the hand of God at work in their life.

B. Work people – I don’t hide who I am at work. I do need to be careful because I work for a governmental agency and people get all uptight about the “separation of church and state” (which, by way, is not the interpretation that our forefathers intended – but that’s another blog). But people do know that I am a follower of Jesus. Now the downside to being so transparent is that I KNOW that I am under a magnifying glass and that I have to always be on my best behavior. Once again, I let people know how the Lord is working in my life without trying to convict them or act like I am special or perfect. I offer to pray for them when life is difficult. I listen to them and try to be a friend. Once again, I love to share how God is working in my life. I recently had major surgery and was back at work 22 days afterward. People were amazed that I was back so quickly and working full days, so I let everyone know that I asked God for a supernatural recovery and that is what they are witnessing!

C. Acquaintances – I don’t believe in coincidences; instead, I believe that every human encounter is from God and is purposeful. When it comes to acquaintances, I don’t always know what I am supposed to do, but I at least try to encourage and uplift people. It might be as simple as a kind word, a smile, a few dollars, or a shoulder to cry on and some Godly wisdom. I try to work God into the conversation, even if it’s just a comment that He loves them and wants to bless them. When people have a need, such as hunger, it’s best to try to meet that need first and then share our Lord with them. When I pray for people, I ask the Lord to show His hand at work in their life and then I let the people know what to look for. Once again, sharing out of the blessings in your life and your testimony is always great.

I always tell people, whoever they are, that I’m happy to pray for and with them and that I’m available to talk with them about Jesus anytime. I might not know all the answers, but I know that the Holy Spirit and the Bible will guide me. I try to be open and available. Just being present is a big deal. I’ve had people tell other people to call me to pray with them not only because they knew I was a follower of Jesus, but also simply because I was around and willing to do it.

3. Nurturing and watering the seeds involves more relationship building and showing more loving proof of the Lord working in your life. Just because someone doesn’t commit to God in the seed planting phase doesn’t mean that I should stop encouraging and loving them, so I keep trying to build our relationship whenever possible. If I see that the person is becoming uncomfortable around me, I back way off and try to talk to them only about what they are interested in for a while. I try not to only meet with people to tell them about God. I’ve found, instead, that if I earn their trust over time, they will slowly be open to hearing more about God on their own terms. The time is coming when we will need to be bold and direct, but the seed planting method is a good place to start fine tuning your evangelism skills and practicing sharing the word.

4. The Harvest is the end goal – the person’s commitment to our Lord. I don’t always assume that I will be the actual harvester, but I am pleased to be used in this capacity when it arises. I know that often seeds that are planted take time to germinate and sprout.

When someone fully commits to Jesus Christ, it is likely due to seeds that were planted by others sometimes many years ago. So when somebody comes into my life, I not only like to look for fertile soil to plant my own seeds, but also for existing seeds that I can water and nurture. One of these days, one of those seeds will take root! In the parable of the sower, Jesus said: “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” That’s the goal – a harvest that produces another follower of Jesus Christ, shining one more glorious light in the world. You can’t get there without a seed, so start sowing and planting today!