Studies in Galatians – Wayne Barber/Part 38
| By: Dr. Wayne Barber; ©2004 |
| We can sow seed into the field of the flesh or we can sow seed into the field of the Spirit; and understanding that when you sow, it’s always with the realization you want to reap something back. |
Keep Sowing Good Seed
Galatians 6, we’re going to look at verses 9-10. I said it a while ago and I want to say it again, what a wonderful thought to realize that we are in 2004. It’s hard to believe. Isn’t it interesting how fast time flies? It’s incredible to me. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the beginning of 2003. Here we are in 2004. I guess we could say it like the two frogs. One frog looked at the other one and said, “You know what? Life sure is fun when you’re having flies.” And the other one looked at him and said, “Yeah, they’d laugh too if they could eat what’s bugging them.”
The beauty of being in 2004 to me is that nobody has ever lived this year before. Have you ever thought of that? I mean, history’s being made as I stand right here and as you’re sitting out there. History’s being made. Nobody’s ever lived in 2004. It’s kind of like in school when you have a brand new semester. Oh, I remember those days. No class cuts, no late for class, no flunking the tests, awesome; brand new pad of paper, brand new pencils, and a teacher that doesn’t know you yet. I mean, it’s wonderful! Just a brand new beginning. Every choice that we make today and tomorrow and whenever is a choice that is affecting history; it’s making history.
And the newness of a brand new year to me has to be refreshing in every one of our minds. We can choose in 2004 to yield to the Spirit of God as we’ve learned in Galatians, or we can choose to yield to our flesh. And all of us have perhaps made some bad choices, I have, in 2003. But the good thing is, I have got a brand new opportunity in 2004. As a matter fact, Paul puts this whole thing in a different context. He said it’s like sowing seed. And so here we are as sowers beginning 2004, and we can sow seed into the field of the flesh or we can sow seed into the field of the Spirit; and understanding that when you sow, it’s always with the realization you want to reap something back. Either choice will reap a consequence, will bear a consequence, because that’s what sowing is all about.
To me it illustrates it in such a beautiful picturesque way of making choices. You’re sowing, you’re sowing, and there’s something going to be returned as a result of that sowing. Sowing in the field of the Spirit is what we’ve been looking at in chapter 6, and it’s so beautiful. This is our opportunity in 2004, mine, yours, all of ours as believers, that we can sow. And what happens is when we sow in the field of the Spirit, it reaps such a beautiful consequence in the body of Christ.
Chapter 6 verse tells us that we become sensitive to a brother who has sinned. Isn’t that incredible? Our eyes are not on ourselves anymore. We begin to see others for the first time. And we see that they make some wrong choices, and so we’re willing to come alongside and help them understand how to sow in the right field. Verse 2 told us that we will be moved to bear one another’s burdens. Only God can do that. That’s supernatural. That’s not natural. And then verse 3 shows us that Christ in us won’t allow us to help other people for any kind of personal recognition. God won’t do that, won’t allow that. God says His Spirit will not allow that.
Verse 4 shows us that we won’t compare what we do with what others do. We won’t do that. We don’t get in this idea of competitiveness because that’s just not the Spirit of God. That’s not what is harvested out of the field of the Spirit. And verse 5 teaches us that when we’re walking by the Spirit we’ll understand that we have our own responsibility. God will put a different individual on your heart as He’ll put different individuals on my heart and we have to follow that. And individually, as well as corporately, we come together to do the things God’s asked us to do.
But the true signal of the fact that we’re sowing in the right field is interesting to me that Paul brings out in verse 6, and that’s what we do with our finances. And that’s so strange to me. It’s always fascinated me how treasures are such an indicator of a person’s love relationship with God. Jesus used more verses to share about treasures than He did hell. I mean, He told His disciples, look out, look out, that’s going to be a litmus test. That’s going to be a trap that you might fall into. What he talks about in verse 6, he says, the one is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. And what he basically does, he just shows us that there’s a criteria for who you support. You support the people that honor the word of God because the power is in the word. And it’s God’s Word; it’s our authority. He says you support those people, not only those pastors that work with you, you support missionaries, others that honor the Word of God.
Well, sowing will bring a harvest, no matter what we choose; no matter what, there’s a consequence that comes back. And Paul makes certain that we understand this at all context of life when he says in verses 7-8, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked.” As we saw the last time, that meant God’s not allowing Himself to be sneered at. God won’t do that. It’s not affecting Him at all. What Paul is saying is when we make our choices to sow in other fields, when we choose not to sow in the field of the Spirit, but we choose to sow in the field of the flesh, it’s going to reap a consequence. And it’s not going to affect God, it’s going to affect us. He says, “For whatever a man sows” whatever choice that man makes, he says that, “this will he also reap.” And then he gives the two choices in verse 8, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Well, this is where we are today. We’ve seen now what it means to sow in the right field. And now what Paul is going to do in the next two verses, he’s got a caution, a warning. And you’ll be surprised perhaps to hear this, but to those who are sowing in the right field. He’s got a caution for those who are doing it right, who are living and walking by the Spirit and being led by the Spirit of God. It shouldn’t surprise any of us that the flesh lurks around us at all times. When we’re doing wrong it’s got us in its grip. But when we’re doing it right it’s there to try to get us back off track. It’s always there. We have to be conscious of it. The victory of yesterday does not necessarily carry me to the victory of tomorrow or today. I’ve got to make the same choices today that I made yesterday to walk in the victory that is mine in Christ Jesus and so with all of us.
So there are three things that I want to share, and hopefully it’ll encourage you as we enter into 2004, as we begin to think of the beautiful field out there that we can sow in, the field of the Spirit, to make our choices to say yes to Christ and to His Word, and the beautiful results of the harvest that will come from those choices. Three things; first of all, Paul shares the trap in doing good. Now, there is a trap. He says in Galatians 6:9 and he jumps right to the point, “And let us not lose heart in doing good.” What is the trap? Losing heart. Paul’s warning here is to those who are doing good, those who are walking by the Spirit, those who have been led by the Spirit, or being led by the Spirit. This is who he’s talking to. And it’s a caution that he’s giving. There’s a trap that lurks near us.
The word for “doing” is the word poieo. Poieo is the word that refers to a deed that somebody does. Here it’s referring to the individual deeds, we’ve seen many of them outlined in chapter 6, that’s taking place by those who are walking in the Spirit of God, making the right choices. It’s in the present tense, so it’s their lifestyle; it’s not a one-time thing. This is a pattern that you can pretty well predict in these people’s lives. The believer is allowing the Spirit of God to work through his life.
The word “good” is the word kalos. Kalos is an interesting word. We have one word in English, but they have two words in the Greek for the word “good.” It’s inherent good. It’s constitutional good. It’s that which is inwardly pure. It talks of the very essence of what’s being done. And this is very key. In verse 6 and in verse 10 he uses another word for good. All this is in the same context. In verse 6 he says “And let the one who is taught share all good things.” And then in verse 10 he says, “So then while we have opportunity let us do good to all men.” Now in verse 6 and in verse 10 the word is agathos, and agathos is the word that means benevolent good, that which benefits somebody. Basically that word in verse 6 and in verse 10 stresses the “what” that is being done. In other words it’s that which benefits. It talks about how it helps another individual.
But the word kalos is different. The word kalos has more the idea of the inward nature of what’s being done. And when you use the word kalos, it means it’s inherently good. It’s constitutionally good. There’s no deceit in it. There’s nothing in it whatsoever that’s impure. That’s a pure deed that’s being done for somebody. There’s nothing with self in it at all. It’s done with a pure motive. Now, in the context of Galatians, especially in Galatians, that word would be used to point to the Lord Jesus Christ, the “who” that is behind the doing. He’s the only one that is totally pure. He’s the only one that is totally good. And so therefore it’s speaking here of Christ who lives in us which is our theme of the whole book, of letting Jesus be Jesus in us.
And what Paul is saying is this person that is doing good deeds is not just some religious man that claims that what he’s doing is good, but this is a believer letting Jesus be Jesus in him. And the good that’s being done is inherently good. It is in its purest form because it’s not coming from him; it’s coming from Christ that lives within him. These two words for “good” don’t contradict each other. But the reason they have two words is each one brings out a different aspect of the good that is being done. It’s just Jesus being Jesus in us.
Now he says there’s a trap here. There’s a trap when we’re letting Jesus be Jesus in us. Can you imagine? And the trap is, and here it comes, that we want to see the results of what is being done. Anybody who’s a human being wants to see the result of letting Jesus be Jesus in him. But in that is a trap, a temptation. We want to measure what’s being done. And certainly we’ve all come up in our day and time and the world’s way is to measure everything: If it’s not big then it’s not right; if it’s not this, if it’s not that. But this is the trap. This is a trap.
And Paul’s warning them, he says, “and let us not lose heart in doing good.” Now, the word “lose heart” is the word is ekkakeo. The word means to revert back to the flesh. It could be used in a battle scene of somebody who turns coward and runs. He runs back to what he shouldn’t. They had to stay on the front lines. It’s the idea of walking in the Spirit and letting Jesus be Jesus in you, but suddenly dawning on you that, “Hey, wait a minute, I can do this better. God, excuse me, don’t call me, I’ll call You.” And we try it our own way. And so the word then “losing heart” has to do with that idea of reverting back to fleshly ways and fleshly means of what we do. That’s an interesting thought. Here’s a believer, “I mean, come on, Wayne, you’ve been encouraging us to walk in the Spirit and to be led by the Spirit. Here’s a believer that’s seeking to do it right and the things that are flowing out of his life is, speaks of God and brings glory to Him. What in the world could cause him to lose heart?”
Well, this trap that we speak of he may not see. It’s a very deceitful trap. He continues in verse 9 and explains, “For in due time.” In other words, when it’s time to reap; every harvest comes when it’s ready, only when it’s ready. A farmer can’t predict that all the time. It’s going to be when God says it’s ready. “For in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” And so he takes the word “lose heart” and “grow weary” and he ties it to the reaping of what has been sown. And we must remember that we don’t reap overnight. That’s part of the law of the harvest. It is when we want immediate results. We want to try to measure what’s been done that the temptation to turn back to the flesh, which, by the way, will always produce results. It will produce results, but it will not be of God. And that’s the trap that Paul warns them of: flesh can produce results, but they’re not of God. The trap is to revert back to that old do mentality, that religious idea that if I can just do more God will do more and we do things in our own efforts. And as a result of that we lose heart.
The Galatians knew this trap very well. This is exactly the context of why we studied this book; of a group of people that had been walking in the Spirit. Paul even says one time “you have been running well. Who has hindered you?” In other words, you were doing it right. What’s happened? And what had happened was they had chosen to go back to doing it their own way, which is that flesh trap that’s always there. If it’s not happening quick enough, if it’s not happening big enough, we have that tendency, all of us do, to go back and doing it again, our way. Paul says, “Don’t grow weary in doing good.” Don’t revert back to the flesh. It’s a trap. Reverting back to the flesh is the temptation we all have when we can’t see immediately the results of what God’s doing in our life.
Evelyn Christenson wrote a book—this is kind of interesting to me—it’s called, “Lord, Change Me.” Some of you probably have read that. Evelyn Christenson said that she prayed that her husband would change. And I know many wives out there are not going to admit it, but you’ve been praying the same thing for a long time. My wife and I have been married 34 ½ years, and I think she’s not stopped yet. Hopefully before she dies she’ll see the change. And she just, she prayed and prayed and prayed, but she never saw any results. Has that happened in your life? You come before God and your heart is as pure as gold and you just simply say, “Lord God, would You change my husband? Would You change my wife? Will You change my children?” Well, nothing happened. For years this went on. And finally she just got to the point she said, “God, evidently I’ve missed it. You’re not going to do anything with my husband, so therefore, God, will You just simply use my husband to change me?” And she wrote the book, “Lord, Change Me.” And it’s a funny thing, God began to change her. Didn’t change her husband at first, began to change her. And you know what? When He changed her, her husband changed.
And that’s the beautiful thing about this. When you come before God you’re coming before Him; and only He knows the end, and only He knows the time, and only He knows what He’s doing. So therefore you come before Him and you just simply trust Him when nothing’s going on, there’s no visible results. We just continue to trust Him, because we know that if we’re sowing in the right field, at some point that harvest is going to come up, and it’s a beautiful thing. But the trap is when we revert back to the flesh. You can get immediate results by doing things of the flesh and that’s the problem. That’s the downside. And that’s what Paul warns these precious believers about.
Secondly, I want to share with you the temptations in doing good. We’ve seen one of them, and that is to measure everything that we’re doing. But there are many temptations that will bring us back to reverting to the flesh. And this is sort of a caution that came in my study that maybe will encourage you and it encouraged me. It’s so interesting how losing heart or growing weary is a theme many times by Paul in the New Testament. We see again here in chapter 6 it has to do with wanting to see the result. “Lord, I’m doing everything You’ve told me to do. I’m saying yes to You. I’m letting You be who You are in me. But, Lord, I’m not seeing any results.” And so the temptation is, okay, I’ll get results; and you turn back to your own way. But there’s some other traps there. There are some other temptations. The trap is the same; the trap is reverting back to the flesh.
But we find another one in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13. Interesting how Paul brings this same idea up in a different context. This context is not trying to measure what’s going on in your life. This one is interesting. This one comes, the temptation comes to go back to the flesh when living right, doing good, surrendering to Christ, sowing in the right field, just gets a little boring and it’s not as exciting as it used to be. It’s just not enough going on in your life. And so therefore Paul says be careful, because the good things he talks about in Thessalonians that they’re doing has to do with their personal responsibilities in life. Personal responsibilities like taking care of the family, going to work every day, paying bills. As a matter of fact, we could throw in taking out the trash. That’s got to be in there somewhere. But just doing the natural, everyday responsible things of life.
And the apostle Paul says you have to be careful because this might not be appealing to your flesh. This might not be emotional and exciting. And sometimes when that happens you’ll turn back to the flesh. You’ll find something that appeals to your flesh. It may be emotional. It probably is, because emotions are only of the flesh and so therefore you appeal to you. He says don’t do that, don’t go that way. Second Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you we used to give you this order: If anyone will not work neither let him eat. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busy bodies.” In other words, you’re minding everybody else’s business and not taking care of your own.
And in verse 12, “Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and to eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren.” “As for you,” and I love that; he turns it. In other words, some of you are doing it right. He says, “As for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.” When the mundane things of life get boring; I mean, when the responsibilities of just being a father and husband and taking care of the family and going to work and getting a paycheck and paying taxes and doing what is responsible down here. When somehow that is not any longer exciting, Paul says look out, there’s going to be a temptation for you to reach over and try to grab something from the flesh that’s more emotional, that’s more exciting, that’s a little bit of a difference in your life. He said that is a temptation. Just because you don’t feel spiritual when you’re walking surrendered to Him does not mean you’re not doing it right. And don’t look for the big splash. And don’t look for the big emotion. Just continue on and be steady.
There’s a word in Greek that has to do with power, dunamis, but you can get two words out of it: one is “dynamite,” and the other is “dynamo.” A dynamite makes a loud noise and surely is emotional and it stirs up a lot of dust, but you ever noticed how quickly it settles. But a dynamo is something that is consistent; every single day it continues to do what’s necessary, whether the emotion is there or not. And Paul says look out, look out; when life begins to be not exciting in your fleshly understanding of it, be careful; there’s a temptation to reach over and try to find an experience, to try to find something that’ll make your life a little more exciting.
You know, some people in life just have that personality. We had a guy in one church, he was the most bland human being I’ve ever seen. I don’t play poker, but I guarantee you in a poker game he would be the winner. I mean, you’d never know where he was. You never knew. And it looked like his whole life was just blah. And that’s the way he lived. But you know what? He was one of the most consistent Christians I’ve ever known, because he was just who he was; filled with God and doing the things that God has told him to do. Be careful, be careful when somehow your life is not exciting. Be careful when you can’t measure the results of what God’s doing through your life. There’s a temptation to go back to that trap, to revert to the flesh. We don’t want to do that.
Well, we see those two temptations. But the third one that I want to show you is in 2 Corinthians 4:1. A different area, but a different temptation. When you’re doing good, the temptations are always there to go back to the flesh. In 2 Corinthians 4:1, the apostle Paul is talking about ministry and he’s talking about ministry that is received from God, not achieved for God. Have you caught that yet? That ministry’s not something we’ve set at a table and plan to do. Ministry is something that flows out of our walk with God. When we’re sowing in the right field, when we’re letting His Word renew our mind and His Spirit can transform our life, ministry just flows out of that because it’s not us doing for Him, it’s Him doing through us. And the apostle Paul says be careful: when you forget that ministry is something you receive instead of something you achieve, you’re going to lose heart.
He says, “Therefore, since we have this ministry,” and when did he get it? “as we received mercy.” He points back to his salvation experience. The day he was saved God already had a plan and purpose for his life. He says, “we do not lose heart,” because our ministry didn’t come from us. Our ministry came from Him, and anything He initiates He sustains. We don’t have to bear the pressure of results. We don’t have to bear the pressure of anything other than saying yes to Him, allowing Him to do through us what He wants to do. But when we forget this—and how many times in my life have I forgotten it? —we revert back to doing it in our strength, in our own power, according to the flesh. And as the result of it we immediately lose heart. There’s no joy when you choose to achieve ministry. There’s no joy at all. The flesh always produces a weariness in one’s life.
In Galatians 6:9 it says, “And let us not lose heart in doing good,” and then he says, “for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” And that “grow weary” is a different word than what he uses with “lose heart.” It’s the word ekluo. It means to faint. A little different than reverting back to the flesh. When you revert back to the flesh, you will faint dead away, because there’s no power, there’s no energy, there’s a weariness that comes into your bones. It’s like you can’t do it anymore because of the flesh. God never said we could, but He always said He would.
When somebody faints there’s no energy. Have you ever fainted? It’s just like you just get light-headed and you just pass out. That’s exactly the word here. You know, I come to a conclusion. I want you to weigh on it and pray on it to see if I’m right. I believe when a person’s walking by the Spirit, walking in the energy of the Spirit of God, there is no such thing as burnout in his life. He can be tired physically, but he’ll never be spiritually drained of God’s power. And there’s a difference. When you’re drained of God’s power and when you just simply can’t do it anymore, it’s a pretty good test that you’ve been working in the flesh. You have fallen into that trap. That ministry you’re trying to achieve rather than receive it from the Lord Jesus Christ.
So the temptations are three that we’ve given. The first trap is to revert back to the flesh. And the first temptation to that comes when you have to see immediate results, when the reaping is not coming quick enough and you want to make something happen. The second one is when the responsible life that God leads us to is not as exciting anymore. We’ve got to create some emotion to make everybody feel like that something’s happening. And the third one is when we get to the point we forget that ministry’s received and it’s not achieved. So we see the trap and we see some temptations. And by the way, they’re more times that those words are used and it’d be a great Bible study for you to do on your own, to look up the times that “lose heart” or “growing weary” is used in Scripture and realize the things that God’s trying to say to all of us.
But thirdly, the twofold test of doing good. Now, what is the test? How do I know that I’m living and walking by the Spirit? How do I know that I’m doing it right? Well, he gives us another test. One of them is when the love is there. But here comes another one. It says in verse 10, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” That word “opportunity” here is a good translation. It means a season. You know how seasons will come and seasons will go. In fact, our whole lifetime from the time that we are saved till the time that we die could be translated into this word. A season, it’s an opportunity. Although you can break it down into smaller fragments. We have an opportunity when we go out to eat or whatever and we see somebody in need and God moves upon us to meet that need. I mean it can come in increments or you can look at it as a huge thing. But it’s an opportunity. It’s a season of the year.
And Paul seizes this thought of a season, of an opportunity. He says, “While we have this opportunity.” And the present indicative is used there, which he’s telling them we’re in the midst of it right now, so he wants to make sure he’s got their attention. “So then while we have opportunity,” look what he says, “let us do good.” That’s important, but that’s not as important as what he says next. “Let us do good to,” how many men? What does it say? “To all men.” Now, there’s a twofold test in that little phrase right there, “all men.” Let me show you the verb. The verb’s in the present tense, which means this is a lifestyle. This is predictable in your life. Subjunctive mood, some people will and some people won’t; it’s kind of iffy. And then he uses a middle passive verb, which is a deponent verb.
Let me explain that to you. Don’t be confused by that. Middle voice simply means make this choice, be making this choice all the time to do good to all men. Passive voice is another part of that which means as a result of God’s love working in your own heart. Passive voice means it’s because of something, something’s happening to you which causes you to make a choice. We don’t have that tense or that verb in the English language, so it’s hard to explain. But when you use a deponent verb it means yes, we should be choosing this, but there’s a reason we should be choosing this; and that’s because God lives in us and His love is having an effect upon our life. As a matter of fact, we will never make this choice unless God moves us and motivates us to do it.
But here’s the test; “Let us do good,” be continuing to do good because of that which He’s done for you and to you and is doing in you. He said “Let us do good to all men.” The word “all,” pas, means all, to each and every person. Now understand what he’s saying here. He says regardless of color; it doesn’t matter if they’re black, it doesn’t matter if they’re Indian, it doesn’t matter if they’re oriental, it doesn’t matter if they’re Caucasian, it doesn’t matter. You do good to all men, regardless of any prejudice, regardless of whether or not—here comes the test—that they’re believers or they’re unbelievers. It doesn’t matter; you do good to all men. This is the first part of the test is “to all men,” to the lost, basically the lost people. We do good to them just like we do to each other, lost people.
You keep reading in verse 10, we’ll see that people both inside and outside the church are included. So he’s not just talking about the body of Christ, within the walls of the church. That’s his particular point. He says, “So then while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially,” and that’s important, “to those who are of the household of the faith.” The word for household there is the word oikeios, a beautiful word for the family. It refers to all the participants of a particular family. Isn’t it neat that you’re my brother, I’m your brother and you’re my sister in the Lord Jesus Christ? We’re going to be together forever. Isn’t that incredible? And we’re part of the household of the faith. And so he says you do good, especially in the household of the faith. If you’re going to have it all, it ought to be in here.
But he says to do good to all men. In other words you don’t just come to church and be kind to everybody that you like and loves Jesus, but you also go out to the restaurant and you’re not cruel when you order beans and the little waitress brings you peas and they’re cold. You’re not cruel to them. That little waitress doesn’t want to work there anyway. And her husband probably left her and she’s got children at home and she doesn’t have any child support and she’s trying to do the very best she can possibly do. You don’t treat her cruelly, but come to church and treat the people a different way. When you’re in a business deal or something like that and it goes array, you always remember, do good to all men, do good to all men, not just in the household of God, but in the whole world. And that’s the twofold test. It is easy to love people in the family of God. It’s difficult sometimes to love people out there in the world the way they treat us.
But at the same time we do good to all men, and that good is that which benefits them. And of course kalos has to be factored in, that which is purely good, that which comes from God Himself. In other words, we say yes, Lord. I have a little sign that I’ve had for years and it says “Yes, Lord!” I love that. People have asked me before, “Well, what’s the question, Wayne? I see the answer.” I said, “It doesn’t matter what the question is. ‘Yes, Lord.’ I’ve already solved the issue. I want to say yes to Him no matter what He puts into my life.”
And that’s the way we’re supposed to live. That is what Paul said. Do I do it all the time? No! But that’s my heart and that’s your heart. We want to be doing good to all men at all times. And then we begin to experience His life in us, Galatians 2:20, for it’s not me but it’s who living in me? It’s Christ living in me.” And remember He said to that man one day who asked Him a question, He said, “Why do you call Me good? Only God is good.” In other words, that purity of that work, that beauty of what’s being done, has got to come from Him. He’s the one who produces it into our life. And we begin to experience that, not just within the body, but even out there in the world. He makes us sensitive to another brother and we can go right down through the list of chapter 6.
I guess my heart this morning is, as we continue in Galatians, is that we’re just now in 2004. But I think it’s not by coincidence we’re in Galatians when he says now, remember, remember sow in the right field. And if you’ll sow in the right field remember, the temptation’s to go back and do it your way. Don’t do that. Don’t do that. You just keep trusting God in the midst of it all. The trap, the temptation, and the test. I just want to encourage you as to the main point he brings out in chapter 6. Don’t be discouraged when you don’t see results right away. Just remember you sow the good seed, it will come up at a certain time. But we don’t know when that’s going to be.
I’ve shared with you many times about my dear friend Dorie Van Stone. Dorie worked with the Indians in Irian Jaya. I mean, it was an area where cannibals and she was there eight years. Her children got so sick she had to come off of the mission field. And as a result of it she told me, she said, “Wayne, I saw no one come to know Christ.” She said one time they brought a pig, these pagans, they lived up in the middle of the jungles and they brought a pig to her and cut it open that night and took the blood and smeared it all over and said, “Dorie, we are one because of the blood of the pig.” And she said she wept and wept and wept. She said, “God, when will they understand it’s not by the blood of a pig? It’s by the blood of the precious Lamb of God that makes us one.” But she never saw a convert, never saw a convert.
Her husband Lloyd—they came off the field because of the sickness of their children—he was out jogging one day and died of a heart attack. He never got to hear what I’m about to tell you. One day Dorie saw me and she said, “Wayne, look at this letter. Look at this letter.” And the letter was from the chief of the Dani tribe. The Dani tribe was who they worked with. And they said, “We would like to invite you to come, to this area where you worked for eight years, and we have made a statue dedicated to Lloyd, your husband and to the chief at that time, and it had both of them holding their Bibles up.” And in the letter it said, “Dorie, there are over 250,000 believers now in the Dani tribe. They have become the leading evangelists in all of this area of the world.” And Dorie stood there with just tears streaming down her face and she said, “I just thought it would never happen.”
And Paul says don’t lose heart, don’t grow weary, because you will reap in what? In due season. Don’t back off. You trust God. Sow the good. You don’t see a result, that’s fine. You’ll experience the joy of Jesus just knowing Him. But the good will come. Keep sowing good seed.
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