Seeds are a wonder.
When you think about how one tiny apple seed has the potential to grow into a big tree that will produce apples, more seeds and more trees, you begin to see the power of God’s multiplication.
The disciples learned about God’s power to multiply on the day when Jesus used a boy’s lunch – five small loaves of bread and two fish – to feed a hungry crowd of 5,000 men, plus all of the women and children who accompanied them.
After all of these people had eaten and were satisfied, 12 baskets of food were left over!
In Matthew, Mark and Luke, we read Jesus’ story of a farmer who went out to plant seeds. He scattered seeds everywhere: on a pathway, beside the path, on stony ground and weed-infested ground.
Some seeds fell onto rich soil. These grew into strong and healthy plants, producing a crop as much as 100 times greater than what was planted.
God is a Master at multiplication!
[box] Our prayer is that Every Home, Every Family, Every Person… receives the Good News of Jesus Christ[/box]In our day, the power of God’s multiplication continues to be astounding. For example, through Every Home for Christ’s home-to-home strategy, you – as one Canadian – have the opportunity to reach at least 5,000 people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the next 12 months. And as seeds of the Gospel are scattered, I believe that God by His grace will multiply their fruit.
The most important thing a person can ever know is who Jesus is – the Hope of eternal life.
Let me share two recent stories reported to us from EHC’s mission fields. One happened in the Middle East and the other in Moncton, New Brunswick. Both are true stories that started with someone willing to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In a secret meeting in the Middle East, believers were gathered together to hear the Word of God and the hour was getting late. By the time the EHC leader and pastor had finished preaching, it was already long past a child’s bedtime. Yet, as the pastor went to the door to leave, an 11-year-old boy ran up to him. He had been listening the whole evening.
“Pastor? Please, would you pray for me?” the boy asked.
[box]If you could reach 5,000 people in the next 12 months for just over $1 a day, would you set aside that dollar?[/box]
Moved with compassion, the pastor prayed for the child. After he received the prayer, the child asked, “Pastor, may I hug you?”
“I got very emotional,” the pastor shares. “We hugged one another reach everyone in every nation?”
But miracles are not only happening in secret meetings in the Middle East. They are happening right here in Canada, too!
In Moncton, New Brunswick, a man decided several years ago to send Christian literature to homes in his city. Using the telephone book to find addresses, he systematically mailed tracts to one hundred homes each month. Later, when he and his family heard about EHC’s home-to-home strategy, they knew it was an answer to their hearts’ desire for their city and they began raising funds for a Finding the Hope campaign in their city. The resources they gathered later multiplied to the point where ten churches in Moncton got involved in a citywide seed-sowing initiative that placed gospel messages in 85,000 homes, resulting in hundreds of responses.
The Sunday before Easter, one church dedicated its entire service to a focus on evangelism in conjunction with the campaign. The pastor enthusiastically shared the following with us:
“The Sunday before Easter, we did an evangelism Sunday called ‘the Bridge.’ We built a big bridge in the auditorium and dozens of people made first-time decisions (to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour). Hundreds of people made public professions. It was an amazing day! I wish you could have seen the faces of people as they walked the bridge. I will never forget it. God is doing some incredible things.”
This it merely one example of how one person began to invest in sowing seeds and, as a result, thousands of Canadian homes were reached.
When people receive the message of Jesus Christ, we know that some are ready to hear. In their case, the soil is waiting – and it is good soil! As they read about salvation, the Holy Spirit works in their lives, transforming them. To reach even more people, we invite you to consider a monthly gift of $50, $100, $300 or more.
[box]When you give in faith, God does the multiplication.[/box]If now is not the right time to join REACH 5000, I invite you to give a gift of $100 to help reach 200 homes! You may want to honour the memory of someone you love by giving a gift.
Whatever amount you decide to give, know that you are sowing seeds – and you can be confident that some will fall on good soil. When you give in faith, God does the multiplication. We do it with confidence in the power of God to multiply. We do the legwork and God does the soul work. Can we dare to believe that we will reach the entire world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lifetime? Jesus asks us to “GO.” I invite you to go with us.
Sincerely, in Christ’s name,
Denys Blackmore
[quote]A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — 100, 60 or 30 times what was sown.” Matthew 13:3-8 (NIV) [/quote]