As you may know, our annual theme for 2025 is fruitfulness. As I reflected on the theme of fruitfulness this week, the idea of seeds came to mind. In order to have fruit, you first need to have seeds. In fact, the seeds of a plant are all you need to know what kind of fruit a plant will grow. So in thinking about the theme of fruitfulness for the year, it is also helpful to think about seeds.
In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul uses the analogy of seeds to talk about growth. He says about his ministry that,
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. Because of this, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but the only one who is anything is God who makes it grow.”
As I think about different ministries at Lifespring, I realize that there has been growth in many areas over the past 2-3 years. Worship ministry has grown, with such a rich presence of God every week as we gather. Prophetic ministry has grown, with the amount of people requesting prayer multiplying over the years. Kingdom Kids has also grown, as we’ve seen the number of kids flourish in the church.
As I reflect on why these ministries have grown, I’m led back to 1 Corinthians 3:6. The reason that they have grown is because God has caused them to grow. Things that are alive will naturally grow. And as God breathes life into these ministries, they have naturally grown.
So what does it require from us when we recognize seeds that God wants to grow? Sometimes what it takes is some watering and cultivation. As Paul says, he planted, and Apollos watered, although God is the one to truly make it grow. There is a need for us to cultivate the seeds that God plants in our hearts and lives, as God makes them grow.
What does it take to cultivate these spiritual seeds in our lives? Sometimes, it just takes the willingness to try. As we considered refugee sponsorship as a church, we were speaking to our Family Weekend speaker about how much we don’t know. We have never sponsored before, we are sponsoring families from a completely different part of the world, whose language we don’t speak and whose culture we are not familiar with. How are we supposed to embark on sponsorship?
The response from our speaker was simple and encouraging. Just be yourself. Be willing to try. Be willing to reach out with the love of God, and show the hospitality and welcome that God would show them.
Sometimes, we feel like we need to wait for perfection before we try. We feel we need to know everything, and have everything under control, before we’re willing to step out. But perfection is not the objective. Whether its refugee sponsorship, or worship, or hospitality, or otherwise, the goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to be willing to try. And as we try, we water those seeds that God has planted in our spirits. We give life to those seeds as we tend to them, and watch as the Lord causes them to grow and bear fruit.