1 Corinthians 3:5-9 | God Gives the Increase

One of the hardest parts of sharing the gospel is what happens when it feels like nothing happens.

You pray for someone.

You love them.

You invite them.

You finally work up the courage to share Jesus.

And they don’t respond.

No big moment.

No obvious change.

No immediate fruit.

That can be discouraging.

But 1 Corinthians 3 gives us an incredibly freeing reminder:

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6

Paul was writing to a church that had become far too focused on the messengers.

Some said, “I follow Paul.”

Others said, “I follow Apollos.”

And Paul’s response was basically:

You’re giving servants credit that belongs to God.

Paul planted.

Apollos watered.

Both mattered.

But neither one could make anything grow.

Only God can do that.

And that changes the way we think about evangelism.

Sometimes you are the one who plants the seed.

You may be the first person to clearly explain the gospel to someone.

Sometimes you water what someone else already planted.

You answer a question.

You show up during a hard season.

You invite them to church.

You remind them of truth.

And sometimes, by God’s grace, you get to be there when the fruit finally becomes visible.

But no matter which part we play, God is the One who gives life.

That takes a lot of pressure off of us.

You are not responsible for changing anyone’s heart.

You cannot manufacture conviction.

You cannot force repentance.

You cannot make someone believe.

Your responsibility is faithfulness.

Plant when God gives you an opportunity to plant.

Water when He gives you something to water.

And trust Him with what happens next.

Maybe you’ve been praying for a child for years.

Keep praying.

Maybe you’ve shared Christ with a friend and they weren’t ready.

Keep loving them.

Maybe you’ve invited someone twenty times and they still haven’t come.

Keep planting.

Maybe you feel like every conversation has gone nowhere.

Don’t assume nothing is happening just because you can’t see it.

Think about a seed in the ground.

You plant it.

Cover it with dirt.

Water it.

Come back the next day.

Still dirt.

The next day?

Still dirt.

But beneath the surface, something may already be happening that you cannot see.

That may be true of someone in your life right now.

You may only see dirt.

God may already be working beneath the surface.

And if someone else eventually gets the privilege of seeing that person come to Christ?

Celebrate!

Because this was never about getting credit.

It was about seeing people know Jesus.

Paul says:

“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed…”

We’re servants.

That’s all.

But what a privilege it is to be servants God chooses to use.

As we finish our Everyday Gospel series, I hope we remember the simple progression we’ve walked through together:

See the mission field.

See the people.

Know the gospel.

Pray for open doors.

Walk through them when God provides them.

And then…

Trust God with the increase.

Keep the names you’ve been praying for.

Keep watching.

Keep loving.

Keep speaking Jesus.

Keep planting.

Keep watering.

And leave the harvest where it belongs.

The field is God’s.

The gospel is God’s.

The harvest is God’s.

And the glory belongs to God.

Watch "God Gives the Increase" HERE