In evangelical circles, there is a huge emphasis placed on evangelizing and telling people about Jesus. That emphasis is almost always placed on leading someone to Christ, telling someone about Jesus, getting them to pray the prayer, bringing them with you to church, and getting them baptized.
This might interest you did you know that Jesus did not quite look at it quite the same way. In John Chapter Four, Jesus has been talking with a Samaritan woman and He sits down with her and engages her in a conversation. She then runs off to tell her whole village about the man who told her everything she had ever been through. In the meantime, she runs off and the disciples engage in a conversation with Jesus about bringing people to Christ so that they can believe His message. Jesus says this in response:
"I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4:35-38)
In Greek, word order can tell you something about what Jesus is doing and in this passage, Jesus is emphasizing the sower. Jesus is emphasizing the one who gets no glory, the one who gets no attention. Jesus is emphasizing the importance of sowing seeds. What does that look like? It looks like kindness, love, and also encouraging people in the things of the Lord. It does not always involve leading someone to Christ. But that's the position that gets all the attention. I want to encourage you today that sowing matters. Sow seeds of kindness and sow seeds of grace. Billy Graham said on average, it takes 21 touches before a person is ready to receive Christ. Remember today that Jesus honors the one who sows!