God ultimately makes a plant grow, but a gardener would be foolish to deprive his plant of water, sun and soil for fear that he’s manufacturing growth. The growth will happen if the conditions are right, so why not make what conditions we can right?
And God is still involved in each of those decisions. Trying to bring people to Jesus should never be about mindlessly following a set formula. We certainly have to do our part, and that may mean following a standard formula, but we also need to rely on God to work through that formula. Notice that the reliance is on God, not the formula, and as long as we rely on God there’s nothing wrong with the formula.
Some plants are intended to be small, others large. Some reproduce quickly, others sparingly — but all are designed to reproduce and grow to maturity. Healthy plants are beautiful regardless of size; yet overgrown plants are an eyesore.The more we can seek and see the Gardener’s hand in the life of our churches, the healthier they and we will be.
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