At home, we have a vibrant and diverse garden! We grow all kinds of tasty treats and necessities (check out the details HERE). And we plant throughout the year because we have a way to irrigate. We love our little garden, but it takes a lot of work. It’s not as simple as plant, wait, and harvest. There are many steps along the way.

The same is true of sowing spiritual seeds in ministry. We can’t expect to plant the Word of God and wait around for the good fruit to come. No! We need to continue pouring into those people along the way (this is what we mean by relational disciplemaking).

We – and when I say “we” I mean Peace, Stephen, Grace, Peter, and myself – have spent a lot of time and kilometers over the past few weeks visiting men and women that we are training and discipling at Messiah Theological Institute. The primary focus of these visits has been to see how they are growing and multiplying what we are pouring into them. The Advanced students have been leading Disciplemaking Groups (or D-Groups) and the Basic students have been leading Discover Bible Study Groups (or DBS Groups) for the past six months. Starting in August, our goal has been to go and see how the fruit is coming along so that we might be able to spend time on specific needs and areas with the ones that we are equipping at MTI.

We have been pleasantly surprised and encouraged by what we have seen: fruit that is growing mature and multiplying! We have seen DBS groups that meet weekly to study and apply the Word of God to their lives, and even create MORE groups. We have seen D-Groups with people who are growing and engaging in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). We have seen men and women growing more mature in their application of God’s Word, humility, servant-hearts, love, forgiveness, and ministry. These visits are exhausting for us all, but they have been a life-blood of encouragement.

So we praise God for what HE is doing in these men and women. We praise God for what HE is doing through these men and women. And we praise God for what HE is doing in the field: the fruit is maturing and multiplying; the harvest is bountiful!