When Wheat is Ready

In section one of this chapter, we focused on understanding the basic story of the Bible. We hope you feel confident in your understanding of that good news, and in your ability to retell it. After all, part of our calling as Jesus followers is to bring good news in a world that is dominated by bad news.

One way that we participate in the story ourselves is by sharing it with others and helping them understand how relevant it is to their lives too.

It’s vital that every follower of Jesus knows the story well and can tell it simply and truthfully, in a way that invites a response.

Most pre-Christians that you interact with will not be ready for the full gospel story; so in the next section, we’ll get into how you can learn to share small, appetite-whetting tidbits of the gospel that come straight out of your own story. But for this section, we want to concentrate on knowing how to discern when a pre-Christian might be ready to listen with an open heart.

The following story comes from Doug Pollock, who is an author and evangelism trainer for Athletes in Action. Doug writes,

“In John 4:35, Jesus challenges his disciples to look at the fields because they were ripe for harvest. One day I asked my father, who is a farmer, how he knows when a wheat field is ripe for harvest. He explained that as wheat matures and ripens, the weight of the wheat grains reaches a tipping point, which causes the wheat stem to bend over. Ergo, when you look out over a wheat field and see a majority of the heads on the wheat bowed, it’s harvest time. This agricultural principle that Christ alluded to coincides with my own experiences of introducing people to Christ. 2 Corinthians 7:10a says, ‘godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.’ When the head and the heart are bowed toward God in humility that comes from brokenness, it’s time for the gospel” (God Space).

When someone begins to recognize their need for God, you’ll likely notice that they start to express dissatisfaction or even sorrow about the direction of their lives. They may want to spend more time with you or begin to initiate spiritual conversations with you. Perhaps they express awe at some work of God they have witnessed, such as a miraculous healing. You can know God is at work when they start asking more and deeper questions. When you see this happening, it is possible that you are witnessing a heart and life bending in God’s direction. God may be opening a door, offering you the privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus.

In their book Building a Discipling Culture, Mike Breen and Steve Cockram write about this concept, naming these open-hearted people a person of peace. In Luke 10:5-6, Jesus instructs the 72 disciples on how to share about the Kingdom of God.  Jesus says,

“Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you” (CSB). 

Breen and Cockram share,

“Jesus’ message to his disciple then, and to us today, is that as we are walking in this world, we are to be on the lookout for a Person of Peace.  Who is this Person of Peace, and how do we recognize him?  Very simply, a Person of Peace is one who is prepared to hear the message of the Kingdom and the King.  He is ready to receive what God will give you to say at that moment.  This should be our prayer as we venture forth each day: ‘Lord, bring into my path today a Person of Peace, and give me the grace to speak your words to this person.’  One who is not a person of peace will not receive what you have to say.  We are not to belabor the issue.  Jesus says to shake the dust off your feet and move on.  No amount of coercion on our part can make someone become a Person of Peace.  It is the job of the Holy Spirit; He alone can prepare a heart to hear the Gospel. Our job is to have our spiritual eyes open, looking for the Person of Peace to cross our paths.”

God is always working in people’s hearts, and it’s exciting and humbling that he invites us to have a part in his work. 

When you sense that you may be with a person of peace and you bravely enter a gospel conversation, remember that it’s up to the Holy Spirit to touch someone’s heart, and that success isn’t measured by results but by being faithful and available. 

You can relax, knowing that God has been tending to the gospel seeds that have been previously planted in the person’s heart, helping them to grow and ripen.  He has brought you both to this moment, whether it’s for further nurturing, or because it’s time for this person to enter the God’s kingdom. You can trust that He is in control.  So be yourself, trust the Spirit who has prepared you, and delight in sharing about the Jesus you love!

Action Step

Check out the app GodTools. This app gives ideas and tools to help you share your faith in an easy and clear way. The next time you meet with your group, be prepared to share one thing that you would consider using from this app.

Daily Scripture

Read the daily Scripture passage and journal your responses.

Luke 6 | Luke 7 | Luke 8 | Luke 9 | Luke 10

What to do when you meet
with your group:

Begin with a short prayer.

Ask God to open your eyes to his perspective on things. Take turns each week.

Questions.

Begin by discussing how you are loving others.

What opportunities has God given you to love other people through serving, speaking truth in love, or pointing them towards Christ since we last met? How did you respond?

Talk about what God has been stirring in you through your time in the Word.

Share about one of your quiet times in God’s Word. What has God been teaching you and how did you respond?

Questions about section 2.

What do you tend to focus on more—the weight of your responsibility in sharing the gospel, or God’s work in people?

Who might be a person of peace in your life? Share with your group one step you’re going to take toward that person.

End your time by praying for each other.

Pray that God would bring a person of peace into your paths this week and that you would be looking for this individual. Pray that God would give you the words to speak with this person.