The Right Place at the Right Time

Relate to the right goal is the concept of planning activities so as to be in the right place at the right time. Wagner illustrates this point with the analogy of a farmer. 



 No Farmer works his field for the fun of it. He buys with the anticipation that it will produce fruit. He sows his seed and cultivates his crops, not because he thinks it's fun to ride tractors, but because if he doesn't there will be no fruit. He that sows and he that reaps rejoice together (Jn 4:36) Why? Because they gather fruit together. Sound missionary strategy never loses the vision of the fruit. In missionary work this fruit is disciples. Keep this vision foremost in sowing, pruning and reaping.


The Vision in Sowing - The Parable of the sower appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It tells of a farmer who sowed seeds on four different parts of his farm but got fruit on only one. Anyone with the vision of the fruit will instantly ask, "Why?" Jesus' disciples undoubtedly asked the same thing when they first heard it. According to Jesus, Interpretation, the variable factor was not the sower, nor was it the seed (which is described as the "Word of God"), nor was it the method. It was the soil or among thorns. In order to produce fruit, a good seed must be sown in fertile soil. This is the right place aspect of strategy.


The Vision in Pruning - The Parable of the fig tree luke 13:6-9 is seen as a threat by some missionaries. If they are guided by the vision of the fruit, however, it should not be. The farmer who came along and saw a beautiful fig tree was forced to look a little deeper. The fig tree had grown well, but there were no figs! Much missionary work has likewise developed to a high degree, but there is no fruit. there are no disciples. The farmer in the parable is a good strategist. When there is no fruit after much work and enough of a time lapse, he says cut it down, change your program.


The Vision in Reaping - When Jesus talks to His disciples about reaping, for the first time He mentions the need for praying that the Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers into His, Harvest (Mt. 9:37-38) When the Laborers are few the farmer runs the risk of losing some of the harvests. the Strategy aspect, in this case, is the right time.


Jeremy Jithro Alesna
International Teams Philippines
Impart Digital World