“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” -Mark 16:15
Crop rotation is the process of planting different crops in the same field, to improve overall soil health. By rotating your crop year in and year out you keep from farming the same seed in the same soil, because doing so will rob the land of the beneficial nutrients that you need to grow a healthy crop. Planting the same seed in the same soil will produce sterile ground and substandard yields.
The innovation of crop rotation was igneous when it comes to trying to improve yields. No one person owes all the fertile land. It is segmented and privatized, so where you plant doesn’t change. Down here in Georgia we have good land in Seminole County. Farmers in Dougherty County can move to Seminole County, but they can’t move their land with them. They must work on the land they own. Therefore, to produce better yields and keep their land fertile they practice crop rotation. As sanctified people, we don’t have to contend with limiting factors like land capacity. Jesus said “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” The seed is the Word, salvation from sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. The field we are sowing in is the whole world. Everyone, everywhere. When we go out to spread the gospel, we are all going out into a vast field of labor. Unlike farmers in South Georgia, we are not bound by land rights, because the Father owns it all. To quote John Wesley (as I am fond of doing) “I look upon all the world as my parish.” The local Walmart, and the foreign nations are all fields of labor to the Christian. With so much acreage to cover, it is a wonder why we insist on planting the same seed, in the same field, year after year, after year. Preaching to the people we are comfortable preaching too. Our children, our family, our cousins, our young people. Church people sowing in the field of church people. Rich people, sowing in the field of rich people. White people in the field of white, black in the field of black; the list goes on and on. Comfort and complacency restrict us from taking a wider gaze or looking to a broader horizon; lest we find a field that would require immense sacrifice. Except for the commandment of Christ, we could go into all our people and preach; but Jesus said, “go ye into all the world.” If we plant the same seed, in the same field, year in and year out, eventually the beneficial nutrients will be robbed and there will be less and less fruit. Christ knew this and this is why he left this commission for the church to “Go”. If we just focus on getting our kids sanctified, by and by we might lose them; why? Because the demonstration of the gospel that they will see is one robbed of one of its great beneficial nutrients, namely the lost/unchurched coming to Christ. When you see a sinner come to know Jesus, it has a tremendous impact on your faith. Furthermore, when you take part in the spreading of a gospel that saves the sinner, it affirms your faith. Finally, when you are active in a ministry that brings people to salvation from all walks of life; that will bring forth fruit in you, because you are taking part in a salvation that works everywhere. However, we can’t find that precious to our soul if we are not spreading salvation everywhere!
The early church maintained a militant focus to spread the Gospel. I believe it was because they loved God and loved their neighbor. In loving God, they knew that God loved them and wanted what was best for them. There is nothing quite so wonderful as the blessing of seeing a soul converted, sanctified, and living for Jesus Christ.
