"But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold" (Luke 8:8).
In the account of Lydia’s conversion in Acts 16, we see that her new life was initiated by God: “Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us.… The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.”
God called Lydia to Himself, not only through the preaching of Paul, but inwardly and effectively by the power of His Spirit. Not every one who heard Paul preach repented of their sins and put their faith in Christ. What was the missing element? God had not opened their hearts as He did Lydia’s. If God does not move to change the soul, no amount of preaching, reasoning, or even manipulating will bring a person to Christ.
While we are duty-bound to proclaim the Gospel, it is ultimately up to God to bring that person into the kingdom. Jesus said it is not by flesh and blood that we enter the kingdom but by the Spirit. We can speak good words, we can answer an objection, but we cannot see the working of the Spirit. It is truly like the wind that blows where it will. Our responsibility is simply to scatter the seed, to proclaim the Gospel. It is up to God to carry those seeds to fertile soul.
Because regeneration is an act of God, we depend upon Him in evangelism. Unless God regenerates and quickens the heart of an unbeliever, our words fall on deaf ears. Too many Christians remain perplexed over why a loved one has not come to Christ. While this should be a constant source of prayer as we plead with God to bring them into the kingdom, we should never think that they have not been saved because we have failed in some way. If they have heard the Gospel and still refuse to repent, it is because they remain hardened in their sins, devoid of the life-giving power of the Spirit.
Acknowledging that redemption begins with God humbles us and removes the burden we place on ourselves in trying to convert others. This does not mean that we become slack in evangelism. By resting in the sovereign power and grace of God, we are freed to obey His command to tell the world about Christ while giving all the glory to Him instead of ourselves.
If you have a good opportunity today to tell someone about the Gospel, do so if you haven’t already. Make their conversion an object of prayer. Pray for one person each day (or one person every day). Pray that God would change that person’s heart and give them the gift of faith.
