Watering 1 Cor. 3:6-8 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Concerning souls, we often talk of sowing the seed and harvesting the fruit.  We rarely expound on watering.  However, watering is what Apollos did in 1 Cor 3:6-8.  So, watering is necessary when dealing with souls.  Therefore, we must discuss it.

Sowing the seed is a matter of giving out tracts or New Testaments or preaching the gospel and witnessing, so that the word gets out.  Often, sowing is a one-shot deal.  That is, you get the word to a soul you may never see again.  Harvesting, likewise, is a one-shot deal.  A person only gets saved one time.  Watering, on the other hand, is much more than a one-shot deal.  Watering requires:

Labor – Matt 9:37-38 – that’s why the Lord said, “… that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.”  It takes work to sow and to harvest, but it takes even more work to water.

Water – Acts 18:24 – Apollos was “mighty in the scriptures.”  Eph 5:26, the word is your water.  Acts 18:25, 28.  You must water sufficiently.  You can’t dump the whole load on one plant.  You can’t leave the seed without water.

Purpose – 1 Cor 3:5 “ministers by whom ye believed.”  The purpose of watering is to help souls believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Coming to that belief is not just a matter of sowing.  Notice that Paul and Apollos had different ministries.  Some are better sowers; some are better waterers.

Faithfulness – 1 Cor 4:2, 6 – you must water regularly.  You must be there when the plants need water.  1 Cor 16:12 Apollos couldn’t come to Paul.  He had to water where he was.  It takes time for the effects of water to produce fruit.

Humility – 1 Cor 4:6-7 – you are just a waterer, after all, you and your little water can.  It is God that gives the increase.  We just do what we have been given to do.

Conclusion: watering is a neglected part of dealing with souls.  If you have sown the seed and you have been praying for some of the people to whom you have witnessed, be sure to return from time to time to water.  You might find that the gap between sowing and harvesting is not as great when you water, regularly.