The Pursuit - 12 WeeksSample

The church in Corinth was full of personality — and problems. Members were arguing over who had the better spiritual leader: some claimed allegiance to Paul, others to Apollos, still others to Peter. But Paul shut down the debate. You can share truth, show up faithfully, and love consistently, but you can’t force faith to take root in someone’s heart. Only God can do that.

Think of a gardener. No amount of talking to the soil will make a seed sprout faster. The gardener prepares, plants, and waters — but growth happens in God’s timing, hidden beneath the surface. The same is true spiritually. The temptation for mentors and leaders is to measure success by visible results: church attendance, changed behavior, emotional breakthroughs. But Paul reminds us that our role is obedience, not outcomes.

The most freeing truth about making disciples is this: you don’t have to be impressive. You just have to be faithful. When you stop trying to do God’s job, you make space for His Spirit to move.

Reflection:

Where are you trying to force spiritual growth — in yourself or someone else?