The seed planter
By Jon Wells | Malawi in South America
Martin (left) with a friend.
This week we were privileged to hear the testimony of a man whose life was eternally changed by a simple question. We invited Martin to sit around a table on our back porch to share with us how the Lord saved him, and how God opened his eyes to the truth of the Gospel. This is Martin’s story.
"It is simple, but not really simple," he said. "God made me a believer. We went to the Anglican church but still practiced our village rituals. The church, like most of the churches around here, taught us that you get to heaven by doing good works. I would also go to the witch doctor in my village to seek power to stay healthy and strong.
"I moved from the village to the SIM compound in Mangochi to work as the gardener, and I worked for many missionary families. Then the Burdettes came. They would sit and talk with me. One day, I was riding in the car with Bob, and he asked me the simple question that changed my life.
“ 'Martin,'” he said, “ 'if you died today where would you go: to heaven or to hell?' ”
I said, “ 'Well, heaven, of course.' ”
"Then Bob asked, “ 'Why would you go to heaven?' ” And I said, “ 'I would go to heaven because I am good.' ”
"Then I asked Bob the same question. Bob replied, “ 'I would go to heaven because Jesus died for me and I have accepted Him as Savior.' ”
"This question kept haunting me and I had no peace. So, I started reading the Bible alone to look for the truth. I prayed for God to reveal the truth to me. Through reading the Bible, little by little, God opened my eyes and opened my heart. He put the gospel in my heart.
"God has inspired me to teach the unreached about the gospel. Now I go door to door in the villages and ask if they would like to learn about the Bible," he says. "Most don’t want to listen to me because I am from their same culture, but I press on to plant seeds."
Martin’s story shows us that we are all called to plant the seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of the people around us. We share the love of Jesus and we share the truth. The Holy Spirit does the rest. Just like Martin said, it is simple and yet it is not simple. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (ESV) says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."
Pray for the truth of God's Word to spread through Malawi, and for seed-planters like Martin to be multiplied across the country. Contact us today to find out how you can serve alongside missionaries like the Wells in places like Malawi, pray for their work, and give to ministry efforts around the world.
