READ: John 12:23-26
“Except a corn of wheat…die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” – John 12:24
The corn of wheat in today’s Scripture, symbolizes the missionary: the one sent out to plant churches. To be alone means to be fruitless, to be without members or followers. To win followers for Himself and His Father, Jesus had to fall into the ground and die. Jesus would not have borne fruit if He had not died on the cross. He would have been alone in Heaven with His Father.
The dying process in the man of God will eventually bring out much fruit. When the seed falls into the ground, it disintegrates and decomposes; this is what we call
dying. A single corn will become a big tree with many fruits if it first falls into the ground and dies.
The falling into the ground speaks of a period in a man of God’s life in which he is unknown and hidden from public view. It is a period of rejection, negative response, refusal, denial, denunciation and elimination in his life. Missionaries will go through this experience many times. Don’t worry; isolation, rejection and separation are part of real ministry. Jesus Christ was hidden for thirty years before He was exposed to public ministry. Moses was utterly rejected by his brethren when he first tried to minister to them and ended up in the wilderness for forty years. After years of rejection and isolation, he was ready to minister.
Do not be in a hurry to be exposed, since premature expo- sure leads to destruction. Your day of showing forth will come.