But you may probably be asking, "What kind of fruit is Jesus talking about?" Galatians 5:22 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
Fruitfulness is a very serious matter in the kingdom of God. There is judgment attached to it as well as blessings. In John 15:2, Jesus said, "He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." Jesus speaks of two kinds of Christians - the unfruitful and the fruitful one - and the actions that will be done to each kind. An unfruitful Christian is one who professes being a Christian but do not live a life that is consistent to the faith he profess. Though he is a member of the Church and attends every activity and church service, he doesn't really have a close and intimate relationship with Jesus. His relationshp with Him is only external. While a fruitful Christian is one who possesses and manifests the "fruit of the spirit" in his daily life, a person who radiates the true image and character of Jesus as he interacts with all the people around him. He is a genuine believer of Jesus Christ and has an intimate, personal, close and internal relationship with Him. He trusts and puts his faith on Him in all situations and circumstances in life, and walks with Him in his daily journey in this world as a Christian.
An unfruitful Christian will be cast away from the Kingdom of God as Matthew 7:21-23 says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' "
On the contrary, a fruitful Christian will be "pruned" (trimmed, purged) so that he will bear fruit continuously. Hebrews 12:11 gives the reason for this pruning process, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Mark 4:19 lists the causes why Christians need pruning, "but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." As we continue to live in this world, we will be tempted by the devil in every way so that we will go back to our old life, forsake our faith in Jesus, and become unfruitful believer of Jesus. We need God's discipline and correction in order for us to become strong and mature in our faith and grow more in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and bear lasting fruit for Him.
John 15:4-5 reveals the secret for fruitfulness, it says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (NKJV). The secret of fruitfulness is abiding in the vine - Jesus Christ. The synonyms for the word "abiding" are remaining, enduring, surviving, unshakeable, long-lasting and permanent. In other words, a person who is abiding in Christ will have an enduring, surviving, long-lasting and permanent relationship with Jesus. He will never be shaken or defeated by any temptations, difficulties, trials and problems in life. Instead, he will continue to bear the fruits of righteousness. This verse also implies that the quality of our relationship with Christ determines our fruitfulness. Matthew 7:17-20 says, "Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit . . . Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."
A genuine disciple of Jesus Christ will be known by his fruit. We were commanded by God to "be fruitful and multiply" and "to bear fruit that last". Thus, we were all called to reproduce. As we live a fruitful Christian life and become living testimonies to all the people around us, we will be able to share the Gospel and the love of Jesus to our unbelieving relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. This will cause them to see the light of Jesus Christ shining though us and will cause them to desire the life that we have in Jesus. The souls of men that we will bring out of the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light are the only fruits that we can have that will last until eternity.
Let us be a shining light of the image of our Lord Jesus Christ to all the world and bear fruits that last!
No comments:
Post a Comment