Bear Fruit

Jesus warns us that He will be leaving people behind. He says, "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 in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:22-23). But why? The answer seems to be in the effect that people do not know Him. But if we dig deeper we uncover answer is connected to knowing Him, "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46). In these words is contained the rub, people are calling upon the Lord, but not doing what He says, they are bearing their own fruit, not His, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5). Therefore, Jesus is angry at the those who do things in His name (Matt 7:23) but they are not doing what He says! Because you do what He says if you remain in Him (John 15:5)!

A good idea is short of God. People think evil is created through malicious, malevolent, and manipulative means. The truth is evil is just a good idea gone wrong. Take for instance the Spanish Inquisition, it began as an outreach to Jews, to teach them what Christians believe, but it became a controlling institution that oppressed people for nearly four hundred years. The Third Reich was suppose to be Germany's rebirth, based upon Charlemagne aspirations, but it became an axis of evil that destroyed 12 Million Christian lives and 7 Million Jewish lives. Albert Einstein and other scientists discovered what the power of splitting an atom can do, but giving it to power hungry leaders has left us in perpetual Cold War, where people fear who will finally press the button. All of these examples and more fulfill the sagely words of Saint Bernard, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," (St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 1150 A.D.) and that is what Christians do when they decide to do what they contrive, think up, and even claim for God, but that Trinity has not sanctioned. In effect this type of religious offering is as "filthy wrags (Paul originally said filthy wrags which were blood filled wrags for women's mistral cycle, now it reads dung, refuse, rubbish)" (Phillippians 3:8) before The Author and Finisher of our faith.

Jesus says, "If you love me, keep my commands." (James 14:5). These commands He mentions (Luke 10:27), but they include works as much as a relationship. This is what the apostle James means, "But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:18-26). Doing what Jesus Christ is part of relationship! In the same way earthly relationships work, so it works with our Creator and Savior. Sometimes you merely hang out with a friend, other times you help them move a couch or with something. A better example is parents and children. Parents want to spend time with their children, playing, talking, making memories, but they also expect their children to do what they say, to follow their commands, and we children of God, "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith," (Galatians 3:26), "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God," (John 1:12), "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Romans 8:16), "And, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty," (2 Corinthians 6:18), and "to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship." (Galatians 4:5).

Now that we have established we are children of God, we must understand that we are obligated to bear His fruit, to obey His commands, and do His works. Jesus speaks of telling a tree by its fruit, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:15-20). Our Savior warns us if we do not bear good fruit we will be cut down! "Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

 ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down." (Luke 13:6-8). This is the importance of bearing fruit of Christ! We can talk the talk, but until we walk the walk, we are hypocrites! For to know Jesus, to be close to Him is to do what He says!  What do these works look like? They are the Fruit of the spirit for starters, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law," (Galatians 5:22-23), in conjunction with evangelism and discipleship, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:18), "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me," (Matthew 16:24),  and personal works that Word who is Jesus Christ gives us individually like authoring a book, starting a ministry, teaching at a school, building a business, create a cure for cancer, and more.

If we do not do the works of the Lord Jesus, and do our own they shall burn, "If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved--even though only as one escaping through the flames." (1 Corinthians 3:15). In order to not let our works burned up, we must rest our anchor in the rock of Christ, "As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” (Luke 6:47-50). Our relationship, religion, and rowing (works) must be in Redeemer who is the Rock, who is the Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20), Christ Jesus. For when we do not bear fruit and do our good ideas we mare the image of Christ, because we are not doing His work. If anything can be claimed to be our good plan or idea, it is short of God and shall burn up. You can only bear fruit from Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5). Bearing fruit needs to come from being cinnected and knowing the Vine, Christ our Lord. Only His Life giving blood can make grapes in our viens (branches), but we must partner with the Vine: share His blood; the Gospel, and shine in suffering to produce good wine (testimony, Revelation 12:11) who will attend the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, allegory/parable)