BEARING FRUIT IS THE DUTY OF A CHRISTIAN

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”—John 15:16

The Bible tells us to bear fruit. "Bearing fruit" is mentioned 106 times in the Old Testament.  It is also mentioned 70 times in the New Testament and of the 27 Epistles’, "bearing fruit" can be found in 24 of them. The remaining three have the concept of bearing fruit within the message.

In the beginning when God created man and woman, He told them to be fruitful and multiply.  As you read through the scriptures, you can see over and over again God’s theme of bearing fruit.  Everything that God created was to bear fruit.  Jesus even told us that we should bear fruit.  When we try to act like a Christian by going to church, and saying all the right things, but our lives are not bearing the fruit as a disciple of Christ, we are being a phony.  In a way, we are like the fig tree that Jesus cursed in Matthew 21:18-19, “In the early dawn the next morning, as He was coming back to the city, He was hungry.  And as He saw one single leafy fig tree above the roadside, He went to it but He found nothing but leaves on it [seeing that in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves].  And He said to it, never again shall fruit grow on you! And the fig tree withered up at once.”  Jesus was hungry and saw the green leaves; as the fig tree was suppose to bear fruit at the same that the green leaves appeared.   He supposed that He would find something to eat, but the tree was not bearing fruit—it was a phony. 

If our lives revolve around the church, carry our Bibles every where, sit by ourselves at lunch at work to read our Bibles, but never have time to help anybody, or show kindness, we are like the fig tree with leaves but no fruit.  People with a spiritual outward appearance but no fruit are hard to get along with because of their selfish nature; there is not an outward expression of their inward belief—no fruit in their lives. 

 

Fruitfulness is the mark of our genuineness as a believer in Christ.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 -20, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.   Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”  Jesus Himself tells us that we will know people by their fruit.  “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).  

 

We are the tree and whether we bear good fruit or not demonstrates the genuineness of our faith.  Jesus Christ changes our life.  Salvation is not a reformation, it is a transformation.  The tested and true believer will bear some fruit.  If your life has not changed at all, I must warn you—see if you are truly in the faith.  There was a popular saying some years ago, no fruit—no root. 

 

Fruitfulness is the measure of your walk with the Lord.  It is always good to examine our lives and see if there are any changes that need to be made.  Answer these questions honestly to yourself and see if there is room for adjustments.  Is there any evidence of fruit in my life?  Is there any pro-activity in my life?  Does anyone see me as different? 

 

Prayer—Father I ask You to show me any areas in my life that I need to make adjustments so that I may bear much fruit for You.  Lord, I submit myself anew to You today for a fresh revelation of Your life in me so that I can demonstrate Your love to others, in Jesus Name. Amen.