Saturday, August 13, 2016

HOW TO BEAR FRUIT FOR CHRIST

 Some Christians think that when they accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts their purpose was finished. They may not say it in so many words but I have heard people express their testimony," I gave my heart to the Lord 20 years ago" but their life is dry.
They don't do anything. These people should read the Bible and ask the Lord for help. I know it is not easy. Trust me I have been there and it is not fun.
When we have problems in our life serving the Lord is sometimes seen as, "Something extra." We don't have a whole lot of strength. When Jesus spoke to the seven churches and addressed Philadelphia He said, ..."For thou hast a little strength." Revelation 3:8.
  Those who don't want to do anything for God without their conscience bothering them probably never got saved through Jesus Christ to begin with but if you are saved and find yourself feeling that way please fall down on your face before God and plead with Him so you can be the profitable servant.
We don't want to find ourselves in this place. "His lord answered and said unto him, thou wicked and slothful servant"... Matthew 25:26.
  I know of a Christian who said  "I have two vices, I smoke and like one strong drink at lunchtime." She got saved years ago but was a little tipsy after lunch. She was a very nice person but wanted those two things. Before we are to hard on her we may want to look at our own life.
   I still have known sins that I struggle with and I'm sure there are a couple of unknown sins but I am always trying to get right with God. Jesus knows our transgressions but He sees our heart.
  I have seen churchgoers that were involved in everything when it came to programs. When we give so much service to God our relationship with Jesus Christ should be strong with love. When Jesus wrote to the seven churches in the book of Revelation He said to Ephesus, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." Revelation 2:4.
  Jesus deeply cares about our personal relationship with Him and we must put Him first in our life. Anything including a problem we might have can cause our fellowship with God to go sour because it could be an idol in our life.
   I know because I have been there and it is a very deep valley. Try serving Jesus Christ in that state and see how effective you are for the kingdom of God.
  Many people today are pretty much like the Pharisees of the first century. They said a lot of repetitive prayers so they could be heard, they gave their money out of their abundance and took the front seats at important gatherings; however, Jesus knew their hearts and called them hypocrites.
   Praying to God is good, giving money for the work of the Lord is good or sitting in the house of God is good but it was their motive. It was not for God. They did it for themselves. Did you ever notice we get ourselves in so much trouble before God when self is on the throne of our heart?
  Here is one of the greatest problems I see in the world today. Most religions are corrupt because they are a buildup of works without Jesus Christ. They think that works in and of itself is bearing fruit for God. When we give an account of our life to Jesus Christ it is not going to be what we did for God but why we did what we did for God. The right motive with works in the Person of Jesus Christ is what is going to give us a passing grade. What if I'm off one day? Talk to God about it and let Him put you back on track.
  Works is good but it has to be with the motive of love for God and people. True fruit bearing is because we have the grace of God working through our hearts. 
  If good works could get us into heaven then Jesus Christ did not have to die on the cross. He died for sinners and took our place. The Bible says it is ... “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:9.
  If a man knows his neighbor is in the hospital and does not go see him because he is painting the church then why can't he do a little bit of both? People get confused and that is understandable but we can't let it harden our heart. A widow with many needs is overlooked because the person is to busy fellowshipping with church members but why can't we do a little bit of both?
  Right in our neighborhood we can find people who need Jesus Christ but chances are nobody has really shared the gospel with them. They may have heard about the whole thing but did we really have a heart to heart with them? At the very least say something because their eternity is at stake.
  How can we know what fruits are pleasing to God? ” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, Goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23.
  None of the above has anything to do with works. When we look at these fruits we should strive to be more like Jesus and less of ourselves should be in our heart. This is hard because it is not easy for us to step outside of ourselves. 
  Being kind to people, helping somebody in need, listening to a person when they are down or sharing the gospel are a few examples of love. In my personal life I have had a need for almost fifteen years and nobody has ever been able to help me.
  Some just don't want to and some don't know how but I am an example. I will leave the content a mystery because this problem could be misunderstood. It is hard and lonely and if I'm not careful I could take it personal. “Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” John 15:8. When we were saved we were called to be disciples. We are followers of Jesus Christ.
  “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. "John 15:5.
  God is in the process of changing our old man into the new man. We become more like Jesus Christ Himself. A dramatic transformation takes place in our life. The Holy Spirit is living inside of us and working on us which can be very painful. In the middle of all the hurt we can not be the unprofitable servant. A weak vessel for Jesus Christ tends to be the most effective gift for someone else on the receiving end but the blessing comes back to us.
  We need to be like Peter who used his bad experience in denying Jesus Christ, feeling all the pain, repenting before God and reaching out to other people in service to Him. He used the bad in his life and turned it around to help a host of needy souls. If we hid our talents in fear because of the bad experiences we had/have in life then we are not obeying God.
  If Jesus Christ gave us a talent we can not hid it but give it away with the motive of loving God and helping other people even with all the pain we may have inside our hearts. This is how God designed the process of serving Him so the only wise response is to obey God in service to Him. Take a deep breath and move forward in the will of God.
  Then we will be the profitable servants and bear fruit for God because we are giving rather than hiding our talents. If we are doing this for Jesus Christ then less temptations of sin will come into our life and more of the fullness of the Holy Spirit will be in our hearts because we are obeying God. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your heart then I encourage you to do so, not only for your eternal salvation but for the purpose of bearing fruit for God. 
 BOB D.

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