Fruit That Remains

 I have been frequently drawn to John 15:1-16, especially verse 16 which says: “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.” (Emphasis added)

Most of us are quick to quote the first part of that verse but tend to forget the second part. Yes, we want to be chosen and bear fruit. But it doesn't stop there. It goes on to say, “that your fruit should remain.” How does that fruit remain?

It's a two-step process. The first part is making sure the fruit that we are producing is relative to eternity in the Kingdom of God. You see, there's a lot of good work(s) that can be done but our focus is to be winning souls for the Kingdom of God. Seeing lives transformed from hopelessness to hope. Then the fruit you planted in an individual is planted by that person in another person. The seed keeps growing and remains. New life breeds new life.

What are some of the other works? Most would say it's the supernatural gifts - healing, prophecy, etc. which are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Supernatural Gifts have their place in the community of faith but it's not to be the primary focus, winning souls is. We don't decide when they happen, that is up to the Holy Spirit. I'm not saying the gifts are not necessary. Just not the focus.

Are the gifts available to every believer? Yes. Is victory available to every believer? Yes. But before anyone, especially a new believer can grow in those areas, he has to learn how to get there. That's where discipleship comes in.

People need to be taught how to resist temptation, how to overcome certain strongholds, how to build the character of God into their lives, etc. Think of it like this, when a person gets a new job, he usually has to wait 30 to 90 days to get the benefits. During that time. He learns about the company and learns about his position and how to grow in it, then he begins to gain some of the benefits of being in that company.

it's the same in the Kingdom of God. We become born again, start to learn the ways of the Holy Spirit. We begin to learn how to live as a Christian and eventually we really begin to walk in the “benefits” of spiritual gifts, victory, freedom, and so much more. It’s called, “Sanctification.” Which is also discipleship.

“Sanctification is the ongoing process by which believers grow in holiness and are gradually transformed into the likeness of Christ. This involves the work of the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to overcome sin and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit. Philippians 2:12-13 encourages believers to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose." This process requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit, obedience to God's Word, and participation in the life of the church.”    (biblehub.com)

OK, back to our discussion about bearing fruit for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

When spiritual gifts become the focus there is the danger of people being caught up in sensationalism, celebrity preachers, manufacturing gifts from the flesh. Anyway, this subject of gifts can be a whole discussion in itself.

As mentioned above, the spiritual gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. However, spiritual fruit is listed in Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”

It would be safe to say that spiritual gifts are incomplete if the individual operating in those gifts is not living in the fruit of the spirit. Keeping a focus on the fruit of the spirit helps us stand guard against things such as the image we present, sensationalism, wanting to look powerful, thinking it will draw the crowds. At the risk of stepping on toes of those who want to be gift focused, when the gifts are in operation the goal should be to bring people to salvation, not to say look at all we have happening here. What will truly draw crowds is transformed lives.

There are many examples in the Bible of a person encountering Jesus leading to a transformed life that drew a crowd. One example is the woman at the well. She lived in shame most of her life. Listen to what she says after encountering Jesus. The full story is in John chapter 4, but here are a few key scriptures.

²⁹ “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” ³⁰ Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” 

Then the result of her sharing the encounter with Jesus comes next. ³⁹ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed because of His own word. ⁴² Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (Emphasis added)

Before this blog gets any longer, let me close with a quote that I read recently.

“Instead of measuring ourselves by the gifts we have – perhaps we should consider the depth of our love.” (Wanda Alger)

 

DIVE IN AND THRIVE IN 2025

It will be a year to dive into the Word of God, His presence, and focus more than ever on the things of God so that we and those around us can thrive in the power of His Spirit. We won’t settle for just His omnipresence; we need His Manifest Presence. There is a movement happening around the country called “Presence Movement.” More on this in just a bit.

Things are going to be quite different in 2025. It will not be church as usual, as we've always known it. Therefore, we must prepare for the harvest that God has for us. Ask yourself, what do I want my church to look like twenty years from now and what am I called to do to help facilitate that?

Let's start off with a familiar scripture.

^“ Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17 NKJV)

Referring to this scripture, Pastor Todd Coconato said, “We cannot remain in the old thing and expect to thrive in the new year… God is calling us to lay down our old ways, old habits, old mindsets so that we can fully receive the new thing He is pouring out into our lives and in our ministry ….”

 That brings to mind the question how can we “dive in” so that we can “Thrive in 2025?” Let’s take a dive into 2025 in these four ways.

Diligent – “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV)     

We must be diligent in our pursuit of the Lord. Oftentimes we are quick to quote verse 11 before reading verse 13. We all want that “good plan “God has for us. But instead of seeking Him for what He can do for us, let's seek Him in prayer and worship more than ever before. Then, we will know what He wants us to do not what we want to do.

Look at 1 John 2:15-17 for reminder to not live for ourselves but for the Lord ready to not follow the ways of the world but the ways of the Lord.

Intentional – ^“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

In this next year we are going to need to be more intentional about being aware of the needs around us to reach lost and hurting people. That means we need to make an effort to reach out to initiate conversation with others. Some folks argue that If the Holy Spirit wants to reach a particular person, He can do it all on His own. There is a truth to that however one of my favorite quotes by author Henry Blackaby says, “God chooses to work through people. Look to see where He is moving and join him.”

Here is another scripture to look at later - Ephesians 5:15-16.

Vigilant - No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:4 NKJV)

Using the word vigilant here I'm not saying to be riotous or anything like that. What I am saying is let's be bold and take a stand for truth. In Acts 28:31, look at what is said about the Apostle Paul – “boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.”

One more verse – “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;” (1 Peter 3:15 NKJV)

Read and study your bible, join a study bible group to prepare to have biblical answers for those who ask.

Oh, in case you're concerned that you won't know what to say, check out Matthew 10:19,20.

Embrace - To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

We start off here with a common scripture that is often quoted but are we truly ready to walk it out? Look again at Matthew 9:17 ^“Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Another scripture – “Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:9 NKJV)

I often say, change, even when it's for the good it's not always easy. We're living in a very different society today. Our churches need to have a vision to prepare for a harvest of hurting, broken people. Some adjustments are needed for reaching the people in our churches and communities. The message never changes but sometimes the methods do. Sadly, many churches have drifted away from foundational doctrines, the importance of discipleship and being prepared to have something to offer to show people the path to repentance, forgiveness, transformation, and hope. I once heard a pastor say, “The way you birth them is the way you have to keep them.“  We must be prepared to show them the truth to a transformed life. People don’t need gimmicks; they need an encounter with God.

Talking about the year 2025, Bible teacher Mario Murillo says the following: “The fastest growing churches in America will feature the presence of God, true worship, deep repentance, signs and wonders, and a focus on preaching the doctrines of the Bible. For the first time, they will grow faster than the attraction churches.”

As I close one more thing to address is a phrase I mentioned in the very beginning. The phrase is “Presence Movement.“ It is happening especially among the younger generation, but really in all ages. People are hungry for the presence of God. They are hungry to be in an environment where Holy Spirit power is present to give them hope to be transformed and set them free.

We need to make worshiping Jesus a priority and realize the power of praise and worship in spiritual warfare. Mario Murillo mentioned deep repentance along with signs and wonders. That happens when Jesus is the focus of our worship, and we experience His manifest presence. It’s not about how hip the band is. Rather, are they fulfilling their biblical responsibility as a modern-day Levitical priesthood to lead the people into the inner courts of worship. This means we need to get back to the altar. The altars need to be open during worship and we need to get back to the altar calls that call people to repentance, transformation, and hope.

Well, I’ve shared a lot in this blog. Friend, are you ready to be a part of the next Great Awakening? Let’s be Diligent, Intentional, Vigilant, and Embrace the new as we Dive in and Thrive in 2025!

 

 

 

Lift Up His Name!

 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:12)

We will celebrate Christmas and prepare to enter a new year.  A year that I am sure has many new challenges for us as it does blessings. This year has been a rocky year to say the least. Political chaos, unusual, even weird weather, a lot of sickness. Many have lost jobs, loved ones, relationships, etc. Life just gets tough sometimes.  Whether it is health, finances, family issues or other difficulties, one thing I have learned is to call upon the name of the Lord, for it is He alone who can rescue us

In the bible there are many references to various Hebrew names of God that point to a particular area of His care for us in our lives.   I would like to share a few of those names with you and how you can apply them to your life.

Jehovah Shalom – “The Lord our Peace” – “So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace..." (Judges 6:24)

When life is stressful and you’re feeling no peace, run to the Prince of Peace and let him fill you with his peace that passes all understanding.  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  (Isaiah 26:3)

Jehovah Nissi – “God is my Banner” – “And Moses built an altar and called its name, THE-LORD-IS-MY-BANNER;” (Exodus 17:15)

In those times when you just want to run and hide under the covers, run to Jesus instead and let him cover you with his banner of love and protection.

Jehovah Jireh – “The Lord is my Provider” – “And Abraham called the name of the place, THE-LORD-WILL-PROVIDE; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided." (Genesis 22:14)

This name of the Lord is a reminder of God’s promise to provide for our needs. Notice it’s our needs he provides for, not always our wants. I remember a time about fifteen years when I saw a $900.00 bill forgiven. Praise God! More recently, in the past four years I have seen God provide in ways that I never dreamed.

Jehovah Rapha – O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. Psalm 30:2 

This Hebrew word, Rapha means to “restore, to heal, to cure and to repair.” This can apply to physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

Jehovah Shammah – “The Lord Who is always Present – “It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there. ”- (Ezekiel 48:35)

What a wonderful promise! He is always there when we need him!  Now there may be times when it feels like He is not there and instead of trusting His hand we have to trust His heart. People may leave us. But as the song Matthew West sings, “He’s the God Who Stays.” We can’t always “feel” God, but we know that His word is true because it says, “He will never leave us nor forsake us. “ (Hebrews 13:15)

Yahweh Roi – “The Lord is my Shepherd” – Psalm 23

This chapter is the Book of Psalms is probably the most read chapter of the bible. Many turn to it for comfort during difficult times. The Lord does care for us tenderly as a shepherd tends to his flock. To gain a greater understanding of Jesus being the Good Shepherd in your life I would highly recommend the book “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23” written by W. Phillip Keller.    

It’s amazing how when new trials come our way, we quickly forget what God has done for us in the past. When I face those times of wondering what God is up to in my life, I often go back and refresh myself with some of the meanings of His name.

Christmas isn’t an easy time for many. My friend, be encouraged today, the Lord is for you, not against you. Ask Him to help you focus on the positives of what He’s done for you. Take a step in a new direction and trust the Lord with this season of your life. Sometimes we just need to stop and listen to what God is saying to us. 

Lastly, don’t fall into the trap of isolation. That is one of the devil’s biggest schemes. He wants you to withdraw and be alone, making you susceptible to discouragement.  Instead of running into hiding, go to your local church or Christian friend and ask for prayer. Take time to pray His name over your life. There is power in the prayer of agreement with another person and proclaiming His name over your life!

As Tasha Cobbs Leonard sings, “There is power in the name of Jesus To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain.”

Friends let’s go forward in Christmas season and the new year STRONGLY declaring the power of the name of Jesus!

 

Hope In the Painful Journey

Wow! It’s December 7 and the month has already been busy, and Christmas is just two weeks away! Sadly, for some it’s a month of pain. Some have lost loved ones due to death. Some have been through the pain of separation and divorce, or having a child go wayward. Or facing illness. This time of year often brings painful things to people. However, there is hope. God through his son Jesus wants to bring comfort to your life during this season.

You may think I don’t understand that I’m just writing my blog. I have been through some personal battles in the past five years. What I share with you today I have been applying to my own life. So, once again let’s use an acronym to see how we can receive God’s comfort in our lives.

Cares – “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

We must cast all our cares on the Lord. Despite what you may feel or what others have told you, God does care for you. But it requires faith and trust to believe that.

Omniscient – “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk...” Psalms 142:3

The word “omniscient” means, “all knowing.” God knows everything from the beginning to the end. He knows the paths our lives will travel. As I have often heard preachers say, “Nothing comes to our lives that doesn’t first go through the hand of God.” His grace and His all-knowing can be trusted to carry us through any situation.

Meditate - "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

One of the best things we can do to receive the comfort of the Lord is to daily read the bible. Did you know that the book of Psalms is the most read book of the bible? Why? Because David shows that he is human, which we can all relate to. Many of his psalms start off with a trial but he always end with giving praise to God for providing a way out of troubling situations. W can do the same. Things may look bleak, but if we will hide God’s word in our heart, the praises will begin to flow from our lips before all is said and done.

Faith -  “… if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Do you see that? Even if your faith is as small as a mustard seed it is enough to move mountains. So don’t accept the lie from the devil that your faith is too little to do receive strength and comfort from God. Put to use what you have and the Lord will multiply it.

Omnipotent – Psalms 147:5 - “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding is infinite.”

Here we see another interesting word. Omnipotent means “all powerful.” God is more powerful than anything else in the world.  When you find yourself feeling weak and defeated ask God to show up in his power to remedy things as only he can do.

Rest –"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

What an offer! Jesus was telling us in this verse that if we will give him all of our burdens, he would give us his rest. That’s a great promise to hold on to when the going gets tough.

Trust – ^“5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

This may be a familiar scripture, but it is so true. If we lean on our understanding, we will mess things up every time. No matter how difficult this season is, try to make an effort to trust the Lord. Trust Him that he will help you with the pain, with the memories, with whatever it is that you need in your life right now.

All of this takes me back another familiar scripture found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

^"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Oh, my friend, how the Lord wants to comfort you! He wants to comfort you so that you have peace and are comforted. But He also wants to comfort you so that someday you will be able to share that same comfort with someone who crosses your path and is need of healing from the scars of life.

In closing, While the pain you’re experiencing is real I want to encourage you that it’s not the end. God wants you to move forward with your life. He wants to heal you of your pain so that you can be His instrument of comfort to someone else along the way in your journey. I am speaking this to myself as much as you!  Be encouraged, the best is yet ahead!

 

Abiding in the Rush

 

 We just celebrated Thanksgiving. After that it was Black Friday and things kicked into high gear to get ready for Christmas. But… I got to thinking…

When most people read John 15:1-14 they usually end up talking about bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. That is an important principle for us to live by. If we’re true disciples of Jesus Christ, we should desire to bear much fruit for the sake of the Gospel.

However, as I read this recently, I had a unique perspective on it.

In this passage in John 15 two verses stood out to me. The first is in verse 5, which says, "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.” As I read this, I thought about how we all are in the “rush mode” getting ready for Christmas. The Lord spoke to my heart through this and reminded me that we must keep our focus on God, His Word, and His son, Jesus - the reason for the season. Maintaining this focus will help us be less stressed with more opportunities to bear fruit for the Lord.

Understanding that in this passage Jesus is the Vine we’re to abide in, let’s see what we can learn about abiding in the Vine. I have made an acronym of the word “abide” from which we can glean five principles of abiding. Apply, Build, Involve, Deny, and Examine.

Apply – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15KJV - If we’re going to walk in tune with the Lord, we’re going to have to know His Word. I don’t mean that you have to be a scholar or read twenty-five chapters a day. Just be consistent to read something from the bible every day.

Build – ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)   Ask the Lord to help you build these qualities in your life. They will certainly be helpful in the crowded stores! (smile)

Involve – ⁴⁶And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47NAS) The believers in the early church stayed in close contact encouraging each other and they were committed to involvement in their local church.

Deny – “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24) Again, if we keep Jesus first in our life, and think of others more than ourselves, we’ll be less apt to growl back at another tired shopper.

Examine – “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless indeed you are disqualified.”  (2 Corinthians 13:5) We must regularly take inventory of our lives to make sure that we’re living in righteousness.

Earlier I mentioned two verses that stood out in John 15. We looked at verse 5. Now let’s look at verse 11.   John 15:11 - "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”  “These things” refer to the scriptures Jesus just share in verses 1- 10. So, what Jesus is saying to us is that if we abide in him, we will have JOY. What a promise to hold on to as we move into December! The stress of shopping, the pain of being alone, missing a loved one, financial strain, etc. As we abide in Jesus in the midst of it all, we can still have joy in our heart.

Be encouraged, my friend. Even in the stresses of life, even in the rush of the holiday, we can call on the grace of God to strengthen us as we abide in Him. If you are struggling, pray the following: “Lord, I am hurting, I am tired, I feel so alone. Please send Your Spirit, the Comforter, to come alongside me. Help me to focus on You so that I may have joy in this season of celebrating the birth of your Son. In Jesus name, amen.”

Until next time, I pray that you are filled with the overflowing joy, love, and peace of the Lord!