THE PURPOSE OF BEARING FRUIT

5/6/21  THE PURPOSE OF BEARING FRUIT

 

QUICKENED: Tonight I was creating a sticker book for my journal and I came across a sticker that said the following scripture:

 

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, self-control: against such there is no law.

 

I read John 15 and pondered what the Lord said about growing fruit.  Then as quieted myself before Him, I heard:

 

The freedom you have from the inside out to grow and change.  I began a good work in you. I will complete it.  I suddenly realized the good work He was doing within me (to change) was cultivating the fruit of His Spirit.

 

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ

 

Philippians 1:6  AMP And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

 

PERFORM:

 

Strong’s Greek Dictionary
2005. ἐπιτελέω epiteleo (epiteléō)
Search for G2005 in KJVSL; in KJV; load in ESI.

ἐπιτελέω epiteléō, ep-ee-tel-eh’-o

from G1909 and G5055; to fulfill further (or completely), i.e. execute; by implication, to terminate, undergo:—accomplish, do, finish, (make) (perfect), perform(× -ance).

verb

 

THE PURPOSE FOR BEARING FRUIT

 

• Jesus said that as His disciples, He chose us and ordained us to bring forth fruit.
• Jesus said that the purpose for our bearing fruit is to glorify the Father.
• Paul said that we bring forth fruit to God.

 

Thus when we grow fruit, we it is our gift to God our Father and our gift to Jesus.

 

John 15:8 In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples.

 

John 15:16 You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

 

Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

As I thought about that the purpose of our bearing fruit is to be our GIFT to God, I remembered Bob Jone’s testimony:

 

QUOTES BOB JONES

Post Falls, ID  · March 2003

 

REVELATION ON THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

He gave me a thing that I wanted to share with you.  Last Oct and Nov my dreams were terrible.  Every night there were one or two or three dreams.  They were either spiritual, wrong spirit, mental, wrong spirit, or physical wrong spirit.  They were financial, emotional, physical and sexual.  We are 3 things, spirit, soul and body.

I was told I was too old, out of tune, unanointed, discarded, unwanted, rejected.  And I would wake up and say NO. Then I would have another one.  For 2 months I said NO.

On the last day of Hahnika in December.    They were the worst.  He said I am going to burn your house, I am going to kill all your family, you haven’t got any protection, you’re too far out on a limb.  Nobody is praying for you.  There just terrible fear and everything else.  I would have to wake up and say NOPE.  No way.  You’re a liar.  NO, NO, NO.  But it would disturb my sleep.  That Saturday morning I was really tired.  I got and tried to make it through the day, but I was just too tired.  I figured it was about 4 o clock that the devil had been up all night tormenting me, so that he probably was taking a nap so I went in and jumped in bed and I was going to take me one.  So I no more hit the bed, then I was gone but not in sleep.  I was gone before the throne.  And there Viola and I stood holding hands.  And I saw a man and his wife come up before the throne and Jesus was sitting on it.

I believe that Hanicak is not the birth of Christ, but the conception of it.  And I believe that Christ was made flesh and dwelt among us at conception.

And these people were going up there before the Lord.  And the first man and wife, they had the most beautiful basket of navel Sunkist oranges I have ever seen.  They put this basket down and said, “Happy conception day Lord.”  And He said, “Thank you.”  Then came the next couple.  They had the most luscious looking peaches you have ever seen.  They were beautiful. They were big and looked real luscious.  They put them at His feet and said, “Happy conception day Lord.”  And one after another came and I just started weeping.  I said, “Viola we don’t have any fruit to give the Lord.” It’s His conception day and I don’t have anything to give Him.”

You know you don’t bear fruit with works, you bear it with relationship.  By abiding.  You know I think that sometimes we try to earn brownie points with works, when we can only have it by relationship or intimacy.  And so I started weeping.  And the man that took me and Viola there said, “Why do you weep Bob?”  By the way, He is faceless.  I have never been able to see His face.  He is called the Parakleet, the One that stands beside you.  You may know Him as the Holy Spirit.  He said, “Look at your hands!”

Joh 14:16 KJV

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

NT:3875

parakletos (par-ak’-lay-tos); an intercessor, consoler:

KJV – advocate, comforter.

I looked down and we had a pink basket, Viola and I, and we both had a hold of it.  We had the most big luscious grapes I have ever seen.  They were as big as a baseball.  I said they are the grapes that come from Esgo???  They are the promises of God, they are out of the promised land.  I said, “Viola, we’ve got something to give the Lord!”  I went up there and said, “Happy conception day Lord.”  And He said, “Thank you.  Do you know where you got those grapes Bob?”  And I said, “No, no Lord I don’t”  He said, Every time you said no to the devil the last 2 months you were baring fruit!”

(End Bob Jones quote)

HOW WE BEAR FRUIT

 

• Jesus said He was the vine planted in the earth.
• He clung to the Father as His Source and He grew us, the branches to His vine.
• In every area in our life that we cling to Jesus the vine, we begin to bear fruit.
• Some of those areas get pruned, cut back, thwarted and delayed, so that we cling to Him even more so that we grow stronger branches and produce even more fruit.
• Every area in our life that we do not bear fruit, He cuts off.
• When we do not cling to Him, we can not bear fruit on our own.

 

John 15:1-8, 16 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. 2 Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. 6 If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples… 16 You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

 

4/28/98 BOB JONES VISION – FRUIT TREE

The Lord began showing a fruit tree that had been very productive in times past, however, some of the fruit bearing limbs were out of balance with the remainder of the tree. Certain of the limbs were producing an abundance of fruit while others sparingly. Some of the branches were mature while others were underdeveloped. Bob then saw a pair of pruning shears descending from heaven and begin to dress the fruit tree. (John 15:5) Surprisingly, the Lord began to prune the abundant fruit bearing branches in order to allow the less mature ones to develop and bring forth a perfectly balanced tree.

This tree was now in such perfect balance that strong winds of adversity could not disturb it. Prior to the pruning the imbalance of fruit producing branches would have allowed the winds of adversity to topple the tree.

The Lord now wants the unfruitful areas of our lives to develop in maturity and perfect balance with those areas in which we are strong. The Lord pruned the fruitful areas of our lives so that the weaker areas could develop. This pruning process is what we have been going through in the recent past. Great athletes always train hardest in the areas of their weakness. So should it be with our spiritual well being. At this present time it has been immaturity and a lack of balance that has prevented the great move of the Spirit.

The end result of John 15 is the cherished relationship of His friend. Many people spend long hours praying for Peace and Joy while neglecting self-control and meekness. The Lord is looking for a perfectly balanced tree bearing all nine of the fruit of the Spirit.

{End Bob JOnes quote)

I pondered the areas in my life that did not bear good fruit.  Immediately I remembered the maple bars!  When I was in my 20’s during my travels, when I drove through a certain town, I always got off the freeway and bought a foot long maple bar.  That little place stayed in business a long time and luckily I did not travel that area very often!  To this day when I drive past that town, I think of maple bars.  I am not saying that place went out of business because of me, but when it went out of business, the foot long maple bars were cut off in my life.

 

As the Lord hones us to produce good fruit, He uses circumstances in our personal lives to grow these fruits.  As we face all kinds of climate and elements, we cling to Him for help and sustenance and we produce these fruits:

 

• Love – godly affection
• Joy – cheerfulness
• Peace – harmoniously “at one”
• Longsuffering – forbearing
• Gentleness -kindness
• Goodness
• Faith – conviction of truth
• Meekness – humble, gentle
• Self-control – temperance

 

Consider that when you walk in these qualities, you are giving good gifts to Jesus and glorifying God!  What an honor and privilege to be able to give them gifts!