A Tree is Known by its Fruit

Luke 6:43-44 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.

During the Second session of our churches denominational conference, keynote speaker Pastor Randy Frazee from Oak Hills church in San Antonio. Texas told us how study have shown that on average, each American household owns four Bibles, but the same survey found that the large majority of these families don’t read it and don’t put the teachings of the Holy Scriptures into practice, creating a Biblical illiteracy challenge in our country today. There is a complete difference between those who do believe, read their Bible and practice Christianity, because a tree is known by its fruit. Fruit is the external product that can be seen and tasted.

Galatians 5:22-25 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

If we say that we believe, but do not live out our faith in thought, word and action, then we cannot produce “good” fruit. Our identity is in Christ and our internal belief and worth is not based upon our external performance. Our fundamental belief is in our humanity, where the inward attitude of gentleness is not putting ourself above others, because except by the grace of God, there walk I. Except by the fruit of the Spirit, what else will distinguish us from all others? Walking in the Spirit and crucifying the sinful desires and passions of the flesh creates a holy discrimination from it, because our Just God judges what is just. This has caused a crisis in America today as anti-discrimination in the form of politic correctness has postured itself for what the Christian church is against and not what the Christian church is for. In doing so, they have postured themselves against their very Creator.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Christian love vertically first, then horizontally, and the Cross is a wonderful symbol of that truth. Uncommon disciples are those who live out what the Bible teaches and what Jesus taught, politically correct or not. The Word of God says something very different than the world. We cannot believe that Christ is the “right” answer, but do not act upon it. We need to move the church out of the building and into the environment as salt and light with a unified idea of where they are going. Through the indwelling empowerment of the Holy Spirit, encircle our community with the presence of God, in Christ, with love, that they may desire what Christians have inwardly that is revealed by their fruit. Instead of “trying hard”, we need to “yield hard” to the leading of the Holy Spirit and trust the Lord always with everything.

In living out our faith, our discipleship is evangelism.

For every tree is known by its own fruit. What are we bearing?

In Christ, Brian