Bearing Fruit

One of the great passages of Scripture that often gets overlooked is found in the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of John. Jesus gives to His disciples a well-known "I am" statement - "I am the vine" (John 15:5). Within these verses there are several instructions for the Christian: 1. Abide in the vine (v. 4). 2. Continue in My love (v.9). 3. Keep My commandments (v. 10). The reader could point out several more.

Perhaps the most important statement, at the heart of the passage, is found on verse eight - "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." A major problem with Christians is idleness. Bearing fruit is an essential part of living the Christian life. It makes absolutely zero sense when Christians do not want to work in the church. Our work is an extension of our love for Christ, and our thankfulness for God's grace that leads to our salvation. Fruit bearing is just the result of loving God back (1 John 4:19).

An oft used excuse for not bearing fruit to God is discouragement. The way we often measure success is very different than the standard God uses. People disappoint us. They question our motives. They criticize our activity. They call us judgmental when we stand for the Bible. They do not consider the work and effort and guts and hope and everything else that goes in to sowing seed. When we see a lack of results we give up prematurely. We stop abiding in the vine. We stop producing. We try to "cruise-control" to heaven. Jesus said this approach leads to withering branches that are good for nothing except being cut off and cast into the fire (John 15:6).

If you have ever done any sowing at all in the kingdom, let me remind you to think about the difference you have made. One soul. One teaching. One person growing closer to God. One life changed. One problem resolved. If all of your work has resulted in any of these things, every effort you have made has been worth it. If nothing has been accomplished in people, know that your efforts have been pleasing in the sight of God!

Bearing fruit is demanding. I have come to learn that we are going to be rejected more than accepted. I have come to learn that we will be criticized more than complimented. I have come to learn that we will be unpopular with the majority, accused, ridiculed, and challenged until we find out whether or not we really believe in God and His church.

But I have also come to learn, that when we bear fruit to God, it is the greatest human experience we can ever know. When you see the child raised outside of Christ who becomes a preacher...when you see a marriage saved...when you see a troubled young single girl with children raise leaders in the church...when you help an elderly person keep their faith on their death bed...when you see that kind of fruit the rest does not matter at all.

May 3rd is our "Coming Home Sunday." Our goal is 500! This day will be a good opportunity to bear some fruit to God. Encourage, invite, exhort, challenge, and love others like Christ loved us. Abide in vine brethren. Abide in the vine!

"Lead me to some soul today, O teach me, Lord, just what to say; Friends of mine are lost in sin, And cannot find their way. Few there are who seem to care, And few there are who pray; Melt my heart, and fill my life, Give me one soul today." ~ Will Houghton (1936)

Your Way of Life

There is an expression sometimes used by people to explain behavior that goes something like this - "That is just the way I am" or "That is just the way he/she is." People do have a a way. Billy Joel even wrote these lyrics, " She's got a way about her, don't know what it is, but I just know I can't live without her." Everybody is unique and every person has a certain way they go about living their life.

But one thing each individual should keep in mind is that they are not locked into a certain lifestyle. The liar doesn't have to lie just because he has always been a liar. The same could be said for any other sin - homosexuality, hatred, drunkenness, stealing, et cetera. The fact is that we choose our way of living. We make a decision about who we are and what we believe every single day.

Since such is the case, then we can also change the way we practice our Christianity. We don't have to be Sunday morning only Christians, even if that is all we have ever been. We don't have to keep from being more involved in the work of the church, just because we have never been involved in the past. We don't have to lack zeal for evangelism, just because in our former days we have lacked the nerve necessary to save a lost soul.

What we need to do is really very simple. We need to pray earnestly that God will change our hearts and make us aware of our spiritual shortcomings. Then we need to follow up by changing our behavior and making a habit of doing the things we have always wanted to do for Christ. You can change your way of life! You can do things differently than you have done them in the past!

Peter wrote about the importance of no longer living the rest of our time in the flesh for the sake of sin, but instead, living for the will of God (1 Pet. 4:2). The point is that God has the power to not only save us from death, He has the power to change our life for today. That is a very exciting proposition! We don't have to wait until Jesus comes again to be blessed. We can be blessed immediately by simply making the choices to live for God today.

Stop making excuses for your lack of involvement in the kingdom. Stop saying to yourself that who you are and what you practice is good enough. Stop telling yourself that the way you live your Christian life is as good as you can do, because that is just the way you are.

Faithfulness is a way of life. Commitment is a way of life. Evangelism is a way of life. Humility is a way of life. Kindness is a way of life...

You can do anything you want to do. You can be anything you want to be. Nothing is impossible with God!

"For to me to live is Christ..." ~ Philippians 1:21

Running Your Race

This past week I participated in a 5k race in Columbia, TN. If you have never been to a race of this sort you are going to have to try attend one some time. Even if you do not choose to run, there are many things you can learn just by observing those who do. Here are some things I learned this week:

1. You need to run your own race.
Everybody has a different stride. The end goal is the same but how and when we cross the finish line is going to vary. It was neat to see 7 and 8 year-old children run. Their legs are shorter but they don't wear out as quickly. It was great to see people in their 70's running. They, along with the disabled who ran inspired me the most. Because we are all different, there is something about our individual performance that enhances the race itself. We can teach each other. We don't have to worry about measuring up to each other. We simply need to do our personal best.
Galatians 6:4,5 - "But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load."

2. You need to stay on the track.
After training for a while to run a race it would be a real bummer to be disqualified. How many times have you seen Olympic competitors ruin four years in four seconds by not obeying the rules? Every runner at sometime has imagined that they may miss a sign or go the wrong way or get out of bounds. A well organized race is replete with well marked boundaries. You must stay on course. As Christians our path is clearly marked by the pages of God's holy word. Jesus said that the way to life is narrow and difficult, and only a few enter thereby. All of the effort we exert to get to heaven will be negated by our unwillingness to stay on course.
1 Corinthians 9:26-27 - "Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

3. You must push your hardest to finish.
If you want to be inspired go to the finish line and watch people finish their race. You will see determination, effort, courage, endurance, and heart. Every distance race has moments of question. Can I even finish? Am I going to collapse? Should I just give up and forget it? Then, just around the last turn and over the rise you can see it. It is the finish line. When you see the finish line, you can will yourself to do more than you ever imagined. With great joy I have been blessed to see some of the greatest people I have ever known finish their race. When they come to the point when their goal is in sight, the person they become is the person God created them to be.
Philippians 3:13-14 - "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

If we can do these three things then we can say what Paul once said...
1. Run your own race - "I have fought the good fight."
2. Stay on the track - "I have finished my course."
3. Push to finish - "I have kept the faith."

" ...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..." ~ Hebrews 12:1-2

The Mocker

It is a typical Monday morning. The sun is shining and the weather will be warming up to about 70 degrees. It is springtime and the grass is growing. It is going to be a beautiful day.

It is about 7:45 a.m. Having dropped off my child to school I am heading to the office. But I need to get some gas. So I pull into a local gas station and food mart. I enter to pay. Inside there are other people who are also getting their day started.

There is an expectant young mother in front of me, getting some breakfast. Another man is sitting at one of the tables by the window drinking some coffee. Still another man comes in to get a diet drink and a sausage biscuit. It seems like a typical morning, a regular day.

Suddenly, a very specific smell comes over the store . Then I carefully glance behind me and there he is. He has already been drinking. It is obvious. But he has to come in and get another bottle. He doesn't come in to buy anything else. This is all he wants, and he looks like a man who is desperately trying to get where he is going. The anticipation of his next drink is too powerful for him to hide.

This man is about 50 years old. He looks like any man you would meet and be friends with. When he leaves he does not depart by automobile. But he leaves on a old, worn out, pink bicycle. Why? I imagine he has been charged with a DUI. Or perhaps his habit has ruined him financially. He is obviously not on his way to work, or at least I hope not. But the picture is pitiful. It is a very sad sight to see.

I have heard many a debate about alcohol and the Bible over the years. Was the wine fermented? What about Jesus' first miracle? What if you only drink one glass at home before bedtime? Many more questions have been proposed to attempt to justify drinking. But let me tell you what alcohol really does...

It makes a wise man a fool. It destroys families and marriages. It leads to killing with a motorized vehicle. It manifests itself in college kids waking up in a park or a place they do not know rather than their own beds. It is a sure road to regret. It causes a middle-aged man to go to a quick mart at 7:45 am because he cannot stand it any longer before he has another drink!

Stay away from alcohol. Evil companionships corrupt good morals.

"Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise." ~
Proverbs 20:1

Little Things

Last time I checked, most of us just live from day to day. We may have some plans for the future, perhaps some big event is ahead. Primarily, however, we go about our business and just do the best we can.

Many people believe that in order for their lives to be great, something great must happen. They think some accomplishment will bring their life some meaning. Perhaps they believe that being known or having money or doing something that has never been done before will make them matter.

People also approach relationships this way. How does a man think he is going to win a woman's heart. Often men think they must do something amazing or prove themselves some how in a huge way. But what they fail to realize is that the little things are what make the difference.

Recently I visited a store where I always used to see a friend and member of the church. Every time I went in this store I would see her working. We would have a little chat and go on with our day. Since she has passed when I walk into that store I don't have those little hellos anymore. Going there will never be the same. You see, sometimes little things matter more to you than you think.

I believe that God is also concerned with little things. We may never give our last penny away or have our name on a memorial plaque. We may never spill our blood for the freedom of others. We may never be remembered past a generation or two. But we can worship every time the doors of the church open. We can read our Bibles. We can pray. We can put our hand on a shoulder, fix a meal, call, visit, or write a card to encourage somebody. We can give someone a hug they really need. We can congratulate people when they reach a milestone. We can let people know we believe in them. We can listen when somebody needs to talk.

I am pretty sure that being great in the kingdom of heaven has something to do with mastering the little things. I am confident that even though we feel sometimes like we have done nothing, we have done more than we could ever know.

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." ~ Luke 16:10

Humility

Some one has said, that the society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. The idea here is that neither the pipes nor the theories will hold water.

Humility is not as popular with people as it used to be. The post-modern era is marked with men and women who are pushing their way to the top. Folks want recognition, fame, and money. They want to be petted, placated, and appreciated. So it seems as though few people like the humble roles in life.

Jesus told His disciples the humble servant was really the greatest among them (Matt. 20:27; 23:11). Proverbs 18:12 reads - "Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor." We have heard "pride cometh before the fall." We have also heard that God "resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). We should understand then, that humility is a very important part of success. Humility does not need a pat on the back. Humility does not need its name to be called. Humility knows that in doing something that is right, the very doing of it is enough. Humility carries on even when nobody else knows or cares.

George Washington Carver, the scientist who developed hundreds of useful products from the peanut, once noted: "When I was young, I said to God, 'God, tell me the mystery of the universe.' But God answered, 'That knowledge is reserved for me alone.' So I said, 'God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.' Then God said, 'Well, George, that's more nearly your size.' And he told me."

There are many thing we will never know. There are many things we will never be. But being created in the image of God and having the grace of God is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9). Faithful Christians will be like Paul, who constantly humbled himself: "I am the least of the apostles" (1 Cor. 15:9); "I am the very least of all the saints" (Eph. 3:8); "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" (1 Tim. 1:15).

Most Christians I encounter, when asked what traits they desire the most, will have in their short list the characteristic of humility. We know we need it. We know it is difficult to achieve. And we know where to get it - In Jesus Christ alone!

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus....And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself..." (Philippians 2:5, 8)

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." ~ James 4:10

Disturbing Trends

Parents, I have some questions for you. Do you really know what is going on with your kids? Do you know about their internet pages? Do you know what they watch on television? Do you know what music they listen to? Do you know what they do with their friends? Do you know what they are being taught in the schools by their teachers? Do you know what they are being taught by their peers in social situations? Do you know what they are being exposed to in our society as a whole?

You should know. If you are not up in their business then you are not doing your job as a parent. If you are always their friend, you have a problem. In fact, at some point you are going to have to be satisfied with being (in their mind) their worst enemy. This is how it really works in families that are going to do the will of God and go to heaven together.

These things being said, I would like you all to know what I heard this weekend from some teenagers...

I taught a class on "The Truth About Homosexuality" at a youth rally in Dexter, Mo. We discussed the Biblical passages that address this issue, and also the truth about what is really on the gay agenda and what they believe and practice. We also dealt with how to help those taken in by this sin. Afterward, some of the young people wanted to talk.

How much influence has the push for acceptance of gays and lesbians had to this point? These young people were telling me that it is common in our high schools for their friends to have BOTH a girlfriend AND a boyfriend. The mindset is to try both genders and experiment. Perhaps the young people applaud this as being "open-minded." Or perhaps they have been told so many times that nobody really knows what they are supposed to be that they actually believe it. Whatever the case, this should astonish us. This should bother us. This should make us have a sit-down conversation with our kids immediately.

We need to equip ourselves with the Biblical passages with regard to homosexuality. We need to know them so well that we can discuss them in their context with our children. We need lessons about this issue from the pulpit and in our Bible classes. We also need to listen to our kids and find out what they are having to deal with! It is a different world we are living in, a very different world than the one we grew up in.

Do not side-step the issue. If you think it won't affect you or your family, think again. We used to have to worry about what kind of person our kids would date. Many are now having to start with making sure they are going to date the right gender. May God help us.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites..." ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9