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• TheProcessofBearingFruit

Written by Ann Thiede, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Searcy, Arkansas

Jesus the Vine (Jn 15) desires that we who are attached to Him bear fruit that will last, beginning with planting seeds of God’s Word. In His day, unlikely people hungered for the righteousness He freely offered: sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors. Only God knows if a heart is hard or fertile to receive His Word.

The disciples of Jesus set the example for us, learning to plant seeds of the Word and continuing to do so after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Listen to this account in the book of Acts:

At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. (Ac 8:1b,4 NKJV)

 Disciples scattered seeds everywhere! What a beautiful picture! And of all things, persecution motivated them. Saul, the driven persecutor of Christians, became Paul the master sower, overwhelmed by the truth of Jesus’s grace and mercy. He explains one technique to the church in Corinth: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1Co 3:6).

Today, many souls are weary, parched, and starving, in great need of spiritual nourishment, just as in the time of Christ. Consider these words:

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Mt 9:36-38)

Have you ever been moved like Jesus? You see a crowd of people somewhere, maybe an airport or some type of gathering, and realize that many of them, hurrying on their way with who-knows-what going on in their lives, need Jesus. You might feel overwhelmed and think, “What can I do? I’m just one person!” Perhaps Jesus would say, “Just share the Good News -- one soul at a time. Plant or water what others may have planted, and I will give the increase into My Kingdom.”

But you might think, “I don’t know the Bible well enough,” or ”What would I say?“, “That’s not my gift,” or ”I’m afraid of rejection.”

Here are a few things that can help in planting and watering God’s beautiful seeds:

1. Above all else, draw close to Jesus daily in His Word and prayer, and let His Spirit fill you with love, mercy, and grace. Here’s an encouraging scripture: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Ac 4:13).

2. Since you know how much you’ve been given, plant seeds of Christ’s love to soften hearts (2Co 5:14 NIV). The Christian singer, Olivia Lane, shared on the Sirius XM station The Message that it wasn’t going to church or reading the Bible that brought her to Christ. It was two believers loving on her and sharing the healing Christ wanted to give that produced lasting fruit.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to let love overcome fear and begin a conversation. Here are some suggestions: Start simple. “Are you a person of faith?” (without assuming anything). Let them share. Listen. Ask questions. Direct them to Jesus and what He’s done in your life. Share His love for them and the price He paid. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2Co 5:21). Ask if they’d like to read one of the Gospels, like Luke or John, with you, whether familiar or unfamiliar with the Bible.

4. Keep praying for the person in whom you plant or water that God’s Spirit would powerfully work, whether you see them again or not.

Love. Share Jesus. Keep planting and watering. Pray! May you witness God giving the increase here on earth! We may not see some of the results in this life, but how wonderful to meet souls in Heaven in whom we planted Jesus’s Word!

Will you share with another Christian the suggestions above and encourage one another? God will work in you!

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• BearFruit

Written by Kim Solis, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Oregon

As I sit at my desk in Keizer, Oregon, looking out at the barren winter landscape, contemplating this blog post on the process of bearing fruit, I am munching on a special treat produced by bushes in my own back yard: frozen blueberries - sweet and satisfying, a reminder of the abundant late summer harvest. It’s funny, I am a terrible gardener, yet these bushes produce the most delicious berries. Why? I know there are external factors that affect plant growth — rain levels, sun, temperatures— but I also know that I haven’t done anything to control those factors except turn on the sprinkler system so they would survive in the summer heat. My bushes bear fruit simply because it’s what healthy blueberry bushes do.

When I apply this to my own process of bearing fruit, I am struck by two thoughts and verses.

1. Our theme verse for this year

John 15:8 says that when we bear fruit, we are giving glory to God and showing ourselves to be His disciples.

I would not know what kind of bushes were in my yard if not for the fruit they bear. One year, I cut them back too much for the winter, and they didn’t produce any fruit the next summer. I thought I had killed them, but thankfully, the year after that, they produced even more abundantly than ever, and the berries were even larger and sweeter than before. That is a whole other analogy to draw from, but the point is clear – fruit lets us know the kind of plant and the state of its health.

I invite you to analyze just what kind of fruit you are producing and what it says about your relationship with God. Can people tell you are a disciple by your fruit?

2. The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13

When I moved into this house nearly four years ago, there were also two empty garden beds waiting for seed to be sown. I have tried corn, squash, tomatoes, peppers, and now blackberries and raspberries. I have seen plants grow and wither, weeds sprout and flourish, crops sickly and abundant, and the words of the parable have become images in my mind, proven by my own garden. Some seeds bear fruit, and some do not.

While the fate of my harvest has largely been due to my diligence or lack thereof, 1 Corinthians 3:7 makes it clear that, when speaking of spiritual fruit, “neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (ESV).

So, if I do not actually control the growth, what then is my role in the production of fruit for the Kingdom?

I am simply the sower, scattering seed as I go along my way… as I go to school, as I go to work, as I interact with those around me. Like a dandelion head, white and fuzzy, caught by a breeze.

Seeds are simply the product of the fruit that already exists; the part that is dispersed in hopes it will take root and bring forth another plant. When the Word of God takes root in our hearts, it produces the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and when this fruit matures, it overflows into the lives of those around us through our Christ-like actions, sowing itself in the soil of their hearts. Our fruit is not our zeal, our obedience, our sinlessness, or our knowledge, but rather the way we act and interact with others.

What fruit is evident in your life, words, and actions?

What seeds are you sowing in the hearts of those around you?