Producing Lasting Fruit

Glory to God

At our last two Sunday meetings, the Lord spoke to us through Alexander Blair and Suzette Hattingh about intimacy with God and preparing for Christ's return. The Father is drawing His people closer to Him and calling the Church to be emptied of herself and filled with Him in preparation for her Bridegroom.

Yesterday the Lord spoke to us about the believer's need to abide and receive. Looking at John 15:1-17, the Father showed us our need as branches joined to the Vine, to abide in Him and to receive from Him in order to bear lasting fruit. He revealed to us that when His Word challenges us we respond in four ways:

1. We ignore the truth and reason that it doesn't mean what it says. This response leads to deception.
2. We give up any responsibility to fulfill God's Word, reasoning that it is impossible for man to fulfill it so God must do it all. This response leads to passivity.
3. We try our best to fulfill God's Word in our own strength and try to earn God's approval. This response leads to legalism.
4. We accept God's Word as the truth and seek His enabling grace to fulfill His Word in our lives. This response leads to fruitfulness.

The Lord showed us that when His Word offends the believer it is because the believer is still trying to fulfill God's will in his own strength and doesn't trust God to enable him to fulfill His Word (John 6:60-69). It is therefore in remaining in Christ and learning to receive from Him that the believer is enabled to produce lasting fruit. The believer cannot do it alone and God will not do it for him. However, when the believer learns to depend on God and find the grace needed, he will produce lasting fruit (Heb. 4:16). Faith alone does not lead to living a holy life but it positions the believer to receive the grace to produce the fruit of righteousness and holiness. God wants His people to seek His face and allow Him to transform them from glory to glory (see Psalm 27:4,8; 34:5; 63:2,3; 2 Cor. 3:18, 4:16-18; Numbers 6:24-27).

Upcoming events:

4 May: Pastoral Training Day from 10:00 - 16:00 @ Salzschlirferstr.15.

25 May: Global Outreach Day. Click here for more info...

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:4