“Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” (Matthew 7:20 nlt)
Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Not every Christian necessarily is. Some people go no further than making a decision to accept Christ as Savior. They treat their Christian faith as an eternal life insurance policy or a “Get out of Hell free” card. They will take a few steps in their walk with Christ, but only if the path is smooth or the route is pleasant.
In their reluctance to commit wholeheartedly, however, they don’t get to experience the transformative power of discipleship. When you submit to becoming a disciple of Christ—to live as He lived, to love as He loved, and to prioritize what He prioritized—you will see things happen in your life that are unimaginable otherwise. And you won’t be the only one who sees those things happening in your life.
A disciple of Jesus Christ will bring forth spiritual fruit. Jesus said, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father” (John 15:8 nlt). He also said, “Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:20 nlt). If you’re a disciple of Jesus Christ, people will be able to tell based on the spiritual fruit they see in your life.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus talks about seeds falling on different kinds of ground. Each type of ground represents a different reaction to the gospel. The final type represents people who bring forth fruit after hearing the gospel. “And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Mark 4:20 nlt). Those who last as disciples spiritually embrace this truth and produce spiritual fruit.
Spiritual fruit makes itself known in a variety of ways. The author of Hebrews says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (13:15 niv). Praising God is a way of producing spiritual fruit.
What we say is also evidence of the spiritual fruit in our lives. Jesus said, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45 nlt).
Our change in conduct and character is also a type of spiritual fruit. Galatians 5:22–23 tells us, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (nlt).
Can people see these traits in your life? A Christian’s life should be characterized by these things. Are you bringing forth spiritual fruit?
Reflection question: What spiritual fruit do you want people to see in your life?
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Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
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