Appointed To Bear Fruit: A 90 Day JourneyНамуна

Fruit That Glorifies God

Jesus reveals the Father’s will to us, because He wants us to bear much fruit. Jesus has already told us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Jesus fulfilled the Father’s plan of salvation. Now the Father wants to fill heaven with the souls of people redeemed through Jesus’ sacrifice. God does not want only a few people to be saved; He wants all people to be saved for His glory because of His great love for us.

Too many disciples are satisfied with too little results. Of course, we should praise God for the one to two people who believe through our ministry. But every day hundreds of thousands of people are born throughout the world. And the majority of those babies are born to non-believing families. It’s staggering to contemplate that the non-Christian population is growing larger every year. If we honestly evaluate ourselves, we should rejoice with those we have already won for Christ, but should be dissatisfied because there are so many more people that still need to be reached with the gospel. Those who are wise will understand that the gospel must be proclaimed widely and quickly, so that the ripe harvest will be immediately brought into God’s kingdom.

God is glorified with every sinner that repents. We’re told in Scripture, that the angels in heaven rejoice whenever the lost is found (Luke 15:10). God wants to harvest the fruit of repentance from every tribe, language, people, and nation. Nobody will be rejected because of their economic status, education, or place of birth. All of us have the same standing before God. All of us are sinners saved by grace, and not by works. God is glorified when sinners repent, because that repentance is the fruit or evidence of God’s mercy and greatness. Only He is capable of paying our debt of sin and bringing us to heaven. Praise His name now and forever and ever!

The presence of fruit gives praise to the vinedresser, and branches that bear fruit are performing the function they were created for. That’s why they don’t need to be praised. Too often we put the spotlight on the fruit at the end of the branch by exclaiming, “Wow, that fruit sure makes the branch look beautiful.” It’s so easy then for the branch to steal the glory for itself. Remember, Jesus said: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” The presence of fruit gives glory to the vine and the vinedresser, but the branches that are glorified grow bigger and bigger until no other branches can grow on the vine. When we feel like we have done great things for God and steal His praise for ourselves, we are actually killing off the ministry of others and opposing God. Remember, every branch can be cut off, but the vine will continue to live. But if the vine is removed, none of the branches can bear fruit any longer and will immediately die.

The fruit of the gospel growing in our lives is evidence that we are Jesus’ disciples. Disciples understand their Master’s teachings and apply them to their lives. In Ephesians 2:10, it says that we are God’s creation made to do the good works that the Father has prepared for us beforehand. This means that before everything was made by God, He created and appointed us to produce fruit for His glory. Disciples understand that they are not presenting their own deeds to God. The only reason they are bearing fruit at all is because of Christ working through them. When disciples comprehend God’s desire that all might be saved, they will understand that abiding in Christ through His word and prayer is the only way more fruit will be produced. 

Application:  Do you understand God’s will for you?