What fruit are we bearing?

I want to invite you to open your Bible to the book of Saint John, chapter 15 and reflect on the need for the Lord's church to bear, to give and bear much fruit. The challenge for these times is to be a church that shows a credible, delicious alternative, not only to the eye but to the spiritual palate of the world, so that they see that Jesus Christ really is the solution. The church has that virtue of being able to preach the Gospel of life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saint John chapter 15, we are going to read some verses, it says like this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit:

“…I am the true vine and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he will take away, and every branch that does bear fruit he will cleanse so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself if it does not abide in the vine, so neither can you if you do not abide in me..."

Verse 5, “…I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, this one bears much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing. He who does not abide in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither, and they are gathered up and thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you..."

Thank you Lord for your word. Thank you for the opportunity, Lord, to be exposed, Lord, to a reflection, to your advice. Allow your word, Lord, to bring into our lives, Lord, what our spiritual life needs for opportunity food, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen.

There is an urgent need for the church in general, for the Lord's church at this time, to try to know what we are giving or what we are showing to the world. Many times the word of the Lord is transformed into a kind of religious dogma and we are, in one way or another, exposed to the routine of religiosity only letting us believe that we are doing things right.

This passage has been important in the last weeks of my life and I have been able to be ministered to, challenged by the Lord, to reflect, to look at my life with respect to what he wants. He is the Lord and we must be attached, tied, clinging to him, it is the only way we are going to give the measure that he is asking of us.

Notice that in this chapter 15, up to verse 17, the word remain is mentioned 10 times, 10 times. So it seems that the term is not minor, as far as the Lord is concerned. Each one of us must understand that if we remain in the Lord, if we remain in his word, if we continue doing his will, the results that we are going to have are going to be what God wants us to have. There is no other way.

And it is interesting because this biblical portion can be used for many things, but most essential, Christ is shown as one of the alternatives and the best alternative for the man and woman who believes and has accepted the Lord. Many cling to the concept of religiosity, he says that I am the vine, he declares himself, he tells you what he is, he says, there are other things that you can cling to, or to which you can cling , and there are other ways too how you can bear fruit. There are some who cling to education, there are some who cling to continuous work, there are some who cling to philosophy, there are some who cling to different currents, to different trunks or central trees in their lives, Christ shows himself as the special place, as the place indicated so that the man and woman of God can give what God is asking of us.

Some of us cling to religion. Many years ago when I started in the ministry I was a young man, it is not that I am not young now, but I am less young than before, I am going to preach in our countries, it was very traditional to go out to distribute tracts and preach in the streets, and some They stopped on the corners to shout, and some of us went house to house, and someone appeared and said to me, "I am... I'm not going to receive that, because I am Catholic, Apostolic and Roman." He was gripped by that concept of faith. For him that was his way of interpreting his relationship with God. Surely he had some fruit, was it the fruit that God was expecting from him?

When many of us spend time in education and leave our spiritual vitality, that connection that there is with the Lord through his power, through our relationship in prayer, fasting, in our daily intercession, in our relationship with brothers and we dedicate ourselves to look for other arguments where to be stuck to have our fruit. When you study a profession, the fruits that you are going to have usually or would normally be fruits of knowledge and finances, because later you will probably have a good job.

How long did he stop being attached to the Lord for dedicating himself to this? The Lord is saying that he is the correct way how we can have correct results, pleasant fruits, not only in our spiritual life, but also in our personal life, when we are workers, when we are parents, when we get married, When we form a family, it does not matter what is around us if we are attached to the true vine, to that central trunk, to that central body that it is, then the fruit that we are going to bear where we are standing is going to be pleasant, we are going to be the best husband, we are going to be the best wife, we are going to be the best parents, we are going to be the best children, we are going to be the best neighbors, we are going to be the best workers, we are going to be the best bosses, we are going to be the better entrepreneurs, because we are attached to the true vine, which is Jesus Christ. Everything is born there.

Many make a mistake about where they are going to put their trust, where they are going to hold onto. Today I tell you, hold on to the Lord, embed yourself in the Lord. Let that central trunk, that true vine, bring in you the life that you need as that branch that will bear the fruit that God is expecting of you.

Psalm chapter 1, there is a very interesting text, the fruit is given when there is abundant water, correct water. Blessed is the man who did not walk in the counsel of evil nor was he in the way of sinners, nor has he sat on the chairs of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates, rests, prays, thinks, of day and night, it will be like a tree planted by a stream of water that bears its fruit in its season and its leaf does not fall and everything it does…”

So there's the answer. Where are you receiving the strength, the water that is going to give that its fruit is correct?

There are some interesting details that we can see. Even in the book of Matthew, chapter 3, he tells us about the fruit, we must be people who are worthy of the fruit of repentance. And that brings a whole line of how we should show ourselves. How many like to eat fruit? There are some of us who trade fruit for some time for fried chicken and hamburgers. The fruit or vegetable that was there was that pickle that was around the burger. That's all the vegetable and fruit some of us ate.

The fruit is healthy. There are different types of fruits. In our cultures, in Latin American culture, and in Central American and Caribbean culture there are still fruits that do not occur in Latin America, in South America, the same fruits that occur in the Caribbean do not occur. And each fruit has elements that are going to be beneficial for our body, whether you eat an apple or an orange or a banana, or grapes, or blueberries, mangoes, the fruit brings some elements to our body that give us energy. There are fruits that give energy.

Some of us open a better Red Bull instead of eating proper fruit. There are fruits that bring cleanliness for our stomach, for our digestion, there are other fruits that bring the elasticity that our muscles need, those who practice lifting weights, have to eat a lot of bananas to be able to sustain the muscle. You have to eat bananas when you gain weight, so that you don't cause cramps, your muscles don't pick up, and over time you'll understand. The fruit brings necessary elements for our body. I am neither a doctor nor a farmer and I do not like to take the fruits from the trees, I prefer to buy them in the supermarket. That is all the agricultural activity that I do. I go to the supermarket and start picking apples.

Some like the field, others look at it from a scientific perspective, but it brings those necessary elements for our body. Know what? I love this figure of the fruit because it is so delicious, when you look at them, big fruits, delicious, juicy fruits, you know when a fruit is good just by looking at it. When a fruit looks good when you touch it.

Many of us are called, the Lord's church is called to be a branch, a branch that bears pleasant fruit so that the world, people see that being attached to Jesus Christ is the correct way to present oneself.

You know that there are some interpretations of Galatians, chapter 5, verse 22, but I simply see it that way, everyone who bears a fruit that is pleasing to the Lord must have the following elements so that the world can see who we are, what we are giving and what the Lord is producing through us.

Galatians, chapter 5, verse 22 talks about the elements that the fruit of the spirit brings. Says:

“…But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…”

You know, the fruit that you and I must bear by being attached to the vine called Jesus Christ, must have these elements. If that fruit that we are giving has those elements, then the person who eats that fruit will receive health, will receive life, will receive energy, will receive the spiritual proteins and vitamins that they need, but as long as we we are bearing the correct fruit with the correct elements.

There are some who in their understanding try to separate 9 fruits from Galatians 5:22, I don't know, I haven't studied theology so deeply. It's not that I'm not interested, but my impression is that we cannot only have 8 elements, there are 9. We can have joy, peace, we cannot stop having love. We cannot stop being patient. We can't stop being kind. We cannot stop being temperate. The fruit that we are bearing must be made up of these spiritual elements that are going to bring spiritual healing to the person who is going to try it through us.

The fruit of repentance is called like this, it is called to carry these elements that allow others to witness the power of God through us. What we can show the world is not only because of our way of believing, but what we are believing is producing something so that others can prove it.

You are called not only to bear fruit, but to bear much fruit. The Lord in these verses invites us to be dependent on him. Verse 5 says,

“…I am the true vine, you are the branches, the one who abides in me – but also adds – and I in him…”

Here is a participation in this process. It is not only believing, being attached to the vine that is Jesus Christ, but rather that we have the conviction that in this relationship, in this union that there is with him, he is also flowing through us in this branch that is coming out . He who remains and I in him, there is a concept of dependence on God, we depend on God. If God does not deposit in us his power, his grace, then let us worry, because something is happening that is not flowing. Says:

“…This one bears much fruit – look at the last part – because apart from me we can do nothing, we can give nothing…”

We are incapable of bearing good fruit alone. He has to be providing us with that element of life through his Holy Spirit flowing through all this structure so that we can bear fruit. The one who is not bearing correct fruit, or the one who does not bear fruit, says that he is going to cut it down. But others are going to be cut, do you know why? So that they bear more fruit. This dynamic is interesting because even bearing fruit, tiredness can come upon you, routine can come, the Lord will take care of cutting off that which is not bringing life so that you can have a longer life.

Let us accept the recommendation of the Lord. Let us accept the Lord's challenge. What fruit are we bearing? It is nice? Are people eating that fruit through us, through our testimony? The Apostle Paul speaks of the fruit of justice, of grace. That we bear fruit to glorify the Lord. It is the challenge of the church, always, every day, not only when he comes to the service but every day.

Those who come to church drive better on the street at that time, because they come to church, they cannot sin by saying anything. It's the time when we have less bad thoughts, where we don't talk so ugly, all of a sudden. But the Lord that we bear constant fruit.

And if something is happening, I remember a prophetic word in the book of Isaiah, one of the prophets says that he would pour rain on the dry land and the dry land would turn green again and bear fruit. If we are not bearing fruit, let the Holy Spirit come and bring upon us that rain that will allow us to reinsert ourselves into the true vine, which is Jesus.

Close your eyes. Lord, we thank you that this is a time where your church, Lord, is being challenged to really show who you are. And you are raising up a church that is showing your power not only through their testimonies, but as a product of their testimonies, Lord, you are doing signs, bringing healing, you are working wonders and miracles in a time where it seems that God is far away .

Lord, we are your church and allow us to be attached to you, that we do not detach ourselves, do not let us dry up, Lord, but cut all those structures that are bringing dryness and death, lack of life in us and what is the product of that cut , we can bear the fruit that you are asking of us, a pleasant fruit, a fruit that honors your name, a fruit that brings life, that brings health, that brings the spiritual elements that people need today to have.

Thank you, Lord, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen.