Fruit

Fruit-bearing

Q. In John 15, what does Jesus mean by “fruit”? Can it mean making disciples?

A. The word “fruit” occurs 10 times in 7 verses in John’s writings:

• John 4:36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
• John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
• John 15:2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
• John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
• John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
• John 15:8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
• John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

Many commentators relate fruit qualitatively as the “fruit of the Spirit” in Gal 5:22-23. This is certainly true in the sense that a disciple cannot bear the Spirit’s fruit unless he abides in Christ. However, I believe we can also interpret fruit quantitatively as “making disciples,” for two reasons:

1. The word “fruit” itself implies reproduction, in the sense of “fruitful and multiply,” which occurs 11 times in the Bible (Gen 1:22, 28; 8:17; 9:1, 7; 17:20; 28:3; 35:11; Lev 26:9; Jer 23:3; Ezk 36:11).
2. As John used the word in his gospel, he used it quantitatively (much fruit in Jn 12:24, 15:5, 8; more fruit in Jn 15:2).

No one can make disciples unless he/she abides in Christ, and the Father is glorified when we reproduce many disciples.

So my conclusion is that the Lord meant fruit in both a qualitative and quantitative sense, as in Christian character and making disciples.

Reflections

Three of our friends died from cancer within the last nine days. Two were seniors about our age, wife of university classmates. The third was the daughter of our former pastor, with children ten and eight years old. Two were committed Christians, the other received Christ while she was still alert in her dying moments.

We have been praying daily for family members and friends in need, and the list is getting longer and longer. At last count there were more than forty names: eight with cancer (including the three who passed away), three have other physical ailments, three with mental health issues, two have marital troubles, two have spiritual problems, and over two dozen relatives/friends/former colleagues who need to know the Lord.

What can we do in times like these? We do not have the abilities, boldness, or determination of leaders or the charisma and eloquence of influencers. We are just average folks living ordinary lives in these uncertain times. What should we do with the limited skills and resources available? One passage from Paul comes to mind:

• 1 Co 9:19-23 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 
• To the Jews I became as a Jew so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; 
• to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 
• To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may, by all means, save some. 
•  I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Five times Paul stressed, “so that I might win.” We do not have the “five talents” (Mt 25:14-30) others have, but we can make use of the “two talents” we do have to save more. Evangelise and make disciples. I hope we can be “good and faithful servants” who will win more.

Church Planting

I recall one church member asking me, “Why do you believe in church planting? Isn’t it better for the church to just grow bigger, with more manpower and resources, than to divide the church and split our limited resources?” Good question! Why bother?

First of all, let me clarify by what I don’t mean. Some churches are started when there are factions within a church, and members can’t get along with each other. Sometimes it’s over legitimate doctrinal issues, but often it’s over personal differences. So some group decides to break away and start their own church. That’s a church split and a transplant of the splinter group, not a church plant. By church plant I mean starting a new church to win people to Christ, and could be in an area with few Christians and few churches, or targeted at a people group that’s unreached,

Now why? Because it’s what the Lord commanded. Mt 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. The Great Commission is to make disciples. These disciples are not to be loners, but through baptism incorporated into churches where they could be taught to obey everything the Lord commanded. So the Great Commission implies planting churches.

Secondly, the scope of the Great Commission is “all nations”, or ALL people groups. That’s a huge assignment. What’s the best way to go about it? You can’t accomplish that in your life time, or even several. I’ve been in business 32 years prior to entering ministry full-time, and the key to achieving such long-range objectives is to train your successors who in turn will train their successors to continue the effort until the task is finished. Individuals can’t do it by themselves. You need churches, the combined effort of God’s people with diverse gifts and abilities, but unified to get the job done. And not just churches, but reproducing churches, so that generation after generation of disciples can be mobilized in fulfilling this global command. Hence church planting.

If the Lord’s command is not sufficient for you, nothing else would be, so I’ll stop here.

SEND’s International Director explains church-planting:

Church planting movement:

Bucket List 1

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Pictures show:
* List from movie “The Bucket List”
* Greatest Commandment
* Second Greatest Commandment
* Great Commission
* Life more than food and clothing

Recently a church brother planning to take early retirement asked me what pointers I can give him regarding the years ahead, as he did not want to miss out on getting what’s really important done. I joked and said, “Do you mean a bucket list?” A bucket list is a to-do or job list before someone “kicks the bucket” (dies). Although I’m not in the habit of making New Year resolutions, a bucket list is something I’ve thought about since several years ago, after I watched an in-flight movie by the same name.

The story is about two terminal patients who shared the same room in hospital, one rich and the other a blue-collar worker, with very different lifestyles. The two became close and decided to do all the things they have ever wanted to do before they die, and embarked on a journey of friendship, discovery and redemption. It’s a pretty good movie, thought-provoking, but their list consisted mostly of fun items and places to visit. I think as Christians we can do something just as full of joy but also more meaningful. So here’s my attempt to give a generic list to our church brother. But before I do that I would like to give you the thinking behind the list, so you can make up your own list.

Let me start by reminding you of several verses in which God told us what’s required of us and what’s important in life:

* Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
* Mt 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
* Mt 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
* Mt 18:4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
* Mt 23:23 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
* Mt 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
* Mk 12:33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.
* Jn 14:15 If you love me, you will obey what I command.

You can see immediately that there is a hierarchy to God’s law and requirements. Starting at the highest priority, we have:

1. The Greatest Commandment: Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mt 22:37, Mk 12:30, Lk 10:27). This is expressed in obeying His commandments (Jn 14:15), walking in faithfulness humbly with God (Micah 6:8; Mt 18:14, 23:23).
2. The Second Greatest Commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:39, Mk 12:31, Lk 10:27). The entire law is summed up in this one rule (Rom 13:0, Ga 5:14), which is expressed in acting justly and loving mercy (Micah 6:8, Mt 23:23).
3. The Great Commission: Loving God and your neighbor also involved practicing and teaching God’s commandments and making disciples of all nations (Mt 5:19, 28:19-20).
4. As a minimum, life is more important than food and clothes, the spiritual more than the physical, the internal more than the external (Mt 6:25).

I hope you ponder this as you begin the New Year. Tomorrow we will look at some generic suggestions.

(To be continued)