THIS IS TABLE ROCK FELLOWSHIP – PASTOR RYAN LADEN
Produce
One of the most consistent messages given to us by Jesus Christ relates to our calling to allow God to work in and through us, so that we might produce fruit, and show the love of God to others in our action and speech.
One such discourse can be heard in the following passage:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Experience
We show ourselves to be the true followers of Jesus (disciples) as we allow the Spirit of God to work in us, and through us, so that others might experience the actual love and grace of God.
This is what it means to “bear much fruit.” As we allow God to change us from the old self and old nature, that was ruled by sin and selfishness, we show others the truth about the work of the resurrected Christ who is alive in us, and at work through us.
Right
When others see the work that God has done in us, they are seeing God’s fruit on display. It is not our fruit per say; instead, it is the work of the Holy Spirit in us that others see.
It is God’s will that the people around us might see this fruit on display. The Lord wants others to know that he is indeed at work in each of us. In this way, it is right and holy for others to weigh the fruit of our lives and conclude that we are real disciples of Jesus.
Evaluate
Jesus Christ wants to be seen in your words, in your attitudes, in your generosity, and in your service done in his name. Is not wrong or shameful for others to see the good fruit God is growing and showing through your faith and obedience.
In fact, Jesus repeatedly makes it clear to us that we will be recognized by our output, our outward actions, our fruit. Listen to how this is said in the following passage:
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good,
or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad,
for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”
Blessing
There can be no doubt that our acts of obedience and faith, given to the Lord as worship, are a gift for the world to see in us. Our fruitfulness is a blessing to others that we should never seek to hide or diminish. Praise God for the witness that you are giving others as you allow God to work in you, and through you.
Judgement
In our message from the Sermon on the Mount for today, Jesus Christ warns his disciples to watch out for the dangers associated with judging others. Listen to the first portion of this passage:
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Reaction
Because we do not want to violate this calling from Jesus, we are often hesitant to do anything that looks like or feels like judgment of others. We do not want to be the judgmental hypocrites that Jesus is speaking against, and so we overcorrect, and refuse to do even the basic levels of evaluation when considering the faith and obedience of those around us.
The fear of being called “judgmental” stops us from rightly evaluating the fruitfulness of another brother or sister in Christ. As a result, we miss out on opportunities to encourage others to turn away from times of disobedience and sin. We are so afraid of stepping into judgment that we feel helpless to address areas of need in those closest to us.
Reciprocal
We need to remember that Jesus is not prohibiting us from evaluating the fruit of another, but challenging us to see that we need to do this evaluation in a way that fits with the “Golden Rule.” We are to evaluate others in the same way that we ourselves would like to be evaluated.
Truth and Love
In the passage that follows, we are called to evaluate and speak to others while balancing the dual forces of love and truth:
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Reflection
As you go through your day, ask the Lord to help you do the following:
· Speak the truth
· Show love through that spoken truth.
· Speak so that you are building others up.
· Treat others as you want to be treated.
· Show the love of Christ with all you encounter.
In Christ,
Ryan Laden
OUR MISSION AS A CHURCH
“TO ENCOURAGE AND EQUIP EACH OTHER IN LOVE TO KNOW JESUS AND MAKE HIM KNOWN”
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