bedient Children
Faithful Servants
Humble Masters
One of the clear marks of a Christian who is in the perfect will of God is the fruit they produce. While we often focus on quantity instead of quality, I believe the Lord desires both. After all, He didn’t die for just a predetermined few, He paid in blood for the sins of the entire world. One of the things Jesus made abundantly clear to His disciples is that when they abided in Him, they would bear fruit.
John 15:8
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
The fruit of the Spirit is the mark of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus does not expect to find a little fruit from His disciples, but much fruit. It is with this in mind that I believe our fourth reality comes into focus. Real ministers reproduce God’s character.
One of the greatest joys of parenthood is seeing Christ work in our children’s lives. Likewise, most of us have experienced the moment when our child is acting just like us and it’s ugly! If we want to see Christ we must plant Christ. Abiding in the vine is the only way to produce fruit with Jesus’ DNA.
Christlike character traits like obedience, faithful service and humble leadership will only result if we who minister the Word model the Word. It sounds too simple to be true. Plug into the vine and you will bear fruit!
Ministry is a priviledged responsibility as well an opportunity for all in the body of Christ. It is not reserved for pastors or ministry leaders, but for every member of the body of Christ. The time to examine our fruit is now! Missouri is the “show me state”. I pray that HBF be filled with real ministers who reproduce God’s image in others so no one can miss the evidence of the reality of our relationship in Christ.