Where’s the Fruit?
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
I love to listen to sermons. I often will copy a sermon off the internet onto a CD and take it with me in the car to listen to as I run errands or take a longer drive. Most of my friends know this and offer suggestions from time to time. We met new friends last week who gave us the name – and the link – for a man I never heard preach before.
I was introduced (via his video) to Paul Washer. He was speaking to 5, 000 youth gathered for a conference. Mr. Washer is an American who has ministered in other places around the world. He has had opportunity to witness the Christianity of other countries. Comparatively speaking, we are dull Christians.
For the record, the reason that I have no problem with this is because I have heard it before from people who have been to places like India and South America where Christianity is growing. In these places God is exciting and new, the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword. They are learning to be Christians from the Word of God. What a concept!
| Mr. Washer made a point that we send in an evangelist to a meeting like his and we give the gospel. If someone raises a hand, walks the aisle to the front, and repeats a prayer we call him a Christian. We gather all the neighborhood children into Vacation Bible Schools and have them do the same thing. Repeat this prayer. If they do we call them saved by grace. The Bible is very clear that Christianity is not a one time decision but a way of life. A person who prays the “sinners prayer” – which just for the record is not in the Bible – and goes on about his life as always shows no evidence of being a Christian. Jesus said in John 15:8, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” When we have truly given our lives over to Christ there will be fruit – proving we are His disciples. If we don’t bear any fruit – then we bear witness that there is no conversion.
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” |
Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do we have a hunger to know what it means to love Jesus?
Christ Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey His commands (John 14:15). Do all of the people who pray the sinner’s prayer have a desire to learn the commands He has given His people?
I know that there are people who have the gift of evangelism. They can spread the gospel and speak of the sacrifice of Christ in a way that gets the message clearly communicated bringing some to saving faith in Jesus Christ. As the church I am afraid we miss our opportunities to disciple the new believer once he has prayed the prayer. We fail to follow up and offer instruction and admonishment according to the scriptures.
If the evangelistic seed has fallen on rocky or even downright weedy soil we may not be aware of it until the person has been baptized and a part of our fellowship for a number of years. We allow them to hide among the believers. Some are obvious, they get choked out early on because they can’t keep up the ruse. But some know the language and what the church wants to see – they join so they can be counted. They give so they can feel good about it. They play the part but their hearts have known no real change.
The Bible gives a mandate to men and women that would eliminate at least a portion of the problem if we would follow it. Titus 2:1-6 says,
1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
If we, the church, had men and women willing to take the next generation under their wings and teach them, walk with them through the hard parts of life, and be there when they begin to fall, how much more would we accomplish for the Kingdom of God? We would see the fruit – or we would see no fruit — in the lives of those we disciple. The best part of this is that we could point it out – we could reiterate the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and perhaps the Kingdom of God would grow by one and there would be rejoicing in heaven.
When there are professions of faith but no fruit I don’t think there is anything but grief in heaven over those who are still lost but living under the illusion that all is well. They’ve been baptized, they are attending church, they are fellowshipping with other believers. They must be going to heaven! They have been deceived and we, members of God’s Kingdom, are the deceivers.
Who do you and I know who has made a profession of faith but does not bear fruit? Have they had teaching beyond the Sunday morning sermon? Who will take the time to do as we have been called to do and teach them what the Word of God says about fruit?
In John 15:4 Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”