Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago my family used to drive out to Glove Lake, a local place where we used to do a lot of swimming. One time we stopped to take a short walk in the woods, when we stumbled across some large blueberry plants. We all love blueberries, so we decided to take a break and start picking a few. Lo and behold, just a little further away were some more plants. Then we found more, and more, until eventually we found ourselves buried knee deep in them! We decided to put up our tent that afternoon and stayed for the day, cooking blueberry pies over the campfire. We ate so many of them that we thought we were going to burst. It’s interesting that when you find one blueberry plant, you tend to find a lot more close by. Its seed is duplicated many times over, and it’s very easy to identify them, by the fruit that they produce.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
It’s easy to recognize a plant by the fruit that it produces. When you go out in the garden, a tomato plant brings forth tomatoes. Likewise, people can judge the kind of person that you are by the fruit that you produce. A man of God can be easily recognized by the faithful lives of those whom they have discipled. Jesus is the perfect representation of the Heavenly Father, and if you wanted to know what the Apostle Paul was like, all you needed to do was look at his Spiritual Fruit.
Luke 6 ⁴³ For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ⁴⁴ For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
You can tell a lot about somebody, by looking at those whom they have trained in the faith. Like Joshua was to Moses, Elisha was to Elijah, or Timothy was to Paul, each of them were molded and shaped by the diligent efforts of other men of God. The apple is the fruit of the apple tree, just as a true prophet of God is the fruit of another prophet of God. The Apostle Paul spent his life helping people to grow in their faith, until they became so similar that there was no longer a distinction between them. They were perfectly joined together in one Spirit and one mind.
Philippians 2 ¹⁹ But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. ²⁰ For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. ²¹ For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. ²² But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.
The disciples of Christ were with Jesus practically every single day, growing in their faith and in the teachings of the gospel. As they grew, they were being transformed into what God wanted them to become, recreated into His image, and replicating His work and purpose.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” John 14:12
Like a child takes on the physical appearance of a parent, a genuine Christian will take on the Spiritual characteristics of our precious Lord. In order to have Spiritual fruit, we must abide in the teachings of Christ.
John 15 ¹ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. ² Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. ³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
To be discipled, we must look at those who were in the Faith long before we were. Men such as the Apostle Paul, who was used by God to write most of the New Testament that we have today. We must contend for the faith that was once given to the Saints 2000 years ago, examining one’s heart in order to see if the things that you believe are in agreement with the teachings of the original Church. Many forms of false Christianity are so far away from biblical truth that they actually believe in a false Jesus, not our genuine Lord, who is found in Scripture. These same places are led by false prophets, who lead people into disobedience and damnation.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Matthew 23:15
All of these false prophets will eventually be rooted up by God.
Matthew 15 ¹² Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? ¹³ But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
Paul greatly desired Spiritual fruit unto life eternal.
“Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.” Romans 1:13
1 Thessalonians 3 ⁷ Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: ⁸ For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. ⁹ For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;
¹⁰ Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
Timothy had spent a lot of time learning from the Apostle, and was the fruit of Paul’s labor. He knew Paul well, and understood the things that he had gone through.
2 Timothy 3 ¹⁰ But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, ¹¹ Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Many people had never seen the face of the Apostle Paul. Many others had never even met him. But those whom he discipled were a representation of his faith and beliefs. After all, you can tell a lot about a man of God just by looking at their….
……Spiritual Fruit
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.♥️
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 