Chapter Seven
Making The Good Tree Become Fruitful
Caring for One Another
It may seem strange, at first, to think of trees caring for one another, but they do. The leaves fall from the larger trees, giving ground cover, so that young trees may sprout and begin to grow. The larger trees may also protect the smaller ones that grow under their branches. At first, they protect the tender ones from the heat of the sun. They may later protect the youth from the wind storms. The roots of the older trees also provide a soil support system that prevents soil erosion. This helps assure soil for generations to come. In time, the older trees die and fall to the ground. As their wood decays, they provide fertilizer for the trees that remain, that they may grow to maturity and produce fruit.
God has ordained that Believers also care for one another. He has established His Church for that purpose. Paul says that we should not be ignorant in this area (I Corinthians 12:1). He says there are diversities of gifts, differences of administrations (service), and diversities of operations (workings). We will take a brief look at each. Furthermore, we are all to profit by the manifestation of the Spirit (I Corinthians 12:4-7).
"For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." (Romans 12:4-5) Paul follows these verses with a discussion of spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8). The spiritual gifts are prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhorting (encouraging), giving, ruling (administration), and mercy. These are God given gifts that move us to minister. As people discover their giftings, they can better define how God would have them fit into the work of the ministry. I often give a test for spiritual giftings, through which people may discover their strengths and weakness. I encourage them to build upon their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
Through a better understanding of spiritual giftings, people also come to see why they are having conflicts with others in the body. For example, one who has a gift of mercy will usually desire to give immediate help to those in need. The person who has the gift of exhortation emphasizes that we should learn from our experiences. When these two people meet, they may clash. The mercy person may say, "Let's get that person (in need) out of trouble right now." The exhorter may object, saying, "Let him suffer there a while, because he needs to learn something from this experience." You can see the conflict. The frugal husband who has the gift of ruling (organization) may find it difficult to understand his wife who desires to give everything away. She just happens to have a gift of giving. As we understand how God has gifted each of us, we can better care for one another.
Let us look at the administration of the gifts. "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended upon high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:7-8, 11-13).
An apostle is someone like, Paul (II Timothy 1:1), who goes into a new area and establishes churches. A prophet is a person like Agabus that would speak for God and foretells of coming events (Acts 11:28). An evangelist would be someone like Philip who would preach the salvation gospel to the lost. "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them" (Acts 8:5). Of course, the Lord confirmed the Word with many miracles (Acts 8:6-7).
Some scholars put the last two, the pastor and teacher, in the same general category. A good example of this would be young pastor, Timothy. Paul earnestly exhorted Timothy, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (II Timothy 2:2). Paul also encourages Timothy, the pastor, to do the work of an evangelist (II Timothy 4:5). I also see a pastor as being separate from a teacher. A pastor is a shepherd over a local body of Believers. Although an apostle may establish a local body and set the leadership in order, at some point in time a pastor should shepherd that local body. However, within that local body there may be, and probably should be, the five-fold ministry. A tent may be used to explain the five-fold ministry. It may be said, that in the local body, the pastor was the center pole and the other four were corner poles to help hold up the whole tent.
We must not forget the teacher. The teacher researches the Word in depth and makes it palatable for others in the congregation. All of the ministry offices are for the purpose of building up the body. As the body matures, it is to do the work of the ministry. We need a vision of the whole body of Christ. We need a vision of all the members of the body functioning in ministry, caring for one another.
Another way to look at this caring for one another is to look at the operation of gifts (I Corinthians 12:6-31). Paul tells us that these gifts of the Spirit are for the purpose of ministry of the body. He concisely states, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ" (I Corinthians 12:12). He speaks of the different parts of the body having different functions. The eye is for seeing, while the ear is for hearing. Each part is needed to make up the whole body.
On one occasion, someone came to visit the church of which I was a member. While making a follow-up visit with him, I discovered he was an evangelist. The Holy Spirit had endowed him with the gift of evangelism. Although he had worked as an evangelist for many years, he had never been a member of a local body. The Holy Spirit prompted me to speak frankly with him about becoming a member of a local church. He responded that I was confirming the very truth that God had already been speaking to him. The gifts of wisdom, knowledge, and prophecy were working through me to minister to him. A few weeks later, I met him again. He told me that he had become a part of a local church body. I say bluntly, "Do not refuse to become a member of a local body and to minister there. You will deprive the body of Christ of ministry." We are to care for one another.
Submitting to the Chief Gardener
Very few trees that are left to their own care are as productive as those under the care of a gardener. The constant, meticulous care of a gardener enables the trees to be fruitful. He may build a fence about his trees (Isaiah 5:1, 2, 6). He will dig about them, water and fertilize them. He may also brace up the weak ones. He will also prune them, that they may produce more fruit.
Jesus said, "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. 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. 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. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:4-8). To abide in Christ means to continually to submit your will to the will of God. Someone may say, "I did that when I got saved and became a Christian ten years ago." Fantastic! Have your done it since then?
The Christian life is more than just a one time experience. It is a daily walk with the Lord. Have you ever noticed the model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) which Jesus said to pray? "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:10-11). This would imply that we are to submit our will to God on a DAILY basis. Jesus also said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Jesus lays out a simple principle of the Word. If we are to follow Jesus, we must first come to a place of denying our own desires. We must place our own desires upon the shelf. Second, we must take up our cross. The disciples knew only of the Roman cross, the means of a cruel death. We must die to self. We will not make the third step of following Jesus until we make the first two steps.
There will be a major battle inside if we don't make the first two steps first. Paul describes the battle by saying, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other" (Galatians 5:17). We must be willing to lay self on the shelf and then die to self. We are then FREE to follow Christ. We should also see that if we are following Christ, we will not be committing iniquity. We can't be sinning and obeying Christ at the same time. The two just don't mix.
When God met Moses at the burning bush, God asked him, "What is that in thine hand?" (Exodus 4:2). This seems to be a ridiculous question. Why would God ask a question for which he already knew the answer? The question was for the purpose of probing the heart of Moses. Moses' answer was simple and straight forward. "A rod." However, it was more than just a rod. It was his rod. Moses had taken it from a branch that he had chosen. He had carved it to fit his hand. In fact, this rod represented the very life of Moses. He had been in the shepherding business for forty years. It was a shepherd's rod.
Then God told Moses to throw it down upon the ground. When he did, it became a poisonous snake. A type of snake with which Moses was all too familiar. Moses fled from it! Then God told Moses to pick it up by the tail. This is not the way one picks up a poisonous snake. It could very easily turn, bite Moses, and inject its deadly venom. In a few short moments, Moses could be dead. However, by faith, Moses obeyed the LORD. When he picked it up, it become the rod of God. It became the power of God in his hand. It was the rod that was cast before the rods of the magicians and ate up their rods. It was the rod that Moses used to bring many of the plagues upon the Egyptians. It was the rod that Moses held up to divide the waters of the Red Sea. It was the rod that Moses used to strike the rock, bringing an abundance of water. It was the rod that Moses held up to bring victory over the Amalekites. (Please read Exodus, Chapters Seven through Seventeen, for the preceding references.) Finally, it was the rod that budded, blossomed, and brought forth almonds (Numbers 17:8). This illustrated that God worked through those who he had placed in positions of authority.
Like Moses, we are to throw down our own lives before God. We are to throw down our skills, our education, our mental abilities. We are to throw down our desires, expectations, and possessions. We are to throw down everything that pertains to our lives. We are not to pick them up except at the word of God. If Moses had picked up the rod before God had told him to, it would have meant death to Moses. However, when God told him to pick it up, it became the power and authority of God in his hand.
Linda's life was filled with rejection. There was physical, mental, and sexual abuse. She lived in depression, fear, anger, bitterness, and revenge, for thirty years. The only glimpse of light in her life was her kind and gentle grandmother. Her grandmother took her to a little Baptist church when she was a very young child. She hated her dad who had taken her away from her grandmother when he remarried. Her dad and stepmother drank often and fought. Although Linda fell into the alcohol and drug trap, God reached down, in His mercy and grace, and saved her. However, the anger and depression continued to plague Linda. The following is a part of Linda's own testimony.
"One session was extremely hard for me, but I believe it was the most helpful. A release came that I never knew I even needed. I had compared, all my life, everyone to my Grandmother. She represented love and kindness and all things good. In doing so, no one could measure up to her, even though she was gone (deceased). I had grieved 15 years and had never released her into God's hands. I couldn't even receive God's love, because I compared Him with Grandmother's love.
"I had made her an idol! God's Word says to have no gods before Him. I didn't even realize I had done this, but the Holy Spirit led Basil to have me release her.
"I don't know how to explain what happened, but as I tried to pray that prayer, my body began to lock up ... I was physically racked in my muscles. I couldn't speak the words, but I prayed in my mind and asked Jesus to help me. After what seemed an hour, Basil softly spoke the prayer again. This time ... still sobbing ... I relaxed, and was able to pray and release Grandmother, and asked God to forgive me for placing her where He belonged."
Peter both exhorts us and warns us. He says, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:7-8). If we don't throw down what we have in our hand, we become subject to being devoured by the devil. I have heard it said that the devil was an old toothless lion that just roared to scare people. Don't believe it! Isaiah speaks of the young roaring lions taking away the prey to devour it (Isaiah 5:29). Yes, Jesus defeated the devil at the cross.
Yes, the devil must get God's permission to attack us. However, God considers anything to which we cling (even something good) an idol. Furthermore, God is a jealous god. Therefore, He releases Satan to attack us and devour us. It is only after we have fully submitted ourselves to the Lord that we can, in faith, resist him and he will flee from us. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). When Linda let go of her grandmother and submitted herself to God, then she was able to resist the devil (his powers) and he fled from her.
John wrote at the command of Jesus, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). These words were addressed to the church of the Laodiceans and ultimately to every Believer. The word, Laodicea literally means "the opinions of the people." The church of Laodicea was a democracy. It was a church of the people, by the people, and for the people. God wanted it to have a theocratic form of government. He wanted it to be a church of Christ, by Christ, and for Christ. Jesus was knocking on their souls' (mind, will, emotions) door. He wanted to come in as Lord. Often, we open the door to our house and allow Jesus to come into our formal living room to be seated. However, soon Jesus begins to knock on the doors of our kitchen, bedroom, den, and utility room. He desires to come into each of those rooms and become Lord. Only we can open the doors to let him come in.
I find that people who battle with overcoming addictions, try to do it in their own power. The world says, "If you think straight, then you will act straight." Therefore, the world tries to educate everyone on thinking straight. We currently have a campaign going that states, "Just say no" (to drugs). It will only have a very small degree of sociological effect upon the use of drugs. In contrast, I have heard ministers say, "You educate a criminal, and you get an educated criminal that can better carry out his crimes." Historically, a college professor was responsible for the wide-spread use of LSD. Therefore, education, in itself, does not provide the answer to addiction.
Mind control and will power only provide a limited solution to addictions. The person hooked on alcohol may repeatedly say, "I will not drink." "I WILL not drink." "I will NEVER drink again." Watch him. He WILL drink again. Why? God did not create us to live the Christian life through will power. We may do fairly good when everything is going great in our lives. However, what happens when circumstances are going terrible? What happens when we are worn out from the pressure? We fall! We fall flat on our faces and wonder how that happened. We may either go into denial at this point, or feel condemned, or do both. This is a horrendous way for anyone to live.
Some may go a step further to try aversive stimuli. I know of a college professor who gave himself electrical shock treatments to help him stop smoking. Now, when he thinks about it, goose bumps pop up on his arm. I think that he later substituted chewing gum for cigarettes. Many people try the substitution method. They simply become addicted to something else.
Other people try to live by their emotions. They maintain, "Whatever feels right, do it!" However, can one trust his emotions? No! To go by our emotions is to go on a wild roller coaster ride. One may be on an emotional high in the morning and an emotional low in the evening. The mood of an individual will often change dramatically even within a short time. Emotions also arise out of nowhere. That is, they may suddenly pop up without apparent stimuli. God did not intend for Christians to live by their feelings.
When a decision arises, there is usually a board meeting of the mind, will, emotions, and the Spirit. The mind may say, "I think that this should be done." The will, in connection with the mind, may say, "I remember my last decision. I believe that I can keep this commitment." The emotions may say, "Well, I feel pretty good about doing it this way." The Spirit may say, "God's Word says that this is the answer." Guess who makes the deciding vote? Needless to say, everyone has his position, but the will casts the deciding vote. Therefore, we must yield our will to the WILL of God for anything of value to come out of the decision. Paul explains, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).
Let me share a personal story. I came home one day very exhausted. I thought (in my mind) that I would sit down and watch some TV programs while I rested. Before long, I found myself watching something that I knew (in my spirit) that I should not be watching. My emotions were saying, "It's O.K. You can use the stimulation." My mind reasoned, "You are tough enough that this program won't bother you." However, it did. My mind and will deliberated, "You can turn it off after a while." Finally, I said, "O.K, Holy Spirit, I yield my will unto you. What would you have me do?" Immediately, the Holy Spirit said, "Go, do some studying." For me to do the studying, I would need to turn off the T.V. Since I had made the commitment to do what the Holy Spirit told me, I turned off the T.V. and began studying. Victory! There was little temptation left to watch the ungodly T.V. program. I also accomplished the studying that God wanted me to do.
Pruning the Tree
Jesus exclaimed, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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" (John 15:1-2). We see two types of pruning. One cuts off the branches that produce no fruit. The other one cuts back the branches that produce fruit, so that they may produce more abundantly.
The gardener will cut off the branches that produce no fruit. He will then throw them into the fire to be burned. Does this mean that one could lose his salvation if he doesn't produce fruit? The question is a trick question. It is like the question, "Are you still beating your wife?" There is no true way to answer the question. There is a hidden presupposition. If the branch represents a person, then we are supposing there was life in the branch at the beginning. We should understand that Scripture interprets Scripture. A presupposed truth found at one place in the Bible should be found in other places. What we find from reading the book of James is that true faith will produce some good works. James issues a challenge, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18). He furthermore states, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26). The application of James to the verse in John would be that a branch that produces no fruit is a dead branch. The person who produces no fruit of the Spirit is spiritually dead. He was never a Believer. God potentially grafted him into Christ (I John 2:2); however, he refused the gift of Life.
We may also give a second application to the cutting off of the dead branch that produces no fruit. There may be areas of our life that are dead. For example, how much spiritual life is there is spending every Sunday fishing? Please don't just think that I am trying to condemn everyone that likes to fish. I personally enjoy fishing, but there is more LIFE in fishing for men. If we can't give up some recreation or work or project, then most likely, it has become a dead idol to us. We must be willing to cut off anything that is dead and cast it aside.
Jesus also said that the branch that produced some fruit would also be pruned that it might produce more fruit. Let's say that someone has a music ministry and he works with the youth group of the church. There is life in the music ministry. It is fruitful. Kids are being drawn into the group through the music. However, for it to be more fruitful, God may ask the person to omit the so called "Christian Rock" and "Christian Rap" music. Rather than trying to give a comprehensive apology on the dangers of certain types of ungodly music, let me just say, that I was harassed as a child by an evil spirit that came with a rap beat. That was before I, or anyone I know, ever heard of the term rap beat. Periodically, I counsel people who leave a door open for spirits to enter into them and harass them. That door may be "Christian Rock" music. We should be aware that Satan uses rock music to take advantage of us.
Furthermore, even what we used to minister with yesterday, may need to be trimmed away for a greater ministry today. The picture is found in the trimming of the lamps in the tabernacle. Aaron was to dress the lamps morning and evening (Exodus 30:7-8). The lamps may represent individuals. As Aaron filled the lamps daily, God is to fill us daily. The pure olive oil represents the Holy Spirit. The wicks represent our souls. The wick was made of a fibrous material or braided cord. In like fashion, there is the intertwining of our minds, wills, and emotions. The oil was to flow up the wick through the fibers to the point of ignition. The Holy Spirit is to flow through our lives (minds, wills, and emotions) to the point of ignition. We are to give off the light of Christ. However, Aaron was to trim the wicks. He was to cut off the burnt part from yesterday. If he did not remove it, it would hinder the flow of the fresh oil to the point of ignition. In like manner, God must trim away what He used yesterday in our lives. The catch is that we are creatures of habit. We get stuck in the groove. However, what God used yesterday in our lives may, or may not, be what He uses today.
Another analogy to note is that Aaron needed to adjust the wick in the vessel. If Aaron placed the wick too far down inside the vessel in the oil, the wick would not protrude enough for the flame to get oxygen. It would be difficult for it to burn and give off light. This is like an introverted Christian who spends all his time studying and praying. If Aaron placed the wick too high, the wick would not get the oil it needed. The wick would rapidly burn and the flame would go out. This is like an extroverted Christian who is a showman. Therefore, God also needs to adjust our souls (minds, wills, and emotions) to be both in the Holy Spirit and also exposed to the world. Then we can give the light of Christ to illuminate a darkened world.
The whole purpose of the pruning good limbs is so that they may produce more fruit. God's first commandment to man was, "Be fruitful, and multiply..." (Genesis 1:28). Yes, God was saying to be physically fruitful. However, he is also establishing a principle of fruitfulness. Jesus emphatically states, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he may give it you" (John 15:16).
Remember the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)? Jesus began the parable by saying that the kingdom of heaven is like.... The first two men used what the master had given them and multiplied it. One multiplied his five talents and the other multiplied his two talents. The master honored them as good and faithful servants. However, the one who was given one talent simply saved it to give it back to the master. The master rebuked him for not being fruitful. He said that he was a wicked and slothful (lazy) servant. The master took that which the servant had and gave it to the servant who had ten talents. We may consider the servant who did not multiply his talent as being unfaithful. Let us be faithful and fruitful.
We are to be fruitful in leading others to the Lord. Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). We are to be fruitful in our ministry in the body of Christ. Paul told Timothy, "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands" (II Timothy 1:6). Let us stir up the ministry gifts that God has given us, that we may effectively minister by the grace of God. We are to be fruitful in bearing the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).
Paul concludes the thought by saying, "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lust. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:24-25). We have come full circle. First, we are to live in the Spirit, by faith in Jesus. Second, we are to destroy the evil tree by our identification with the crucifixion. Third, we are to see ourselves resurrected as new creatures. Fourth, we are to walk in the Spirit, through the continual submission to the resurrected Lord. The result is spiritual fruitfulness. Amen.
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