In Alabama, you might ask a Chilton County peach grower, “How are your peaches this year?” Not apples or oranges or pears but peaches.
You expect peach trees to bear peaches. You expect an abundance of peaches in late May, June and early July. You understand that the peach grower chooses to plant the seed and cultivates the orchard; but the soil, the weather and the environment are huge factors in the quality and quantity of fruit the trees produce. It is a natural, normal process.
You expect a healthy peach tree to quietly go about its work to produce healthy peaches.
If you are Christ’s disciple you will show it by bearing fruit of Christlikeness. He expects you to bear fruit. He works in you to produce the fruit; you cannot produce it yourself.
You must remain obediently connected to Him by being in the Word and in prayer (see part 2 of this series at www.thealabamabaptist.org). It is a natural, normal process.
Types of Christian fruit
When you bear fruit, you show others who Christ is and glorify God. It is not about you; it is all about Him. The Christian community should expect a healthy disciple to show evidence of the character of Christ, to be a fruitful disciple.
What kind of “fruit” is expected? Christian character that glorifies God is described as “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22–23.
Jesus often described His expectations of the disciple’s character in such passages as the Beatitudes.
Similar lists are found again in the love chapter (1 Cor. 13) and in 2 Peter 1:6–9. Winning the lost to Christ is “bearing fruit for the harvest” in Romans 1:13. Paul exhorts believers to be “fruitful in every good work” in Colossians 1:10 and praise is the “fruit of the lips” in Hebrews 13:15.
Sadly, many of Jesus’ disciples bear little fruit or are not fruit bearers at all. Others try to produce fruit by themselves rather than staying attached to the Vine and allowing Him to produce the fruit.
Jesus spoke to His disciples about fruitfulness in John 15. “I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” He is the Vine. He makes His disciples fruitful if they stay attached to Him. You must be an obedient hanger upon which He hangs the fruit that He produces in you.
Notice some of the teaching points Jesus makes in John 15:
-Jesus is the Vine; God is the Gardener (1).
-God prunes and produces fruit (2).
-The disciple is the branch and must stay attached to the Vine (4–5).
-The disciple cannot bear fruit or do anything without Christ (5).
-Our fruitfulness increases when we obediently have His words in our minds and ask His help in prayer (7).
-Fruitful discipleship glorifies God (8).
-Joy is the result of our obedient love relationship with Christ (9–11).
-Loving others reflects our Christlikeness more and more (12–15).
-He expects His disciples to show evidence of lasting fruitfulness (16).
Fruit of the Spirit is not a checklist that you can use as a “to do” list; neither is it a “wish list.” As you obediently submit your will and your life to His commands, and allow Him to work in you and through you, His characteristics are more and more evident.
Jesus must have known His disciples would want to “produce” fruit by themselves. Not only did He clearly state that they could do nothing on their own, but Paul stated that the work of transformation belongs to the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). Paul also wrote that “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23).
Look at that list. Just think for a moment about the world today. If you and all disciples showed evidence of all of these Christlike qualities in your lives, what impact would you have on the world? Do you know people in your community who need to be shown some love? Or joy? Or kindness?
Some writers group these “fruit” in three categories:
1. Attributes of God — love, joy, peace
2. Attitudes toward others — patience, kindness, goodness
3. Attributes of self — faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
Others have compared the fruit of the Spirit with the characteristics of love given in 2 Corinthians 13. Both begin with love — the love of God. All other “fruit” depends upon the fact that you love God and His love resides in you.
His love overflows in you so that you experience His joy. Unlike happiness, joy is not affected by outward circumstances or dependent on people. Its basis is the love of God and because of it, you encourage others.
In the same way, His peace is present within you when His love and His joy abide.
When others see your peace and calm in the midst of tough situations, you can easily confess the hope that is within you.
Just recently, Alabama Baptist disaster relief volunteers have had opportunities to share their faith with survivors of Hurricane Ivan for this very reason.
Just as the peach tree cannot grow healthy and produce an abundance of healthy fruit in a poor atmosphere or with poor cultivation, the same is true with spiritual fruit.
Fruit grows where the Spirit has freedom to do His work and where the disciple “walks in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). In previous articles, you read about being in the Word, in prayer, in worship and being in fellowship with other believers.
Part of cultivation is weeding. You need to check for sin in your life. Confess it. You need to expect pruning. Allow God to cut away some dead branches. You may be wasting time and energy on things that do not give Jesus first place in your life.
You need to also remember that the fruit the Spirit produces in you is not for your own consumption. Rather, it is to benefit others — to minister and to point them to Jesus — and to bring glory to God.
Remember Matthew 5:16 from article 3? “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Are you a healthy disciple? Are you on a lifelong journey to follow Him in faith and obedience? Are you denying yourself while allowing Him to be the living Lord of your life? Do others see evidence of fruit-bearing in your life? Do they want to be like you so they can know Jesus and be more like Him? Are you a Great Commission Christian?
Reviewing your fruit
Are you a healthy disciple? Are you investing time to be alone with God and feeding on His Word? Are you conversing with Him as you would with an intimate friend? Is He building Christlike character in you as you are transformed into who He wants you to be?
Are you a healthy disciple? Are you becoming a multiplier in your ministry? As a multiplying disciple, are you involved in evangelism, discipleship, missions, ministry plus modeling, mentoring and equipping?
Are you a healthy disciple? Are you showing evidence of the character of Christ more and more in your life? Are you bearing much fruit? Do others see that fruit in your life and want to know why and how you can show love, joy, peace and more regardless of circumstance and situation? Do you bring glory to God?
Are you a healthy disciple?
Editor’s Note — Sonya Tucker is an associate in the discipleship and family ministries office of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
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