Fruitfulness

1. Fruitfulness B.A.S.I.C. Training

2. There’s Farming – and then There’s Farming • Ever tried virtual farming? • Not really all that challenging • Real farming is not so easy • Hard work involved • Constant vigilance • Constant watering • The results are delicious • Spiritual gardening: Hard work, but worth it!

3. The Need For Fruit • John 4:35 -- Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

4. Titus 3:14 -- Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful…

5. 2 Peter 1:5-8 -- Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

6. Colossians 1:9-10:  For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; • Christ intends for us to be fruitful!

7. What Types of Fruit? • Fruit of Spirit-filled lives • Galatians 5:22-23 -- 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

8. The fruit of lips that praise God • Hebrews 13:15 -- Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

9. The fruit of generosity • Romans 15:28 • Paul calls the contribution to the poor in Jerusalem from Macedonia and Achaia “this fruit of theirs”. • When we are generous we bear fruit for the Lord.

10. The Fruit of Souls • Evangelism • Romans 1:13 -- I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

11. The Source For Fruit – John 15:1-8 • Jesus is the true vine and His Father is the vinedresser • It is necessary for us to produce fruit: • verse 2 – “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”

12. To bear fruit, we must ABIDE in Jesus • Verses 4-7 mention abiding six times • The branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine • The branch which does not abide is cut off and thrown away. • The branch which abides is richly blessed and bears much fruit.

13. The means of ABIDING • Verse 3 -- You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. • Verse 7 -- If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

14. The abundance of the harvest comes with the blessings of heaven. • Verse 7-8 -- If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. •  8"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

15. Fruitfulness Glorifies God! • This is how we prove that we are genuine disciples • Whatever type of fruit we produce, we glorify God. • Each type of fruit increases the likelihood we will bear other fruit. • Eventually we find we are producing MUCH fruit and bringing great glory to God.