Producing

This mourning we are wrapping up our series on Disciple Making.

Now that doesn’t mean we can just stop thinking about it. As we have already learned Making Disciples in Every Nation Baptizing them in the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded is our greatest Mandate as Disciples ourselves.

Therefore my hope is this series would spark a response that would set our county on fire spiritually as God’s people respond with a desire to go and make disciples.

So far we have learned that Active Discipleship or some might say intentional discipleship is more effective than passive.

We have also learned that when we plant we need to plant with a purpose and that purpose is to harvest a crop. Put plainly it is good to sow the seeds of faith in the lives of many but at some point if we wish to see the Kingdom of God grow we need to go and pose the question...

Are you ready to accept Jesus? This is the harvesting of a person who is ready to become a believer.

Last week we learned about pruning, and how God is the one who prunes away the unhealthy parts of our life so our role’s not to do the pruning but to be the support, and accountability, as we help our fellow believers to obey what the Lord has commanded.

So this week we will finish up by talking about production.

For Some they view the goal of disciple making to be winning the lost to Jesus, but as we have been saying all along that is actually just the beginning of disciple making.

So if our goal of disciple making isn’t just making converts what are we trying to do?

To keep in the theme of gardening we want to make disciples who bear fruit.

In other words we want to help new and existing believers to produce something.

Disciples who become disciple makers themselves, if you will.

But again I know I am repeating myself, but a disciple maker isn’t just someone who makes converts, that is a part of what we expect them to produce but not all.

So my question today is...

What do we expect Disciple Makers to Produce?

Let’s read

John 15:1–17 NLT

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.

So the question is...

What do we expect Disciple Makers to Produce?

There was a key word in that passage that kept coming up anyone catch it.

It starts with and F and ends with a ruit.

Right Fruit. You guys are good.

In fact the verse that summed it all up was verse 8 that said...

John 15:8 NLT

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

So what does a disciple maker Produce...

Fruit

Good Fruit

Me: a couple videos about marshmallow crops

We: If we are going to produce fruit in our lives, like marshmallows, it is important that what we produce is good fruit.

God: Did you know the word translated as fruit in this passage is the greek word Karpos. It means fruit so know surprises there but what is interesting is it appears in the NT 65 times.

This morning as we talk about producing good fruit I to look at another passage that talks about good fruit.

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:

This is the fruit that God wants to produce in our lives.

So when it comes to Making Disciples We want those Disciples to produce Good fruit in their lives. That Good fruit should include

Making new converts and disciple others as they start to follow the great commission, but in their lives should also produce, the Fruit of the Spirit.

These are the things God wants us to produce a lot of as verse 8 of today’s passage said

John 15:8 NLT

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

God wants His disciples to produce good fruit.

You: What’s that mean for you? First let me ask, What kind of fruit is being produced in your life?

And What are you actively doing to help that kind of good fruit be produced in your fellow believers?

We: This is the essence of what it means to be a disciple maker.

To plant with the purpose of bringing new believers into the family.

To support those who are being pruned by the Lord

And to actively invest into the production of Good fruit ,in our own lives as well as in the lives of other believers.

Next Step:

What believers are you discipling?

Meet with them and together as iron sharpens iron talk about the fruit of the spirit and how it is present in each of your lives.

Also talk about the times when what was being produced in your lives wasn’t good fruit.

Talk about how you might help each other to bear good fruit, and not bitter marshmallows.