GO AND BEAR FRUIT

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RECAP

SEEKERS - COME AND SEE - no fruit
follow me and i’ll make you fishers of men - more fruit
go and bear fruit - much fruit
this is the stage God wants for all of us.
John 1:38 ESV
Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
John 2:11 ESV
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
FOLLOW ME
John 1 ESV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
John 13:13 ESV
You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
JOHN1
THEY ARE NOW SERVANTS AND CO WORKERS
John 15:15 ESV
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
NOW WE ARE FRIENDS OF GOD
follow me - fruit
follow me and i’ll make you fishers of men - more fruit
go and bear fruit - much fruit
this is the stage God wants for all of us.
μένω ménō, men'-o; a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):—abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for)
According to medical researches in Europe, sunlight can clean human blood vessels with atherosclerosis. Moreover, it also enhances the human’s capacity to transform oxygen running to different tissues in the body. Therefore, sunlight is a therapy for muscular development, fitness and stamina.

OLD Palestinian vinedressers used to do these three things to their vineyards to promote better and bigger crops.

ALL INCLUSIVE 2 BEDROOM TOWNHOUSE WITH IN-SUITE LAUNDRY

*     First, they would cut off non-productive branches. This is so that the vitality of the vine will not be wasted on sterile branches with leaves and growth but no grapes.

*     So, after much care and pruning and changing of position and tieing some of them up in a different location, and cultivation......and washing.....if it continues to be sterile it is cut off.

*     Second, they would trim dead foliage off of productive branches. It is interesting to me the apparent fact that grapes grow off new growth and not old growth.

*     So, the old growth has to be pruned away. The old encounters with God and the old blessings will not sustain fruitfulness. They have to be removed by the gardener, so that new growth can come up in the old branch....and the new growth will sustain fruitfulness.

*     Lastly, the vinedresser would take great care to wash off the accumulated dust on the leaves. You see, leaves need the sun's rays to produce growth.

*     So the vinedresser would wash of the dirt, and let the sun in.

*     A side-light is that we need this process between the sun and the leaves.....if people around the plant life are going to breath. It is where we get our oxygen in the atmosphere of the world.

sunlight effects
According to medical researches in Europe, sunlight can clean human blood vessels with atherosclerosis. Moreover, it also enhances the human’s capacity to transform oxygen running to different tissues in the body. Therefore, sunlight is a therapy for muscular development, fitness and stamina.

-     CAN you see the spiritual applications of these three functions of the gardener.....and their relationship to fruitfulness;

*     Dead, unproductive branches are cut off.....there is no place for them in the kingdom.

*     Pruning is painful, but must take off old growth to make room for new productive branches....and fruitfulness.

*     Dirt/sin hinders the whole process and must be washed off....so the Son can do His work.

-     THIS is all the work of the Father in making you fruitful.

SO WE ASK THE QUESTION IF THERE IS A PERSON THAT IS NOT PRODUCING FRUIT ARE THEY EVEN A CHRISTIAN?
TO ABIDE
μέν, men'-o; a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):—abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for)
slide on abide
YOU CANNOT BE IN CHRIST WITHOUT CHRIST BEING IN YOU
AT THIS POINT WE DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS BUT WE ASK OURSELVES THE QUESTION
HAS THERE BEEN A TIME IN MY LIFE THAT WE HAVE LIVED IN A SINFUL STATE AND NEVER BORE FRUIT? WE YES IS THE ANSWER FOR EACH OF US.
WE CAN BE CHRISTIANS AND STILL HAVE UNCONFESSED SIN IN OUR LIVES THAT HINDER US FROM BEING FRUIT BEARERES
THIS DOES NOT CHANGE OUR STATUS AS A CHRISTIAN BUT IT DOES AFFECT OUR ABIITY TO BEAR FRUIT
THE QUESTION IS CAN YOU BE IN CHRIST FOR A LONG TIME AND STILL BEAR NO FRUIT? NO
YOU SEE GODS AGENDA IS TO GET ALL OF US TO THE PLACE WHERE WE BEAR FRUIT, MORE FRUIT AND MUCH FRUIT
Hebrews 12 ESV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
HEBREWS 12:
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