How is the Fruit of Your Ministry?

Good morning. It is a joy to be with you here this morning. So, this is a picture. First of all of my family, my wife, Becky and our three children. So you have been supporting us as missionaries for almost 20 years and in case you don't know me from previous visit, I initially got introduced to you through Ned and Marlene Evans who are my uncle and aunt and so that's but as we have visited here in previous occasions, and I'm feeling the same thing yet. Again. My wife has said to me and I to her that if we had the chance to choose any church in the country of where we would attend, we would honestly attend with you guys. And and we do not say that to the other thirds as we speak at. That's what I like our line or something. About, we just the church denomination. I grew up in is seeing a May and a Christian Missionary Alliance. Annie free are just so similar in in so many ways that I just feel. So at home with you guys and I think the Lord is just giving you a heart that is contagious. And so, we've always felt welcome and I appreciate that to you guys. I'm with you. Um, so, I wanted to start by showing something that's kind of an interesting tradition with my, my family and Pastor Mike's kids were curious to to see this is what I'm going to show and they'll have to have a chance to see it afterwards in the, in the presentation. But we've been missionaries and Care Gaston for 30. We were missionaries in Kyrgyzstan for 13 years and they had no Christmas trees there. So we decided, we'll, how are we going to do a Christmas tree? Will build it out of these things called duplos, their large size Legos, and our family still does this. It's our tradition. This is a Christmas tree from this past Christmas that we built out of these duplos and it's just a way that life on the field change. Says. It's changed us forever. Just one kind of interesting way. Yeah. We were there 13 years ago in a little over 5 years ago. Where are family sake? We felt that we needed to return to the states and I wasn't sure what we would be doing back here in the States. But the Lord made it possible for me to continue in Ministry to Muslims. And so, I've been working these last five and a half years, sharing Christ with Muslims in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I love it. I just just love befriending them and sharing Christ with them. But in Sunday school, I shared an update about what that Ministry has been like. So this morning, I won't be sharing an update but rather something that the Lord has been reminding me of and teaching me throughout these years and I just felt that it would be something that I should share with you. So, I'm going to start that with a question.

and the question is, How fruitful is your ministry? I'd like you to just think about that for a second. I will be talking about missions in this message. But it also has a very personal application to each one of us as you think about your ministry. The question is, how fruitful is it? Another change for me? Since the last time I was here is to read. I need to put these things on. So, in order to see my own note traffic will be wearing these.

Okay. This is a map here of the world. /, majority religion in that area everywhere. Where you see blue is majority Christian, at least in name everywhere. Will you see? Green is majority-muslim. Those are the two largest and you probably can't see the numbers underneath. Maybe you can about 33% claim Christianity about 23% claimed Islam. As their religion. This, this is actually a map from a couple of years ago. This is something from Pew research, which is a Christian organization that does statistical research and it says, they're on the top Muslims projected, to be the fastest-growing, major religious group. Dotted line. There that 32% growth is considered the global average but Christianity is growing at about 34%. So just slightly above the global average, but look at Islam 70-plus percent. So really growing

I'm projected change and Global Christian and Muslim populations. I just need to know what I'm going to take this with me and just stand to the side. So you guys can see this for these in 2010. You see about

1.6 billion, Muslims, 2.17 billion. Christians by 2050. Those numbers glow grow a lot closer and you just see the Steep increase of the percentage of growth, the growth of the percentage of those who are Muslims and its projected. Sorry. It is projected that while the second line is hard to see in that when there's a green line there by Muslims that actually crosses over at 2070 and the projection is that after 2070, there will be more people claiming Islam, is the religion than Christians in the world. So a huge change as Islam continues to grow.

How do you feel when you see those kind of statistics?

Do you feel at all like this? Like a football game, where it's the Wii and the them. And here's our score and here's their score. We're ahead now, but boy, it looks like we're not going to be ahead in in it by 2070. So, The the truth that the Lord has been impressing on me, is that it is not a numbers game. The ministry is not a numbers game. So why why is this something that we kind of gravitate toward? We like numbers because there's something that are tangible that we can hold onto and measure in and evaluate and process wheel of numbers. And there are some areas of life where numbers are super important such as for Farmers, as they are growing, their crops the way to evaluate the success of their season, is by the number of train cars that they were able to fill with their corn. It's, it's very much an analysis of numbers and the same thing with the used car salesman at how are we going to evaluate, whether it was a successful season? Will. Let's look at how many cars we sold and, and how much money we made numbers. Have an important part in the very practical in areas of life. however, Jesus was terrible at the numbers game and that's what I want to talk about this morning. He was really, really bad. So chapter 6 Jesus has a gathering of 5000 men plus women and children here who are there to listen to him. This is a huge Gathering. There is a book that I just know the title of. It's called How to Win Friends and Influence People. I've never personally read this book, so I can't say anything good or bad about the book or about the author, but I just want to take that title for a second. And imagine, in my mind, what the author might be thinking in a situation. I think that if he were there observing Jesus with the 5000 plus that he would be thinking. Wow, Jesus, you are doing something right, you're having a big influence. Well done and he be impressed. So Jesus goes ahead and tells the people gathered eat my flesh. And drink my blood.

And what do we read their inverses 60 and 61 on hearing it? Many of his disciples said this is a hard teaching who can accept it. Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this. Jesus said to them, does this offend you?

So Jesus was not clueless. He knew what their hang up was here. And he could have said, wait wait. Wait, I know that some of you are thinking that I need to physically eat my flesh into physically drink my blood. Hold on, just take a deep breath and realize the importance of what I'm saying. Don't miss the importance, because you're hung up on the physical. He could have said that he could have corrected, a lot of misconception, among some of the people But he chose not to. And so we have this verse 466 from this time. Many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him and the following versus lets us know how many Alma 12 to go to V 5,000 men plus women and children and you go down to 12 and then puts in that little point of saying and one of those was Judas Iscariot who is later going to betray him. So he's actually down to eleven from 5000 plus and I could imagine the author of that book How to Win Friends and Influence People pulling out his hair.

Are you missing this here? You have just lost your chance to look exponentially numerically. You're not going to reach as many people through 11 reaching there two or three. As if you could use the 5000 come on, your message would get out so fast and so well, what are you doing? Just pulling out his hair, not understanding at all. What was going on?

In John chapter 8, we see something else that is quite similar. But this time at the start it says that Jesus is walking to the Jews who had believed him and John makes it very clear. These are Jews who had believed him and he calls them slaves and Children of the devil. They didn't like this. And by the end of the conversation, they are stoning him, or at least attempting to Stone him, the ones, who at the beginning and Johnny John says, are the Jews who had believed him. He just drives them away.

By what he says. Which church does God prefer?

This little small church, but they happen to be looking upward or this nice large church, but they're kind of needing to focus a bit on their numbers staying. Hi. I am growing and so they're kind of looking inward a little bit, which church does God prefer. Malachi chapter 1. These words are really strong, a son honors, his father and a servant his master. If I am a father. Where is he on Urdu me? If I am a master, where is the respect? Due me says the Lord Almighty. It is, you old priest to show contempt for my name, but you asked how if we showing contempt for your name? You placed a filed food on my altar, but you asked how if we defiled You by saying that the Lord's table is contemptible? When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that, not wrong? Try offering them to your Governor. Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept? You says the Lord Almighty? Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors. So that you would not like useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you says the Lord Almighty and I will accept no offering from your hands. And is God, crying my eyes out old to have someone to shut the temple doors. It's not to keep the people in, but to keep the people out.

And here in Malachi, it's not a matter of their Doctrine. There's nothing brought up here that they had an issue wrong with their Doctrine. It's not a matter of commitment. They were coming. They were Faithfully coming to the temple. It was completely a question of their heart.

And God said it's enough that I just wish that someone would get up and close the doors.

One of our supporting churches has an Event Annual evaluation form that includes this question, share some examples of fruit in your own life and in your ministry during this past year, but this is something that goes out to all the missionaries supported by this church. Please list some things to show fruit from your this recent year. What does fruit in our life? And in our ministry look like,

Is it this this is a cover of a book again. Not a book that I've read. I'm not trying to say anything against the book, but just the cover and what we can can gain from it. It says he'll see things grow and you see from left to right. The size of the church is growing implying at least from the cover that that's the sign of a healthy church, but it is growing. Is this the fruit of our ministry, having our church grow?

The Bible does not talk about fruit as outside of me or as any kind of outward result. And there's just one example. I'm going to show you here in scripture. But if you if you search through the New Testament, for the use of the word fruit, you can find the same kind of example occurring over and over again, but just one time here in Matthew 7. Jesus says, watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, they are ferocious wolves by their fruit. You will recognize them. You'll be able to know them by their fruit. Do people pick grapes from thorn bush bushes or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree Bears. Good fruit, but a bad tree Bears. Bad fruit. A good tree, cannot bear, bad fruit and a bad tree. Cannot bear. Good fruit, every tree that does not bear. Good, fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So, what Jesus is saying here, is that there is something that is visible, that's recognizable. That, by looking at that in observing, that you can know the nature of the tree. You can know, if it's a good tree or bad for you can know by looking at that, if this person is a genuine follower of mine, or if they are a false prophet,

Who is he talking about here? He's talking about. Profits. How is there outside? The exterior thing? That is normally seen by the human eye by the normal eye. They look like sheep, right?

They come to you in sheep's clothing. So just in the exterior, they look nice and fluffy and white and beautiful. I want to pet them, we got to see lots of sheep and Shepherds when we were in Kyrgyzstan because there are nomadic people. And so it was fascinating to see how she per really quite dumb, that Shepherd to watch out for them. But they are kind of cute. It is kind of fun to rub your hand over there will also these false prophets have this beautiful Woolen coat to so nice. But how is there inside? Jesus calls them. Ferocious wolves.

Jesus says, you'll recognize them by their fruit. So is the fruit, something they create outside of themselves, the Sheep like wool that they've surrounded themselves with No, obviously not because Jesus is saying, don't get to see by the wall, look for the fruit. So the fruit can't be that exterior of the wool. It has to be something else. It has to be something that comes forth from the nature inside of them. So the verses that follow this which will read in a second. Show us the outward results of these false prophets.

Lost by their fruit, you will recognize them. Jesus is just continuing. Not everyone who says to me, Lord. Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. But only, he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. Many will say, to me, on that day. Lord, Lord. Did we not prophesy in your name? And then your name drive out demons and perform many miracles. Then I will tell you plainly. I never knew you away from me, you evildoers. So these false prophets. What is their exterior? How are they looking? What are their results? The results of their Ministry? There's prophecy their demons finger than out and miracles being performed. Those are some pretty great results. I mean, we'd be thinking and end don't like imagine back in. In this day. When Jesus telling this, these are the kind of things that are evidences of his ministry. He was constantly driving out demons and Performing Miracles, raising people back from the dead. And so the results of these false prophets were just like Jesus results. These were things that people would say, hallelujah, and wonderful. It's so great in. Jesus says, they are false prophets and he says, Don't be deceived by that. You will know them by their fruit. So they appear great. But were they the good fruit Jesus was looking for know. So what is the fruit that Jesus was actually looking for? And it is this and only this it is always, it is the Fruit of the Spirit. Every and I've studied I've gone through every reference to fruit and fruitfulness in the New Testament, and every single one can be seen to be referencing fruit of the spirit. Not any kind of visible results, not people coming to Christ, not churches, being built, not people falling down because of conviction of sin, any kind of results. Not once it is the fruit of the holy spirit that is being referred to each and every time, so, going back to that annual evaluation form that I mentioned from one of the churches where they ask Share some examples of fruit in your own life. And in your ministry during this past year. I know, because I was 13 years as an oversea missionary that it's. It feels like a pressure to have to list results to have to prove or demonstrate that the churches who are supporting us have made wise Investments of their money that people are coming to Christ. The churches are being built. These results are what people tend to fill in missionaries 10 to fill in. In this question of what does fruit look like.

It's easy to want missionaries to share about people, they have led to the Lord or Church's, they planted, but what actually matters is that the missionary is loving his wife, his kids, his co-workers, and God that he is remaining faithful to continue to allow the Holy Spirit to produce his fruit through that missionaries life. And with that particular church because we're still supported by that church. I make a distinct points in that point to list fruit of the spirit that I'm actually in my life. Because last year, I don't think that's what you're looking for. But I'm hoping through that they're they're going to say that. That's what I recognize that God's looking for, and if I can't list, the way that God has helped me to love someone in a better way now than last year. Then that's a red flag. There's something wrong and that's what I want to make sure that I'm being held accountable to that. That hit that I'm connected in the vine into the vine so that his fruit is naturally coming out.

Our missionaries have to hear this from us. They have to feel from us that this fruit is what we really want to still be there in their lives and that we value them above their ministry. That's that's the way it is with God. For each one of us. He values us above any Ministry. When we look for numbers, the missionary May produce numbers. While his fruit is actually starting to rot. When I was a child, some friends and family, friends of ours. We talked often about a missionary couple in South America that they supported. And until I knew the name of this, this couple. And I remember when I was a teenager and I heard some Whispers going on between the parents in that family and my parents. And I found out that the husband in this missionary couple had run off with the secretary there in the, in the mission. So he, of course, left the field. Took the secretary who was a local person away with him. And the family was devastated. Who knows what kind of effects that has had on the ministry and maybe maybe you can recall even accounts that have been brought to the news with people who had a

But something came out in their own life of some sort of Scandal. Something that wasn't wasn't right, and it just had a huge devastating effects on the ministry on people.

I cannot stand before you here this morning and say that I have a corner on the Fruit of the Spirit by no means. Just last week. I was actually in front of my church sharing about an area of sin in in my life that the Lord has dealt with me and and wanting to just share it as a testimony of the fact that if we try to pretend one another that we are these white looking Angels, it makes it impossible for others to come forward with the real hurt and Brokenness in their lives. So I want to make sure that's completely clear. I am not able to stand before you and say, follow me and producing the fruit of the spirit, the way I follow Christ. I am saying that what the Lord has shown me in no uncertain terms. Is that what is important to him? Is this and when I stand before him it's not going to be a question of how many eyelid to the lord. It's not be going to be a question of how many churches I planted. It's going to be a question of how I loved my wife. It's going to be a question of how I love the people. I'm serving the Muslims I'm serving. Are they just so I can get some sort of trophy, something to share? Or I led this must be Christ or am I allowing the Lord to give me genuine love for them? That's that is what he is looking for, and it's not just missionaries. It's also in the church isn't in this church. God isn't focused on the size of the congregation here. He doesn't evaluate you or my church, that I'm a member of the Michigan weekly by the attendance and say, okay, the church is doing well. No, it's not what, it's not what he's looking at. Paul says one plants, another Waters, but who gives the increase? God God gives the increase. It's not dependent on us, whether we've done something right or wrong whether that result comes where that increase comes at the start. I asked the question how fruitful is your ministry? Did your thoughts go to this fruit? Through most of my life. If I heard that question. My thoughts would not go to this fruit. I would have started to feel condemnation. I haven't been sharing Christ enough with this neighbor in that neighbor. I actually, in my, my small group Ministry. The numbers have kind of dwindled. I honestly am a failure. I need to, I need to hear a sound. Scolding from Evan this morning so that I get out there. Any more have healthier results are, mine is just so naturally can go to that, and we can feel that condemnation, which is coming from the enemy. Because our savior is simply saying, I love you. And I love you so much. That I am ready to die again for you even knowing everything that I would sometimes be amazed that not only did Jesus die for me, and my sin before I was a Believer, but he knew how I was going to shame him even after becoming a Believer and he's still with all that full knowledge died. For me that that is how Jesus is looking at us right now and that is what is going to rightfully motivate us to be sharing with our neighbors and it's just because we're so welling up with love with Jesus. Love for us, but it just comes out but I would never want to come before someone a group and say, hey, this person is dying in Africa and this person is dying here. And if you don't go there going to die without a knowledge of Christ. Because if you went Overseas with that kind of motivation. You would be like friends of mine. Who? They, they ran into some real hardships over there in Central Asia. And because they didn't see anyone coming to Christ, because one of their other, their co-workers children died there and God didn't save that child, from dying this couple, not only left the field and feel feelings of, hey, none of. This was like, we expected, but the husband completely abandon God. And he said, I can't even believe in God anymore.

That's the kind of thing that could happen. If we're telling people, you have to go. If you don't go, the Heathen is going to die without you that. That's not God's message for us. His message for us is, I love you so deeply and I threw my Holy Spirit and going to develop the fruit of my spirit in you. If you will allow me to, and then, let's see where we go. Maybe we'll end up going together, overseas. Jesus is saying to you. Maybe we'll end up going next door. I just heard this morning. That there is a pretty sizeable Indian population are here. Maybe Jesus will end up taking you there to befriend, some of these Indians and to share him with them. You never know. But then it's a journey. It's not. You're going, because you got to bring about the numbers, but you're just letting Jesus take you, where he wants, because of the fruit of his Spirit In You.

so, When we don't push four numbers or measurable results, it's freeze us up at 3 is the missionaries. We support up to invest more deeply in a few as Jesus did and it leaves the results in God's hands where they belong. And I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't have accountability with missionaries, but not numbers accountability, but get on with them on a Skype call and show the kind of genuine concern that allows them to openly. Say, you know what, I like this friend of the missionary supported by my family's friends, when I was young. Our marriage is at, he would have said, maybe if someone is really an honest are our marriage is honestly struggling right now, and I'm not sharing this with anyone. But finding this local person attractive, maybe he would have sent that to someone. I don't know, but but will find less attrition of missionaries. When that's the kind of accountability we have for them is saying, it's not about your results. It's about just allowing Jesus to keep doing administering, his fruit through you and in you. So Paul says, we loved you so much. That we were delighted to share with you. Not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you would cut become so dear to us. That's what will naturally come. As we allow Jesus to produce this in us, that we will share our lives with people. Not only the gospel thinking. Okay. I did my duty. I kind of get out the hospital at them and I can check that off my conscience, but our lives will be able to be shared as Jesus. Does this in US? So, I shared an update in Sunday school as I had mentioned. I spend a lot of time with Muslims, with lots of different Muslims there in Grand, Rapids. Been there, 5 years, ministering in Grand Rapids, but not one of those who I have been specifically working with has come to Christ in these five years.

And actually I shared in Sunday school that there's one gentleman from Afghanistan who had taken on cultural Christianity. When he first arrived to the US but then, after a while, he was offended with somebody and who is a Christian. And so he decided he was going to become culturally a Muslim again, and I was working with him during this time. So if I had to keep some sort of score of how many I have led to Christ in these five years, I would have to give myself a score of -1 because someone and actually split back now, he has come back to cultural Christianity again, this gentleman, but he still doesn't know Christ in his heart yet.

But I don't feel badly or beat myself up about the fact that I can't say. Okay, this person came to Christ. This person came to Christ as far as for an evaluation of myself because I see that the Lord is teaching me to focus on this fruit. And I know that the results are in his hands and I've heard some amazing stories of areas of the world that were hard and nothing was happening there for years, but people were praying and people were sewing and then when people came to Christ, they exploded the Christ because God had it all just in his right timing and that is what he is looking at. So I know I'm in good company because it, Jesus realized he was terrible. At the numbers game. I am to smoke in that together. Jesus is working on something much more profound. Then a numbers game both here and overseas in all of missions. He's working on something and it can't be turned back and it's not a numbers game. Okay. I will thank you for taking time to to listen to that. I love to say a prayer.

Father.

I thank you. That you look at me with nothing, but love.

Thank you that, you know, my every fault my every sin. My every failure.

And you love me with an undying love and I thank you that that is true about every person who is sitting here.

Lord, we praise you that you love. Everyone that you love the Nations that you love the heathens in whatever, practice they might be in, you love. Every single person and Lord, you are not slow and keeping your promises.

You are not distant and just sitting back as some might think, but you are intimately active and you cry over every lost person. Infinitely more than we ever could.

But in your Infinite Wisdom God, I recognize that you do not see this as a numbers game that you are after our hearts.

And that you love us. Who are your ambassadors? Not just because we represent you but because you just are crazy about us. And got all we can say, is, thank you so much and we ask you, Lord. To use us. I asked you to use me and the way that will honor your name rightly and we ask you father, to show us anything in our lives. That is hindering your fruit from being produced in US. That is hindering us from enjoying you, the way that you want us to enjoy you and Lord, please help us to Route those things out to get rid of them and to just embrace you. To love you and to love with you.

And Lord, I just ask for your continued blessing on this congregation that you would continue to give them your love and your choice and your peace and every part of the fruit of your spirit. So that many others would feel the same thing that Becky, and I have felt when we have visited here, that we would recognize you here.

Can I continue to use them that way? Lord, please? Thank you. We love you and pray in Jesus name. Amen.