produce

November 28, 2021

“Yes, I AM The Vine…”

5 “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. — John 15:5 NLT

John 15:1-5 NLT

In Romans, God tells us that He called us to Himself and He has called us for a purpose Romans 8:28-30 NLT .  He has called us into fellowship with Himself  1 Cor,1:9 NKJV.  He has called us to be His saints. 1 Cor. 1:2 NKJV.  He has called us with a holy calling for His works, not our own 1 Tim 1:8-9 NKJV.  He has called us and given each of us special abilities to serve others 1 Peter 4:11 NKJV.  He has called us to be witnesses, conquerors and overcomers.  How long will we keep using the excuse, “I wasn’t called to _____”.?   We were called to follow Jesus, When we follow someone, we do what they do and we say what they say.  Isn’t that what Jesus said?  “I do what I see my Father doing and I say what He says to say” (paraphrased).  When God calls us, we are no longer spectators, we are called to be participants.  We are called to produce fruit and we can only produce fruit, if we are attached to the vine and do what the vine instructs us to do.  If we are apart from the vine, we have no power to produce fruit that is like the vine.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

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July 9, 2018

Spreading the Word Produces Joy

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6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord. In spite of a great deal of suffering, you welcomed the word with the joy that the Holy Spirit produces.
​- 1 Thess. 1:6 ISV​

God has chosen each of us and has a plan for each of us.  We are sanctified, set apart, for a particular purpose.  Our faith produces works that are a part of that process. We show our love for Christ by laboring and helping others. We are able to endure because of the hope we have in us, the hope that we have because God has poured His love into us. When the Gospel is preached, it goes forth with power to accomplish whatever purpose God has intended for it.  The power is the Holy Spirit which can cut us to the bone and convict us of our need for redemption.  This is the message Paul and his companions preached among the Thessalonians and in all the other places they traveled.  They were successful, not because of their powers of persuasion, but because they were completely obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It is the same message that each of us should be preaching every day with our lifestyle and as St Francis of Assisi encouraged us to do: “Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words.”  We should follow the example of Paul and live lifestyles that are worthy of imitation, just as we have become imitators of Christ.  Then those who are suffering will receive the message with great joy.  Their joy will be observed by others who will want to know the source of such great joy.  The kind of joy that endures in the midst of suffering and persecution, the kind of joy that is caught, not taught.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

Post 07-09-2018

November 8, 2017

The Fruit Grows on the Branches

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5 “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. – John 15:5 NLT

Jesus is the true vine. He has fulfilled the law and now we are branches grown from a new and different vine. We are in Christ Jesus once we accept the words Jesus has spoken. Jesus has removed all the old fruit from us and has made us clean. But we still need something more if we are going to produce good fruit. The flesh cannot of itself produce love, joy, kindness, long-suffering, or any of the other fruits listed in Galatians. There is no goodness in our flesh. For us to produce Holy Spirit fruit, we must have that Holy Spirit flowing through us just as a branch must have the sap from the tree flowing through it to be productive. When Jesus was here in the flesh, He could not physically be inside us, but the Holy Spirit can and does abide in us. That is why Jesus said that He must go to the Father so God could send His Spirit. As we we meditate on the word, the more fruit we produce and the fruit that we produce will be more like the vine.


“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 11-07-2017

March 1, 2017

Joyfully Spread the Word!

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3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Col. 1:3 NLT
Colossians 1:9-14 NLT

Just as Paul prayed for those to whom he had carried the Gospel, we must pray for those that we witness to as well. Jesus said to “go and make disciples” (Matt 28:18). Making disciples requires more than just teaching others the plan of salvation. Just as Paul would stay in a community and teach for several Sabbaths, we must be diligent to do the same with new converts. Then we must remember to always pray for them, asking God to fill them with His Spirit, wisdom, knowledge and insight. So that they will grow and produce more fruit for the Kingdom. We, as well as the new converts, need God’s strength and might to endure with patience. It is God’s plan that each of us share with others so that His Kingdom will grow. We must share His love with others and we must do it with a song of joy in our hearts and on our lips attracting others to Jesus.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 03-01-2017

November 15, 2016

Unless the Lord Build the House

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9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us! — Acts 16:9
aCTS 16:6-10 NLT

Paul had wanted to go into the province of Asia and preach the Gospel. It doesn’t seem like there would be anything wrong with that, but God had other plans for Paul. This is a good example of how God works. He has a specific plan for each of us. That plan includes the what, the when, and the where. He has prepared certain hearts to hear and respond to His word. That word must be spoken at the exact time and place He has prepared. Unless we follow God’s plan, our work is in vain. Yes, God will honor it because His Word does not return void, but it won’t produce the harvest He had intended for you to produce. Complete obedience is the difference in 30 fold, 60 fold, or 100 fold.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 11-15-2016

August 11, 2014

God Equips Us To Do His Work

God is waiting to show you the way.

God is waiting to show you the way.

20 Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,​ the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
21 may he equip you with all you need ​ for doing his will.
May he produce in you,​ through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him. ​ All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
22 I urge you, dear brothers and sisters,​ ​to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation.​–Hebrews 13:20-22 (NLT)
​When God is calling people to help spread His Word, He is not necessarily looking for the beautiful, the talented, the rich, or the strong. He is looking for people who are willing to be available and obedient. When He calls us, He prepares us and equips us to carry out the mission. Through the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, He is more than able to provide everything we need for the journey. Remember, when He sent the disciples out He told them to take nothing for their journey.
3 “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. 4 Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town.–Luke 9:3,4 (NLT)
​Our part is to be​ obedient, the success of the mission isn’t dependent on us or our abilities.
10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.–Isaiah 55:10,11 (NLT)
​When we are​ obedient to God, He is faithful to fulfill every promise. It is all for His glory and honor. Post 08-11-14

January 15, 2014

What Do Others See Our Lifestyle Producing?

God is waiting to show you the way.

God is waiting to show you the way.


22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.–Galatians 5:22-26 (NLT)
If we are obedient to the leading of God’s Spirit in our lives, people will know that we are different from the world. They should be able to see that our focus and our desires are not on pleasing ourselves, but on pleasing God. If they can see that in our daily lifestyle, then they will be attracted to Christ because they, too, are looking for love, joy, and peace. If our lifestyles are not producing these fruits, then perhaps, we need to spend more time with the Keeper of the vineyard. He alone can produce this kind of fruit. But He won’t force us to produce it, even though He could. We must be willing to allow Him to work in us pruning the dead limbs and giving new life to the rest. Pruning is not pleasant to the plant, yet, it is necessary for growth. I once owned an arbor of Golden Muscadines. Each year, the vines produced smaller and less fruit. I pruned the vines back to about 18 inches high and fertilized them. It took 2 years but when the vines came back, they were full of life and produced much larger fruit. The fruit was so abundant that I gave muscadines to the whole neighborhood. The fruit was also much sweeter. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to do the work inside you and you will love the end result.
Post 01-15-14