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We discover that bearing fruit has so many areas which apply to our lives. God desires that our lives are rich, beautiful and productive not so much for our own indulgence as for our usefulness in blessing other people's lives. We also learn about being spiritually natural and naturally spiritual where we do not separate natural from spiritual but we allow His Spirit to flow into every area of our lives until even our work becomes WORSHIP
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We discover that bearing fruit has so many areas which apply to our lives. God desires that our lives are rich, beautiful and productive not so much for our own indulgence as for our usefulness in blessing other people's lives. We also learn about being spiritually natural and naturally spiritual where we do not separate natural from spiritual but we allow His Spirit to flow into every area of our lives until even our work becomes WORSHIP
Listen to 230602-A Fruitful Son by Seldom Seen Studio MP3 song. 230602-A Fruitful Son song from Seldom Seen Studio is available on Audio.com. The duration of song is 01:15:42. This high-quality MP3 track has 77.966 kbps bitrate and was uploaded on 5 Jun 2023. Stream and download 230602-A Fruitful Son by Seldom Seen Studio for free on Audio.com – your ultimate destination for MP3 music.
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The transcription discusses the topic of fruitfulness and its connection to God's will. The speaker emphasizes that fruitfulness is not limited to producing physical offspring, but also includes spiritual fruit, such as winning souls and discipling others. The idea of being fruitful is connected to being healthy spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. The speaker also explores the concept of being the fruit of Christ's sacrifice and the importance of being filled with the knowledge of God's will in order to bear fruit. The scripture verse in Romans 7:4 is mentioned, which suggests that believers are the fruit of Christ's death, resurrection, and sacrifice. The speaker also discusses the importance of wisdom and spiritual understanding in walking worthy of the Lord and being fully pleasing to Him. Overall, the transcription emphasizes the multifaceted nature of fruitfulness and its connection to God's purposes for individuals' lives. Tonight we want to talk about being fruitful, and it's a subject that we crossed maybe a year ago or something like that, and even more, and just really trying to understand what the Word of God speaks about fruitfulness. And I don't feel like we covered all of it. It's a subject that's deep, and it's a subject that's so beautiful, because it is the Father's will that we become fruitful. I would say also that we begin to fulfill the purpose for which we were created, first of all, but second, that we were created in Christ Jesus for. You know, every time I read in the Word of God where it talks about the body, each having different parts, and each part having something to contribute. And without all the parts, being fruitful, being capable, and working in health and wholeness, the body lacks. And so the first thing I would say, my brothers who are here, my sisters who may be listening, this is the first Friday in June. We look to understand that we're necessary to be fruitful, abundant, and flowing over into other people's lives. And we began last time with understanding, you know, a definition of fruitfulness. Some offered the fruit of the Spirit being a definition of fruitfulness. And I think that a fruitful person will be filled with the Spirit, but the Spirit tree bears Spirit fruit, and your tree bears your fruit, and the fruit of God through you. Did that make sense? If the Holy Spirit is working and moving through you, there will be gentleness, patience. There'll be kindness, long-suffering, love, goodness, temperance, meekness. There just will be. That is how He is. But the fruit of our life really depends on our healthiness, spiritually, and naturally. Come on, somebody, listen to me. The fruit of our life really depends on our spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical healthiness. As the Lord moves through us, things are accomplished. I was so amazed. The first reference in the Word of God to fruitfulness, what is that? Very early in the Bible. I'm sure somebody knows this one. Brother Zebedee, do you know the first reference to being fruitful in the Word of God? Brother Zebedee. Genesis chapter 1, sir. You are absolutely correct. And what did he say? God spoke to man. Be fruitful and multiply. Be fruitful. Genesis 1 to 2, multiply and replenish the earth. Take dominion, be fruitful, multiply, cultivate. Yes, take dominion, have authority in this earth. This is God's purpose for our individual lives. And the work of heaven in our lives is so beautiful because, again, God is restoring to us the fruitfulness, the dominion, the multiplying. You know the multiplying is the abundance, it is the fruitfulness, it is the increase, it is the creativity coming to fruit in our lives. I just think that we can't limit this word, be fruitful, because there's too much attached to this. However, one thing I remember we talked about when people would refer to the fruit of the Spirit being the definition of being fruitful. I have to say that I showed you pictures in the group chat of a mother in Rwanda who bore 44 children, of which 43 lived past, I think they said 18 months. That is fruitful. You know, if I have a good cow, and it's an excellent cow, I will not keep her if she bears no offspring. We will soon have a New Year's celebration, and we will eat beef. Hallelujah. But if this cow is fruitful, she will be bearing offspring that will grow up to be bulls and cows, and more bulls and cows generations. A fruitful one. It talks about offspring, but an interesting thing besides offspring, and so what would be the fruit in this, looking at it this way, what would be the fruit then of a Christian's life in just that strict sense? Well, I think a Christian would bear baby Christians, and they would nurture those baby Christians until they grew up, and that they were able to bear their own children. In the strict sense that we're talking about it, and many would agree, but I think there is even more to it. Fabian, can you comment on that? But winning souls, discipling people, is that a strict definition of a Christian's fruitfulness? Reverend, that's a good one. Is that a strict definition of a Christian's fruitfulness? I would say that is not the entire parameter for judging a person's fruitfulness. Good. I believe that there are other variables that we have to consider, especially how that fruitfulness begins with the virtues on the inside of us, even sin virtues, yes, and so it starts from the inside, and when Paul writes about the fruits of the Spirit, these are not, some of them are not the things that we see, right? They are not the things that we see first, so I believe that fruitfulness begins first with the fruits that we don't see, and then it goes, then culminates into the fruits we see, into soul winning, into reaching out, and all of those things, but I believe that, yes, it's good to win souls, and we are all called to win souls, but that is not the first, that is not the, well, I say the only parameter for which we can say that. Yes, good. Good favor. You caught up on the word strict definition, because it's not the complete definition at all. Can a sick cow bear healthy children? No. No, sir. And so, like you're saying, Brother Faber, the spiritual healthiness, the emotional, the mental, and even our physical healthiness is included in being able to preach for four hours, being able to teach for two hours with the clear mind. Amen? Amen. So, there's a wholeness to this gospel. The other point, really, is just being an evangelist and seeing people come in the thousands to receive Christ, to say the sinner's prayer. It, could I say, it's like a mother who has children, but forgets to feed them, forgets to raise them, forgets to train them. Even she feeds them and houses them, and they grow up healthy, but they are a wild bunch. Has she truly raised children? So, we're saying these things so that we begin to open our understanding and our conversation about truly what is, you know, a definition of healthfulness. Would the, I think, do you call nanny somebody who comes along and helps raise the children? Let's say your mother had eight children, and she needed his help, and there was an excellent nanny who helped raise the next politician, the next banker, and the next businessman, and the next woman of stature in your community. Would that nanny have an excellent participation in the fruitfulness of that family? What do you say, Brother Zebedee? Do you understand my question? A nanny. Not, yes, sir. She did not give birth to them, but she helped to nurture and train them. The schoolteachers who poured in excellence to the children, do they also partake in bearing fruit in those children's lives? Yes, sir. It's obvious. Yeah, it's obvious question. Yes, sir. So, to me, they partake in bearing fruit because they bear their own fruit in their own way. So, my own kind of fruit may not be the same kind of fruit my next brother to me will bear. But the important thing is that each one of us is contributing our quarter to the building of the body of Christ. Amen. So, I never saw a father which is pregnant. So, all women can be fruitful, right? No, it's obvious that's not true. So, the uncle, the aunt, the older sister, all of these are part of the body which brings forth fruit. And fruit, you know, John chapter 15 is beautiful because you know the chapter well. It talks about I am the vine and you are the branches. And my father is the caretaker of this vineyard. He's the one who prunes you so that you can bear fruit. He's the one who lifts you up when you've fallen and ties you to the wires so that you can bear more fruit. He's the one who nurtures you so you can bear much fruit and fruit that remains. So, there's four actual levels of fruit in John chapter 15. We're not going to teach on it tonight. You're welcome to study that on your own. But we see a definition of fruitfulness. If you abide in me, Jesus said, and my words abide in you. Amen. And you will bear much fruit that will bring glory to our father which is to heaven. Hallelujah. It's that abiding. So, we've expanded the definition of fruitfulness to include the teacher in the church, the evangelist, the one who serves the meal to the family of God, who brings the nature and the love of God into that congregation and demonstrates God's ways and God's nature even in her cooking or his cooking. So, bless the Lord. Let's look at some scriptures. Romans chapter 7 verse 4. Let's turn to the word of God. All of our opinions of everything is good because we base them on God's word. Let's just go and begin to read together. Romans chapter 7 verse 4. Yes. Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that they should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. He said, my brothers and sisters, you used to be married to the law. You used to be under covenant agreement, a contractual agreement with God, a covenant agreement under the law. But through the body of Christ, you now belong to someone else. You now have a new covenant. You have a new covenant to him who was raised from the dead in order that you might bear fruit for our father, God. I think it says in another place that under the law, there was not fruitfulness, but I never found that reference. So, through the body of Christ, we have a covenant agreement that we might bear fruit for God. So, this verse begins to make me ask the question, so what does it mean, fruit for God? Right? What does it mean, fruit for God? And so that's really the question. After this long introduction we're beginning, really the question is, what does it mean in my life? Brother Jerry, Brother Zebedee, Gordon, Brother Emanuel, hopefully your network is good this night, Brother Emanuel, and favor, what is it? What does it mean? What would please my father to bear much fruit? All right. Any comments right there? What strikes you there, Brother Zebedee? Go ahead, if you have a comment or a question. What strikes me in this verse is that the word fruit has no S there, so it's a singular fruit, and it already tells me from the introduction that the fruit that God is talking about is what Christ can do in you. So, whatever, because we died with Christ, so we are now united with Christ. So, the fruit Christ is looking, the fruit that God is looking for is Christ. That is so good and so rich. So, is the fruit he's talking about, the fruit of Christ's sacrifice, his death, his resurrection, his payment for our sins, the way he made to the Father, is he saying that we can be the fruit of Christ's life, what he paid for, and him living through us? Ever think of it like that, Brother Zebedee? So, favor, could it be that this verse is referring to that we are the fruit of Christ's death, his resurrection, his sacrifice, his power over death and sin and hell? Could it be that we are his fruit? Absolutely. I believe that as well. I believe it is connected to that, because I think about a couple of scriptures. Yes, go ahead. Well, one place the Apostle Paul writes and he says, ye are my epistles, right? Ye are my epistles. You are the representation of what I share. So, I'm thinking, there's this script, there's this verse of scripture that I read, I know that I know that perhaps before the Bible study is over, I'll remember it, where the Lord also talks about we being fruit, you know, something in those lines. I think the Apostle Paul, you know, did extensive, had extensive talks, letters on that. But I think, yes, we are, it is very connected that we are fruits of what the Lord Jesus has done. And yes, we are that fruit. We are that fruit. Isn't it that it said we are the first fruits of God? Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, Reverend. That's one of the scriptures I was thinking about. Isn't that in Acts, the second chapter, where Peter is explaining this is that which was happening and that Holy Spirit has been given to us, what, as the first fruits of the prophecy of Joel. But I think, I think you're possibly thinking about another one as well. So, maybe you. I'm trying to, yes, I'm thinking about a couple of them, but this is one, because I know there are a couple of scriptures, and especially with the writings of Peter and Paul, and then the statement the Lord Jesus made. And so, I'm trying to tie them all up, because it's a couple of statements in scripture and verses in scripture that I'm trying to connect with this. But I believe strongly that, yes, we are the fruits of our Lord Jesus Christ and the work he's done for us. Amen, that's good. So, not only are, yeah, go ahead, David. I remember one scripture that is very, very, that is very connected. John 15. Yes, definitely. Where he says, I am the vine, you are the branches, and if I am of those fruits, my Father prunes them. Right. So, I see, I see that in that scripture we're referred to as the branches, but that is also, that is saying we're, we're an offshoot. Yes, connected. Yes, we're an offshoot of what he, of who he is, what he has done. We're the fruit, we're the representation of that. And so, it all ties up. So, we are his fruit, and yet we, we are the branches which bear the fruit that come from the vine. So, as you said, you know, in this John 15, it's very, David, do you have in Colossians 1, verse 9 and 10? For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of Israel, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being truthful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Amen. Amen. Oh, thank you, Jesus. Brother Emmanuel. Amen, Brother Emmanuel. If you're able to unmute, and if your network is good, maybe you'd like to make a comment already, especially on this Colossians 1, verse 9 and 10. Paul's rejoicing, and that he's never stopped praying for these. They continue to ask God to fill them with knowledge of his will, wisdom and understanding that comes from the Spirit, so that you could live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way. And there's a colon there in English. A colon means there's a connected thought, and it's a bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. Brother, Brother Emmanuel, go ahead. What is this first speech to you? Praise the Lord. As I look at this picture, and listening to everyone share on fruitfulness, and the scripture referring to being fruitful in every good work, what comes to my mind is Apostle Paul praying for the Colossian church, that they would bring forth fruit as he has brought fruit of them as his children in Christ, but not just bringing forth children in Christ, but not just bringing forth fruit, but in every good work, in every good work. I'm trying to find the time to put it right. I think I'll give room for the class to continue, and when I get my thoughts together, I can bring it up. Okay, thank you. Amen. Back here, Brother Favor. This verse is something. Unpack it a little bit for us, Brother. Yes, Devon, this verse is something indeed. Now, Paul says, for this reason, we also, since the day we heard it now, and the previous verses talk about what we heard, the hope, which is later for you and all that, but he says, since that day, we do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled. So, it's important that we look at what he was talking about specifically. He says that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will. I think this is something that is very key to our fruitfulness. If we must be fruitful, and bear fruit that remains, we should be filled with the knowledge of his will. We should have a grasp of what his will is, his will for us. We should have the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. This is very heavy. Paul didn't just stop at saying, oh, I want you to have the knowledge of his will. He said, I want you to have the knowledge of his will in all wisdom, and in all spiritual understanding. So, I know that is good for me to reach out to the people and to evangelize, to share the word of God. It's very important. That's the will of God, right? But do I just carry my Bible? Do I just carry a Bible and then go to a country, a communist country like China, and begin to share when I am fully aware that the laws of the government, it's really against that, and all of that. Do I just do that without wisdom? No. I have to understand what God's will is, but not just say, okay, not just in literal terms, so to say, but I have to understand his will in all wisdom, in all wisdom, in all wisdom, which is the application of what this will is, and then in all spiritual understanding. So, this also talks about knowing what God wants us to do at the right time. Now, everybody can be doing something, everybody, you know, as Christians, we're doing spiritual activities and all of that. But Paul says, we should deal with the knowledge of his will. So, you know, sometimes, even when it comes to our personal lives, even when it comes to our devotion and devotional activities with the Lord, there are times that you just walk in and you feel like, okay, what I want to do right now is to open my mouth and pray and pray for one hour or two hours, and all of those things are fantastic, wonderful, but if you're sensitive to the living of the Holy Spirit, it would be at that time. It probably could be that at that moment, the Lord just wants you to be quiet for five minutes. And if you go about, if you go about in what you feel is the right spiritual activity to engage in, you're not being, you're going to just get into that, but you're not going to get any fruits out of that. Not because what you did is wrong, but at that moment, He wanted you to be quiet, which if you, by spiritual knowledge, if you by knowledge and then growing in spiritual wisdom and understanding, you could have been able to discern that and obeying that, walking in the light of that will bring huge fruits, will bring more profit than going about, you know, than just praying for one hour, one hour, 30 minutes. And so Paul says this, he says that we just need to feel with the knowledge of the will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. And just like my brother said, I know that before this relative runs out, a lot of, you know, a number of other people are probably going to touch on this, because I'm just, I've seen the Lord giving, opening our eyes and opening our minds with and filling us with insight, but we're going to have a deep study tonight. So, but from this verse, I find Paul saying that in order for us to be fruitful, first off, we have to be knowledgeable in His will. And that happens with what? With all wisdom and spiritual understanding. And then he says this again. Now, having the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding will do what? Will help us walk worthy of the Lord. Walking worthy of the Lord is not a function of, okay, this is what has been told me, this is what has been said to me in the church, this is the doctrine of the place I'm in, this is what, no, it has, it has everything to do with wisdom and spiritual understanding. And then when we walk worthy of the Lord, we become fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work. I like the way, I like the way Paul takes it. He starts by saying, it is the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that will enable us to walk of the Lord, walk worthy of His call, walk worthy of His identity in our lives, walk worthy of His grace, walk worthy of His gift. And when we walk worthy of Him in these areas, we then become fully pleasing unto Him, because we're walking worthy of Him. And if we are fully pleasing unto, pleasing Him, if we are fully pleasing Him, we are being fruitful. Hey, that's a good word. Hallelujah. In the knowledge of God as well. So, if we look at that last verse, that verse 10, it says, then again, starting by going, starting by being filled in the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, look at the last line of verse 10, it says, and increasing in the knowledge of God. And increasing. That's where it starts, and that's where it starts, that's where it ends, and that's where it starts again. And it's just like a cycle. So, we start off by being filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Then, that way we can grow and we become, we walk worthy of the Lord, being fully pleasing unto Him, and then being fruitful in every good work. And then again, increasing in that knowledge. So, Paul says something huge there, and I think tomorrow we'll look at that, the very first step towards being fruitful as children of God. To grow in the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. I love the fact that he says spiritual understanding. Not physical, not logical, not what I think, or what my doctrine has said, or what the systems of the world have told me. No, no, no, no. It is in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Thank you, Brother Faber. I was thinking of an example of not just knowing the will of God, but working out the will of God in wisdom and practical ways. I was thinking of this woman whose name is Heidi Baker, and her husband. They were called into Asia, and they began to work in Mozambique, known to be the poorest country in all of Asia, and maybe in all of the world. They began evangelizing and aggressively going village to village, preaching gospel, bringing gifts to the people. Often, they would be driven out with stones and thrown out of the village, and they considered it, at first, persecution for the Lord, and that they should rejoice that they were being persecuted. However, the fruit was minimal, and then they came across some wisdom. The Spirit of the Lord spoke to Heidi one day and said, You are doing this all wrong. Not all wrong, but you're doing this without wisdom. The Lord told them, Go, speak to the elders of that land, of that place, those in authority over that place. Honor them. Present to them what it is you would like to do to bless and help their people. They did that, and ever after doing that, they were seldom ever driven out of a place, and often, even the leaders would facilitate what they were doing. So, to me, this is an example of doing the will of God with the wisdom of God, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding. The other thing about spiritual understanding, they began to learn how to address the powers and principalities that bound the people. You can go in, and the devil will just turn the minds of the people into a rage against you because he is the prince of that area. But when we go in and first spiritually gain authority and work with the authorities of the land, you know the devil has to follow protocol as well, and he knows it very well. When the authorities have welcomed you, it limits his activity, and when the intercessors are praying, and they know how to bind principalities and powers and remove them and render them powerless, then truly the kingdom of God has come, and Jesus is king, and the people are free to receive the love of God. So, there's, to me, one of the examples of working with the will of God through all wisdom and through understanding. Understanding is to understand the people, to understand the language, to understand spiritual authority, to understand how to present, as Paul said, gospel seasoned in their own flavor. To the Mexicans, we put food with jalapenos. You know jalapenos? So, what do you add in Africa? What do you add in Nigeria to make the food just taste right? There's something that's seasoned the way it is. You may not like Filipino food. You want your home food seasoned that way, and so that's part of what Paul says. Bearing fruit, what is pleasing to the Lord? This is the last thing in this verse. The last phrase in Colossians chapter 1, let's look at that one right now. Growing, first of all, bearing fruit in, it describes fruit here. It gives us part of a definition of fruit. By the favor, check this out. Bearing fruit in every good work. Every good work. So, there's that colon that's there, and when there's a colon, there's a thought attached, which adds a concept to what he's been talking to, living a life worthy and pleasing God in every way. Pleasing Him and living worthy by bearing fruit in, this every is too much, in every good work. And second, growing in the knowledge of God. It seems to say the more we know God, the more we know His will, the more we can work with His wisdom, the more that we can receive from the Spirit what it is God wants, and how to do it, and the nature. There's three things. What to do, how to do it, like when, where, the approach, amen, and the nature with which to do it. There are three elements of that doing God's will. So, bearing every good, excellent, and perfect will, like Romans chapter 12 tells us. Just present your bodies to God like a living sacrifice, and begin to produce that fruit that is holy and acceptable, that you would know the will of God, and that you'd be doing it. Romans 12, 1 and 2 is just powerful. And lastly, in this Colossians 1, growing in the knowledge of God. I don't think it's talking about just only knowing doctrine, as you said, Faber. It's not just knowing scripture, and being able to recall scriptures. I believe it's talking about through the Word, and by the Spirit, knowing God is how he works. It's like a father and son relationship, I think. My son working with me, he knows me. He knows how I work. Hallelujah. Oh, we're hitting on what Emmanuel was going to say. Growing in knowing how to work with our Father. Knowing how to do every good work. You know, people want to do good things, but often the fruit of their good deeds are not all that they expected, and the fruit doesn't remain. But only which is done through Christ in us, through us, will last. Hallelujah. Go ahead, Faber. Yes, because I just wanted to say this. Paul mentioned in that Colossians 1, 9 and 10, in every good work. And I'll think again about how some ways people use this same phrase, which is in 2 Corinthians 9, verse 8. I think it's a scripture we have all learned, that many of us have learned by heart. Yes, start verse 6, Stephen. Yes, then he goes to say, and God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you, having all sufficiency at all places and all events, may abound unto every good work. That you, having all sufficiency, may abound. All sufficiency. Yes, may abound unto every good work. But it's interesting how that verse 8, it's interesting the first thing he says. He says, God is able to make all grace abound. And so this is, when we talk about fruitfulness, there is an aspect of, you know, there is this part of this topic that makes us feel inadequate. Yes, sure enough. Yeah, like, can we be able to do this? No. Like when we talk about the fruits of the Spirit, and then having to harvest, having to bear fruit according to, you know, what the Bible, according to the fruits of the Spirit, temperance and Godliness and all of that. And then again, the action part, the part that people should see, which is, this is, this is how I think of it anyway. And I want to, the part where the people can see, which has to do with what we do, our actions. So, our switches, reaching out, helps, ministry of help, all of that. Now, when we think about all of these, somehow, we, we feel inadequate. And that, that feeling is normal, right? We feel, can we be, can we, can we truly do this? And now, Paul says, God is able to make all grace, which is every grace, the grace you need at every moment, in every situation, a balance for you. So, I, I, I, I, I had to build on this scripture two weeks ago, that you have all sufficiency. Now, I think the English Standard Version says, at all times, and at all events, you have all sufficiency at all times and at all events. So, God is able to make all grace. Having all you need, yes. So, if I, if I, if I need, if I need to go and speak to somebody and then talk to the person, witness to the person about the gospel of our Lord Jesus, God is able to make all grace of balance. That's what that assignment. If I, if I find, if I find, like, we already know, I don't know if you know this, but, but every one of us in Nigeria, just a couple of days ago, the, the, the president, the, the, the president who was just sworn in, he, right there, right there, 11, 24 hours, across the field, just skyrockets. And people are just skyrockets by more than 50%, by more than 50%. People are complaining everywhere. But Paul says, God is able to make all grace of balance. So, the grace to live in such harsh times. Yes. He's going to make it balance. And so, I don't have to compromise on my message. I don't have to compromise on my faith. I don't have to compromise on professing the Lord Jesus just because things are hard, right? I don't have to. Yes. You know, and that's the same thing. Like, with, with, with, with John the Baptist, the Lord said, it's not John what you've seen and the things that you've heard. And I believe all those things is to John. And the, the disciples of John, you know, they go back to John and they share these things. I personally believe those words were encouragement to the, to, to, to the prophet John, to John the Baptist. And when he spoke to Apostle Paul, and he says, my grace is enough for you. Those words were, were comfort, were, were, were encouragement, huge comfort for him. And he, he never made those requests again. He never said nothing. I've never written to that because those words were at home, right? So this is what I think. I think that in order for us also, I believe that, I know we believe this as well, but God is just bringing this direction. So we, we begin to, uh, because Paul says in that 2 Corinthians 9, he says, God is able to make all grace abound. So God is bringing this direction. So we begin to draw from his grace. So we begin to demand, or rather we begin to act more in faith, because if we know he can, then we're not going to be afraid of ourselves. He says, God is able. So if we know, like truly know that he's able. Yes, sir. So he's able, he's able to make all grace abound. So I'm afraid of being fruitful, but my, my, by reason of this study tonight, I'm, I'm learning God is able to make me fruitful in every area, in soul winning, in leading the life, in bearing the fruit, even within myself, in my house, within myself, the fruits of godliness, the fruits of temperance, the fruits of, uh, uh, discipline, all of this, that God is able to make all the graces that I need abound. I'm not just going to have them in minimal levels. I'm going to have them full, right? So I know he's able, so I can come demand them from him in all faith. I have no fear, I have no fear, because I know he's able, he has the capacity to make this available unto me. Yes, he is. And I demand, and I ask in all faith, and then he says, God is able to make all grace abound, so that myself having may abound unto every good one, that I can become fruitful. God has what it takes, the graces that I need in order for me to function in maximum fruitfulness. Amen. Abound, abound, abound. Abound means abundant in fruitfulness. Amen. Amen. Abound. Hallelujah. So that's a good verse, uh, for the favor of that. That was one of the next on, on my, uh, notes as well. Just, uh, how can this be done? How can it be done in that environment? Well, how can I bear fruit? Because God will give me grace at all times, having all I need. You know, I think of an example, David, to support what you're saying is, is Jesus said, we're going to go on the other side, let's get in this boat, and we're going over there. And God, Jesus believed his father that they were, he knew the will of his father, that they must go there. And so he, he got in the boat, and he began, and a storm came. And through the storm, the disciples having little faith, how many of us have little faith? Once we know the will of God, we head in that direction, and adversity comes upon us, and we lose our faith, and we begin to confess with our mouth to our brothers who are in the boat with us, that we're going to drown. This is the end of us, and Jesus' ministry will finish tonight. We begin to confess, or do we confess? No, we must remember Jesus spoke to us that we must needs go to the other side. We must needs go to the other side. There, there's no options here. And God will cause all grace to abound at all times, in all things, that we would have all that we need to accomplish through faith, and abound. Oh, Lord Jesus, help us not to downsize the vision, because our faith stumbles, because of our circumstances. May God help us to move forward in that which God has called us to, doing that which is in our hand, and trusting God for the rest. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Often there's endurance that's needed in bearing fruit. You know, I would like to go out and pick grapes right now, and eat them, but the only thing out there in our garden is these tiny little buds, where grapes will one day be, and they don't taste good. If, if I go and pick it now, I will not be able to have the fullness of fruit later. I need to have patience, and I need to have endurance. Galatians 6, verse 8, 9. Brother Zebedee, if you're able to read Galatians 6, verse 8 to 9, it's talking about a fruitfulness that comes from sowing, sowing to the Spirit, sowing to the Spirit, continue to sow to the Spirit. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. Wow. But he who sows to the Spirit, will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary, and let us not grow weary while we do it, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. Strong words. Does it apply to what we're talking about? Do you think it does apply? Yes, sir, it applies. It's giving us the direction for the kind of fruit we will bear. You know, we've been talking about fruitfulness, and in general terms, but yeah, we know that we're talking about the God kind of fruit. But here, Paul gives an even clearer direction on how to bear the God kind of fruit, as opposed to the worldly kind of fruit. He's saying, if you sow to your flesh, you cannot bear the God kind of fruit. You will always bear the worldly kind of fruit, which is corruption. So the question we have to ask ourselves is, how do I sow to my flesh? Already from the context, we find out that sowing to our flesh suggests and implies, rather than suggest, implies selfish interests, selfish desires. Sowing to gratify my fleshly desires. And Paul says, if we are sowing to that, if that is our concentration, if that is the focus of our mind and our actions, he says, we're going to reap corruption. It will produce no good fruit. It will bring destruction. But he who sows to the Spirit, we love the Spirit to reap eternal, everlasting life. So he who sows to the Spirit, I like this. He says, he who sows to. He didn't say he who sows in. I mean, yeah, he sows to. So if we sow to the Spirit, talking about the Spirit of God, talking about to the Spirit, then we will reap of the Spirit everlasting life. So it's, oh, this is beautiful. We have, the deposits we make in the Spirit, we withdraw it in the form of everlasting life. But everlasting life, it doesn't, of course, I know that we know this, everlasting life doesn't just begin the moment we leave the earth. No. Everlasting life is the life of God in us. And it applies to why we're here. And he says, and let us not grow weary while doing good. For in due season we shall reap if we do not faint. This talks about this, the verse 9, the verse 9 strongly connects to what you had already said earlier, that a huge part of of fruitfulness is connected to endurance. And that is beautiful. If we can, there's a huge connection, there's a strong connection, rather, between endurance and fruitfulness. And that's what the Apostle Paul brings out here in verse 9. He says, let's not grow weary while doing good. For in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Amen. So when we go back to the verse where we just were, in Corinthians 9, it says, whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly. And whoever sows generously will reap generously. So that's another way that ties together what we were just reading, is sowing to the Spirit generously. That's an abundance of sowing. Somebody give me some practical, Brother Jerry, if you're located, I'd love to hear your definition of sowing to the Spirit generously and reaping from the Spirit. All right, Brother Zebedee. Well, Reverend, to my own understanding, sowing in the Spirit is gaining understanding of God for yourself. The more of God you have, the more fruit you will bear. So sowing to the Spirit is investing in understanding and getting more of God. I would say the more we invest to spiritual understanding, the better will be our results. So to me, sowing in the Spirit is an investment towards our spiritual growth, and that is knowing more of God. Okay, knowing more of God. How do you get to know someone? By going through life with somebody. It is not just drinking a soda with somebody, taking a malta on the street corner and talking and laughing. It's when you're doing life with somebody, you get to know them. And when we do life with God, we come to know Him. When we read the letter that He's written to us, we gain understanding. To truly know somebody, it's spending time in every circumstance of life. Yeah, Brother, what is your take on this? What does it mean to generously sow into the Spirit? That's an interesting one. What comes to my mind, as you just said, is generously sow to the Spirit is when someone is sowed out to the things of hope. You are not doing it for any recognition, you're not doing it for any person. You are just giving yourself out of love for God to have intimate relationship with Him. That is what I understand as being sowed out to the Spirit. Your heart is being so fruitful because of the Lord, not because of people around you or because of whatever someone may want to achieve, but because of your commitment to the Lord, you are so sowed out and costing yourself to be fruitful serving the Lord. Yes. When I give Jesus more of me and I allow Him to be Lord of my life, then He begins to flow through me, through my mouth, through my attitudes, through my thoughts. My thoughts begin to change. I don't notice that other people do me wrong. Before, I'd be frustrated and aggravated just driving down the street or just in traffic. And I have all these frustrations. And when Christ is my Lord and I am in His presence, it doesn't matter anymore. When I'm consumed in His presence, when my heart is being consumed by the love and the nature of God, the whole of my heart has been consumed by Him. None of those things on the outside can really matter. That's just it. Amen. And that's what comes out of us is Jesus. When we're squeezed, when we're pressured, when we're stressed, then still what comes out is Jesus because He has overcome the world. Hallelujah. And the fruit that we bear is His fruit. He said, I'm the vine, you're the branches, and it's my spirit that flows through you that bears the fruit. And so it is the fruit of the Spirit, but yet we are the ones who bear the fruit. Confusing, but true. It is the fruit of the Spirit, and yet we are the ones who bear the fruit because it's Jesus working through us. And like he said, brother, the more we're so loved, the more that we know Him, the more that we walk life with Him. Something very beautiful about our ministry that was given to us through our mom, Agnes. She said that we should be naturally spiritual and spiritually natural. Naturally spiritual and spiritually natural, meaning that we should not separate. Oh, I'm doing natural things right now. I'm going to help clean the house. I'm preparing the church seats and dusting and getting ready. This is natural work. But we should not separate it because everything I do, if I do it unto the Lord, if everything I do, I do it with that same flow of God's nature, of His Spirit, and I'm doing as a worship. My work becomes worship. The creativity that I put into aligning those rows, the love that I put into setting every seat and doing everything, the love that goes into planning and budgeting and communicating and preparing, publishing in the preparation of an event, can be just as full of God's grace as the one preaching or the one praying at the altar. May it be that God flows through us and that the fruit of God, oh Lord, allow us to be spiritually natural and naturally spiritual. You know, because the Lord reprimands those who, in Isaiah 58, that deny their own flesh. He desires that each of us would, as men who are here, that we provide for our families well. That's part of the fruitfulness, the abundance. One of the requirements for an elder in the Word of God, he knows how to match his household well. Sometimes we want to separate the spiritual things that we call spiritual and the natural things and say, what is more important? And where, when a person with activity became so exacting about the standards for an elder, it was very simple, that they should be able to manage their own body, their own being in holiness, and that they should be able to manage their family well, provide for their family, and raise their children with excellence, with wisdom, by the Spirit of the Lord. If you can raise your children by the Spirit of the Lord, you have no problem discipling and raising people in the house of God. If you fail at home, don't think that you will succeed just because you're at church. Oh, did I just say those things? Fruitfulness cannot be separated natural or spiritual. Can it be that we would live a life that everything I do, I do unto the Lord, that God might be glorified? Can God be glorified with how I rake the leaves in front of his building? Can God be glorified with how I treat the vendors on the side of the road, and how I greet my neighbors, how I leave my own bed in the morning? Can God be glorified through everything that I do, and can my entire life become a time of fruitful worship unto my God, knowing him and him flowing through me in every area, until I become, it's natural to walk in the Spirit. I don't have to read the Word, put it into my mind, somehow get it into my heart, and then try by my own strength to act on what I read and understand. When his Word becomes in me, it becomes living through me by his Spirit. Oh, may God help us to understand that we cannot separate Sunday morning from Friday night. We cannot separate a time spent with our beloved family from time spent with Jesus in his Word. Oh, somebody talked to me today. Brother Emmanuel, Señor Alan Wolko, talk to me, brother. What is the Lord speaking to you? I'm just learning a lot from what I was just saying right now. So, to be quite frank with you, I am digesting it, how it is to incorporate being spiritual, and it's just a natural walk. You don't separate, okay, just the way you relate to your family and all the spiritual aspects. You don't kind of put yourself away and say, okay, now I am having some spiritual moments, family aside and all. That is quite an interesting aspect and one thing that I would like to grow into, making every single activity and every single day a spiritual moment. I have memories of being together with you, Emmanuel, at the training building, the training center buildings, and your labor of love with patience and with diligence. I remember when you washed my shirts and ironed them in your own cell. Is that not spiritual worship? Is that not serving the Lord with gladness? Is that not the natural and the spiritual without a dividing line? That is the natural. That is what is so interesting about what you are saying now. That is the natural. So, I am trying to see... But isn't it truly just a natural? Well, I think it is a natural. I was serving, washing and ironing. There is no such, there is not much spirituality in it. Oh, is there? Yes. What if you do it unto the Lord? What about the verse that says that when you have done unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me? What about the verse that says, if you give a cup of cold water in the name of the... you will not lose a prophet's reward? Is there a separation of natural and spiritual in these things? Interesting. Interesting. I am learning a lot. The widow who gave her last natural means of survival for her physical body, the food, food is natural, right? She gave up the food, the natural, and the prophet ended up blessing her. She had a son. The Lord blessed her. The widow of Zarephath, she was blessed and blessed, and God even blessed her no more. So, Jesus often used natural examples of spiritual things, because I know that in Jesus' mind that he did not separate as much as we do call things natural. Can there not be a flow of God's nature and God's spirit through our lives while we are serving? Can we not be developing greater love, more patience? Can we not deepen our walk with God as we serve others, as we create a thing of beauty? You know, Emmanuel, growing a garden, that's some labor, that's some sweat, that's some effort, and some diligence. You know, every creature wants to eat when you plant it. Every weed wants to grow where you want to grow. And it takes all of the courage, strength, and wisdom of God to have the belief that God looks at these things as a beauty, even the nature and spirit of Christ through us. Remember, the first time anointing is mentioned in the Bible is in practical, physical things. Olav and his buddy were anointed by the Spirit of God in all kinds of craftsmanship, metalworking. Not one sound of a hammer was ever heard on that site. It was all done and brought and slipped together, perfect fitting. There was an excellence even in the building of it, that the spiritual was not let out of it because it was the Spirit who ordained those blueprints and anointed those men to create something for the glory of God. Come on, somebody, we separate the spiritual and the natural to our ill. Oh, we become religious that way. Did I just say that? Oh no, I'm in trouble now. We become religious that way when we separate. God doesn't separate. If we want to give our whole life to God, we think in our mind that we have to spend the entire time praying, reading his Word, praising or witnessing, preaching or prayer for somebody. Those are spiritual things. We forget that just a gentle act of kindness to our family, to our neighbor. Jesus said, who's my neighbor? Someone in need. And he highly commended the ones called the Good Samaritan, gave of himself in natural things, every good work. Another place it says in every good word and work. We've been talking about being a mouthpiece. And one of the tests of our heart is what comes out of our mouth. We've been talking about that. But the second good test is the works and the actions we have to the least of these. Not because it's the church's program. It's because within us is the love of Christ flowing out to relieve the burden of someone, alongside them to repair the roof, to make a garment for them, to make a special meal. It's the love of Jesus. You know that half and more than half of the feasts that God commanded were feasting, food. Somebody is cooking that food. Come on, people. New events, you know, the labor of love goes into glorifying God and blessing God's people. All right. Somebody else talk here besides me for a moment. What you think, Brother Zebedee? Brother, I'm enjoying God speaking to you today. So permit me to enjoy God talking. Okay, brother. Thank you, sir. Anyone else? I did not see some of the natural things that I do as having any form of spirituality in them before. But now I see that, hey, I can actually go on in my day without having to divide. Okay, I'm going to go spiritual. Okay, now I'm going to go natural. I can actually be fruitful spiritually all the way to whole 24 hours. Yeah. So I'm very grateful. I really learned this one today and I won't forget. The word of God says he even give it to his beloved in their sleep. Or he gives his beloved sleep and rest 24 seven. Hallelujah. Bless the Lord. You see, God, you know, if we were living in heaven right now, oh, everything is beautiful. And so can it be that we invite the Lord into when we have to walk to get the fuel to do what we need to do and to run the generator and do, you know, you know what I'm saying? The creative wisdom that's needed to survive. Hallelujah. If we invite the Lord into all things, this mentality that we have when we're separating hinders us so much. You never know on the way to fuel how you will see somebody in need and just be able to speak a word of the Spirit of God to them that will keep them from taking their life or from hurting someone else. Come on, people. That's just here that God can use and flow through us in all things. I think it's excellent that we take time with the Lord, that we fellowship together, that we worship and we praise. But I do believe that when I get my tractor fixed, it will be a work of worship. It will be by the help of the Spirit of the Lord. This thing is all in pieces, but it's not simply a natural work because I call upon the wisdom of God. I call upon the grace of God. This is how I learn to know God and to walk with him, to trust him, to hear from him. I had a long time learning to hear from the Spirit of wisdom in practical things. I almost got myself killed one time because I didn't hear wisdom. God help us to know how to walk with God in every day, every part, every way. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. We thank the Lord for the Word today, just touching on understanding what it means to be fruitful, what it means to be a son of abundant fruitfulness. Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your Word. We thank you for bringing us into a greater understanding of your Spirit and the good works and the good fruit that is pouring through us, Lord. God, that we'd not separate in our minds, but we'd realize how you want to be part of everything and how even our work is worship when it's done unto you according to your will. God, we pray for each one who would hear this message, Lord, that there would be a transformation and there would be a shift in the Spirit. God, that you would be able to have a people that you can flow through, a people you can love through, a people that you can organize through, those that have the gifts that you've given, even of administration. People say administration is a natural work. Mighty God, it's a spiritual gift. May God help us to recognize the grace of God that is upon us in everything we do. And I pray in the name of your dear son, Jesus, that you take this Word and reveal it and bring it to a practical reality in many lives in Jesus' name. Amen.
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