I love what Jesus said about calling us to be fruitful. As a Christ-follower, I want to honor God with my life. I believe that means, in part, living a fruitful life. Jesus said …
You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. (John 15.16)
The fruit that we should bear includes those listed by Paul …
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5.22-23).
The longer we serve God, the deeper our relationship with God becomes, the more fruit our lives should exhibit. Basically, our lives should more and more look like the life of Jesus!
I think fruitfulness also includes the fruit that comes from seeds that are planted in the hearts of those who do not yet know God. In other words, there should be fruit in our work as witnesses to God’s work in our lives.
Not only should our individual lives be fruitful, but our church should also be fruitful. At Centre Grove, our leaders are embarking on a study of Bishop Schnase’s book, The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (see all posts tagged Five Practices). We believe that out of this study, Centre Grove will become more fruitful as we focus on practices that produce fruit!
We’re beginning with the practice of radical hospitality and will spend our next Council meeting (in two weeks) discussing it, so check back later for a report. In the meantime (at some point over the next several days), I will blog some of my thoughts/reflections on radical hospitality.